<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MEMPHIS, Tenn. ? Maybe Avery Johnson is right, and the Mavericks will never get any praise for their defense. That's OK. They're more than happy with the victories it generates, like Friday's 90-83 win over Memphis. The Mavericks offered up some of their best defense of the season, holding the Grizzlies to 34.3 percent shooting, a number they reached only because they heated up in the fourth quarter. The Mavs also flustered Pau Gasol, who had torched them for 36 points on Nov. 26 in Dallas. Gasol scored only 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and had six turnovers. Dallas blocked 11 shots. So will anybody recognize the Mavericks' defense, which held the Grizzlies to 29.4 shooting percent in the first half? "I haven't noticed it," Erick Dampier said. "But all that matters is the win. We know we're playing good defense. And everybody got involved." One play typified the night. With 3:27 to go in the third quarter, Memphis' Shane Battier went for a layup but was rejected with authority by DeSagana Diop. Keith Van Horn scored at the other end for a 64-51 Mavericks lead. "The first half in particular was a good defensive effort for us," Dirk Nowitzki said. "We used to be a high-paced team, but we're not anymore. We're more of a defensive team." Even if nobody notices. </div> Source
