Mavs set for stretch vs. SpursPerformance shows this team is well-equipped to battle for top seed09:24 PM CST on Monday, February 20, 2006By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning NewsOne 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.Mavericks/NBASign up for our free Mavericks/NBA newsletterSMS: Sports to your phoneSportsSay: The SportsDay blogMavs set for stretch vs. SpursMoore: Seeding situation in NBA needs settlingMavericks report cardYour grades:? Frontcourt starters? Backcourt starters? Frontcourt reserves? Backcourt reserves? Coaching / managementClippers-Mavs previewMore Mavericks/NBABut 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.E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com.[url="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/022106dnspomavslede.ce91f1d.html"]http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...de.ce91f1d.html[/url]
