Mavs set for stretch against Spurs

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Mavs set for stretch against Spurs

Performance shows this team is well-equipped to battle for top seed

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

One of the NBA's oldest sayings is that loyalty is a two-way street. Somebody usually brings it up when they think their dedication has not been reciprocated.

In the Mavericks' case this season, both sides have lived up to their end of the bargain. The players have bought into what Avery Johnson is selling, worked hard and built the best record in the Western Conference going into the final 30 games.

In short, they have earned the right to see how good they can be, to see whether they are championship material as constructed. This is why it is a virtual certainty that Thursday's trade deadline will pass without the Mavericks making a move, although rumors are as certain to pop as is crabgrass in March considering Denver, Orlando and New York are desperate to make deals.

But this isn't about those teams. It's about the Mavericks, and management's loyalty to this group of players should show in the next few days.

And why not? On a team-wide basis, the Mavericks deserve a collective "A" under any grading system through the All-Star break. It means nothing, of course, because any passing or failing will be based on their final exams in April, May and, they hope, June.

But the players feel good about their position as the stretch-run battle with San Antonio for the Western Conference's best record begins tonight when the Mavericks host the Los Angeles Clippers.

"I promised these guys that we would do whatever it takes from a management standpoint to help us get to a level where we've never been," coach Avery Johnson said Monday. "Right now, from what I've seen, there's nothing out there that takes us to the next level.

"These are the guys we'd love to move forward with. If Michael Jordan was out there in his old self, I don't think anybody would complain about us adding him to our team. But there's no Michael out there."

The Mavericks haven't made a trade in nearly a year. Only two free agents, DeSagana Diop and Adrian Griffin, have joined the team's rotation from last year. The continuity and chemistry have begun to show as this season has evolved.

The last player brought in via trade was Keith Van Horn last Feb. 24.

"Last year's team was playing very well prior to bringing me in," he said. "Fortunately, we closed the season strong, and I fit in pretty well. But it was a risk in some respects because there's a certain chemistry with teams that are playing well that can be disrupted even if you bring in a good player.

"We have a group here that works very hard and enjoys playing together. I think we'd all like to see that continue. Everybody feels we have a good shot at winning the championship with the team we have. But it's a business. Sometimes crazy things happen."

Not likely in the next 72 hours, though. Johnson ran the Mavericks through a rigorous practice Monday afternoon to "blow the lungs out a little bit." He promised afterward that some of what the Mavericks are going to endure in the coming 30 games would not be particularly pleasant.

"We're going to have to do some things that are painful," he said. "It's part of the maturation process. I asked them before the season: Do you really want this? If you really want it, there are a lot of responsibilities every single night and during every single practice that you have to live up to. They said they want it.

"I'm anxious to see how bad they want it in the second half of the season."

Dirk Nowitzki has said many times that the Mavericks have no reason to fear anybody in the league. He still believes that and added that the team needs to make getting the top seed in the Western Conference its priority.

"No. 1 seed or No. 4 seed is a very big difference," he said. "I think we got a great shot at it. But we can't get fooled by the record. We're still not there yet."

It appears, at least, that they will get a chance to finish the trip together.

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MAVERICKS NOTES

Ready for the stretch run

By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff WriteR

DALLAS -- A stickler for detail, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson delivered a message to his team during Monday's practice, the team's first after Sunday's All-Star Game.

"Like I told the team, I'm going to stretch them a little bit more," Johnson said. "We had a little slippage in some areas leading up to the break."

As the Mavs head into the final 30 games of the regular season, they're one game ahead of San Antonio for the top seed in the Western Conference. Their schedule includes 15 home games and 15 road games. There are 15 games against teams with winning records. The Mavs host the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at American Airlines Center.

"I got commitments from everybody, because some of the things that I'm going to ask them to do as we move forward [are] going to be kind of painful," Johnson said. "But I think they're willing to accept it even if they've got to make a big sacrifice."

The Mavs figure if they can continue on the path that netted them a 41-11 record before the All-Star break, then a successful playoff run could be in their future.

"We can't get fooled by the record -- we're still not there yet," forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "During that [13-game] winning streak, some of the details, we lost them a little bit, which happens in a winning streak.

"And now we have to refocus a little bit and start to do all the little things defensively again, keep the ball moving up on the offensive end, and I think we'll be in good shape."

Nowitzki's highlight

Dirk Nowitzki had no problem pointing out the best thing that happened to him during All-Star weekend.

"Obviously winning the 3-point contest is something special in my career that I can look back to even when I'm done," he said. "It was fun."

What wasn't fun was the West blowing a 21-point second-half lead and eventually losing to the East 122-120 on Sunday.

"We would have liked to win the game at the end because we're all competitors," Nowitzki said. "We came up short a little bit, but other than that I had a blast.

"I got to spend some time with my friends, and now we're back to business."

Armstrong's importance

How important is third-string point guard Darrell Armstrong to the Mavs' success?

"He's our Jerome Bettis in a sense," Avery Johnson said, referring to the former Steelers running back. "He's our old guy that everybody wants to see something special happen for."

[sixeightmkw]

This is going to be one fun second half of the season. The 2 games between the Spurs and Mavs are pivital.

[Mavfan + Ravenfan]

As long as we stay healthy, we should get the top seed. The mavs are just better than the spurs, that simple.