A Look Back: The 2006 Mavericks vs. Spurs Playoff Series

The Spurs and Mavericks rivalry has not been around as long as some of the more iconic rivalries such as the Celtics and Lakers, but the Spurs and Mavericks rivalry has quietly been one of the best of the 2000s. They have met six times in the playoffs (01, 03, 06, 09, 10, 14) but their most memorable one came in 2006. Not only was this a matchup of the two best teams in the Western Conference, but included two 60-win teams meeting in just the second round of the playoffs. Due to the previous NBA playoff seeding rules, the Spurs were the 1st seed with a record of 63-19, while the Mavericks held the 4th seed with a 60-22 record. Both these teams held the top two records in the Western Conference. However, the rules required that the top three seeds were the three different division winners, which forced the Mavericks into the 4th seed instead of the 2nd.

After this season, the playoff rules would change to division winners being guaranteed a top 4seed, but the team with the second-best record will claim the 2nd seed, regardless of whether or not they won their division. In 2016, divisions became irrelevant, and the teams with the eight best records will receive playoff berths.

This series went to Game 7 and had six of their seven games come down to the wire. Game 2 featured a 113-91 blowout victory by the Mavericks, but every other game in this series was close until the very end. This story of this series surrounded the duel between two of the greatest power forwards of all time in Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan.

Duncan won the individual matchup between the two, averaging 32.3 points per game (ppg), 11.7 rebounds per game (rpg) and 2.6 blocks per game (bpg), while Nowitzki averaged 27.1 ppg, 13.3 rbg and 0.4 bpg. While Duncan was able to win this one-on-one matchup, Nowitzki and the Mavericks were able to prevail in the series, winning it 4-3. 

Photo via Barstool Sports

Game 1 of the series started off with a tightly contested game in San Antonio, as the Spurs managed to win 87-85 to take their only lead of the series. Duncan led the Spurs with 31 points and 13 rebounds, while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili chipped in 19 points and 15 points respectively. Nowitzki struggled from the field, going 8-20, but he still ended with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse led the Mavericks with 24 points, and Josh Howard chipped in 17 points. In Game 2, the Mavericks won the only lopsided game of the series as they blew out the Spurs 113-91. The Mavericks had a balanced scoring attack as Howard, Nowitzki, and Devin Harris all scored over 20 points, while Stackhouse scored 19. There wasn’t much support for Duncan’s 28 points and 9 rebound performance, as Parker and Ginobili combined for just 28 points on 10-25 shooting. 

The Mavericks took Game 3 behind Nowitzki’s 27 points, on just three made field goals. They had five total players score in double figures and were able to make timely free throws down the stretch to take the 2-1 lead. Duncan had a monster game before he fouled out, putting up 35 points and 12 rebounds. Parker added 15, while Ginobili scored 24 points. However, Ginobili’s costly turnover as he lost the ball off his leg with five seconds left on the clock took away the Spurs’ last opportunity to win the game. In Game 4, we got our first overtime game of the series as the Mavericks managed to win 123-118 to take a 3-1 lead over the Spurs. Jason Terry exploded this game as he went off for 32 points, while Nowitzki and Stackhouse added 28 and 26 points respectively.

For the Spurs, the Big Three (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili) combined for 90 points. However, they weren’t able to get enough help from the rest of the team to even up the series. 

With their backs against the wall, the Spurs Big Three once again had a dominating performance in Game 5, combining for 81 points. Bruce Bowen had arguably one of the best defensive plays of the series, making a clutch block on Nowitzki with the Spurs up one point and six seconds left in the game. The Mavericks once again had a balanced scoring effort, as five players scored in double figures led by Nowitzki’s 31-point, 10 rebound performance.

Photo via the Sports Daily

At the end of this game, Terry punched former teammate Michael Finley in the groin and was suspended for Game 6. Without him, the Mavericks didn’t have enough offense to close out the Spurs in Dallas, as they lost 91-86. Nowitzki scored 26 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, while Howard added 17 points, but nobody else on the Mavericks was able to score over 10 points. Ginobili had his best game in the series, as he scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Duncan added 24 points and 8 rebounds, while Finley put up 16 points of his own.

Game 7 looked like it was going to be a repeat of Game 2, as the Mavericks jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first half before the Spurs made their comeback. The Spurs managed to take a three-point lead with 32 seconds left after Ginobili hit a three-pointer. However, 11 seconds later, he made another late-game mistake as he fouled Nowitski on an and one that led to the Mavericks tying up the game at 104 and sending it to overtime. In overtime, the Mavericks managed to outlast the Spurs as they pulled away to win 119-111 in San Antonio. This game featured a duel for the ages and Nowitzki went off for 37 points and 15 rebounds, while Duncan led the Spurs with 41 and 15. The supporting cast for both players stepped up, as Terry and Howard scored 27 and 18 each, and Parker and Ginobili added 24 and 23. 

This was the first win for Dallas over the Spurs in the postseason, as they had lost in the two prior matchups. The Mavericks would go on to lose to the Miami Heat in a controversial NBA Finals series, while the Spurs went on to once again win the championship the next year.