Life, barely

- Tonight you saw everything I've been preaching. Dirk had 44 minutes, 32 pts and 19 rebounds. JET had 40 minutes, 22 pts and 6 assists. I want Dirk and JET playing together. Bottom line. This team was most successful (2006) with Dirk and JET being the #1 and #2 scoring options.

- And what about the spares trying to play in front of JET? Stackhouse had 7 minutes, Devean George had 12 minutes, and Eddie Jones had ZERO minutes. That's a total of 5 points, by the way.

- Tonight you saw the perfect lineup for the Mavs. Kidd and JET at the guards. Dirk and Howard at the forwards. And Damp at the center position. And you saw the result. A Win.

- I'd really like to see this lineup ride out the rest of the playoffs. If I'm going down, I'm going down with guys I can bleed with. That's guys like JET, Dirk, and Kidd.

- Dallas wins Game 3, keeps a 2006 theme alive (Dirk and JET scoring), stays alive.......

Dallas duo of Terry, Nowitzki lift Mavs to first win of series

DALLAS (AP) -- Even with Jason Terry guarding him, the crowd booing him and Dirk Nowitzki setting the tone for a renewed intensity among the Dallas Mavericks, Chris Paul insisted being on the road in the playoffs wasn't much different than being at home.


Well, except for that whole thing about him and his New Orleans Hornets teammates putting the ball in the basket with ease.

"I think we got a lot of shots we wanted," Paul said. "We just missed them."

With 13 of Paul's first 16 shots falling out instead of in, and fellow All-Star David West clanging 11 of his first 14, the Hornets couldn't get into a groove until it was too late. Nowitzki and Terry came up big on both ends of the court, pulling Dallas right back into this first-round series with a 97-87 victory in Game 3 on Friday night.

Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds and six assists to get the Mavericks within 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night in Dallas, where the Hornets haven't won since January 1998.

"We wanted to make sure we made it a series and win this first one," Nowitzki said. "They're going to keep coming. It's going to take the same effort, the same intensity."

And, very likely, the same new lineup.

Terry replaced Jerry Stackhouse as a starter and replaced Jason Kidd as Paul's primary defender. The MVP candidate went from ringing up consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists -- something nobody had ever done in his first two playoff games -- to having 16 points and 10 assists.

Terry cut off Paul's first step early and the speedster seemed a lot more content running the offense from the 3-point line. He kept getting the ball to West in hopes he would find his touch, but that didn't work either.

"Jet had a lot of energy. It takes lot energy to guard Paul," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.

Paul finished 4-of-18 and West was 6-of-20 for 14 points. His late surge helped New Orleans cut a 17-point deficit to 90-83 with 2 minutes left, but the Hornets couldn't close the gap.

"We can't have the type of stretches I had to start the game off," West said. "That really put us in a hole."

New Orleans' only consistent scorer was Jannero Pargo, who had 30 points, his most of the season and most ever in a playoff game. Peja Stojakovic was the only other double-digit scorer with 13. The Hornets shot just 38 percent.

"They came out with a Game 7 mentality, we came out with a Game 3 mentality," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said. "From the start, they outworked us. They were more physical, more aggressive."

Terry gave the offense a lift, too, with 22 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:39 left to help hold off the Hornets' final surge. He had six assists. Kidd had eight points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Josh Howard scored 18 points for Dallas, but was only 5-of-16. His performance drew extra scrutiny because hours before tipoff he went on local radio and admitted to using marijuana in the offseason. Team owner Mark Cuban said Howard will be disciplined.

"I'm sorry things have gone the way they are," Howard said. "I never meant to hurt nobody's feelings. ... It's over with now. I'm trying to talk about basketball."

With all their playoff experience, the Mavs opened the series with two strong quarters. Then came six poor ones, which happened to coincide with the six best for the Hornets. Dallas players insisted they'd be better simply by being home -- and they were right.

The Mavericks led by 11 points in the first quarter and were up by seven at halftime. Then came a third quarter that might get NBA conspiracy theorists going.

Dallas took 22 free throws in the period, compared to just seven for New Orleans. Yes, the Mavericks went to the rim harder than the Hornets. They also were aided by getting into the bonus just 3:17 into the quarter.

"They shot more in one quarter than we did for the game," Paul said -- accurately. The Hornets took only 13 free throws, making them all. Dallas made 15 in the third quarter alone.

The game, and series, nearly turned midway through the third quarter. With Dallas up 62-54, Nowitzki was conked from behind by Tyson Chandler, then run into by Pargo. He was sprawled on the court, the crowd silenced.

Then last season's MVP got up and hit four straight free throws, then a jumper.

"You could tell from the start he was really into it," Scott said.

So, how did Paul's first road game and his first playoff loss change his mind-set?

"Now we're trying to win it in five games," he said. "This is fun. I love this. We lost tonight, but we get to see them again Sunday. This isn't the end of the road."

Sick of this thing

- I hate this team. I really do. I'm sick of them. Sick of watching them. Sick of putting hope into them. They've run their course. They peaked in 2006 and gave us false hope going forward from that year. They've tuned out Avery. I'm done with this collection of spares.

- This team is NOTHING outside of Dirk. They can't defend, they can't score baskets when they absolutely need them (when the other team keys on Dirk), and they have the lowest collective Basketball IQ in the league.

- Avery gone. Howard gone. Stackhouse, Eddie Jones, Devean George, gone. I want this thing overhauled. This current mix has reached its tipping point with me. They have maxed out.

- What a pitiful showing, and what a sickening team to watch.

- I hate this team, and want this series and this era to end in 4 games. Get on with it already.


Right now, it looks bad for Dallas Mavericks ... and Avery

01:32 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 23, 2008

NEW ORLEANS – If the Mavericks lose this series to New Orleans – and they're well on their way to doing so – Mark Cuban must decide whether Avery Johnson can lead his team to a championship.

A few months ago, the question would've been laughable. These days, it's legitimate.

After New Orleans spent the final few minutes Tuesday of a 127-103 win clowning the Mavs and attempting dunks usually reserved for practice, Cuban must wonder whether the players still respond to Avery.

After all, Avery wore his glittering black-and-gold championship ring from 1999 to Game 2. Each of his assistant coaches who have earned championship rings also wore their jewelry.

"It's just a form of camaraderie, and hopefully, a sense of motivation," Avery said with a chuckle. "but I guess it didn't motivate tonight."

Nope.

Nothing else he tried worked, either.

As usual, Chris Paul shredded the Mavs defense, finishing with 32 points and 17 assists. David West and Peja Stojakovic each scored more than 20 points for New Orleans, so it should come as no surprise the Mavs, as mentally fragile as they come, return home facing an 0-2 series deficit.

The series isn't over, it just seems that way. Any basketball aficionado will tell you the series doesn't start until the home team loses, especially since Dallas has won both of its home games against New Orleans this season.

But how could anyone possibly have any confidence that the team you've seen blown out in each of the series' first two games can win four of the next five games?

Two years ago, Avery's team choked in the NBA Finals, blowing a 2-0 series lead. Last year, Avery's team became the first No. 1 seed to lose a best-of-7 series to a No. 8 seed.

Now, Avery's team can't win as underdogs. Don't forget, this team was supposed to thrive as a seventh seed because it wouldn't have any pressure to perform.

Guess not.

Unfortunately, losing in the playoffs isn't a new trend for the Mavericks. Avery is 2-10 in his last 12 playoff games. Six of those losses have been by double-digits.

Two of the four worst playoff losses in franchise history have occurred in the Mavs' last four games. Did we mention, Avery has lost eight straight road games?

Ridiculous.

On Tuesday, Dallas trailed by 10 after one quarter, 16 at halftime and 20 after the third quarter. Avery is supposed to be a defensive guru, but you certainly couldn't tell after the Mavs yielded their third consecutive 60-point half.

If Avery can't figure out how to get his team to respond and win this series, then none of us should be surprised if Cuban fires him.

Remember, Avery finally has the point guard – Jason Kidd – he's craved since he became the Mavs coach. No matter what you hear, he was 100 percent behind the deal because he never believed Devin Harris would lead Dallas to a title.

At 35, Kidd won't be one of the league's best players for much longer. If Cuban thinks Avery can't get the best out of Kidd, for whatever reason, then he must a make a move.

Cuban must also consider whether the players have tuned Avery out. Teams are supposed to take on their coach's personality, but the Little General's team wilts when confronted.

"We don't play with a lot of emotion," Dirk Nowitzki said. "Collectively, we have to have more fire. We have to get after them more. We have to just go for it and compete on both ends of the floor. We have to let it loose."

Unless they're sick of Avery. If that's the case, they just need to continue playing the same way.