The Importance of Home Court Advantage

With the series tied at one, home court advantage looks increasingly important for the Mavs' hopes

It’s no secret that the Dallas Mavericks are a dangerous team, particularly within the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center. Their 15-1 home record since the All-Star break is tied for the best in the league with the Cavaliers.
 
This fact makes the importance of Dallas’ Game 1 victory in San Antonio increasingly obvious and certainly beyond the scope of any single game.
 
This point was emphasized on Tuesday, when San Antonio beat Dallas mercilessly, effectively reminding everyone that despite age or an injured Manu Ginobli, the Spurs remain an immensely dangerous team.
 
Considering that Dirk Nowitzki has yet to play even close to his best in the series, the tie, as well as home court advantage comes as something of a blessing for a Mavericks team that relied heavily on their bench in game one.
 
Let’s pretend for a moment that Dallas had lost Game 1 and home court advantage; we would essentially be looking at an uphill battle against a playoff tested, albeit old team. And all the while, our franchise player, and leader, would be attempting to get back on track.
 
These are not promising circumstances.
 
The task looms large enough as it is; San Antonio proved that they, despite sensationalized doubts about health and age, still have the capacity to beat the ever-loving tar out of their rivals from up Interstate 35 in Game 3.
 
However, assuming that Dirk Nowitzki will find a way to contribute substantially against the Spurs’ defense, Dallas is essentially right where they want to be.
 
Namely, three of the next four games will be played in Dallas.

Thursday's Game 3 is at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen locally on KTXA.  Saturday's Game 4 is at 3 p.m. and can be seen on TNT and KTXA.  Tuesday's Game 5 will be on TNT and KTXA at 8:30 p.m.

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