<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Random movie reference: In the chain gang classic, Cool Hand Luke , Paul Newman convinces fellow inmates to work faster on the highway, thus sticking it to "the man" by finishing early and apparently screwing up his overtime. Believe it or not, this cinema moment leads us to the Mavs, currently on hiatus. The Mavs are wide open the next few days because Avery Johnson persuaded his players to make quick work of Memphis. Even told them when they were up 2-0 to act like it was 0-2. This was no easy sell, either, given they were playing an organization that had never won a playoff game and its best offensive player is its 67-year-old GM. Still, the Mavs bought in. Next thing you know, their first round's over while nearly everyone else is working shovels. This approach is probably the way to go, but it raises the question: What do they do now? In the movie, Newman's bunkies awoke the next day to find more bad road waiting. The Mavs? They may not play again until next week, an eternity in pro sports and basketball in particular. The Rangers will play a half-dozen games before the Mavs lace 'em up again. Bill Parcells will complete another week of solitary confinement at Valley Ranch. Rick Gosselin will try to sneak in one more mock draft. And the Stars will ... well, never mind. A hockey sidebar: Tom Hicks and Doug Armstrong say the Stars need only "tweaks" to get a more determined mindset, which, by accepted medical standards, would be the first time anyone got tougher by tweaking. Meanwhile, the Mavs are clearly a tougher team than before, which has led them down a new path. They have no shared experience in the benefits of sweeps. Naturally, fans aren't sure what to make of this sudden good fortune, either. Does this week off provide time for Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris and Keith Van Horn to get over nagging injuries? Does it give Johnson and staff bonus hours to spend in front of video screens, concocting foolproof second-round plans? Does the NBA's hottest team suddenly go cold with nothing to do for a week? And don't think it won't be the reaction if the Mavs should start out the next round poorly. Don't get me wrong. This column is merely provided as a community service, which is how I always explain it to my accountant, anyway. A few tips for the Mavs on how to fill time constructively while waiting on the rest of the NBA to catch up: ?Practice hard this week. Johnson will make sure of it. After Monday's clincher, he called practice "my favorite part of the whole gig." He smiled a little when he said it, like your dentist before he fires up the drill. ?Rest, but not too much. While watching the Kings and Spurs, get up off the sofa during timeouts. Explore the mansion. Discover a room you didn't know you had. ?Be glad the Clippers eliminated the Nuggets. Maybe you noticed Denver's Reggie Evans was fined $10,000 for "unnecessary and excessive contact" with Chris Kaman, a legal definition for an act that, in the aforementioned prison setting, would officially qualify a pair of inmates as "man and wife." ?Keep an eye out for Reggie Evans next year. Buy a cup. ?Don't answer the phone. Josh Howard has already said he's going to change his number to avoid calls from "friends." If you must answer, ask where they were last week. ?Watch Ron Artest. Forget what I wrote last week about how the Mavs are better off without him. See what he does to Manu Ginobili. Get a load of the intensity. Disregard if he bolts the court. ?Work up a scrimmage. Contact Rick Barnes and ask if the Longhorns are available. Give LaMarcus Aldridge, P.J. Tucker and Daniel Gibson an idea of what the NBA is like while there's still time. ?Tell them every NBA team has a Reggie Evans on it. ?Buy cups all around. </div> Source
