Mavs hope for smoother road trip

[kriD]

Mavs hope for smoother road trip

Team wants to put aside memories of previous stumble

By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News

The last time the Mavericks were on the road, they lost three of four games, and Avery Johnson let his team have it.

More importantly, the Mavericks seemed out of the race for the top spot in the Southwest division and the Western Conference.

Today, the Mavericks make their final road trip of the season: three cities in four days beginning in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

Unlike the ending of the previous road trip when the Mavericks saw their chances of a top seed in the conference slipping, there is life.

"The road wasn't too friendly to us the last time," Johnson said. "I'm already getting a bad memory. Hopefully, we'll have a better response on the road overall than the last game and give ourselves a chance to win by playing our system. But we've gone back to some basics that seem to have helped us."

Dallas is on a four-game winning streak and back to playing with that swagger that's pushed it to a 58-19 record. But winning on the road now, especially after the last trip, is imperative to keep pace with the first-place Spurs.

Dallas is just a game behind San Antonio for the top spot in the west.

"I like our chances on the road, and we're a good road team," Dirk Nowitzki said. "We have guys who can hit big shots down the stretch, and we've won big games on the road. It's another good test."

Dallas went 1-3 on the last road trip, ending it on a three-game losing streak. After a loss at Orlando, Johnson ripped his team in the locker room within ear shot of reporters.

"We might have lost three games but look who we lost to," Jerry Stackhouse said. "It was a different stage for us, and we got knocked back on our heels."

Playing the Clippers twice: Five games remain in the regular season, and the Mavericks face the Clippers twice. If the standings remain the same once the regular season ends, Dallas will meet Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas would be the fourth seed and Los Angeles the fifth.

This could be a time the Mavericks send a message to the Clippers.

"You will get a lot of each other," Stackhouse said. "That will happen in the next three or four weeks. We want to put a little doubt in their minds."

Dallas leads the season series, 2-0.

Howard-Daniels playing better: Since returning from injures, Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels have played well. Howard, out nine games with a strained left hamstring, is averaging 21 points and shooting 52.4 percent since his return.

"I'm just dealing with fatigue," Howard said. "It comes back from working out and staying focused. I'm not worried about [getting injured again]."

Howard battled a strained neck the last few weeks. He missed a game at Orlando and a home game against Denver due to injury. In the last three games since his return, Daniels has averaged 8.6 points. Howard said he's feeling better with no lingering effects.

Briefly: Injured guard Adrian Griffin is doubtful for today's game against the Clippers but he will make the trip. He could play Wednesday night at Golden State. ... With 58 wins, this Dallas team is tied for the second most wins in club history. ... The Mavericks are shooting 50 percent over the last nine games. Dallas is 47-4 when it outshoots its opponent.

[kriD]

Mavericks turn off the cruise control

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES -- Chilling on the West Coast is practically an art form. When the cool California surf calls, the last thing anyone wants to do is work.

Well, anyone but the Mavericks. Coasting into the playoffs isn't an option. Not with five games left. Not after last season.

Beginning tonight at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Clippers in a potential first-round preview, the finishing kick is exactly what coach Avery Johnson and his Mavs need to avoid any temptation to cruise.

Even on the Sunset Strip.

"We all understand where we are and I kind of like it," Johnson said. "I like that we have something to play for. We're playing against playoff teams, so we won't have to coast into the playoffs."

If the surging Mavs (58-19) and talent-rich Clippers (44-32) keep their current positions as the fourth and fifth seeds in the Western Conference, a first-round matchup would follow. They also meet in the last game of the regular season, April 19 at American Airlines Center.

Familiarity breeds contempt. Just like the playoffs.

"I don't know if that's good," Jerry Stackhouse said. "If you win both of those games, it's hard to beat a team three times. If it turns out that's the team we're playing if things stay the way they are, it'd be like the series is actually starting a week or two before the playoffs."

But if the Mavs beat the Clippers twice in 10 days, it would "put a little doubt in their mind," Stackhouse added.

The other three games on the schedule -- at Golden State and Phoenix, and home against Utah -- present challenges outside of the chance to catch San Antonio for the West's top seed.

The Warriors have long been eliminated from the playoff chase, but their two wins at AAC, including the buzzer-beater March 23, will be circled if the Mavs don't overtake the Spurs.

Steve Nash and the breakneck Suns offer the stiffest test to the Mavs' defense, which has held opponents to 85.8 points during their current four-game winning streak.

Utah's playoff hopes might be lost in the grass before the game with the Mavs on Easter Sunday. Then again, the Jazz might still be hunting for a spot and in desperate need of a victory.

The Mavs feel a similar sense of urgency.

"The mistake we made last year was we were locked in and we went really easy," Johnson said, "and we seemed to have lost a little punch going into the first game [of the playoffs]."

Johnson eased up on his starters, especially Dirk Nowitzki, when San Antonio clinched the Southwest Division with four games and nine days left in the season last year.

The Mavs weren't sharp going into the first round with Houston and dropped the first two games at home before rallying to win the series in seven. Johnson's team probably would have been stuck with the fourth seed again if not for Friday's win at San Antonio.

Having something to play for and how the schedule sets up works in the Mavs' favor, Johnson explained.

"I like it for games, rest and practice," he said.

Thursday's game against Phoenix completes a stretch of five games in seven nights, with four on the road. A pair of two-day breaks before Utah and the final Clippers matchup allow that opportunity to rest and practice, both critical as Adrian Griffin and Devin Harris work back into the mix.

Griffin (hamstring) might return tonight, with Harris (quadriceps) perhaps back at Phoenix. But off days and extra rehab time are only part of the equation.

"There's nothing that can simulate a game," Johnson said. "There's no cute drill I can do in practice, no putting 12 minutes on the clock and scrimmage. We need games. I'm convinced about that compared to last year. We need games, and we need timing."

And a better road showing than the last long trek. Before the win at San Antonio, the Mavs' previous road trip was a four-game Eastern Conference swing, which ended with a season-high three-game losing streak that nearly sunk their chances at the top seed.

"The last road trip wasn't really the Mavericks," Marquis Daniels said. "It's just something to learn from. We were a little banged up at the time, but we're not here to make any excuses."

Johnson has called the skid beneficial in the big picture, exposing a lack of focus that led to a return to fundamentals.

"We just got kind of knocked back on our heels," Stackhouse said. "We lost three games, but we lost three games to three pretty good teams playing pretty good basketball.

"We got back to some basics. Our confidence is right back where it was, and we're going to go on the road with that same confidence."

[Mavfan + Ravenfan]

As long as were not struggling without Griffin and harris, I say just leave out until playoff time. Maybe let them play the last game against the clips, but there's no reason to risk reinjuring. I'd rather have us at the 4 seed playin the clips at full strength.

[jthig32]

Howard battled a strained neck the last few weeks. He missed a game at Orlando and a home game against Denver due to injury.

Better proof readers needed....