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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) – The Dallas Mavericks are playoff novices no more.
|  | | Michael Finley had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Dallas rolled. |
Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 of his 33 points in the third quarter,
and Steve Nash had 27 points as the Mavericks routed the Utah Jazz
107-77 Tuesday night to force a decisive fifth game in their
first-round series.
The series finale will be Thursday night in Salt Lake City. The
winner takes on San Antonio in the second round, starting Saturday.
"We definitely feel confident," Nash said. "We feel we're
coming of age. If we continue improving, we'll reach the stage
where we can say we've arrived.
"Our backs are still against the wall. They're very
experienced, especially in front of their crowd."
The Mavericks, who are in the postseason for the first time in
11 years, are heading west on quite a roll. They're coming off
their biggest win in team playoff history, and their Big Three of
Nowitzki, Nash and Michael Finley, who had 20 points and 13
rebounds, are finally clicking.
The magic began in the second quarter, when Nash and Nowitzki
combined for 22 of Dallas' 28 points as Dallas turned a 10-point
deficit into a 45-42 halftime lead. The final basket was a long
3-pointer by Nash with two Jazz in his face.
"This is one of the best games we've played all year," Dallas
coach Don Nelson said. "We got on one of those rolls where we were
unstoppable."
Then came the Mavericks' best quarter of the season. With the
trio scoring from inside and long range -- the game turned into a
rout. A 24-6 run that carried into the fourth quarter ended any
doubt.
"They got us in a track meet and they did a good job of keeping
us in it," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "That's not the kind of
game we have a chance to win. They were live and athletic. They got
what they wanted."
John Starks, back from testicular surgery for the first time
since the opener, and Donyell Marshall were both ejected in the
final 10 minutes. Sloan gave Karl Malone, who scored 25 points, and
John Stockton most of the last period off.
Nelson pulled his starters midway through the fourth quarter.
Wang Zhi Zhi scored seven points in the final five minutes.
The Jazz are in jeopardy of blowing a 2-0 lead in a five-game
series for the second time. They did it in 1987, one only five such
chokes in NBA history. No team has done it twice.
The good news for Utah: The home team has won every game this
series, a turnaround from their four regular-season meetings, all
of which were won by the road team.
"We want to go there and play hard and play good," said
Dallas' Shawn Bradley, who had six blocks, twice his total in the
first three games. "Tne thing I do know is the Jazz will be
ready."
The Jazz led early by crashing the offensive boards and scoring
easily inside. Malone had nine early points as Utah controlled the
tempo.
But once the Mavericks got going, the veteran-filled Jazz
couldn't keep up.
The Mavericks opened the second half continuing the momentum
from Nash's long basket. They stretched the lead to 10 on another
3-pointer by Nash and one from Nowiztki.
Utah, which suffered its worst playoff loss since falling 96-54
to Chicago in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, closed to 66-59 before
Finley's statement play: a slashing dunk over three Jazz players,
with Malone fouling him. Finley hit the free throw, giving Dallas
16 straight to start the game, and the frenzy was just beginning.
Nash hit a crazy-looking left-handed hook on the next
possession, then Dallas made the play that defined their youth and
athleticism.
Finley caught a rebound and while still in the air threw a
baseball-style outlet pass to Nash, who flipped it to a streaking
Nowitzki for a dunk over a flat-footed Malone.
Then came a 3-pointer by Finley and a 3-pointer by Nowitzki.
Dallas was up 79-63, and the only question left was the starting
time of Game 5.
"They shot the ball well, but sometimes we weren't even close
to them," Malone said. "I wasn't stunned. They did everything
they could to win the ball game. You have to give them credit.
"It's a team effort, and as a team we lost."
The Mavericks finished 13-of-25 on 3-pointers, the most they
have made this season. Nowitzki was 5-of-10, Nash 4-of-8 and Finley
3-of-4. Finley was 7-of-13 after going 2-for-14 in Game 3.
Malone, who spent Monday's off day hunting at his ranch in
Arkansas, was all the Jazz had going for them. He scored nine of
their first 16 and their first eight in the third quarter. The only
other double-digit scorers were reserves David Benoit, with 12, and
Danny Manning, 10.
Stockton, coming off his first career triple-double, had four
points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Game notes
Dallas surpassed its previous biggest playoff victory --
151-129 over Seattle in 1987 -- by eight points. ... This was the
first time the Mavericks have won consecutive playoff games since
May 27-29, 1988, when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Games 3
and 4 of the Western Conference finals. ... If Dallas loses in
Utah, this will have been the last NBA game at Reunion Arena. ...
Nash still had a bandage on his forehead covering the seven
stitches needed to close a cut opened by Stockton's teeth in Game
3. ... Of the six times the Jazz have led a best-of-5 series 2-0,
this will be the fifth time it goes the distance.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
Mavericks-Jazz Series Page
RECAPS
Milwaukee 112
Orlando 104
Dallas 107
Utah 77
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Coach Don Nelson thought Game 4 was one of the best games the Mavs played all year.
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Things in Game 4 seemed to fall into place for Steve Nash and the Mavericks (Courtesy: TBS Sports).
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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