It sucks. That's all that can be said about Terry's suspension, following the characteristic whining of the Spurs. Michael Finley finally earned his Spurs colors by crying to the league office after the game. The Spurs know that they can't win this game on their own merits, so they had to find an edge somewhere else. Getting one of the Mavs best players suspended for the crucial Game 6 is a typical Spurs move; I just hadn't expected this crap from Finley. Now, there's good reason to rain down the boos on this turncoat. Bitterness aside (I had to get it out), the suspension could fuel a furious Mavs' attack tonight. Sometimes, when the world looks like it's crashing down, teams rise above the storm and show their true character. Last year, the Mavs showed their grit when they came back against Houston after losing the first two games at home. They made a statement in Game 7 by destroying the Rockets by 40 points. That wasn't a championship Mavs team, but it had a lot of the same players, and their performance showed that Avery Johnson's team has plenty of mental toughness. But psychology's not the only reason that the Mavs should win the game tonight. Instead, it's matchups. If I were Avery Johnson, I'd start defensive specialist Adrian Griffin in place of Terry, and I'd have him clamp down on Manu Ginobili. When Ginobili gets frustrated, the Spurs seem to sputter, and Griffin's much more suited to contributing a quality defensive performance than Terry. If Devin Harris can simultaneously handle the hobbled Tony Parker, the Spurs will be hard-pressed to get any offense going. The matchups haven't changed much in the last two games, as Gregg Popovich seems to be settling for "small ball," while Johnson has been content with a lineup that emphasizes scoring. The best wrench that Johnson can throw in the Spurs' plans is to start Griffin and play Josh Howard for heavy minutes. These defensive stalwarts can frustrate Popovich's attempt to go small, and the Spurs will be on their heels as Popovich tries to make adjustments on the fly. Some reports indicate that Stackhouse might be starting in place of Terry. That will be a mistake. Stackhouse performs best coming off the bench because he's not the focal point of the opposition's defensive scheme. When Stackhouse sneaks up on an opponent, he's deadly; when he tries to create from the point, he's a liability. On the offensive end, the Mavs will be able to make up for Terry's absence. Howard hasn't had a big offensive outburst since Game 2; it's time for that to change tonight. Marquis Daniels can also come off the bench to frustrate the Spurs with his smooth-slashing abilities. And Harris, who has been outstanding in this series, needs to step it up one more notch. If he can consistently penetrate the Spurs' interior defense, the Spurs will have no choice but to leave Dirk Nowitzki in one-on-one coverage. And that will lead to an offensive explosion that harkens back to Dirk's pick-and-roll days with Steve Nash. The time has come. Championships are built from moments of adversity. Tonight is the most critical game in Mavericks franchise history, as a win will vault the Mavs to the next level. It's time to ignore the Spurs' extracurricular shenanigans and show them who's the best team in the NBA.

The Mavs were disappointed after missing a chance to close out the series in the final seconds of Game 5. And rightfully so, for they've been the better team in this series. But, unlike the Spurs, the Mavs didn't blame anyone but themselves for the loss. "With 2.4 seconds left, I settled for a fade-away jumper," Mavs' guard Jason Terry said. "With that kind of time, I can dribble from [the baseline] and get to the basket. That is inexcusable. I also turned the ball over with 34 seconds left, so tonight the blame falls squarely on me. Not Dirk, not anybody else, me." I'm glad you're not blaming the officials, but don't get too down on yourself, Jason. The Spurs left their heart on the AT&T Center floor last night, and they still barely squeaked by the Mavs. Fatigue's going to set in on Friday night, when the Mavs come out firing, and the end result's not going to be pretty if you're a Spurs fan. As a Mavs fan, I would have loved for them to have taken Game 5 in front of the San Antonio crowd. But the Spurs had too much pride for that, as Tony Parker and Tim Duncan pushed themselves to the limit in order to keep the series alive. Parker, who's been hobbled by injuries, won't be the same player on Friday night. And there's no way that Duncan can shoot lights out again. He'll be good, but the Spurs will need contributions from someone else in order to take down the Mavs. Game 6 will be all about Dirk. The rest of this series has been a prelude to a monster game from the German superstar. The Spurs have to gameplan for Terry, Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and Josh Howard -- leaving openings for Dirk that he didn't see in the first few games of this series. The AAC's going to be rocking on Friday night, and Dirk will show why he's the true MVP of the NBA. If not, the Spurs can punch their tickets to the Conference Finals. With two days of rest between Games 6 and 7, the Mavs will be hard-pressed to beat the defending champions on their home floor in the deciding game. But it's not going to get to that point because the Mavs did their job in Game 5. They ensured that they'll be facing a vulnerable and weak Spurs team in a series that's become a war of attrition.