Barea is Spurs "Big" Problem
Apr 19, 2009
By: Tropics Staff
In a Twist, Spurs Have a Problem - and it's J.J. Barea
Jean-Jacques Taylor (Dallas Morning News)
SAN ANTONIO – In a game with Jason Kidd and Tony Parker, J.J. Barea was the best point guard on the court.
Go figure.
The Mavs lead this Western Conference quarterfinals series because San Antonio couldn't figure out how to deal with Barea, who shut down Parker in the second half, while continually attacking the Spurs' basket.
Rick Carlisle is probably going to be mad today because everyone will be praising Barea for dominating Parker in every facet of the game, especially during the fourth quarter.
Carlisle will want us to keep Barea's performance in perspective because he doesn't want Parker more focused than usual.
Too bad.
We all saw Barea's masterful game. So did those 18,797 folks at AT&T Center.
You can't keep it quiet when an undrafted 6-footer from Puerto Rico by way of a basketball power like Northeastern dominates one of the world's best point guards.
Barea finished with 13 points and three assists, but that hardly begins to describe his impact in the Mavs' 105-97 win.
Carlisle started Barea in the third quarter after the Spurs took a 49-45 halftime lead that would've been considerably larger had Brandon Bass not been such a force in the second quarter.
After watching the Mavs struggle to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, Carlisle went to a lineup he's used 15 times to start games. It puts Barea and Kidd in backcourt.
Kidd calls the plays, but Barea handles the ball most of the time.
Barea's job is to penetrate and score or pass the ball to his teammates for open jumpers because the defense has collapsed on him to protect the basket. And if Barea misses, his teammates should be in position to gather offensive rebounds because the Spurs are concentrating on him.
The Mavs scored 60 points and committed one turnover in the second half.
You must understand that no one stops Parker. The Mavs didn't do it Saturday night, considering he finished with 24 points and eight assists.
Barea, though, slowed Parker down.
Carlisle used Antoine Wright, the Mavs' most consistent defender, on Parker to start the game, but Wright finished the first half with three fouls. Jason Terry simply can't guard Parker because he isn't quick enough.
Parker finished the first half with 13 points and seven assists, and looked every bit like the player who dominated the Mavs more than any other guard except Chris Paul this season.
Dallas had no answer for Parker until Barea started guarding him.
Parker is one of the fastest players in the league baseline to baseline but Barea can match his quickness. Barea's goal: stay in front of Parker, limit his access to the paint and hope he misses some jumpers.
That's exactly what happened in the second half. Parker made only three of nine shots with one assist while committing two offensive fouls.
"I got a charge on him early in the fourth quarter, and I think it bothered him a little bit. He started putting his head down a little bit," Barea said. "He's been killing us all year. I just try to stay in front of him and do my best."
Barea took over offensively in the fourth quarter.
With the Mavs leading, 79-77, he hit a 21-foot jumper. Then he fed Bass for a dunk and Wright for a 3-pointer, pushing the Mavs lead to 86-80 with 8:08 left.
Two minutes later, Barea clinched the win with a layup, a free throw and a runner during a 32-second span, giving the Mavs a 93-83 lead with 5:31 left.
The Spurs won't panic.
They're a veteran team with championship pedigree. Four times since 2003, they've been in this situation and won the series.
It won't happen this time if the Spurs don't figure out a way to deal with Barea.
Seriously.
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