Centers key for No. 4 seed Mavs

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Centers key for No. 4 seed Mavs

Mavericks need Diop, Dampier to carry their weight in the playoffs

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Certain numbers stick out like a Shawn Bradley elbow.

Pardon that blast from the past, but when the subject matter is Mavericks centers, it's appropriate.

Erick Dampier's worth going into the playoffs cannot be overstated. When he gets nine or more rebounds this season, the Mavericks are 29-5. Given that he plays less than half the time (23.7 minutes) and that this is mostly a rebound-by-committee team, that statistic is telling.

Throw in DeSagana Diop, the co-center who starts, and the Mavericks' inside tandem is a pertinent piece to their puzzle. Just like Josh Howard's fast starts in the first quarter, Dirk Nowitzki's defense-taxing presence or Jason Terry's timely 3-pointers, the big men have to carry their weight, particularly so when the playoffs begin.

Forget the scoring. This team has enough players who can do that. When Dampier and Diop concentrate on grabbing rebounds and being physical in the paint, the Mavericks are a much different team.

"I know every shot is not going to go in, so I can get some rebounds on both ends," Dampier said. "Whether it's rebounding or defense, I have to find ways to get myself into the game."

Against Utah on Sunday, Dampier and Diop combined for 17 rebounds and two blocks. They also threw their bodies around enough to collect 10 fouls. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

"He can change a game for us," Dirk Nowitzki said of Dampier. "Not so much by his post moves, although he can still do that. But just by being active and getting rebounds. When he picks off an offensive rebound for us and gets it out, we can set up again and get another chance to score.

"And it makes the other team continue to work that much harder on defense."

Blues and barbecue: The Mavericks-Memphis first-round series could be set tonight when the Grizzlies play the Los Angeles Clippers in Memphis. A Grizzlies win would lock in the Dallas-Memphis matchup.

The Mavericks dispatched Paul Mokeski to Memphis for tonight's game, but coach Avery Johnson said the team was taking a wait-and-see approach.

"Both of those teams are going to be awfully tough," he said.

The only way the Mavericks could play the Clippers is if LA wins tonight and Wednesday against the Mavericks and the Grizzlies lose twice.