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Say the Dallas Mavericks come up empty in free agency (i.e. don't sign Deron Williams) and Dwight Howard is dealt somewhere to end that pursuit before it really started, and the only option left is to rebuild.

PODCAST
Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki says he's too old to stay with a rebuilding franchise but couldn't imagine himself leaving the city of Dallas. Listen

Would Dirk Nowitzki request a trade?

It's a hypothetical that was presented to Nowitzki during his Tuesday appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's "Galloway & Co."

"It’s kind of tough," Nowitzki said. "I’m like the grandfather of Dallas sports right now."

He continued: "I’m not sure. I’ve always said I want to finish my career here and obviously the championship season topped it all off; that’s what I always was chasing and dreaming about so that kind of sealed that deal on that front. If we really come out with nobody this summer then maybe they want to rebuild and obviously I’m too old for that. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens on that front. But, I still think I got two, three good years left in me and if we get some players in here we can be right back up there and compete."

Nowitzki said he's excited about the prospect of reeling in a big fish in this first summer of cap space in his career. While owner Mark Cuban might talk of different roster-building ideas outside of nabbing a so-called big fish, Nowitzki makes it clear that his idea of a big fish is free-agent-to-be and Dallas-area native Williams, which obviously is no secret at all.

"We’d love to get a prime-time player like D-Will in," Nowitzki said. " But our thing right now is we just have to wait and see what happens in July."

Back to that hypothetical of Dirk, who turns 34 next month and is newly engaged, eventually seeking an exit from a rebuilding phase or the club deciding to part ways to bring in younger talent, Nowitzki said he doesn't see either one ever materializing.

"I don’t even want to think about it because I don’t think it’s going to happen," Nowitzki said. "I want to finish my career here and hopefully compete again in the playoffs and be a player late in June. We’ll see. Everything else is kind of all in the future. I can’t really see myself in another city or another uniform after 14 seasons I think it’s been now. Growing up here and basically I've matured so much over the years and met a lot of great people here, so I can’t even think about going somewhere else really."

Shawn Marion finished eighth in media voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year. NBA coaches apparently didn't buy into the hype.

Marion didn't make the first or second All-Defensive teams, as voted on by the league's 30 coaches, and garnered just three votes overall and no votes for the first team.

The Dallas Mavericks'' 6-foot-7 defensive stopper who was often asked to guard four positions this season and at times the league's top point guards, finished 14th in the "other players receiving votes" category.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle spent much of the second half of the season campaigning for Marion to be considered a top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, an award former Mavs center Tyson Chandler won. Interestingly, the coaches (who can't vote for their own players) selected Chandler to the second team with Dwight Howard garnering first-team recognition.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, far and away the league leader in blocks, earned first-team recognition after finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Here are the All-Defensive teams:

FIRST
F LeBron James, Miami
F Serge Ibaka, OKC
C Dwight Howard, Orlando
G Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
G Tony Allen, Memphis

SECOND
F Kevin Garnett, Boston
F Luol Deng, Chicago
C Tyson Chandler, New York
G Rajon Rondo, Boston
G Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (First Team votes in parentheses): Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia, 19 (4); Joakim Noah, Chicago, 14; Iman Shumpert, New York, 13 (4); Paul George, Indiana, 10 (2); Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City, 9 (2); Josh Smith, Atlanta, 8 (2); Dwyane Wade, Miami, 5 (1); Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City, 5 (1); Grant Hill, Phoenix, 5 (1); Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 5 (1); Avery Bradley, Boston, 3 (1); Marc Gasol, Memphis, 3 (1); Metta World Peace, L.A. Lakers, 3; Shawn Marion, Dallas, 3; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 2, (1); Mike Conley, Memphis, 2; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 1; Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia, 1; Carlos Boozer, Chicago, 1; Luc Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee, 1.

If Dwight Howard is dead set on leaving the Magic's small (market) world ASAP, as reports suggest, and Orlando grants his wish, it's hard to find the happily-ever-after ending for the Dallas Mavericks.

PODCAST
Is the Dwight Howard to the Mavs dream alive? Dwight still wants out of Orlando and it could open the door for the Mavs to put a proposal together. Listen

That's the picture Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi painted Tuesday morning during an appearance on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in the Morning." If you thought D12 got what he wanted with Monday's news of coach Stan Van Gundy's firing and the franchise parting with general manager Otis Smith, it might come as a surprise then that Bianchi suggested that Howard could be traded before the June 28 draft.

Bianchi believes the Magic will first ask Howard for a long-term commitment. If the game's top (and seemingly profoundly confused) center says no thanks, then Bianchi thinks the Magic will act quickly to move him out to spare the club and its fan base another derailing, drama-filled season.

If Orlando again begins to solicit trade offers for its statuesque big man coming off back surgery just a month ago -- while also likely looking to unload the egregious Hedo Turkoglu contract (two years, $23.6 million) -- what's the Mavs' best offer?

Think the Magic jump at Brendan Haywood, Lamar Odom's partially guaranteed contract, Shawn Marion, Brandan Wright, Rodrigue Beaubois and whoever else the Mavs might want to throw in?

Not likely (and it's here where speculation can run wild that re-signing Tyson Chandler might have made the Mavs a more prominent player in a potential deal).

Howard has been adamant that he wants to play for the Brooklyn Nets. That's presumably because of his desire (or is it adidas' desire?) to play in a large market where his superstardom can really shine, and his arrival would almost certainly convince All-Star point guard and free-agent-to-be Deron Williams to sign long-term in the borough. If the Nets get a top-three pick in the draft lottery May 30, they'll keep their protected pick from the Gerald Wallace deadline deal, a golden nugget to toss into a package to Orlando.

The Nets, with restricted free-agent center Brook Lopez, and the Los Angeles Lakers, with center Andrew Bynum or power forward Pau Gasol as prime bait, are the top contenders to deal for Dwight now.

The Mavs simply are not.

Dallas' best hope would be that the Magic are desperate to trade Howard out of the Eastern Conference and can't work out a deal with the Lakers. The worst-case scenario, obviously, would be for Orlando to deal him to Brooklyn, effectively (presumably) taking the Mavs out of the running for D-Will and leaving Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki staring into an uneasy future.

You don't have to be a billionaire owner of a basketball team to know it would make perfect sense to take stab at signing injury-ravaged center Greg Oden this offseason.

The 7-foot free agent would come cheap and even after three microfracture surgeries on two knees in his four seasons since the Portland Trail Blazers made him the No. 1 pick ahead of Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft, Oden is only 24 years old.

The Blazers released Oden in March and he did not sign with another team, by his choice, according to a piece written by Mark Titus on Grantland.com . Titus, a former AAU and Ohio State teammate of Oden's, sat down with the former one-and-done Buckeyes star and reveals in the article that Oden plans to train in Columbus, Ohio, during the 2012-13 season with the hope of strengthening his legs to the point where he can resume his short-circuited career in the 2013-14 season.

The Mavericks could be in serious need of a center next season. Brendan Haywood remains under contract for three years, but even he knows that Dallas could amnesty him to create cap space if it can land Deron Williams in free agency. Backup center Ian Mahinmi is a free agent.

Oden would have been interesting player to bring in. However, it appears that will have to wait another year, just like a pursuit of Dwight Howard.

DALLAS – When the Mavs opted not to offer Tyson Chandler and Co. long-term deals, this summer’s free-agency crop was expected to be headlined by a few superstars.

The landscape quickly changed when Chris Paul exercised his player option for next season after being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. It changed for the worse again when Dwight Howard surprisingly committed not to opt out of the final season of his contract with the Orlando Magic just before the trade deadline.

That leaves Deron Williams as the lone big fish. What happens if the Mavs don’t convince The Colony native to come home?

“You’ve got to have your A, B, C, D and E and so on, but you also understand that this is a global plate tectonic,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “Things are moving and situations are fluid. You go into it with eyes wide open and hopefully you can come out of it with what you want.”

The Mavs want a player who can create offense on his own, a necessity to take pressure off of Dirk Nowitzki.

PODCAST
Mavs GM Donnie Nelson gives us an inside look at the team's summer plans as the franchise has financial flexibility for the first time in over a decade. Listen

A reunion with Steve Nash is a possibility. The Mavs declined to pay what it took to keep him in Dallas eight seasons ago because of concerns about durability, but he’s coming off a season in which he led the Western Conference in assists (10.7 per game) and shot a career-best 53.2 percent from the floor.

Everyone knows the chemistry with old pal Nowitzki would click. However, the Mavs would probably take a major step back defensively by adding a 38-year-old point guard who has always been considered a liability on that end of the floor.

Houston’s Goran Dragic, who made himself a ton of money as the fill-in starter for Kyle Lowry in the second half of the season, is a much younger option. Dragic, 26, Nash’s former backup, averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 assists while shooting 49.0 percent from the floor in 28 games as a starter this season.

Some other proven shot creators in the market: New Orleans’ Eric Gordon (restricted), Memphis’ O.J. Mayo (restricted), Minnesota’s Michael Beasley (restricted and off-court issues) and Boston’s Ray Allen (turns 37 in July).

The market for big men, which will be a big need if the Mavs use the amnesty clause on Brendan Haywood, is headlined by Indiana’s Roy Hibbert (restricted), Denver’s JaVale McGee (restricted), Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez (restricted), New Orleans’ Chris Kaman, Houston’s Marcus Camby, Philadelphia’s Spencer Hawes and Chicago’s Omer Asik. The Mavs might also explore taking a minimum-salary flyer on Greg Oden in hopes of resuscitating the former No. 1 overall pick’s career after it has been derailed by knee injuries.

“There’s a lot of good players out there,” Nelson said. “Whether it’s A, B, C, D, E, F, or keep the powder dry, which is always an option. Just because we have it doesn’t mean we have to spend it.”

Is putting a subpar supporting cast around Nowitzki for another year of the twilight of his prime really an option? Isn’t there a sense of urgency to maximize the chances of winning another championship while the best player in franchise history is still a superstar?

“Listen, how many years have we made it in the playoffs in a row?” Nelson said. “We don’t plan on putting out anything less than a championship-caliber team. That’s me and Mark’s history and that’s our commitment to our fans and this city.”

They’ve got their work cut out for them this summer, especially if they swing and miss on Williams.

With Tyson Chandler being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year today, it’s difficult not to wonder how things might be different if he stayed in Dallas.

The Mavs won’t waste any mental energy on the subject, but it’s impossible for fans and media to ignore.

Here’s all you need to know about how much Dallas misses Chandler: The Mavs’ starting center for the rest of this series is somewhat of a mystery after Brendan Haywood was benched for the beginning of the second half in Monday’s Game 2 loss.

Haywood hasn’t been on the floor for the last few minutes in either of the down-to-the-wire finishes in the first two games of the series. Coach Rick Carlisle, whose team is down 0-2 to Oklahoma City as the series shifts to Dallas, cited quickness and energy as two reasons Haywood has played so little against the Thunder (29 minutes in two games).

There aren’t many centers quicker than Chandler. There aren’t any with more energy.

Chandler averaged 8.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in last season’s West finals, when Dallas dismissed the Thunder in five games. The Mavs’ three-headed monster, as they call their center trio of Haywood, Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright, has combined to put up slightly better numbers (11.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks) with a heck of a lot less presence in this series.

Would the Mavs be better off with Chandler serving as the emotional leader/defensive anchor and a three-headed backup monster? For right now, that answer is obvious.

That doesn’t make the decision to let Chandler go any more illogical. Mark Cuban made what he considered a serious attempt to keep Chandler while maintaining financial flexibility, offering him a one-year, $20 million deal.

Chandler considered it a no-brainer to take long-term security, choosing a four-year, $58 million deal from the Knicks. As divorces go, it was an amicable one.

Chandler went to a big-market team with star power. The Mavs moved on, flipping a trade exception acquired in his sign-and-trade deal for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. Lamar Odom arrived in Dallas with a team-friendly contract, but he also brought team-wrecking baggage. Swing and a miss for strike one.

The Mavs still had dreams of pulling off a Heat-like free-agency bonanza, landing Dwight Howard and Deron Williams this summer. That’s no longer possible, with Howard opting to commit (contractually, at least) to the Magic for one more season. Strike two.

If Williams doesn’t come to Dallas this summer, the decision to kiss Chandler goodbye can be considered one of the great strikeouts of Cuban’s ownership tenure.

We can’t completely judge that decision until July. For now, the Mavs have the hands full trying to fight their way into a series without the big man from their championship run.

DALLAS -- The herniated disc forcing Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard to go under the knife might also keep him from winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award.

PODCAST
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle dishes on the state of his team now that they've clinched a playoff spot. He also talks about Delonte West's "West willy" and why he's gone with Vince Carter over Shawn Marion in the last couple of games. Listen

Howard ranks third in blocks and first in rebounding, and without him the Magic are giving up significantly more points and a higher field-goal percentage. If Howard is indeed out of the running, will it force voters to seriously examine alternative candidates for an award that has primarily gone to a big man for the last 23 seasons?

"Shawn Marion for Defensive Player of the Year," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle campaigned once again Friday morning. "It'll be interesting. I still maintain that Marion's deserving based on how he's guarded so many different positions well and the fact that we're the top defensive team in the Western Conference. He's holding guys to under 35 percent shooting and low free throws and high turnovers. So, I think the case is there."

Howard wasn't the only big-man candidate worthy of consideration.

New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler -- sorry, Mavs fans -- is a leading candidate after he finished third in the voting last season with Dallas. He's averaging 10.0 rebounds, has 87 blocks. Just like he did with the Mavs, Chandler has helped the Knicks rank in the top 10 in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense.

Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka is another top candidate. The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder leads the NBA in blocked shots by an obscene margin. He has 221, 92 more than the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan. Ibaka is averaging 3.57 blocks a game and 6.36 blocks per 48 minutes.

Marion is the Mavs' defensive stopper, assigned to the opponents' top scorer. What separates Marion from most so-called stoppers is that he's called upon to guard players from power forward LaMarcus Aldridge to point guard Chris Paul.

In Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets, Carlisle chose to start Marion defending Rockets point guard Goran Dragic even though Delonte West was on the floor.

DALLAS -- There's Lamar Odom's drama and Jason Terry's mouth. And for whatever reasons Rick Carlisle appears headed to the postseason without a contract extension. There have certainly been some interesting days in Dallas this season, but it all pales to the ongoing circus in Orlando -- the Dwightmare as some have dubbed it.

PODCAST
Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle discusses Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Rodrigue Beaubois' play of late and whether he's ever had a player try to get him fired. Listen

After his Indecision '12, Dwight Howard -- who listed the Mavs among the three teams he preferred to be traded to (when he actually preferred to be traded) -- finally opted to stay in (moments after he opted out) Orlando for another season, but Magic coach Stan Van Gundy told the media Thursday that his star center is angling to have him canned.

The scene truly turned bizarre when Howard sidled up to the Diet Pepsi-swilling SVG as he was surrounded by media moments after Van Gundy dropped the bomb.

Howard, unknowing that SVG had leaked his conspiracy, put his arm around his coach in seemingly a show of support -- and then denied he'd gone to management with a request to fire his coach.

Unreal.

"I guess my perspective is it makes me realize how fortunate we are here to have very stable ownership and great stability with star players like Dirk and Jason Kidd and Jason Terry," Carlisle said. "We haven't gone through things like that. Dirk was a free agent two years ago and he was only interested in being here, and that's what makes him special and makes our situation special. That's what I take from that situation is it just makes me more grateful for what we've had here."

Howard then laid an egg Thursday night as the Magic got trounced at home by the New York Knicks for their fifth consecutive loss. As the final seconds ticked down, a contingent of Knicks fans cheered the visitors' victory and Howard sat on the bench smiling and waving his arms as if urging the Knicks fans to bring it.

The most dominant center in the game today has said he stayed in Orlando to chase a championship this season. Who knows if that team can even keep it together at this point?

And the defending champs, just one game over .500 since Feb. 1, thought they had problems.

"I think everything we've been through the last three to four years, we'll never let it divide us," Terry said. "Yeah, I've said whatever I say in the media, but I'll come back and back it up the next night. And Dirk will say what he says, but it'll fire somebody up. It never breaks us apart and I think that's the difference between us and other teams."

The Mavs have handled internal strife, the limited amount there has been over the years, quickly and mostly seamlessly. One incident that sticks out was the screaming match between Terry and Jose Juan Barea late last season that also saw Terry jaw with Carlisle with the coach banishing Terry from the huddle.

"You've got to give credit to myself, Dirk, J-Kidd, the leaders of this team for not allowing distractions to divide us," Terry said. "You may go through your struggles throughout the season and guys get into it, but it's a family and it's going to happen. But you can never let it divide you. We believe in each other, we believe in the system. Obviously coach Carlisle, what he accomplished last season, he's one of the best.

"When you've got everyone's back and everyone's on the same page, it's a big difference."

DALLAS -- No controversy involving the Mavericks can pass without Mark Cuban being asked for comment.

So we asked him to weigh in on the infamous, invisible haymakers thrown by Brendan Haywood at Dwight Howard's lower back. Or so Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said, at least.

“That’s an internal issue,” Cuban said. “To me, teams have to manage their own internal issues and that’s one of the ways you do it. So who knows?”

Cuban declined to elaborate, so it’d be inaccurate to report that he said it was a desperate attempt by Van Gundy to salvage his relationship with the Magic's superstar by making a big scene of sticking up for Howard. Cuban just implied that.

Give Cuban credit for seeing through the bull, which he’s pretty good at spreading himself when he sees fit. He made his “internal issue” comment Wednesday evening, well before Van Gundy pulled back the curtain after the Magic’s morning shootaround and let the world know that management had confirmed that Howard had lobbied for the coach’s firing.

So, just to be clear on all this, Van Gundy’s complaints about Haywood punching Howard in the back were probably part of an effort to prevent Howard from stabbing Van Gundy in the back.

DALLAS -- Rest assured that Delonte West's absence from fourth-quarter action Wednesday night was not a result of him hurting his still-healing right ring finger.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle first put that speculation to rest and then West did the same in the locker room. To prove it he showed the progress he's made by slightly bending the digit at the knuckle. Yes, that's progress.

And so was West's hot-shooting performance in the 95-85 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Coming off a disappointing start at point guard Monday as Jason Kidd's replacement, West bounced back by draining six of his seven shots for 14 points. He hit a couple of pull-up jumpers during a key 11-5 close to the second quarter. He knocked down two 3-pointers in the third quarter, so who knew when he exited with 2:18 to go in the third and the Mavs trailing 66-63 that his night was over?

His backup, Roddy Beaubois, was having such an impact in the fourth quarter on both ends of the floor that Carlisle never made a move back to West as the Mavs pulled away in the final five minutes. And West, who still logged 26 minutes with just one turnover, was more than happy to let Beaubois take care of business.

"It was a big game for Roddy because that shows a lot of trust coach has in our players, letting him finish out the game with an impressive third and fourth (quarters)," West said. "And he needs to know this team is counting on him and pushing for him, too, so he responded in a good way."

Beaubois needed a solid outing after another down spell low-lighted by another DNP-CD last Friday at Orlando. That was followed by a less-than-stellar outing Monday against the Clippers. The lanky guard had his own bounce back with eight points, five assists, a steal and two blocks, including a beauty on Mike Conley's 3-point attempt at the point of release in a one-point game in the fourth quarter.

"Any time you finish the game; everybody wants to be on the floor so I just tried to make a difference on defense," Beaubois said. "Coaches told me now that Delonte is back I have to be more aggressive defensively, so I focus on that and just try to help the team this way."

Until Kidd returns, and it appears that won't be until next Tuesday at the earliest, the Mavs will rely on West and Beaubois to run the show.

"That’s what we’re here for and I think (Wednesday) was a good rough draft for how we've got to play moving forward," West said. "We have to be that energizer when we get out there."

Here's three more items to consider as the Mavs take Thursday off, literally, with no practice scheduled.

1. Long-distance Jet: Jason Terry insisted he'd take 30 shots if that's what was needed to get the offense moving, but against the Grizzlies he settled for 14. He made six with one coming from downtown and in perfect Jet fashion he hit it during the big fourth quarter run to extend a three-point lead to six. The 3-pointer also tied Terry with Peja Stojakovic on the NBA's all-time 3-point field goals made list with 1,760. Terry is 23 away from tying Chauncey Billups for fourth.

2. Brandan Wright grounded: The lanky skywalker logged just two minutes against Memphis and its burly front line featuring 7-foot-1, 265-pound center Marc Gasol. It's becoming clear that in a playoff series against a team with big, skilled centers, Wright could find plenty of bench time.

Against Orlando and Dwight Howard, the 6-10, 210-pound Wright played less than three minutes. Against the Lakers and Andrew Bynum, he played 16 minutes, but Brendan Haywood was out with a sprained knee. In the Feb 22 meeting against L.A., Wright played 10 minutes. Wright did log 21 minutes in the Feb. 29 game at Memphis and Gasol went for 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

3. Rare hot shooting: The Mavs shot 50 percent (40-of-80) from the floor against Memphis, hitting the mark for the first time in eight games (53.6 percent at Denver, March 19) and for just the fourth time in the last 34 games. They're 4-0 in those games and 8-0 overall.

DALLAS -- Apparently the league office didn't see Brendan Haywood throw a punch either.

NBA authorities do not plan to take any action regarding the alleged punch that Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Haywood threw into the back of Magic center Dwight Howard during the Mavs' comeback victory Friday night, according to a league source.

Van Gundy said he turned in film for the league to review. Haywood has maintained his innocence saying that things can get testy between players, but that he never threw a punch.

Howard missed Saturday's practice and did not play in Sunday's game against Denver because of back spasms, just the third game he's missed due to injury in his eight-year career. After Saturday's practice, Van Gundy told reporters that Haywood threw two punches into Howard's back during one possession and that he planned to send the film to the league. Howard still played 44 minutes, recording 19 points and 15 rebounds. Van Gundy said Howard was able to stay in the game because he was loose, but that after the game Howard tightened up.

Haywood said he doesn't know about the film Van Gundy must have sent to New York because the Mavs' staff has scoured the game film and found no evidence of a punch being thrown.

"I guess he’s got something no one else has," Haywood said of Van Gundy on Monday during an appearance on "The Ben & Skin Show" on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. "Like I said, it’s a physical game and sometimes guys get testy with elbows thrown, forearms, but no one throws any punches out there. Most of the NBA guys, without a doubt, it’s all WWE to us. We’re fake tough guys. No one throws any real punches. It’s unfortunate Stan feels that way. I know he has to protect his guy, but that’s just not the case. No one has any footage of it I guess except him, so unless he had [assistant coach] Patrick Ewing on the bench taping with his iPhone, I don’t think that really happened."

Brendan Haywood initially figured Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had to be pulling an April Fool's joke on him Saturday when he claimed the Dallas Mavericks center had sucker-punched Dwight Howard in the back during Friday's game.

PODCAST
Mavs C Brendan Haywood responds to Stan Van Gundy's claim that he punched Dwight Howard. April Fool's joke? Listen

Haywood, making an appearance Monday morning on the Ben & Skin Show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM, said he quickly realized Van Gundy wasn't kidding around.

"I was at home and I thought Stan Van Gundy was setting everybody up because it was April 1st," Haywood said. "I thought it was a big April Fool’s joke. I thought we’re all going to laugh about it, and then I realized he was serious. There's nothing to it."

Haywood, who claimed innocence after Sunday's practice, was still chuckling about Van Gundy's accusation Monday morning, making light of it when he was introduced onto the show: "I’m just sitting here training with Floyd Mayweather getting ready for my next fight," Haywood said.

Van Gundy wasn't laughing when he made the claim after the Magic's Saturday practice in which Howard did not participate, and he certainly wasn't chipper Sunday when back spasms sidelined Howard in the Magic's 104-101 loss against Denver. It was only the eighth game Howard has missed in his eight-year career and the third due to injury.

Van Gundy didn't specify when the alleged incident occurred, but he accused Haywood of punching Howard in the back twice during one possession and said he planned to send video of the infraction to the league office.

"It's really ridiculous and I want to get it on film and send it in," Van Gundy said Saturday, according to OrlandoMagic.com. "Haywood just punched him literally with a closed fist right in the back. So [Howard] got through the game because he was loose, but then it really tightened up."

Haywood, who had missed the previous seven games with a sprained right knee, reiterated that he didn't throw any punches. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said his staff has reviewed the game film and and found no evidence of a punch.

"I guess he’s got something no one else has," Haywood said of Van Gundy. "Like I said, it’s a physical game and sometimes guys get testy with elbows thrown, forearms, but no one throws any punches out there. Most of the NBA guys, without a doubt, it’s all WWE to us. We’re fake tough guys. No one throws any real punches. It’s unfortunate Stan feels that way. I know he has to protect his guy, but that’s just not the case. No one has any footage of it I guess except him, so unless he had [assistant coach] Patrick Ewing on the bench taping with his iPhone, I don’t think that really happened."

Haywood called Howard the most physical player in the league and said that 6-foot-11, 266-pound All-NBA center made his presence felt on the opening possession.

"The first play of the game he popped me real good in my chest," Haywood said. "He hit me so hard in my chest, I felt it in my knee. You’re never supposed to get hit hard enough in your chest that you feel it in your knee. I didn’t know what that was about."

The league office did not immediately respond to an email asking if it has received a video from the Magic. Haywood said he isn't concerned about any disciplinary action because he doesn't believe the punch exists.

"No one has this footage except for Stan," Haywood said. "Stan has it and it’s going in his video archive."

ORLANDO -- How it happened: Let’s be honest. Jason Terry has driven you nuts this season.

You love him. You hate. You love him. You hate him. On and on it goes.

He was awful Thursday against Miami, and had no impact on the first three quarters against Orlando. Dirk made the game-winner with five seconds left, but Terry made it possible.

But the trait that has made Terry a difference-maker in Dallas is that he has no fear of the moment. He often plays his best basketball after his worst performances because he has supreme self-confidence.

No matter how many shots he misses, Terry always believes the next one is going to drop. And he can find the zone athletes always talk about and stay in it longer than most.

After a forgettable game Friday against Miami - he was 1-for-10 - and after not having an impact during the first three quarters, Terry took over on offense and defense.

He scored seven consecutive points, grabbed a couple of rebounds and made a steal as the Mavs erased a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to tie the score with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter

Maybe, it’s as simple as he wore his trademark headband and high socks in the second half. In the first half, he went without his headband and socks because of an off-season bet he lost to Orlando’s Jameer Nelson.

Whatever the reason, without his performance in the fourth quarter and Shawn Marion’s work in the third quarter, the Mavs would’ve never been in position to win.

Terry finished with 17 points and the Mavs picked up their latest most important victory of the season because it keeps Dallas a game ahead of ninth-place Denver in the loss column.

What it means: Maybe this is the win that gets the Mavs rolling. They were 3-18 when trailing at any point by 10 points in a game and were just 1-19 when trailing after three quarters. Considering the Mavs trailed 77-62 late in the third quarter this was among their most unlikeliest wins of the season.

Bold play:Dwight Howard showed the full array of his athleticism early in the third quarter. After Shawn Marion bobbled a pass on the right wing, Howard outraced him to the ball, scooped it up and made a whirling pass into the front court to Jameer Nelson, who threw a lob to Howard. Although the pass was behind him, Howard reached way back with his right hand and slammed it home for a 59-52 lead.

Stat of the night:The Mavs went 7-7 in February and are 9-8 in March after slipping past Orlando to avoid posting consecutive non-winning months for the first time since 1999.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It has been seven weeks -- 46 days, if you’re counting -- since Rick Carlisle had a full complement of players.

Now, he does.

Delonte West re-joined the team Thursday night against Miami after missing five weeks with a broken finger, and Brendan Haywood is expected to play Friday night against Orlando after missing seven games with a sprained knee.

Ordinarily that would be great -- and it is a positive. The problem, of course, is working all of the returning players back into a rotation without screwing up the Mavericks' chemistry.

For a team that’s 8-10 since the All-Star break and still isn’t anywhere close to securing a playoff spot with 14 games remaining in the regular season, maybe it won’t be that difficult.

“We gotta move forward and try to get everyone involved and still keep a rhythm doing the things well that we’ve been doing well,” Carlisle said. “We gotta look at everything.

“We have been together long enough now to have a pretty good feel for everyone and everyone has a pretty good feel for what’s asked of them and what we need from them. Going forward it’s going to be based on matchup, opponent, and how guys are playing. We’re going to ask our guys to play their minutes hard and play together, and we’ll figure out the rotation.”

The Mavs can certainly use Howard’s 7-foot, 263-pound frame to contain Dwight Howard, the league’s best center. Haywood has missed 11 of the past 13 games.

“We missed our big, strong guy,” Carlisle said. “Against the guys like (Andrew) Bynum, Howard and (Marc) Gasol, there’s no substitute to having a 7-footer that’s big and strong like Brendan. We need him.

“He’s been out awhile and he’s been working, but he’s probably going to get tired pretty quick and I’m going to have to pull him and try to get him back in the game.”

Since the playoffs unofficially started for the Dallas Mavericks last Saturday, they're 2-1, twice beating the Houston Rockets, a team now on the outside looking in, and enduring a throttling Thursday by the Miami Heat, a favorite to win it all.

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Mavs coach Rick Carlisle talks about the team's sense of playoff urgency, Friday's game against the Magic, and suggests Jason Terry was ambushed when asked if he'd like to play for the Heat. Listen

Now comes tonight's tough matchup at the Orlando Magic. If the Mavs are going to make a strong push in the final month of the season -- and at this point that means simply qualifying for the postseason -- two things have to change quickly. Dallas has to start winning on the road (they're 10-15 with eight of their final 14 games on the road) and do so by getting serious about rebounding.

The differential that the Mavs are getting beaten by is getting absurd. Through 52 games, the Mavs rank 21st in the NBA in rebound differential at minus-1.39, so they're not a great rebounding team to begin with. In the last five games it's off the charts in a bad, bad way.

First, consider this from the Heat loss: Dallas went into halftime trailing by seven, which wasn't bad since the Heat shot 61.1 percent. Miami held a modest 16-12 rebounding advantage overall, but the offensive boards were even, 4-4, and the Mavs held an 8-7 advantage in second-chance points.

In the second half Miami blew the game open and won by 21 points despite shooting just 36.6 percent. How does that happen? The Heat outrebounded the Mavs 28-17 and 7-2 on the offensive glass, skunking them 10-0 in second-chance points.

In the last five games, Dallas has been outrebounded 235-173 overall and 50-27 on the offensive boards while being outscored 73-35 in second-chance points.

In those five games, the Mavs are 2-3 and 1-2 (winning in overtime at Houston) on the road.

Next up is Dwight Howard, who averages nearly four offensive rebounds a game by himself.

Records: Mavs (29-23); Magic (32-19)

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Amway Center

TV: ESPN, FSSW

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: The rotation is certainly getting interesting with 14 games to go. Delonte West made his return Thursday at Miami, logging just eight minutes. He made all three of his shots and his playing time is surely going to start trending upward. Where that leaves Rodrigue Beaubois, who played less than 15 minutes and was scoreless with one assist, is up in the air. And will Lamar Odom's minutes rise if he continues to play well? Could he see more time at small forward, which would decrease Vince Carter's minutes there? It's a possibility that might not be a bad thing.

Key matchup: Brendan Haywood vs. Dwight Howard
The Mavs' big man was in uniform Thursday at Miami, but did not play because he was being spared a back-to-back off the bat and was being saved to go against Dwight Howard and the Magic. It's quite the assignment for his return. Haywood has not played since March 15 and that was just for 15 minutes before he sprained his right knee. Howard is averaging 20.9 points and 14.5 rebounds.

Injuries: Mavs -- C Brendan Haywood (sprained right ankle) expects to play tonight. Magic -- None.

Up next: Los Angeles Clippers at Mavs, 7:30 p.m. Monday