Spurs vs Mavs: Showdown in San Antonio

With back to back losses in the New Year, Spurs fans have a good reason to worry about the Dallas Mavericks, tonight. Dallas is coming into San Antonio with momentum and a grudge.
The momentum comes off their Texas sized 12-game winning streak, and the grudge comes from Coach Avery Johnson, (Formerly the Co-Captain of the San Antonio Spurs, under David Robinson).
Mavs owner Mark Cuban has worked his hardest over the last few seasons to create the “I-35 Rivalry”, and so, when Dallas comes into town, Spurs Fans always take notice. This time, however, there’s a sense of trepidation and concern.
The stats from Spurs.com tell it all:

“In the last 10 meetings between San Antonio (23-10) and Dallas (25-7), the Mavericks have averaged 92.8 points, while the Spurs have averaged 91.6.”

And it seems that some fans are already demoralized:
“The Spurs,” said one of my sources, “are going to lose tonight. My money is on Dallas.” Sadly, though, it does represent the general mood here in San Antonio about tonight’s game.
“The Spurs start strong early in the season, but about this time of year, they slack off. It goes on that way until after the All-Star Game,” said another. “They’ll pick it up in March.”

Still, many fans are sure that the numbers are actually working against Dallas. With 12 consecutive wins the odds are against them. They’re due a loss, and why not at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. Two losses in a row is not that large a setback, if they can come back tonight and cash in on the odds.
With about an hour before game time, I still think that the Silver and Black can pull it off, if they can contain Dirk Nowitzki and keep the Mav offense off their toes in the paint.