DMN Notebook: Howard's questionable against Rockets

[MavsFanFinley]

Are Mavs up to the challenge?
Win tonight would complete a sweep of five-game homestand

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

When this homestand started last year, Don Nelson challenged the Mavericks to go 5-0.

It seems like a long time ago, because it was. But the Mavericks are one win away from fulfilling that prophecy of five wins in 17 days.

And yet, Nelson is less than giddy.

"He's actually not in a good mood," Dirk Nowitzki said Tuesday. "He knows the competition is going to get harder. We beat a bunch of East Coast teams that we're supposed to beat. We haven't really done anything. It's a big week. San Antonio has already made us look bad twice this year."

Not that Nowitzki, Nelson or anybody else is looking ahead. There's the little matter of the Houston Rockets visiting American Airlines Center tonight before the Mavericks take aim at the Spurs on Friday in San Antonio.

The Mavericks have won five in a row dating to Dec. 26 at Denver. The average margin has been 17.2 points, and none of the games has been closer than 14 points. If there's a gripe, it's that the Mavericks have not had to be sharp late in games to secure a win.

As Nowitzki said, you don't find out much about your team when you're up 20 against Boston or Milwaukee in the first half. Still, Nelson has seen what he's wanted to see on this homestand.

"Everybody's playing at a high level, and when somebody has an off night, somebody seems to pick them up," he said. "I said any loss is going to be failure for the five games [on this homestand]. So we have one to go. Then I'll give you my opinion."

Michael Finley, the guardian who makes sure the Mavericks' collective ego doesn't spin out of control, believes they are handling the success well.

"I don't care what critics or other teams think of us," he said. "I just want us to not be satisfied with where we're at right now. We could easily, in my estimation, be one of the top teams in this league. But don't be satisfied with this little winning streak."

The upcoming schedule, which features nine games in 15 days against a fairly testy schedule, is going to require that the Mavericks prove they didn't grow soft during this long stint of home cooking.

"We're prepared to go into these games with tougher opponents," Finley said. "Not to take away from any of the teams we've beaten in this winning streak, but the teams coming up are a lot better."

Nowitzki put things in layman's terms.

"After we won the four straight, we can't let this one slip," he said. "Then it would be a good home-stand. I wouldn't say we saved the world or anything, but it was a step forward."

Howard questionable:

Josh Howard missed his second day of practice with the flu. Coach Don Nelson said the Mavericks may not be at full strength tonight.

"We haven't seen him for a while," Nelson said. "That'll impact us. We'll have to come up with another schmo."

We think he meant another starter at shooting guard who has a chance of sticking with Tracy McGrady.

Coaches in pain:

The Mavericks coaching staff is in worse physical condition than the players.

Assistant coach Del Harris had rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder Monday but was back at practice Tuesday.

Player-development coach Kelvin Upshaw is set to have surgery on his right anterior cruciate ligament next week. He tore the ACL in a pickup game against Mavericks players.