Re: Mavs' bench never gets warm Mavs' bench never gets warmJohnson has used a mix of nine players despite hinting he wouldn'tBy EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning NewsNo Mavericks team has ever swept a seven-game playoff series. The franchise has never even won one in five games.Now would seem like an opportune time to dominate ? as if the Mavericks haven't done that by going up 2-0 against the Memphis Grizzlies.Those first two wins were by an average of 12.5 points ? and an average of nine players putting in at least a dozen minutes of playing time.Yes, the Mavericks are doing this by committee so far. Coaches almost always shorten their playing rotation in the playoffs.And Avery Johnson hinted in the final week of the regular season that he would be no different, despite the Mavericks' uncommon depth.But so far, Johnson has used nine players liberally, and a 10th, center DJ Mbenga, played a key role in the second game for seven minutes when the Mavericks broke open the game."It's no big difference from game to game," said Marquis Daniels. "In the first game me and Damp [Erick Dampier] were scoring. Then it was other guys [in Game 2]. I think our depth is a great asset."If history holds, it's an asset that won't last. Superior depth is usually neutralized in the postseason because teams that are not deep have plenty of rest days between games ? not to mention more frequent timeouts (which also last longer) for television.But the Mavericks already have shown that, even if they go down to eight players, it might be a different eight depending on matchups or who has the hot hand."You just want to win," Mbenga said. "You don't care who is out there. On the court, we're family."Last year in 13 playoff games, six Mavericks chewed up 85.3 percent of the playing time. They were the only players to appear in every game. If they didn't get the job done, nobody did. Jerry Stackhouse, with cameo help from Daniels, was essentially the only punch off the bench for the Mavs.So far in two romps against the Grizzlies, the six most-used players are eating only 76.7 percent of the total minutes. And even though the games have not been close, Johnson has not emptied his bench early. He's simply using more players during quality time.This is not to say the rotation won't shorten at some point, particularly if and when the Mavs get to the second round against San Antonio. That's another reason why taking care of business against the Grizzlies is paramount.Once Dallas and Memphis get past Game 3 Saturday, there is only one day off between games the rest of the series, no matter how long it lasts. And there will be fewer days off during the San Antonio series. Less wear and tear on the heavy lifters now has to help down the line.Finishing off the Grizzlies in timely fashion could have other benefits, too. Mostly, it would send a message to the Spurs that the Mavericks are good enough to routinely dispatch the teams they are supposed to handle.Johnson is quick to remind that this line of thinking doesn't creep into his head. He remembers what his team did against Houston last year, overcoming a 2-0 deficit, winning four of the last five games in the series in spite of losing the first two at home."This series is not over," he said. "This is going to be a tough, seven-game series."If the Mavericks' past performances hold true, it'll go at least six.Second unit dubbed 'Mavericks Off the Bench'Associated PressDALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks were at their best this season when coach Avery Johnson could look down his bench and have trouble deciding who to put in.Need scoring? Then go with Jerry Stackhouse, who averages more than 20 points per game for his career.Want to up the tempo? Signal for Devin Harris, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 draft and the team's point guard of the future.How about a big man? Send in Erick Dampier, whom Dallas thought so highly of last season that he received a $73 million contract.Add swingman Marquis Daniels, who as a rookie two years ago was a playoff starter, and injured forward Keith Van Horn, who happens to be Dallas' highest-paid player, and it's little wonder why Johnson is the rare coach not tightening his rotation now that the playoffs are under way.Johnson went to his bench early and often Sunday night in a 103-93 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of a first-round series. While Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 31 points, it was Dampier's energy and clutch, momentum-turning baskets by Daniels that made up for the team's otherwise shaky shooting."We all know that we've got to have a complete team effort to win the championship," Nowitzki said Monday. "If you look at the champions from the last few years, like Detroit and San Antonio, you've got to attack from all angles."One or two guys are not going to get the job done. You've got to have five, six, seven guys playing at a high level for a long period of time. That's ultimately what we're working on, being solid in a lot of different ways. That gives us a shot every night."Because of injuries, Johnson has rarely had all his reserves available at the same time this season. Game 1 was one of those occasions -- and, of course, great timing.As is his nature, Johnson focused more on how many of those players were still hobbling, such as Harris and starters Josh Howard and Adrian Griffin. Daniels missed time recently, too.Still, having a second unit that starter Jason Terry has dubbed the "MOB" [Mavericks Off the Bench] is an offer Johnson can't refuse."That's a good luxury," he said. "We want them to play like they can be starters on other teams. We like that idea."Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello knows the feeling. In 1988, his Atlanta Hawks went 10-deep, with a second unit that consisted of Spud Webb, John Battle, Cliff Levingston, Antoine Carr and Jon Koncak."They're a deep team, a very talented team," Fratello said of the Mavericks. "It's nice to have that kind of personnel."While Stackhouse and Harris are capable of landing on highlight reels, Dampier could be the X factor.The Mavs were undefeated when he hit double figures in points and rebounds this season. Problem was, it happened only seven times.He did it again in Game 1, with 12 points and 12 rebounds. More important, he pumped up teammates and fans with his hustle -- diving out of bounds to save a loose ball, grabbing another out of a scrum and slamming it home then later turning a tough offensive rebound into a three-point play."You're not always going to get a double-double, but you want him to play with intensity and not get so many cheap fouls, showing some emotion," Johnson said after the game.During last year's playoffs, Dampier was being outplayed so badly that Nowitzki criticized him on the court. He even became a punch line for Shaquille O'Neal, who said last April that a leg injury was causing him to play "like Erick Dampier."When Dampier got off to a slow start this season, and DeSagana Diop was coming on strong, Johnson flopped their roles. Dallas won its next 13 games and Dampier has come off the bench since.He's also never complained about it."The only difference between starting and coming off the bench is you get a chance to get the tip. Other than that, it's all the same," Dampier said, laughing. "I get a chance to sit over there and watch the game on the sideline and see how I want to attack on the offensive glass and when I want to score."
Re: Mavs' bench never gets warm Second round matchup appears imminent with Spurs, Mavs up 2-0[By David Moore / The Dallas Morning News]MEMPHIS ? There are legitimate reasons why sportswriters exasperate the athletes and coaches we cover.This is one of them.I know the Mavericks must win two more games to advance to the second round. I know the games in Memphis should present more of a challenge. But I can't help but let my mind drift to what lies ahead.The Mavericks are up 2-0. The San Antonio Spurs are up 2-0. You know these teams are sizing each other up as they dispose of the opponents at hand.Neither the Mavericks nor Spurs want to expend more energy than necessary on these warm-up acts. A sweep and the six to seven days of rest that go with it is the preferred course. If either team lets its first-round series extend beyond five games, it could put itself at a disadvantage heading into their imminent showdown.Avery Johnson is likely to hurl his coach of the year trophy at anyone who broaches the subject. I hate to think what San Antonio's Gregg Popovich would do, but I do know there is special forces training in his background.The problem with talking about the Mavericks vs. the Spurs is that it disrespects the Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. Johnson and Popovich won't allow that to happen. The Spurs know they are one unfavorable bounce away from being tied with the Kings.How did that Brent Barry three-pointer go down, anyway?Still, it's impossible to watch what has transpired the first two games of both series and envision a scenario in which the Mavericks and Spurs won't advance. The question then becomes which team is challenged in a way that best prepares them for the second round.The Mavericks earn the edge there.The statistics from the regular season series are telling. The Grizzlies averaged 90.5 points in four games against the Mavericks; the Spurs averaged 90. Memphis took 294 shots in those games, while the Spurs had 303. Three-point field goals made, turnovers and blocks were nearly identical.Memphis uses Pau Gasol in the same area of the court that San Antonio uses Tim Duncan. Shane Battier is the sort of athletic, defensive-minded small forward that has given Dirk Nowitzki difficulty in the past. He's something of a Bruce Bowen Lite.That gives the 31 points Nowitzki has averaged against the Grizzlies added significance.What Memphis doesn't have is a point guard that penetrates, such as Tony Parker. It doesn't have an interior defense as tough as the Spurs'. But San Antonio can be hurt in transition, which is what the Mavericks have done to Memphis in the first two games.The Kings? They would have prepared the Spurs for a matchup against the Mavericks two years ago, but not now. San Antonio is meeting no resistance on its way to the basket, averaging 125 points in the first two games of the series. The offense the Kings run in no way resembles the Mavericks' offense.Don't read too much into this. The Spurs can adapt. Remember, this is a team that won the championship last season because it went from Phoenix in one series to Detroit in the next without missing a beat.The issue of style is much more important to the Mavericks. The burden of proof is always with the challenger. Beating a carbon copy of the Spurs, albeit an inferior copy, builds confidence for when the Mavericks face the original.The first game of that series should be on the afternoon of May 7. Until then, there's this little matter of the Grizzlies and Kings, a matter both teams will dispose of in the next few days.Then, Johnson and Popovich will be free to enter the discussion everyone else already has started ? Mavericks vs. Spurs.Mavs keeping their poise this timeBy JEFF CAPLANStar-Telegram Staff WriterDALLAS - Perhaps the most distinct difference between coach Avery Johnson's first playoff team and this one is poise.The Mavericks have yet to get rattled in critical situations. In Game 1, the Grizzlies rallied to within one point in the third quarter. In Game 2, a Memphis run led to a 36-32 lead and a glimmer of confidence. But both times the Mavs, led by the so-far unguardable Dirk Nowitzki and point guard Jason Terry, quickly regained control of the tempo and went on to blow the games open.Last season, the Mavs, who found themselves behind early in both series, sometimes became visibly flustered when pressured, committing turnovers, barking at officials and rushing shots.In taking a 2-0 lead against Memphis, the Mavs have made 26 turnovers while the Grizzlies have committed 39."As far as being in the toughest hole that you can possibly be in a playoff situation, the nucleus of our team has done it, has been there," Jerry Stackhouse said. "Last year losing two games at home and then going to Houston, facing elimination, that builds character and that builds poise."Lessons learnedThe Mavs have reflected on last season's first-round series with Houston extensively: to place urgency on maintaining home-court advantage and to understand that the Grizzlies, down 2-0, aren't dead yet, as the series moves to FedEx Forum for Game 3 on Saturday."Everything had been in our favor, sleeping in our own beds, being at home, being in front of our home fans," Jerry Stackhouse said. "It's all going to go against us now. So, we'll see how we'll respond."Howard homes inJosh Howard had plenty of time to contemplate before Game 2 as he beat himself up on the bench during his foul-plagued Game 1."Fouls are bad for me. I can't let it get to me like it did," said Howard, who rebounded from eight points and four fouls in 18 minutes in Game 1 with 17 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.Howard challenged early, mesmerizing Memphis with an array of slashing drives and quick, mid-range jumpers. He hit three of his first four shots, made all six free throw attempts and had 12 points in the first quarter.Harris revving upDevin Harris said coach Avery Johnson continues to remind him to take it easy.The Mavs' backup point guard played 11 minutes in Game 1 and nearly 15 minutes in Game 2, after missing nearly the past quarter of the season with a quadriceps injury."I was so excited to be back, I was going 1,000 miles an hour," Harris said. "You can't go right to fifth gear. You have to build up to that."Harris scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in Game 2, his first playoff points of this postseason.Staff writer Mercedes Mayer contributed to this report.
