At the post-game press conference, a humbled Gregg Popovich gave all the credit to the Mavs for their 113-91 victory over the Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals. "Everybody together, say it: the Mavs played great and deserve credit," Popovich said. "There are no excuses, no way around it. If I didn't think they played well, I'd say it. They kicked ass." Lots of sportswriters are going to credit Josh Howard for his 27 points, as Howard helped shoulder an offensive burden that's been unexpectedly lifted from Dirk Nowitzki's broad shoulders. But the real reason the Mavs won this game by such a margin was the play of guard Devin Harris. Technically, Harris replaced swingman Adrian Griffin in the starting lineup, but he actually replaced Jason Terry as the starting point guard, with Terry moving to his more natural shooting-guard position. The Mavs lost in Game 1 because they couldn't penetrate the Spurs' interior defense, and with Dirk in a serious funk, the Mavs relied on Jerry Stackhouse to create his own shots off the dribble. Stackhouse's strengths are his ability to make off-the-ball slashing moves to the basket and take the open jumpshot on a catch-and-shoot. But he'll never be a point guard, so when the Mavs relied on him to create their offense, the Mavs' possessions turned into one-on-one basketball, which resulted in a slow pace that favored the tired Spurs. In the first half of Game 2, the lightning-quick Harris turned the Mavs' plodding Game 1 tempo into a distant memory. Harris exposed the injured Tony Parker's inability to slow his drives to the basket, as Harris landed three layups in the first half and got to the free-throw line twice more. The consistent penetration allowed the Mavs to play to Stackhouse's strengths, as the Spurs' defense was often drawn into the lane, leaving Stackhouse alone for three-pointers in the corner. During a possession near the end of the third quarter, Harris demonstrated why Avery Johnson can become furious at the second-year player for rookie mistakes while also marveling at his ability to create. After Dirk stole the ball from Michael Finley, Harris took an outlet pass and sprinted up the court. Harris tried to drive to the hoop, but the Spurs' interior defense forced him to reverse directions and return to the top of the key (we saw a lot of that in Game 1). Harris was then met by a trapping double team, and after nearly losing his handle on the ball, he spun around and flew towards the hoop. As Harris leaped, the Spurs big men appeared to gain position for a block, but Harris spotted a wide open Josh Howard on the perimeter. In mid-air, Harris threw the ball out to Howard, who landed the three-pointer, putting the Mavs ahead 84-64. I'm sure that Avery wasn't happy with Harris' initial decision-making or ball handling on the possession, but in the end, Harris showed the creativity of an elite NBA point guard (a supersonic Steve Nash on this particular drive). But Harris' most important contribution was his ability to close out the Spurs in the 4th quarter. With 7:30 left in the game, Brent Barry had just hit a three-pointer to bring the Spurs within 14 points at 94-80. The Spurs were on a 6-0 run, and if the Mavs didn't score on the next possession, the fading AT&T Center crowd could have gotten right back into the game. Instead, Harris answered with a driving layup to put the Mavs back up by 16. Following a Spurs' miss, Harris again penetrated the lane and was fouled on his layup attempt. Harris calmy nailed both free throws. The Spurs converted their next possession, but Harris deadened any comeback hopes as he hit a mid-range, pull-up shot that was set up by the threat of his penetrating ability. After another Spurs' miss, Harris again demonstrated his creative prowess, as he used his penetration to draw in the Spurs' defense before calmy dishing out to a wide-open Stackhouse on the perimeter. Stackhouse missed the shot, but it didn't matter as the Mavs were up 100-82 with five minutes remaining. Harris' influence on this game must have seemed like deja vu to the Spurs, who had seen this act before in the first regular season game on November 5, 2005. In the 4th quarter of that game, Harris entered with the Mavs clinging to a 7-point lead. Harris then took over the game as he scored 20 of his 22 points in the final frame through sprinting drives to the hoop that consistently broke down the Spurs' vaunted defense. At the time, I claimed that Harris had his "coming out party," but injuries in the middle of the season prevented Harris from realizing his full potential. Last night, Harris finally repeated his November performance, and it came at the most crucial time. A lot has been made of whether the Spurs' lack of rest between the first and second rounds will hurt them in this series against the relatively well-rested Mavs. If the Mavs play the slow tempo game that we saw in Game 1, fatigue will be a nonfactor for the Spurs as they'll control a deliberate, half-court game. On the other hand, if Harris can keep the Mavs running, the Spurs will be hard-pressed to contain the Mavs' offense as the series lengthens. Furthermore, much is being made of Dirk's comments about not being able to score 30-35 points in this series. TNT's Ernie Johnson asked Dirk to clarify his remarks, and Dirk provided a clear answer: if the Spurs are going to take him out of the game, then he's going to do everything in his power to get his other teammates involved, which includes rebounding, defense, and passing out of double teams. It's odd that critics decry the NBA's emphasis on scoring over defense, yet they interpret Dirk's selfless comment as meaning that the Spurs have gotten into his head. To me, it's refreshing that the Mavs' best player understands the Spurs's defensive strategy, and he's willing to do what it takes to beat that strategy. If Dirk was determined to get 30-35 points despite the double teams, then I'd be worried. And now that the Mavs have shown that they can win with other players carrying the offensive load, the Spurs might have to figure out a strategy to contain the man responsible for creating the Mavs' shots -- Devin Harris. Once the defense is forced to concentrate on someone besides Dirk, the German superstar will get his open looks and make the Spurs pay. Thus, whether the Mavs win this series depends on Harris building on this game, rather than making it a one-time thing.