[Hoopsmeister]

I think I'm with Maringa. Dirk was visibly limping to start the game last night--later on, with it warmed up, adrenalin, etc, it stopped being noticeable, but I'm sure its still affecting his game. Remember the string of 30+ games he had before he rehurt his ankle and then hurt the other one? He hasn't even really threatened 30 since then. And he's a step slower--he's still playing at an all-star level, but watch his spin moves or when he's running down court, he's not at the level he was showing ealier in the year.

You're right Murph that we don't have anybody we can replace Dirk with. But the next 3 games are against Chicago, Atlanta, and Chicago. Finley and Nash are currently playing at all-star levels. The rest of the Mavs team are competent NBA players. They *should* be able to win those games even without Dirk, so he can rest his ankle and possibly get back to his early season offensive form.