The going gets tougher

[kriD]

The going gets tougher

Mavericks still have to prove themselves, but Game 1 play is a start

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

The Mavericks spent an entire season hearing how their perceived improvements in toughness and physicality would not be validated until the playoffs.

So here we are, one game into what they hope will be a lengthy run in the postseason. And according to those who know best, the proving ground has not yet been dented with a pitchfork – much less a hard elbow to any Memphian's midsection, either.

"If you're asking me are they a physical team? No, I don't think they're a physical team," Grizzlies guard Bobby Jackson said Monday, the day after the Mavs took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 first-round series. "But ... we're not a physical team, either.

"When people go to the lane, you got to put some wood on them. That determines who's physical and who's not. And I don't think either one of these teams do that."

Avery Johnson can't argue the point. He said the Mavericks "didn't earn any reputation" in Game 1. However, the Mavericks did show that they are better at dealing with physical situations as the playoffs opened. It was Memphis' Jake Tsakalidis who lost his cool and was hit with a technical foul in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks had weathered several scrums on the floor and in the paint and seemed more willing participants in those bump-and-grind sessions. Johnson said this is not a product of his take-no-guff history but a result of tough-minded players like Jerry Stackhouse, Dirk Nowitzki and Darrell Armstrong.

"Stack doesn't take anything," Johnson said. "Dirk doesn't take anything. Armstrong, he'll beat a whole army by himself. And the head coach, too. So we got guys who feel strong about things out there on the court."

Armstrong, indeed will take on the coaching staff, as he did before Game 1 when he and Del Harris got into a discussion about when the team was required to show up before Game 1. The coach won that battle, not surprisingly.

In the playoffs, things are different, including having to arrive at the arena earlier.

Similarly, the games are more rugged. Therefore, the Mavericks get the chance to prove they are tough enough, although Johnson needed several seconds to come up with an answer when confronted with that question.

"I'm speechless," he said. "Toughness comes when you're hitting first and not always retaliating. We've improved in some of those areas."

Some, but not all. A coach never wants his team to be pushed around. And the Mavericks are tougher than they have been. Earlier this season, it was Jackson who said Nowitzki was the "softest player in the industry."

But Nowitzki doesn't think he or the Mavericks need to apologize for anything.

"I think we're fine in that area," he said. "We got big guys to clog the paint and block some shots. And we got some tough-minded guys. We're not soft anymore."

As opposed to the label they have been trying to shed for, oh, about the last 10 years. It's sort of like the Grizzlies trying to overcome the tag that they can't win in the postseason. You have to do it before you can get rid of the stigma.

Same with the Mavericks' manhood, for which they yearn respect.

Memphis' Shane Battier said the Mavericks are showing definite signs of growth when it comes to being more physical.

"Toughness in this league is being able to stop people in the last five minutes of the game," he said. "That's why San Antonio and Detroit are so good."

Since the Mavericks held Memphis to 5-of-13 shooting and 15 points in the fourth quarter, that would seem to constitute improvement.

"I guess they realized that in this league, to get far in the playoffs, you have to be more physical and play better at the defensive end," said Pau Gasol. "I don't think they did that in the past. It doesn't matter if you do it in the regular season. You got to do it in the playoffs. That's when all the eyes are on you."

[nashtymavsfan13]

The Mavs are going to have to prove themselves every single game this playoffs to silence their critics.

[Drbio]

Just thought I would point out the obvious though..........Sefko is a retard.