Veteran Mavericks Overtake Young Thunder; Should Win Series

COMMENTARY | The Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 in overtime Monday in what was the type of game dedicated sports fans wait all season to see. The Mavericks came from 15 points down with under five minutes to play to tie the game in regulation.

Randy Renner for NBA.com has posted his "Maverick-Thunder notebook" at that site.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the game started out with Oklahoma City hitting its first eight shots, forcing Dallas coach Rick Carlisle into taking timeout after timeout. Things didn't look good for the Mavericks. Not only did the Thunder score at will, but its defense was outstanding.

Oklahoma City led at the end of the first quarter 31-22.

During the second quarter, Dallas was a little tougher. The statistics in the game tell a story that is sad for Oklahoma City. It has been dominated in previous games on the offensive and defensive glass. In Game 4, the Thunder blew the Mavericks away in rebounding. Oklahoma City had 55 rebounds to the Mavericks' 33 and took Dallas to school with 20 offensive rebounds while holding the Mavericks to just five. Unfortunately, the Thunder committed 25 turnovers.

With less than five minutes to play, Dallas was down 99-84. The Thunder faithful were noisy and the Oklahoma City players were "up." By the end of overtime, Dallas had won, with Oklahoma City only mustering four points. How did the Mavericks turn things around?

There were several "keys to the game."

Oklahoma City's James Harden fouled out. He was a force in the game, particularly on offense, and after his departure the Thunder managed only two points for the rest of regulation.

While star Thunder player Kevin Durant led the team with 29 points, he had nine turnovers. This reflected the "turnover-offset" created by the entire team.

Anyone watching the game could see Oklahoma City lose its confidence and Dallas regain the necessary energy to win.

Dirk Nowitzki brought Dallas back near the end of the game. His shooting was incredible.

The real key to the game, the real difference, was experience. There are many stars in the NBA. The Thunder is an extremely talented team, but it is a very young team.

The Dallas Mavericks have been to the playoffs before and don't want to have to live with failure again.

With the win, the Mavericks take a commanding 3-1 lead back to Dallas. They should wrap things up Wednesday.

References:

You Tube Website, "Red Hot Dirk Nowitzki Leads Mavericks to a Game 4 OT Win Over Thunder"

NBA.com Website, Randy Renner, "Mavericks-Thunder notebook"

Boston Herald Website, Tim Cowlishaw, "Grand larceny: Mavericks steal 3-1 lead"