2014 NBA Playoffs: San Antonio Spurs Win Game 4

Apr 28, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs center

(33) celebrates after hitting a three point basket late in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Spurs beat the Mavs 93-89. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Boris Cake Eater Diaw made the most clutch shot of the game for the San Antonio Spurs last night against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4.

Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis were in the midst of leading the Mavericks to an improbable comeback after the Spurs were up by as much as 20 points.

But this crushing three pointer by Cake Man not only gave the Spurs a much needed bucket to stay ahead, but it also extinguished the killer-comeback play that Dallas was bringing to San Antonio.

Boris Diaw gets game-winning hoop in Game 4 win for Spurs. Diaw had 17 points in Game 4, totaled 15 points in Games 1-3

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 29, 2014

Brian Gosset of The Smoking Cuban tells us how the Dallas Mavericks comeback in the second half still wasn’t quite good enough to overcome Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and the ever-clutch Boris Diaw.

The Dallas Mavericks trailed 58-38 with 9:18 left in the third quarter, and proceeded with a ferocious comeback that fell short as the San Antonio Spurs tied their first-round series at two with a 93-89 victory in Game 4 on April 28.

Andrew Melnick writes about the Dejuan Blair-Tiago Splitter play that resulted in Blair getting ejected because of a kick towards Splitter when they were both down.

From The Smoking Cuban, via Ben Golliver:

DeJuan Blair ejected for kick to the hea… on Twitpic” href=”http://twitpic.com/e2djhi”>

Bleacher Report’s own Tim Keeney recaps Game 4 between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks:

San Antonio frustrated Dallas into a slew of contested jump shots en route to an anemic 29.3 percent shooting from the field in the first half, and the Mavs scored just 13 points during a dominant second quarter for Popovich’s squad.

On the other end, Duncan had 12 points and five rebounds, while Ginobili led the way with 15 points and four assists—more first-half dimes than the entire Dallas team. The San Antonio Express-News‘ Jeff McDonald pointed out that Ginobili’s impressive play was an extension from Game 3, when he scored all 12 of his points in the second half:

The San Antonio Spurs travel back home to play Game 5 at the AT&T Center. Look for Tony Parker and company to provide a much-needed surge to finally get this team through the first round and back on track in their pursuit of an NBA championship.

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