Knicks-Mavericks preview09:23 PM CST on Sunday, February 12, 2006By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning NewsSeries: Knicks lead 1-0 this season, 28-21 all time.Key matchupDallas rebounders vs. New York rebounders: One of the dimmest moments of the season for Avery Johnson was when his team gave up 28 offensive rebounds to the Knicks in an overtime loss in New York. Those second-chance opportunities were the difference. New York doesn't have anybody in the top 40 in the league in rebounding, but everybody contributes. That's going to put the pressure on Erick Dampier, DeSagana Diop, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard to keep the Knicks off the boards.Inside the KnicksWelcome aboard: Jalen Rose joined the Knicks earlier this month in a trade from Toronto, and all he did was lead them in scoring in three consecutive games, including Friday against New Orleans. Of course, going into Sunday's action, they had yet to win since Rose joined the club.Briefly: They played Sunday night in Houston, which should give the Mavericks an energy edge. ... Stephon Marbury has been a controversial figure for them recently, squabbling with Quentin Richardson and fighting a shoulder injury, too.Inside the MavericksTaking care of business: They have been excellent at beating the teams they should beat, going 20-2 against sub-.500 teams so far. Since New York can't see .500 with a telescope, the Mavericks should take advantage of a losing team that has struggled with an eight-game losing streak going into Sunday night's game.Briefly: They have sharpened their shooting eyes lately, hitting 49.4 percent in the last five games. ... Erick Dampier is averaging 9.2 rebounds over the last five games. ... Jerry Stackhouse is riding a four-game streak of scoring at least 14 points, averaging 16.3.PROBABLE STARTERSKnicks Pos. MavericksMaurice Taylor F Dirk NowitzkiJalen Rose F Josh HowardEddy Curry C DeSagana DiopQuentin Richardson G Adrian GriffinJamal Crawford G Jason Terryhttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ox.7c53c27.html
