Tougher Mavs appear ready to reach FinalsBy ART GARCIA Star-Telegram Staff Writer STAR-TELEGRAM/PAUL MOSELEY With a more aggressive style, Dirk Nowitzki has helped turn the Mavericks into favorites in the West. More photosDALLAS -- Normalcy returned the day after. Nothing like Steve Nash and the breakneck Phoenix Suns dumping a bucket of ice water on your head. "It was a sense of relief but, at the same time, a sense of urgency, if you can figure that one out," Jerry Stackhouse mused Tuesday afternoon. "It's good to be done with that one." The euphoria and emotional bloodletting of outlasting the San Antonio Spurs in seven games is tempered by the sobering reality of what lies ahead for the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The series that decides the West representative in the NBA Finals begins tonight with the first of two games at American Airlines Center. The Mavs are in the conference finals for the third time but own the home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series for the first time ever. That home edge, in addition to dispatching the last year's champs, elevates the Mavs into a position more rare than just being a step removed from the championship round. The Mavs have to be considered favorites to reach their first NBA Finals since their inception 26 years ago. "We're built to win it all this year," Jason Terry said. "This is not a three-, four-year process with the team that's put together. "Going through last year, we thought we had a chance. The difference is this year we believe we have a chance." The belief turned into proof against the Spurs, a team featuring former two-time MVP Tim Duncan and a cast of championship-tested veterans. Up next is the current two-time MVP, and though Mavs fans don't have any love lost for Duncan, Nash could inspire the Michael Finley treatment. "It's definitely time to let him have it, and we're not joking about this one," Stackhouse said. "This is for real." The Mavs had to run to beat San Antonio. No one runs better than the Suns. "We want to run at a comfortable tempo for us," said Stackhouse, who averaged 16 points in the previous round. "I don't think running at their pace is what we want to do, although we're not afraid to run." The Suns are averaging 109.8 points per game in the playoffs (allowing 106.9) in beating both the Los Angeles teams (Lakers and Clippers) in seven games. The Mavs are scoring 101.8 points and giving up 94.2. "It's a completely new game," Dirk Nowitzki said. "San Antonio was a great defensive team. They go to Duncan almost every time. It's a post-up series, and, now, you've got to reprogram yourself. "You've got to get back in transition after a basket; you can't relax. You've got to run back as fast as you can because Stevie's always throwing those long passes and they're pushing it." Though the Spurs abandoned their big guys and went small in an attempt to spread the Mavs out, the Suns aren't about to change what they do. "All we have to do is outshoot them four out of seven," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We don't have to do it every night." While San Antonio has been the Mavs' measuring stick for the past six years, Nowitzki is the only Maverick to experience the two previous series against San Antonio. In some ways, the matchup against Phoenix is more personal than the Spurs. Nash, on so many levels, is a big reason why. The Suns eliminated the Mavs in the second round last year (4-2) in a series in which Nash justified his first MVP. He not only outplayed Terry for six games; he made the Mavs' decision to let him walk look like possibly the biggest mistake in team history. "His team knocked us out last year, so there's a lot in store for us, at stake for this series," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. Ten of the 13 players on the Mavs' playoff roster were with the team last season. They remember the feeling of being sent home for the summer. "We felt it was a disappointing one last year," said Nowitzki, averaging 28.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs. "I thought we had a great chance last year to beat them. We had everything going in our favor. We stole Game 2 there and came right back and lost Game 3 at home and gave the home-court advantage right back. "Hopefully, we can turn it around with home-court advantage in our favor this year." The Mavs and Suns are different teams this season for different reasons. Phoenix overturned most of its roster and overcame what could have been a crippling loss with Amar? Stoudemire being lost to injury. In his first full season as coach, Johnson has molded the Mavs to mirror his no-nonsense, tough-minded mentality. He has helped Nowitzki expand his game by reining much of it in. Nowitzki touches the ball on almost every possession without being trigger-happy. His selectivity and willingness to take the ball to the basket strong resulted in only one 3-pointer and 73 made free throws against San Antonio. Nash can't help but be impressed by the change in his former pick-and-roll partner. "It was probably a tough adjustment at first for Dirk playing so freely offensively for so long and then to change to being so disciplined and playing so close to the vest," Nash said. "It's a change, but one that obviously benefited his team and made him a better player." Nowitzki's game his evolved. So has the image of the team, owner Mark Cuban says. "The whole Dallas Mavericks brand changed," he said. "Dirk is not soft. They'll never call him 'irk again. They'll never say he can't post up or take the ball to the basket. They'll never say we're soft as a team. They'll never say we can't play defense." And they always said the Mavs couldn't reach the Finals. FOUR REASONS THE MAVS WILL TOP THE SUNS Staff writer Art Garcia gives four reasons the Mavericks are headed to the NBA Finals: Dirk, Dirk, Dirk He's not soft, he doesn't just settle for jumpers, he can mix it up inside, and his will to win was there for all to see against the Spurs. If Dirk Nowitzki continues to play the way he has -- and there's no reason to believe he won't -- the Suns can't match up with him. To be the best, you have to beat the best The Mavs did, eliminating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in a captivating seven-game series destined to be remembered as one of the best ever. There's no better preparation for the Finals. Home sweet home The Mavs were in the Western Conference Finals twice before, but this is their first time with the home-court edge. Avery Johnson's team is 4-1 at American Airlines Center in this year's playoffs, and the arena will rock like never before. They owe Nash The mop-topped Canadian got the best of his former mates last season. Don't think the Mavs, who just beat another close friend, aren't working the revenge angle. Carrying a team on his back, not to mention the stress fracture in it, while playing every other day might finally be too much for Steve Nash, below, to bear.
