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Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle had high praise for the Oklahoma City Thunder after being swept out of the first round, and his opinion was likely only reinforced after OKC's impressive dismantling and elimination of the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

"No question that they got better," Carlisle said, comparing this OKC team that is 8-1 in the playoffs to the one the Mavs ousted in five games in last season's West finals. "When they went through what they did last year where they won two rounds and got in a tough series with us and basically were right there in every game, you take quantum leaps in terms of your emotional growth, understanding what it takes to advance to the highest levels."

It's been documented by the Thunder's coolness and effectiveness under late-game duress against the Mavs and Lakers, extinguishing the harshest criticism heaped on the kiddos a year ago.

If the Thunder, elevated by a core of four players age 23 and younger -- Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka -- beat the championship-pedigreed and re-invented San Antonio Spurs in the West finals, their path to the NBA Finals will have rolled through the three franchises that have represented the West since 1999, and that have won 10 of the last 13 championships.

It would certainly signal an official restructuring of the West hierarchy.

"Their players individually have gotten better," Carlisle said. "Westbrook is a better player this year. Durant’s a little stronger and a little bit better. Ibaka has taken a major quantum leap and (Kendrick) Perkins, last year he wasn’t the same player. He was coming off of a surgery the previous summer and there’s a huge difference in his body this year. He’s 20 to 25 pounds lighter, back playing above the rim again and was doing some good things offensively. He really brought toughness to their team. They’re in a great position."

If OKC goes on to win it all -- and for the sake of argument let's say it beats the Miami Heat in the Finals -- will a run through the Mavs, Lakers, Spurs and Heat be more impressive than the trail of superstar ashes left in the Mavs' wake as they bulldozed through the Lakers, Thunder and Heat?

With at least four more days until the start of this highly anticipated West final, let the debate begin.

Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel opened the season by imploring his team to become an unselfish, ball-movement offense like the champion Dallas Mavericks.

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But when he told his team Sunday prior to its Game 4 against the Miami Heat to pass like champions, he was probably talking more about the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs, winners of 18 in a row and headed back to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2008 after sweeping the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers, have put on a clinic this postseason in championship passing. No team is throwing the rock around with such exacting precision and spectacularly devastating results.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are combining for nearly 12 assists a game. Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson are combining for more than seven. And that still leaves five or so assists unaccounted for.

The Spurs' dynamic and often artistic offense -- the only one generating more than 100 points a game in the playoffs (102.5), better than three more points a game than their likely West finals opponent Oklahoma City Thunder -- has reminded just what the re-tooled Mavs lost in a year's time.

Dallas was the No. 1 passing team in the Western Conference last postseason and the best of the four 2011 conference finals teams, having averaged 20.1 assists a game. The Spurs are blowing that mark out of the water, averaging 24.1. They've assisted on 193 of 308 baskets (62.7 percent) in eight playoff games and they were even better in the just completed sweep of the Clips, assisting on nearly seven of every 10 buckets (107 of 154, 69.4 percent).

During this truncated regular season, the Mavs were rarely at full strength -- including the game's all-time second-leading assist man Jason Kidd missing multiple games three different times with back, calf and groin injuries -- and finished 15th in assists. And they regressed further in the four-game sweep at the hands of the Thunder.

The Mavs rank 15th among the 16 playoff teams in assists. Kidd averaged 6.0, but only Jason Terry (3.8) averaged more than 2.0 a game as the team averaged just 15.5 assists in the four games. OKC, not known as a high assist team led by high-scoring point guard Russell Westbrook, out-assisted the Mavs on average by two a game.

San Antonio, meanwhile, is whipping the ball around which such proficiency that no one else is even close. The Celtics rank second at 21.9 assists a game led by triple-double threat Rajon Rondo. The Spurs' two playoff victims averaged 6.25 fewer assists a game, and that includes perennial All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

Of course, players have to make baskets for assists to be racked up. And no one can match the Spurs in that category either. Even Mavs owner Mark Cuban prior to the start of the playoffs questioned whether the 3-ball-happy Spurs could live that way in the postseason. They can and have. San Antonio is killing it from the 3-point arc to the tune of 42.3 percent with six players shooting at least 43 percent from downtown. The Clips are the next best at 37.8.

Overall, San Antonio is shooting a whopping 49.1 percent with the resurgent Duncan hitting running hooks and jumpers from seemingly every angle for a team-best 54.0 percent.

The Mavs shot the 3-pointer fairly well in the first round (37.2 percent) but overall made just 40.4 percent of their shots, not terribly far off from their disappointing regular-season shooting of 44.3 percent that ranked 19th in the league.

First in a 15-part series ranking the Mavericks' 2011-12 roster in importance of bringing back next season.

The offseason certainly arrived much sooner than anyone could have predicted, just like Lamar Odom's premature exit from the Dallas Mavericks.

The 6-foot-10 forward kicks off our offseason blog series that ranks the 2011-12 Mavericks roster in order of importance for the front office to bring back. Four of last season's six free agents found new homes with the exception of Peja Stojakovic, who called it a career after winning his first championship, and Brian Cardinal, who re-signed but made virtually no impact on the season.

Eleven months ago, the title team proved difficult to rank in importance and I started the Countdown with DeShawn Stevenson as the least important. It drew quite a few raised eyebrows from those wondering how I could possibly consider the defensive bulldog and surprisingly valuable 3-point shooter the least important member of the title team to bring back.

In retrospect, the choice probably violated the spirit of this series. I chose Stevenson not because I didn't think he was an asset and worthy of returning for a chance to repeat, but because the Mavs traded for shooting guard Rudy Fernandez, a move that, to me, signaled that Stevenson wouldn't be back. Who would have figured that neither Stevenson nor Fernandez would start the season with the Mavs?

This time around the lead-off man in these rankings is a no-brainer. Odom's career-worst season has to go down as the most disappointing season in the league and one of the more frustrating ones for a franchise in recent memory.

With that, on with the series:

LAMAR ODOM
Pos: SF/PF
Ht/Wt: 6-10, 230
Experience: 13 years
Age: 32 (Nov. 6, 1979)
2011-12 stats: 6.6 ppg (35.2 FG%), 4.2 rpg
Contract status: Signed through 2012-2013
2011-12 salary: $8.9 million
2012-13 salary: $8.2 million ($2.4 million guaranteed)

His story: There's a certain reality TV show on a certain entertainment channel starring a certain Kardashian sister and her basketball-playing husband that can provide the background of what went wrong in Odom's four short months with the Mavs. What didn't go wrong? Dallas thought it was getting a versatile forward who would help ease the pain of losing Tyson Chandler by supplying his unique skills that had helped the Lakers win back-to-back titles. Owner Mark Cuban says he'd make the trade all over again that brought the emotionally bogged-down Odom to Dallas for a draft pick and a trade exception. And hey, when the stunning trade went down Dec. 11, most thought the Mavs had just pulled off a coup and wondered why in the world the Lakers would seemingly just hand over last season's Sixth Man of the Year to the team that swept them out of the playoffs. Now we know.

His outlook: Odom is actually under consideration for a spot on Team USA for the London Games because of the rash of injuries that have taken out star players like Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard. Cuban actually said he'd love to see it, but only because he has such disdain for Olympic basketball, so he figures the two were meant to be together. Where Odom lands next season will be a far more intriguing story to follow. For starters, Dallas will try everything it can to dump him off on a team with loads of salary cap space such as Toronto or Sacramento and throw in $3 million to offset the $2.4 million guaranteed on Odom's deal next season. If the Mavs can't dump him in a trade, they'll waive him and be responsible for the $2.4 million, which will eat into their cap space this summer. Such a result will not please Cuban. No matter what, Odom will be long gone from this organization. A return to the Lakers is not likely since they can't add him to the roster for a full year after the date he was traded, Dec. 11. Could he land with the Miami Heat, one of his former teams that obviously will be a contender for years to come? Well, if he wants to sign for a fraction of his actual 2012-13 salary, then it's possible. Of course, no team might risk much more than a couple million anyway. How about the team with which he started his career, the Los Angeles Clippers? Possible. Caron Butler is signed for two more years at small forward, but Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans are free agents.

The Countdown
No. 15 Lamar Odom
No. 14 Coming Tuesday

Jason Terry could see himself taking his talents to South Beach next season.

Then again, Terry could envision himself calling any NBA city home next season, as he’s already admitted that he feels like he’s “auditioning for 29 other teams” during the final months of his contract with the Mavericks. However, Terry indicated to Fox Sports Florida before Thursday night’s loss in Miami that the Heat are an especially intriguing potential option.

"Miami is definitely a title contender. For sure," Terry told the website when asked whether he’d be interested in joining the Heat. "[Team president] Pat Riley is a great guy, and what he's done with the organization is tremendous.

"No question, they need a veteran shooter, a guy who can score besides LeBron [James] and [Dwyane Wade] and they know they can count on. I'm a guy that's been in this league 13 years, (averaging) 15 points a night, easy. Off the bench or the starting lineup, it doesn't matter. So I think I'd be an asset to them."

Terry didn’t exactly ace this job interview. Wearing gold shoes to celebrate the title the Mavs clinched in Miami last summer, Terry had his worst shooting performance of the season, missing nine of 10 field goal attempts during a three-point performance.

Terry had his request for a preseason contract extension fall on deaf ears. He is dealing with the reality that his dream of retiring in Dallas isn’t likely to happen.

"My main goal was to come back and retire a Maverick," Terry told the website. "After no extension this past offseason, I figure it may be time for me to move on. But you never know… I would love to (continue) in a Maverick uniform, don't get me wrong. But we'll see what happens. …

“They said they want me back. But you can say all you want, you got to show me. Like Jerry Maguire said, 'Show me the money."'

The Heat won’t have a lot of money to show Terry this summer. Miami has three stars (James, Wade and Chris Bosh) locked up to lucrative, long-term deals, leaving the Heat without any space under the salary cap. The most Miami would have to offer Terry is the mini-midlevel exception of $3 million per season, a huge cut from the $11.2 million salary Terry is making in the final season of his six-year, $57 million contract.

That might present a problem, but Terry said he’ll see what the market dictates and didn’t rule out being involved in a sign-and-trade deal. One thing that wouldn’t be an issue for Terry is joining a franchise that he faced in heated Finals in 2006 and last season.

"Not at all," Terry told Fox Sports Florida. "That jersey has a logo on it. It says, 'NBA.' No matter what team it is, it doesn't matter. So I'll be excited."

MIAMI -- How it happened: Jason Terry wore his gold shoes from last summer’s championship series, a reminder to everyone in South Beach just how well he played during the Dallas Mavericks' championship run.

Well, you know what they say about karma.

Terry made just one of 10 shots and was a non-factor offensively. He had as many fouls (3) as points (3). And then there’s Dirk Nowitzki, who missed his last eight shots.

Dallas can’t win on nights when its two best offensive players struggle to shoot.

Miami, leading by seven at halftime, never relinquished the lead as it methodically pulled away from the Mavs at American Airlines Arena on Thursday night.

The Mavs are 4-4 when Terry scores fewer than 10 points, but have lost three of the last four times it has happened. The Mavs don’t have an offensively-gifted team.

Nowitzki is the Mavs' only pure scorer, but they mask their deficiencies with excellent ball movement and quality defense. The ball movement leads to open shots, and the defense allows the Mavs to get into their offensive flow before the defense can set up.

The Mavs didn’t shoot well enough in the second half to put pressure on Miami’s defense, and they didn’t consistently defend well enough to get their secondary fastbreak offense up and running.

All is not lost, though.

Lamar Odom played his second consecutive quality game. More important, he played like he cared.

He dove to the floor for a loose ball in the first half, one of the few times we’ve seen that this season. And in the third quarter, he single-handidly kept the Mavs in the game with nine consecutive points to end the quarter.

Along the way, he showed why owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle have been patient with him: when he’s engaged in the game, he can do a lot of things to help the Mavs.

For the second straight game, Odom attacked the basket aggressively and made good passes after penetrating, setting up his teammates for open looks.(

It wasn’t good enough to help the Mavs win, but it eased some of the sting of yet another road loss.

What it means: The Mavs are just two games ahead of ninth-place Denver in the loss column, and now they have to go faced the rested Orlando Magic for a back-to-back. This is what happens when you lose games to inferior opponents such as New Orleans, New Jersey and Phoenix. The Mavs didn’t play poorly and still lost to Miami, which can happen against good teams.

Bold play: Odom stood in the left corner and waited for Nowitzki’s pass to find him. Then, he launched a 3-pointer that hit nothing but net. It was his ninth consecutive point and pulled the Mavs within eight points at the end of the third quarter. Dirk, thrilled with the play, gave Odom some strong words of support as they headed down the court.

Stat of the night: For the first time since March 2009, the Mavs didn’t shoot a free thrown in the first half. It should come as no surprise, though, because the Mavs launched 17 3-pointers in the first half, making seven. You don’t get to the free throw line hanging around the perimeter.

Follow along with our experts as they tweet and chat throughout tonight's Mavs-Heat game in Miami.

MIAMI -- Jason Terry talks a better game than most. He’ll tell you whatever’s on his mind.

All you have to do is ask.

And it doesn’t matter whether the topic is the Mavs’ failure to make a move at the trade deadline, his contract situation or the Mavs’ chances of winning another title.

None of his teammates seem to care. Neither does the owner or the coach because they understand the more he talks the better he seems to play.

Go figure.

That said, Terry made his biggest statement about the Mavs in their first trip to Miami since winning the championship last summer without saying a word Thursday.

He wore gold Reeboks to the shoot-around Thursday morning in Miami.

Asked about the title chances for each club, Terry said, “We have a good chance to be there. We’ll see about them. They have a tough road ahead.”

The Heat, second in the Eastern Conference, are 35-13 after consecutive losses by a total of 31 points. They’re 20-2 at home and have won 14 in a row.

Terry and his teammates know the key to beating the Heat is avoiding turnovers on offense and creating a half-court game on defense, so the Heat can’t use it athleticism to its advantage.

"We have to come out and play our game,” Terry said. “That means we have to take care of the ball. If we do that, everything else takes care of itself.”

No matter what Rick Carlisle wants to say, this isn’t just one of 15 games left on the Mavs’ regular-season schedule.

Jason Terry doesn’t just bust out the gold Reeboks for any game.

This is a chance for the Mavericks to make a statement, to let the rest of the NBA know that they’re going to have a legitimate shot to repeat as NBA champions. This Finals rematch is also a chance to get a little revenge after the Heat ruined the Mavs’ Christmas by dominating Dallas after the championship banner was raised to the American Airlines Center rafters before the season opener.

It’s also an opportunity for the Mavs to get right on the road. They’re only 10-14 away from the AAC this season after having the best road record in the league the last two seasons.

Records: Mavs (29-22); Heat (35-13)

When: 7 p.m.

Where: AmericanAirlines Arena

TV: TNT

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

What to watch: Can the Mavs keep the Miami offense from rediscovering its rhythm? The Heat have looked horrible while losing the last two games by double digits. Miami committed a total of 38 turnovers in the losses to the Thunder and Pacers. The Mavs let the Heat get in the open floor way too often and way too easily in the season-opening embarrassment, giving up 31 fast-break points to Miami in that game. The Mavs have to make the Heat play a grind-it-out, halfcourt game.

Key matchup: Shawn Marion vs. LeBron James -- All the criticism of James’ clutch failures in the Finals overlooks the fact that Marion’s defense was a major factor, just as it was against Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant in the previous series. This is the kind of game that could help Marion make a serious case for Defensive Player of the Year consideration. Then again, LeBron got the best of Marion the last time the Heat and Mavs met, scoring 37 points on 11-of-19 shooting in the season-opening blowout.

Injuries: Mavs -- C Brendan Haywood (sprained right ankle) expects to return Friday night vs. Orlando; G Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) is questionable. Heat -- SF LeBron James (dislocated finger) is probable; G/F Mike Miller (sprained ankle) is out.

Up next: Mavs at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. Friday

For the past five seasons, Mark Cuban had to listen to taunts during the Dallas Mavericks’ annual visits to Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena.

Those were among the rare occasions that the Dallas Mavericks’ outspoken owner was speechless, sickened by the thought of watching the 2006 NBA title slip away against the Miami Heat, who rallied from an 0-2 series hole and a 13-point deficit in Game 3 to finish off those Finals in six games.

Cuban could have the ultimate response Thursday night, when the Mavs play in Miami for the first time since clinching the franchise’s first title on the AmericanAirlines Arena court in June. Cuban could flash his brand-new championship ring, but he planned to leave his bling in its usual display spot in his bedroom.

“I don’t want to be that guy who does the nah-nah-nah-nah-nah thing,” Cuban said. “It’s not that I have any class whatsoever. I just don’t want to be that guy.”

Cuban has engaged several opponents in public trash talk, including Miami’s Dwyane Wade, whose leadership skills were mocked in a 2007 blog post by Cuban. However, Cuban said it wouldn’t be right for him to “return volley” with trash talk to Miami fans after being annoyed by it the past five years, which is why he resisted the temptation to bring his ring on the trip.

“I did think about wearing it down there,” Cuban said. “Then I’d become one of ‘those people.’ I just always hate it when anybody would come around and show off their ring. I was always like, ‘That’s not right,’ so I don’t want to be that guy.”

Jason Terry, who joins Dirk Nowitzki as the only players on the Mavericks' roster for both Finals appearances, recalls that even the Heat ball boys would wear their rings when the Mavs have come to Miami over the past five years.

Terry, the Game 6 hero this past summer, will wear his ring to the arena Thursday night. But that is not unusual for the Mavs’ flashy sixth man, who says the 2006 Finals collapse still sticks with him despite finishing the job against the Heat in June.

“To me, yeah, we have one, but we should have two,” said Terry, who famously got a tattoo of the Larry O’Brien Trophy on his right biceps before last season, predicting the Mavs’ title. “That’s how I look at it.

“And just the way that we lost, you know what I mean? Just the way that happened. It still leaves a bitter taste, and I don’t think it will ever go away.”

Added Nowitzki, the reigning Finals MVP: “Obviously when you go in that building, you’re going to see the banner they have up there from ’06. We were so close, but like I said, you can’t always live in the past. As an athlete, you’ve got to move on, but it was always tough to go back there.”

Nowitzki has worn his ring only once or twice and had no plans to bring it on this road trip. He isn’t in a sentimental mood as the Mavs fight for playoff position in the Western Conference.

In Nowitzki’s mind, the Mavs have spent more than enough time celebrating. Their focus now needs to be on preparing for another playoff run.

“Yeah, it was [special], but I don’t want to dwell too much on the past,” Nowitzki said. “I mean, it felt like we were celebrating all season. With the lockout-shortened season, we didn’t get our rings on time. Then we celebrate the banner, we celebrate the rings and every other day a player came in here getting a ring. So we’ve been celebrating a lot this year.

“We want to kind of put it behind us and just move forward and hopefully have a good playoff run here. Yeah, it’ll be nice to go back to the scene of the crime, but we’ve got to move on. We’ve got a ballgame to play.”

Dirk Nowitzki's memories of the last night he spent in Miami are incredible, albeit incomplete.

He still has vivid memories of dashing off the court as the clock ticked down and bawling tears of joy in the AmericanAirlines Arena visitors’ locker room, releasing all the emotions after finally accomplishing his ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship. He remembers the team bus rolling directly from the arena to Club Liv in Miami Beach after the Mavs slammed the door on the Heat with the Game 6 win.

From there, well, it gets a little fuzzy.

Dirk knows he chugged from a gigantic $90,000 champagne bottle as he danced into the wee hours of the morning with teammates, owner Mark Cuban, support staff, friends and others. But parts of the best night of Nowitzki’s life are definitely a blur.

And, as far as he’s concerned, it’s irrelevant as the Mavs return to Miami as the defending NBA champions.

“Yeah, it was [special], but I don’t want to dwell too much on the past,” Nowitzki said. “I mean, it felt like we were celebrating all season. With the lockout-shortened season, we didn’t get our rings on time. Then we celebrate the banner, we celebrate the rings and every other day a player came in here getting a ring. So we’ve been celebrating a lot this year.

“We want to kind of put it behind us and just move forward and hopefully have a good playoff run here. Yeah, it’ll be nice to go back to the scene of the crime, but we’ve got to move on. We’ve got a ballgame to play.”

Nowitzki will leave his championship ring at home. He’s only worn it once or twice – not since he “swagged the symphony,” as he said – and doesn’t feel the need bust out jewelry to gloat during his return to Miami.

This is a business trip, plain and simple. The Mavs’ bus won’t be stopping at Club Liv.

“Maybe in the summer again, but I’ll definitely stay away from there,” Nowitzki said. “We did have a good time there.

“That was a great time. We’d love to do it again, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Is this the week?

The week that the Dallas Mavericks finally become whole?

The week this team just maybe begins to come together? Begins to show what kind of team it can be?

With 16 regular-season games left and the West standings more gummed up than Woodall Rodgers, it is time for all hands on deck. It might happen Tuesday against the Houston Rockets. If the Mavs don't get both center Brendan Haywood and guard Delonte West back, then Haywood will likely return first. West, out since he gruesomely fractured his right ring finger on Feb. 15, will not be far behind.

"Every game is big now," said Shawn Marion, who has played the last two games since missing three with a sore left knee. "We’re in such a close race for the postseason, and everybody is pulling together."

They must.

The schedule is brutal from a competition standpoint this week. The frequency of games has eased up, and the Mavs have to use that to their advantage. After all, when's the last time they played just three games in one full week? That said, it comes with one heck of a back-to-back through South and then Central Florida.

"We’re fighting now. We’re fighting every night we go out on the floor," guard Jason Terry said. "Each game is very critical for us, as far as playoff positioning. It’s been a tough season, but overall I like the effort of everybody. We’re doing what we have to collectively as a group to have success."

They can only hope they'll be fighting with a full force for the first time in a long time.

Tuesday: vs. Houston Rockets (26-23), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Last game, it was the Rockets waiting at home for the Mavs to get to town after playing the night before at San Antonio. This time around, Dallas will have had two days off since their 101-99 OT win at Houston on Saturday, while the Rockets will be wrapping up a homestand Monday night against Sacramento. Their game at the Mavs will be a fourth in six nights and Houston will still be without Kyle Lowry (bacteria infection) and likely without Kevin Martin (strained right shoulder), who has not played or practiced since March 11. But as everyone saw in the first meeting of the season, these no-name Rockets are a tough bunch.

Thursday: at Miami Heat (35-12), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: TNT/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Mavs make their first trip to Miami since that magical night of June 12, 2011. They'd like to show that their re-crafted title team is not the same one that played dead on the Christmas Day opener and allowed the Heat to roll over it. Unfortunately for Dallas, the Miami crew will be well rested, with two days off prior to the matchup. And be sure that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and company will still be seeking retribution for what went down on their home floor last June. The Heat are 20-2 at home and haven't lost there since Jan. 22 -- to Milwuakee.

Friday: at Orlando Magic (31-18), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN, FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Again, the schedule-makers don't do the Mavs any favors on this demanding back-to-back, because the Magic will have a day off and won't have played a back-to-back since March 17-18. Orlando has been up and down all season, and when they're up they're busting 3-pointers. The Magic rank third in the NBA in 3-point percentage, knocking down 38.3 percent. Then there's the inside threat with the big man, Superman, who won't become a free agent this summer, Dwight Howard. Mark Cuban can daydream about Howard all he wants, but his team better be ready for 21.0 points and 14.8 rebounds, best in the league.

He's back.

Lamar Odom ends his extended leave Saturday as he re-joins the reeling Dallas Mavericks at their most difficult juncture of the season. The Mavs have lost a season-high four in a row and are in the midst of their worst stretch having lost five of six. Tonight's game against the Utah Jazz is their fourth in five nights with five in six nights starting up Monday at Oklahoma City.

"We have to fight our way of this," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.

They'll have to do it against a Jazz team that is again playing with confidence. Utah ended a 3-11 stretch with two big wins over Houston and then the streaking Miami Heat on Friday night. The Heat rallied from a large double-digit deficit in the second half, but former Mavs guard Devin Harris scored the game-winning and-1 in the waning seconds.

Records: Jazz (17-18); Mavs (21-16)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: FSSW

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

What to watch: Lamar Odom. Carlisle threw down the gauntlet Friday, saying that Odom must prove he's with this team through his attitude and actions. He hasn't played a game since Feb. 20. How will he respond?

Key matchup: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Paul Millsap
Nowitzki is having a tough time coming out of the All-Star break. He played less than 10 minutes Wednesday before lower back tightness took him out of the game with one point. He returned Friday at New Orleans but managed just 7-of-19 from the floor -- and that was bolstered by two late 3s -- and he did not attempt a free throw. Millsap, who some felt was deserving of an All-Star selection over Nowitzki, is coming off two sub-par games and will be looking to get his game going.

Injuries: Mavs - G Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) is out. Jazz - G Raja Bell (strained left adductor) is questionable.

Up next: Mavs at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7 p.m., Monday

Worried about Dirk Nowitzki's achy knee, Vince Carter's sprained foot or Lamar Odom's state of mind? Need a respite from the whirlwind that is the lockout-shortened schedule and the uncertainty that comes with it?

Want to remember how things used to be? Sure you do.

You're in luck because the Dallas Mavericks 2012 NBA champions DVD set is now available. Here's the lowdown:

Led by 2011 NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks overcame the Miami Heat to win the first title in franchise history. Relive every moment in this historic series, from an epic 15-point comeback on the road in Game 2, to Jason Terry’s two huge three-pointers down the stretch of Game 5, to an emotional Nowitzki’s mad dash to the locker room after the buzzer sounded in Game 6 confirming the Mavericks’ championship.

Now you can relive this historic series with this definitive Collectors Set of six DVDs. Own each game in its entirety, with over 10 hours of content, including exclusive bonus features.

INCLUDES ALL 6 GAMES ON SIX DVDs
*Run time: Approx 10 hrs
*Bonus Features:
- Post-Game Press Conferences
- Mini-Movies
- Plus Choice of Commentary
- SRP $49.95
- Available at: nbastore.com

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Revenge and a renewed rivalry as the Dallas Mavericks face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight for the first time since the playoff sweep, are not high on anybody's agenda.

Both teams lost key players from last season's teams and the Lakers are breaking in new a new coach in Mike Brown, who has the unenviable task of following up Phil Jackson. After the Lakers' Monday morning shootaround, Brown said he has watched last season's Mavs playoff sweep, but a good while ago and therefore not in the context of playing this game.

He said getting some quick revenge, as seemed to be a major factor for the Miami Heat in the Christmas Day opener, has barely been a topic of conversation.

"Fish [Derek Fisher] had said something to the group," Brown said. "There’s some guys on this team that are playing that weren’t part of it, like myself, I wasn’t part of it, so it’s a little hard for us to probably feel it -- does that make sense? – in terms of the motivation. But, maybe for Fish and some of the guys that were here last year, they might feel it a little bit."

The Dallas-L.A. rivalry has been dominated by the by purple-and-gold for so long that Dirk Nowitzki downplayed the notion of a bona fide rivalry between the two franchises.

"Well, you know, usually when you’re a rival you’ve got to beat them more than once in the playoffs," Nowitzki said. "I mean, they’ve got five rings; we beat them one time in the playoffs. So, I don’t know about all that. We did play a great playoff series last year and were able to beat them and move on and get ourselves a first ring, but I don’t know. It’s always fun games to play there, a great atmosphere and great stadium, so we’ve got to be ready."

Only the 0-3 record screams Minnesota Timberwolves. But, ask the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat how easy it was pull a victory from the teeth of these new and improved Wolves.

Rick Adelman has a a young, talented and intriguing cast to mold, and that starts with the long-awaited import from Spain, point guard Ricky Rubio. He has been impressive early with some dazzling passes that show of instinctual vision for the game that would make Jason Kidd proud. The 6-foot-4 throwback is averaging 8.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 28.3 minutes a night, and seems to be getting more comfortable with each game.

The Wolves have lost three games by nine points. The Heat on Friday needed a last-second alley-oop to pull out the 103-101 victory. On New Year's Day, Minnesota will desperately want to get that first win against the defending champs.

One player who would certainly enjoy handing Dallas a fourth loss in five games is guard J.J. Barea. He might not get the chance. He missed Friday's game with a hamstring issue and is questionable for tonight's game.

Records: Mavs (1-3); Timberwolves (0-3)

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Target Center

TV: FSSW

Radio: 103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: Dallas got their first win Friday night, mixing better offense and stronger defense against a Toronto Raptors team that ranks as the weakest of the four foes the Mavs have faced. Minnesota, a longtime doormat, will be a stiff challenge. Showing grit on the boards is a good place to start if Dallas wants to keep the Wolves down. Double-double machine Kevin Love (averaging 26.0 points and 14.7 rebounds) has Minnesota ranked fourth in the league in total rebounds per game (48.7) and eighth in rebound differential (plus-4.7). The Mavs have improved on the boards in the last two games, going a plus-2 against the Thunder and Raptors after a minus-30 against the Heat and Nuggets, which is why after four games they rank 26th in the league in differential at a minus-7.0 ... The schedule will always be a factor this season. Both teams had Saturday night off, but Dallas, by far the older team, is playing a third game in four nights. The Wolves will look to exploit that early.

Key matchup: Delonte West/Jason Terry/Rodrigue Beaubois vs. Ricky Rubio
How desperately has Minnesota needed a playmaker leading the offense? Rubio's first NBA double on Friday against Miami was the the first a Timberwolves player register 12 or more points, 12 or more assists and six or more rebounds in one game since Sam Cassell did it eight years ago (Jan. 21, 2004 vs. Toronto). Rubio's minutes have gone up in each game and he is garnering rave reviews and delivering a, wow-did-you-see-that moment at least once a game. The Mavs have had their difficulties over the years guarding quick and talented point guards and Rubio certainly fits the bill. Matching up against him will be an interesting challenge, at least early for Rick Carlisle, because Rubio has come off the bench in each of the first three games. Perhaps this is one of those situations where Vince Carter starts to defend Wesley Johnson and West jumps off the bench to match Rubio.

Injuries: Mavs - none. Timberwolves - G J.J. Barea (left hamstring) is questionable; G Malcolm Lee (knee surgery) is out; C Brad Miller (knee surgery) is out; C Nikola Pekovic (strained left adductor muscle) is doubtful; G Martell Webster (microdiscectomy surgery), is out.

Up next: Oklahoma City Thunder at Mavs, 7:30 p.m. Monday