Mavs Send Message to NBA: We're For Real

It may have only been mid-February, but the atmosphere in the arena sure felt like it was May and the Mavs were making their playoff push. And in a way, maybe they did just that, by defeating the world champion Los Angeles Lakers, 101-96, at the AAC, in front of a national audience (courtesy of ESPN). Last night's game was not a statement so much as a warning to the rest of the league: the Dallas Mavericks are a serious championship contender and can no longer be easily dismissed.

Playing shorthanded (no Tim Thomas or Erick Dampier) and having to scratch Caron Butler from the starting lineup at the last minute (adverse reaction to medicine), the remaining Mavs gave their gutsiest performance of the season thus far. Since Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, and DeShawn Stevenson came over in the trade, the Mavs have seemed to recapture the lockdown defense they were playing earlier this season, and tonight was no exception. As always, Kidd was everywhere all night long, and Shawn Marion and DeShawn Stevenson made an excellent tag team when it came to defending Kobe most of the night. At the half, Kobe had only 6 points, thanks to an excellent effort by Stevenson. Kobe heated up in 3rd quarter, finishing the night with 20 points on 9-of-23 shooting.

Dirk was back in his MVP form, garnering his first 30+ point game since January 18 in Boston. He shot better than 50% from the field (10-of-19) and made all 11 free throws he attempted, while tying Brendan Haywood with a team-leading nine rebounds. Jason Terry, who finished the night with 30 points, finally found his offensive rhythm, and was the Mavericks’ leading scorer at halftime with 18. Jet was hitting shots here, there, and everywhere and wasn’t the least bit afraid to drive the baseline or try and take it deep inside with the trees (aka the Lakers’ front line). Jason Kidd dropped in 14 points and dished out 13 assists, the most notable coming on a pair of laser-like passes down under the basket to Marion and Haywood, resulting in easy layups. Kidd’s night was highlighted by a buzzer-beating three pointer to end the third quarter that moved the Mavs in front, 74-72, a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Rookie Roddy Beaubois, who was celebrating his birthday, made quite an impact in the less than five minutes playing time he spent on the court. Although he did have three quick turnovers, he also managed two steals. But Beaubois’ most impressive on-court action involved a series of plays with the Lakers’ Jordan Farmar which found both players on the floor fighting for possession of the ball. A jump ball was called, which the Lakers controlled. Farmar ran down court for what appeared to be an uncontested shot, until Beaubois came flying down the lane and blocked the shot from behind, breathing life into the half-dead crowd at the AAC.

Aside from field goal percentage (Lakers 49%, Dallas 44%) and points in the paint (Lakers 50, Dallas 34), the Mavericks dominated nearly every other statistical category in a game that could quite conceivably be a preview of a Western Conference Finals matchup. The Mavericks outrebounded LA, 41-36, which is a huge key to the Mavs being able to initiate the fast break and play the type of running basketball they prefer. Dallas finished with 23 fast break points, as well as 23 assists, a great sign that the team is really starting to become more comfortable with each other and move the ball better.

On the defensive side of things, the Mavs finished up with six blocked shots, five coming courtesy of Brendan Haywood, who definitely made his presence known early on in the game while still managing to avoid picking up early fouls. Stevenson and Marion did an excellent (albeit thankless) job of defending Kobe through the better part of three quarters as the Mavs held their opponent under 100 points for the sixth consecutive game. Another sign that the Mavericks’ defense is starting to toughen up again is the fact that every single Maverick who stepped on the court last night had at least one steal. Can anyone remember the last time that happened?

Yes, this was just one game, albeit an important one, in the middle of February. No, it doesn’t put the Mavericks on level ground with the reigning champions, although the victory did give the Mavs a season split with the Lakers. But what it does do is build confidence among the Mavs and their fans, and sends a message to Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the league that a change has come to Dallas. This time, we’re playing for keeps, because this postseason, the Mavericks are definitely going to be in it to win it.