Mavs’ unsung hero

A seven-foot, 280-pound Senegalese player, whose name is difficult to pronounce if you’re not French, is making a difference for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs and he’s not even a starter.

DeSagana Diop (pronounced Sa-Gah-Na Jop) has emerged to be a key stopper in coach Avery Johnson’s scheme of things and is contributing significant minutes, if not stats, in the Phoenix series.

Not surprisingly, what Diop does on the floor is often ignored in the stats sheet. There are no stats for deflections or intimidating stare-downs to force a change of shots or box-outs or taking the charge or tips off loose balls or close-outs on penetrators or providing help defense. Diop goes about his business like a blue-collar worker with a lunch pail, not a ticket to a luxury lounge for a snack before a game.

Sports fan Billy Esposo sent an email the other day extolling Diop’s virtues which were evident in Dallas’ 95-88 win over Phoenix to open a 2-1 lead in their best-of-7 Western Conference Finals series.

"The stats do not show the role that Diop played in allowing the Mavs to rally and lead the Suns in the second half," wrote Billy. "The stats do not show how many drives Diop discouraged Nash, Barbosa, Diaw and Marion from attempting. They don’t show how many attempted drives were missed because of Diop’s presence in the shaded area. At least, one of the TV analysts acknowledged what Diop contributes to the game. Not surprising because TV analysts are former players or coaches and know their basketball, especially the important contributions that do not show up in stats."

Billy hit the nail on the head.

In the Game 3 boxscores, Diop’s stats were far from mind-boggling. He collected four points, six rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes. But Diop played a significant role in limiting the Suns to 88 points, 16 in the third period, and 42.7 percent shooting. He also had a hand in creating 12 Phoenix turnovers (compared to Dallas’ five) and grinding the Suns fastbreak to a near halt (four transition points to Dallas’ 14).

With Diop under the basket, the Suns had difficulty scoring off penetrations and were forced to kick out to the perimeter where the Mavs kept a close watch on coach Mike D’Antoni’s outside gunners. Diop’s interior presence made it easier for Dallas to defend the three-point shot which is a potent weapon for Phoenix.

Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said, "The Mavs had to figure out a way to slow down the Suns—they finally did it by throwing up a Diop (as in ‘stop’) sign."

Diop, 24, was drafted on the first round by Cleveland in 2001 after playing for Oak Hill Academy, a private Virginia co-ed high school (student population of 100, mostly boarders) whose distinguished alumni include NBA players Jerry Stackhouse, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Blake, Jeff McInnis, Ron Mercer and Josh Smith.

As an Oak Hill senior, Diop averaged 14.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 8.0 blocked shots to lead the varsity to a perfect 33-0 record. He also shot over 60 percent from the floor.

Diop played four inconsequential campaigns for the Cavaliers then was signed by Dallas as a free agent last year. He averaged 2.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocked shots and 18.6 minutes in 81 games for the Mavs this past regular season.

In the recent San Antonio series, Diop stood his ground against Spurs star Tim Duncan. He held Duncan to 1-of-7 from the field in overtime as the Mavs upset the defending champions, 119-111, in Game 7 to clinch the tie. Diop walked away from the war with a broken nose, courtesy of a Duncan elbow in the fourth period, plus seven points and four rebounds in 10 minutes. In Game 5, he compiled eight points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes but the Mavs lost a 98-97 squeaker.

Diop’s single-game career highs include 10 points, 16 rebounds, six blocked shots, five steals and four assists.

In Game 1 against Phoenix, Diop sat on the bench and never played as Erick Dampier started at center. The Suns won, 121-118. In Game 2, Keith Van Horn was Johnson’s surprise starting center but Diop was his chief reliever, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring four points in 32 minutes. Dampier didn’t play as Dallas prevailed, 105-98.

It’s clear that if Dallas hopes to advance to the Last Dance, the Mavs must play tough-as-nails defense. Dallas is no match for Phoenix in a shooting contest. The only way the Mavs can prevent the Suns from rising in the West is by clamping down on Steve Nash, playing it slow, creating defensive mismatches and Diop or Nowitzki or Dampier or Van Horn controlling the middle.

Of course, the Mavs must also execute efficiently in offense, meaning Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Stackhouse and Van Horn must deliver the points when they’re called on to score.

Diop will never be the Mavs’ MVP but that shouldn’t bother him. If the Mavs make it to the Finals, Diop will know he deserves some of the credit as Dallas’ unsung hero.

Postscript: Aside from Diop, there’s another Senegalese playing in the Dallas-Phoenix playoffs. Suns forward Boris Diaw’s father Issa was a Senegalese high jump champion. His mother Elizabeth Riffiod is French. Diaw, voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season, was born in France and is a close friend of Spurs guard and French national teammate Tony Parker… Today is your last day to send in your entries for the chance to win an authentic NBA Finals T-shirt (exclusively sent by the NBA) and a video of "The Year of the Yao." Just pick the two teams you think will play in the Finals and in 100 words or less, write why you love the NBA. We’ll choose 15 winners, each to receive a T-shirt (not available locally) and a video. Additionally, one of the 15 winners will be selected to bring home a 7-6 life-size standee of Yao Ming. Don’t forget to write your name, signature, address, telephone number and occupation (if student, what school, grade or year and course). Send in your entries to "The NBA Finals," A Sporting Chance, The Philippine Star, R. Oca Jr. and Railroad Streets, Port Area. Entries must be in by 5 p.m. today.