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Article: Dampier is the difference-maker for Mavs.
- Article from:
- The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX)
- Article date:
- May 15, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Dallas Morning News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: David Moore
DALLAS _ He's been a public punching bag for most of these playoffs and a running punch line in the Eastern Conference. Any time Miami's Shaquille O'Neal or Washington's Eddie Jordan wanted a cheap laugh, they evoked Erick Dampier's name.
But Dampier has also become something else: the barometer of success for the Dallas Mavericks in this series.
Not Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks have won and lost through his offensive struggles.
Not Josh Howard, although when he's as active offensively as he was in Sunday night's 119-109 victory, the Mavericks are hard to beat.
Dampier. It's not fair to call him the reason ...