| Heartbreaker Late, Mavs Up 3-2 Authored by Jason Linnard - May 2, 2005 - 11:17 pm
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Tracy McGrady and the Rockets couldn’t convert in the 4th quarter as they lost to the Dallas Mavericks 103-100 to make the series 3-2 in favor of Dallas. Though, some questionable calls by the officiating staff could’ve been Houston’s downfall.
McGrady and partner in crime Yao Ming combined for 55 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks, but it wasn’t enough to overcome 6 Dallas scorers with 11+ points. Center Erick Dampier was limited to 16 minutes due to foul trouble, only scoring one point.
The first quarter was focused on attacking the basket, as teams only combined for 11 points on mid and long-range shots. Dallas escaped the 1st quarter with a 2 point lead.
In the second quarter, it was more of the back-and-forth game, teams trading buckets, until the end of the half, when Dallas put together a 13-4 run to go up 52-44.
In the 4th quarter, the Rocket’s attempt to fight back was foiled by Dallas…..with a little help from the officiating staff. Two mishandled calls proved fatal for Houston, as each occurred when Houston was within one possession of Dallas.
When Houston was down 99-96, Jon Barry grabbed a missed Jason Terry jump shot. The ball was tipped away by Michael Finley who clearly had two feet out-of-bounds. The referee’s refused to review the call that would have given Houston possession and the opportunity to inbound the ball.
The other call occurred with 16 seconds left. The ball was in-bounded to Michael Finley who appeared to have been trapped by McGrady and forward Scott Padgett. Before Padgett came in contact with Finley, the referee called a pre-meditated foul, leading to a Finley free throw. This made it a two point game.
Jason Terry missed a crucial free throw late, leaving Houston down by just 3 with 3 seconds left. Dallas fouled McGrady, sending him to the line for 2. McGrady missed the first, forcing him to intentionally miss the second for a 3-point shot opportunity.
McGrady gained his own rebound and put up what would prove a useless last shot. The shot hit the rim, giving Dallas the win. McGrady’s foot was on the line, so a converted jumper would not have helped.
The missed calls possibly add to the conspiracy against Houston, further fueled by penalties against Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy earlier today. Van Gundy was fined $100,000 dollars for comments made about how the officiating was costing Houston, also sending shots toward Mavs owner Mark Cuban.
Game 6 of the series is Thursday in Houston. |
