FWST Mavs Report

[Max Power]

A parting shot at Raef maybe?

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MAVERICKS REPORT

Last week ...

Lost 109-93 at Lakers. The Kobe-Shaq hype was better than the game. The Mavs couldn't buy a basket early and fell behind by double figures in the first quarter. The Lakers didn't need Bryant or a dominating performance from O'Neal, as they never trailed. Antoine Walker (19 points) and Antawn Jamison (17) made solid debuts for the Mavs.

This week ...

The big one: Saturday at San Antonio. Last season's Western Conference finalists hook up for the first of four regular-season meetings. Both teams have plenty of new pieces to show off. The Spurs, much as the Mavs, are trying to work in the new guys, including Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry and Hedo Turkoglu.

Mr. Smarty Shorts

Despite the late start, Antoine Walker has picked up the Mavericks' team concepts faster than his fellow newcomers. Perhaps easing the transition is that the offense runs through Walker at times, a role similar to the one he played in Boston.

"Every time we take the floor, we learn something different," said Walker, who averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the first two games. "We're constantly learning to play with each other. It's a feeling-out process."

Don Nelson said Walker just has basketball smarts.

"Basketball intelligence isn't the same as ordinary intelligence," the Mavs coach said. "Some guys can pick things up easier than others on the floor. And you can have an IQ of 160 off the floor and not pick it up."

Minutes aren't easy

Unlike Antoine Walker, Antawn Jamison's adjustment hasn't been as natural. The focal point of the Warriors' offense last season doesn't even start for the Mavs. He can't remember the last time he was healthy and played only 16 minutes, as he did against Golden State on Wednesday.

"Surprised? Of course," Jamison said of the short stint against his former team after he scored 17 against the Lakers. "There's going to be games like that. Games where I get the opportunity to do some things, like I did [Tuesday night], and there's going to be games where I don't know what's going to happen. That's fine with me. The overall success is the most important thing for us."

Eduardo Najera, a regular in the rotation last season, realizes playing time might be scarce. He'll need games similar to his gritty defensive performance Wednesday to get on the court.

"It's tough to get minutes," Najera said. "If we were a losing team, I'd be [upset]. We're going to win a lot of ballgames. I know it's going to be really tough to get minutes, but at the same time I have to be a professional and be ready whenever they need me."

Observations

• After an early foul call on Antoine Walker against Golden State, Steve Nash pulled him aside and discussed the proper defensive spacing. Michael Finley spent much of the first two games getting teammates into the right spots. Expect those kinds of scenes to continue as the Mavs keep learning about one another.

• Shawn Bradley, the only true center on the roster, looks to be the odd man out in the front line rotation. Danny Fortson, who started in the middle against the Lakers, needs to rebound if he wants to stay on the floor. He grabbed only three rebounds in the two West Coast games.

• Look for a new silver uniform again next season, in a lighter and less metallic shade.

By the numbers

50 Antoine Walker's 3-point shooting percentage (5 of 10)

13.8 The rest of the Mavs' 3-point percentage (4 of 29)

-- Art Garcia

[Murphy3]

you've got to love their attitudes so far