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The Mavericks aren’t in the playoffs for the first time since 2000, so we have to find something to fill the time this spring. Might as well keep up with the players from the Mavs’ title team who are scattered throughout the postseason. We’ll have daily updates as long as Mavs championship alums are still alive in the playoffs.

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ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to touch on the storylines in the NBA playoffs and offer a Mavs perspective. Listen

Jason Terry: JET’s best work since signing with Boston has come since the Celtics’ backs were pinned against the wall.

Terry followed up his Game 4 overtime heroics with a 17-point, four-rebound, three-assist, no-turnover, multi-wing performance in the Celtics’ win over the Knicks that forced the series back to Boston. Terry’s 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range was critical to the Celtics building a double-digit lead that was too large for the Knicks to overcome.

"I'm a 14-year veteran," Terry said on TNT moments after the win. "If you don't know who I am by now, you will after this series."

That was apparently in response to Knicks sixth man J.R. Smith, who was suspended for Game 4 because of an elbow that connected with Terry’s head and stunk it up in Game 5, claiming that he didn’t know who Terry was.

Of course, JET has always been one of the league’s best at jawing. Case in point: He repeatedly referenced the Red Sox’s comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series, quoting “the great Kevin Millar” about the pressure shifting with a Game 5 win.

Jason Kidd: Mouthy sixth man Smith’s miserable performance got a lot of attention, but Kidd didn’t exactly bring much off the bench, either.

In fact, this ranked among the worst playoff performances of Kidd’s Hall of Fame career.

The 40-year-old went scoreless in 21 minutes, missing all four shot attempts. His only other stats: two rebounds, one block, one turnover and one foul. No assists. His plus-minus was a team-worst minus-14.

Tyson Chandler: Having chipped off rust and worked his way back into shape after a neck injury caused him to miss 16 of 20 games entering the playoffs, Chandler came up with a typical Chandler outing.

The big man had eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, 11 rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes. The Knicks were plus-8 with the 7-footer on the floor.

"I felt great," he said. "This game is probably the best I've felt. I felt lively, my legs felt good."

DeShawn Stevenson: Stevenson played a grand total of 16 seconds in the Hawks’ tie-breaking Game 5 loss to the Pacers. He did manage to get up a shot that he missed.

Ian Mahinmi: Mahinmi played only 9:27 in the Pacers’ win. He probably would have seen more minutes if he didn’t pick up five fouls. He finished with two points, two rebounds and a block.

The Mavericks aren’t in the playoffs for the first time since 2000, so we have to find something to fill the time this spring. Might as well keep up with the players from the Mavs’ title team who are scattered throughout the postseason. We’ll have daily updates as long as Mavs championship alums are still alive in the playoffs.

Jason Terry: We’ll just use an excerpt from ESPNBoston.com colleague Chris Forsberg’s column to sum up the vintage JET performance in his first playoff win since the title-clincher in Miami.

With the Celtics on the brink of being unceremoniously swept from the playoffs, Terry delivered a rarity this season: One of his familiar big-game efforts, scoring nine points in overtime as Boston held off New York 97-90 in Game 4 of the teams' first-round playoff series on Sunday at TD Garden.

The Knicks own a 3-1 series lead as the only things they put away Sunday were their brooms. Game 5 is Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

"I had every intention of trying to make an impact on the game, some way or another," said the 35-year-old Terry, who scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four assists over 41 minutes. One game after shuffling to a starting role to help with ballhandling, Terry returned to a bench spot and provided a much-needed spark, accounting for all but four points of Boston's reserve production.

"If I wasn't making shots, I wanted to get a steal, get a rebound, any little thing to keep it going," Terry said. "Again, I'm going to coach AAU, but I don't want to do that right now."

The quintessential Terry postseason performance was highlighted by the quintessential Terry shot. Sneaking out in transition in a tied game late in overtime, Terry found space as three Knicks defenders shaded toward Paul Pierce on the opposite wing. Jeff Green fed Terry, who pulled up in transition on the left side and splashed a 3-pointer -- his lone triple of the game -- before Jason Kidd could get out to contest.

The trifecta broke the game's final tie and Terry added a 13-foot fadeaway, two free throws (after craftily drawing a loose-ball foul call boxing out for a defensive rebound) and a layup before the final horn.

Terry's struggles this season have been well-documented. Celtics coach Doc Rivers had made Terry his first phone call when free agency opened in July and there was hope that the former Sixth Man of the Year would provide a long-missing bench spark for Boston, particularly after Ray Allen defected to the rival Heat.

But Terry, playing the first season of a three-year, $15.7 million contract, slumped throughout the regular season and straight into the playoffs. At times his defense eroded to the point that, unable to convert on the offensive end, he was a liability on the floor. He admits his trademark soaring jet celebration has been stuck in the hangar for much of the season.

Despite taxiing for much of the season, Terry picked a heck of a time to get off the tarmac.

"I've just been patient," he said. "As long as there's time on the clock, as long as there is another game, it's an opportunity for me to do something special. That's just the type of player I am. Whether I've made every shot or missed every shot, I have the same focus, the same confidence."

Tyson Chandler: Chandler scored five points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked one shot in 31 minutes. The Knicks were outscored by six with him on the floor.

Jason Kidd: Kidd was scoreless in 37 minutes during the Knicks’ overtime loss, going 0-for-3 from the floor. He grabbed nine rebounds, dished out two assists and committed two turnovers.

Corey Brewer: Brewer had 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting with one rebound and one steal in 29 minutes as his Nuggets were pushed to the brink of elimination by the Warriors.

The Mavericks aren’t in the playoffs for the first time since 2000, so we have to find something to fill the time this spring. Might as well keep up with the players from the Mavs’ title team who are scattered throughout the postseason. We’ll have daily updates as long as Mavs championship alums are still alive in the playoffs.

Jason Terry: At least JET got on the board after a scoreless Game 1 performance. It looked like he might give the Celtics a big boost off the bench after he knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half.

That, however, accounted for all of Terry’s scoring in the Celtics’ loss. He finished with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting (3-of-7 from 3-point range) and dished out three assists in 34 minutes.

Terry certainly wasn’t the only Celtic who struggled offensively in the second half. Boston scored a grand total of 23 points after halftime.

“In the second half we didn’t show up, so we look forward to going home and getting this first one,” Terry told reporters after the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead. “I never get too high or too low. So, I’m always even keeled. It’s a long series. I always say that. We’ll see what adjustments we make going forward.”

Tyson Chandler: The Knicks were plus-21 in Chandler’s 22 minutes, which is by far the most impressive number from his statistical line.

Chandler did get his first bucket of the series, scoring three points on 1-of-4 shooting. He grabbed five rebounds and blocked one shot.

Jason Kidd: The Knicks didn’t need Kidd to play heavy minutes in this win, so he should be fresh as the series goes to Boston. He had three points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes.

Corey Brewer: Brewer scored 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting off the Nuggets’ bench. He had nine points in the fourth quarter, but Golden State had essentially put the game away by then. Brewer also had three assists and two rebounds in 30 minutes.

The Mavericks aren’t in the playoffs for the first time since 2000, so we have to find something to fill the time this spring. Might as well keep up with the players from the Mavs’ title team who are scattered throughout the postseason. We’ll have daily updates as long as Mavs championship alums are still alive in the playoffs.

Jason Kidd: This was classic late-career Kidd. He didn’t post a spectacular line (eight points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals in 35 minutes), but he was a significant force during closing time in the Knicks’ win over Boston.

All three of his steals came in the final five minutes. On the first steal, the 40-year-old Kidd deflected a pass and outhustled 26-year-old Jeff Green by diving for a loose ball to spark a fast break. With 2:20 remaining and New York up five, Kidd diagnosed a play that’s a Celtics staple and helped from the weak side to strip Green under the basket. Kidd’s strip of Kevin Garnett on a mismatched post-up in the final minute essentially sealed the win.

“He beats everyone with his brain,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said at his postgame press conference. “If you think quicker than a guy can move, you’re still quicker. That’s why he’s there first, because he thought what the guy was going to do before he did it. He’s just a valuable player to have on a basketball team.”

Tyson Chandler: The fiery big man was a nonfactor in Game 1 against the Celtics after missing 16 of the Knicks’ final 20 regular-season games due to a neck injury. He had five rebounds and one steal in 20 scoreless minutes, and the Knicks opted to play Kenyon Martin at center instead of Chandler in crunch time.

"I knew I would be rusty. I knew I would be a little winded. I knew at some point my legs would get the best of me," Chandler said, according to ESPNNewYork.com. "I just wanted to be out there with my team."

Chandler said his neck didn’t bother him. He acknowledged that conditioning was a factor.

“I should obviously be much better in Game 2,” he said.

Jason Terry: For the first time in his career, Terry failed to score a point in a playoff game.

JET was 0-of-5 from the floor in 20 minutes. His only contributions to the Celtics were three rebounds and one steal. Meanwhile, Boston’s bench was outscored by a 33-4 margin.

"You don't get too high or down too low," Terry said, according to ESPNBoston.com. "It's a long series. If I bet on myself, I know how this is going to end up. I'm going to keep grinding, do the things necessary to win."

Corey Brewer: Brewer scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes during Denver’s Game 1 win over the Warriors. He didn’t have any rebounds, assists, steals or blocks.

Caron Butler: Butler, who was sidelined by a serious knee injury during the Mavs’ title run, had a terrific Game 1 to help the Clippers blow out the Grizzlies. Butler scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and had a block and a steal in 24 minutes.

DALLAS -- Is it appropriate and accurate for Mark Cuban to shoulder all the accountability for the Mavericks missing the playoffs?

"Yeah, I mean, it’s not Tyson’s fault or the guys’ or J.J.’s," Dirk Nowitzki said. "Obviously, winning it all, they got a better deal somewhere else. You can’t fault the guys for going there where the money is. I guess that’s part of the business. We let the guys go and it is what it is.

"I said it all year long, that we can’t judge yet if it was a mistake or not. I think it’s going to depend on this offseason. If we end up empty-handed again, then maybe it was the wrong decision to let everybody go. But if we make a good move here with all this cap space, then maybe it wasn’t all bad. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what this summer brings."

While Nowitzki brought up the post-lockout decision not to make more than one-year offers to Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and other free agents from the 2011 championship team, Cuban maintains that he doesn't regret those decisions. However, the Mavs have yet to reap the benefits of the salary cap space created as a result.

Nowitzki's initial reaction to Cuban blaming himself for the 12-year playoff streak ending was to wonder what might have been if he hadn't needed to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October, forcing him to miss the season's first 27 games.

"When we put this roster together, I thought we were solid," Nowitzki said. "I figured if I stayed healthy and didn’t need surgery, we would be fighting right around the playoffs, for a six, seven, eight, nine seed. I figured before the season that’s where we were going to end up. I didn’t think we were going to be a top four seed, but then obviously I needed surgery and missed almost two months and once I came back I wasn’t in the shape I really needed to be to be a factor out there. That’s where we’re at."

DALLAS – All indications are that the Mavericks are not among the teams bidding on Josh Smith after the Hawks put the versatile forward on the trade block.

PODCAST
A Ben & Skin discussion on the Mavericks' trade possibilities turns into a discussion about why the Mavs need Dwight Howard. Listen

Should they be?

First of all, with the Mavs’ lack of intriguing young talent, it’s far from certain that they could put together a trade proposal that would be attractive enough to persuade the Hawks to pull the trigger on shipping Smith to Dallas. However, for the sake of discussion, let’s assume that a package of veteran forward Shawn Marion and rookie center Bernard James would get the deal done.

Would that increase the Mavs’ odds of making the playoffs this season? More importantly, could it significantly improve the Mavs’ immediate future?

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Smith, 27, who will be on display at the American Airlines Center when the Hawks visit Monday night, could be considered a younger, taller version of Marion. Smith averages more points (16.9 to 11.6), rebounds (8.5 to 8.3), assists (4.0 to 2.9), blocks (2.2 to 0.7) and steals (1.3 to 0.9) but has worse shooting percentages across the board.

Despite the numbers, it’s difficult to argue that Smith would definitely be an upgrade for the remainder of the season, considering he’d have to learn the Mavs’ systems on the fly and Marion has been magnificent recently, averaging 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in Dallas’ last five games.

Plus, the Mavs would be giving up a contributor in James, a key energy source who has worked his way into the starting lineup lately. The Mavs are 3-2 when James starts.

As far as the future goes, keep in mind that the Hawks wouldn’t be shopping Smith unless he made it clear that he wants to cash in with a max contract this summer.

It’d be worth gambling on Smith if he gave the Mavs a better chance of luring his best buddy Dwight Howard to Dallas. Unfortunately, money is much more important than friendship in free agency.

And the Mavs won’t have enough cap space to make Howard and Smith happy, even if they shed Marion’s $9.3 million salary next season.

It’s a simple matter of math. Smith can make $16.4 million in the first season of a max deal. Howard can make $20.5 million (105 percent of his current salary). Dirk Nowitzki is due $22.7 million. The cap this season is $58.044 million – or less than what those three will get paid if Smith gets his wish.

Oh, and the Mavs also owe Vince Carter ($3.2 million), Jared Cunningham ($1.2 million) and Jae Crowder ($789,000) guaranteed money next season. Maybe the Mavs could pull off some cap gymnastics and dump those salaries this summer, but they aren’t going to be able to convince Smith and/or Howard to take less to come to Dallas and team up with Dirk on a depth-deprived team.

“Hey, we can bring back Mike James on a minimum deal to run the point,” isn’t much of a sales pitch.

Of course, the Mavs could make the deal for Smith and simply re-sign him, sacrificing their chance to win the Dwight sweepstakes. But Smith is a good player, not a superstar, as evidenced by the fact he’s never played in an All-Star Game. He’s not a guy worthy of Dirk passing the baton as the face of the Mavs’ franchise.

Committing max money to Smith wouldn’t make the Mavs contenders. It’d basically be an admission that letting Tyson Chandler go was a major mistake.

The Mavs would be better off keeping Marion, whose trade value will be higher next season when his contract will be expiring, and hanging on to their slim hopes of signing Howard.

Yes, the Mavericks got screwed Tuesday night in Portland, to borrow a term from coach Rick Carlisle.

The NBA admitted the next day the charge on O.J. Mayo with 1.5 seconds remaining in a tie game was a blown call. That didn’t exactly make the Mavs feel much better after they lost on a LaMarcus Aldridge buzzer-beater.

Of course, that blown call wouldn’t have mattered if the Mavs hadn’t blown a 21-point lead.

The Mavs’ wrath was aimed right at the refs a couple of nights later, when they were furious about a no-call with six seconds remaining in their loss to the Warriors. Never mind that replays showed Golden State’s Andrew Bogut got all ball when he blocked Brandan Wright’s shot.

A presumably furious Mark Cuban fired off a snarky tweet before the game even ended. Carlisle went on a pretty good postgame rant. The zebras pinned another loss on the 19-27 Mavs!!!

If Cuban and Carlisle woke up this morning thinking that way, they’re wasting time and energy. The refs rank far, far down the list of reasons the Mavs are eight games under .500 and looking at their first lottery berth since 2000.

Here’s a starting five of much more serious problems for the Mavs:

Dirk’s health and decline: Did you really think these Mavs had any hope if Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t dominant? Or if he wasn’t at least active for most of the Mavs’ games?

This season was doomed the day Nowitzki’s right knee started swelling early in training camp. The hope that the swelling would stop simply delayed the decision for him to get arthroscopic surgery, an operation that finally happened Oct. 19.

The recovery took much longer than anticipated, with Nowitzki missing the season’s first 27 games, three times as many as he ever had missed in a season and about twice as many as he hoped. He admittedly rushed back after only one full-contact practice because the Mavs needed a boost during a miserable stretch, but he definitely didn’t help while huffing and puffing through four losses in the week after his return.

The 34-year-old Nowitzki has been a “piece of work” – that’s Dirkspeak for work in progress – for the last month. His scoring average (14.8 points per game), field goal percentage (.425) and rebounding average (5.5) are all by far the future Hall of Famer’s lowest since his rookie season in 1998-99.

PODCAST
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says that he has not lost confidence in his squad on Galloway & Company. Listen

Just when it looked like good ol’ Dirk might be back – instead of just old Dirk – he strained his right adductor muscle late in his season-high 26-point performance in Portland. He sat out last night’s loss and is almost certain to miss tonight’s game in Phoenix, hoping to return Monday in Oklahoma City.

“Father Time, bro,” Nowitzki said, using a Charles Barkley line about the only undefeated opponent in NBA history.

Chemistry catastrophe: When the Mavs missed out on Deron Williams, they had to settle for putting together a temporary supporting cast.

The result: The majority of the roster is made up of newcomers on one-year deals. And that roster is in a constant state of flux, with Eddy Curry, Troy Murphy, Derek Fisher and Chris Douglas-Roberts getting some meaningful minutes during their brief tenures as Mavs this season.

More than halfway into the season, Carlisle decides his starting center on a game-to-game basis. The backup point guard is almost as uncertain, and the only reasons Darren Collison is secure as the starter is because Fisher opted to return to his rocking chair and there aren’t any other reasonable options.

If there is a stat that sums up the Mavs’ season, it’s that they have only one more win (19) than starting lineups used (a league-high 18). NBA teams typically prefer significant separation between those figures.

Poor clutch play: It took less than two years and a ton of roster turnover to transform the Mavs from one of the great closing teams of all-time into some of the worst finishers in the league.

Dallas is 7-12 in games that have been within three points in the final minute of regulation.

They didn’t get screwed by the refs a dozen times.

It’s a 3D issue: Dirk, defense and decision-making. Those were great strengths for the Mavs during their title run. They’ve been big problems down the stretch of games this season, when Collison often watches from the bench, a clear sign of Carlisle’s lack of crunch-time trust in his starting point guard.

"We play well enough to win, but more than not we find ways to lose rather than find ways to win,” Nowitzki said Tuesday night in Portland. “And that's the sad thing.”

Little D in Dallas: Only the Sacramento Kings allow more points per game than the Mavs (103.0), and Dallas is just one-tenth of a point from dead last.

That’s partially due to the fast pace the Mavs’ play, but their defense has been dreadful by any measure. They rank 22nd in the NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing 107.5 points per 100 possessions.

It’s not a scheme issue; the Mavs are using the same system that they did during their title run and last season when they ranked eighth in the league in defensive efficiency. They just have too many defensive liabilities and not enough continuity. A couple of particularly big problems: the inabilities to protect the rim and prevent guards from penetrating off the dribble.

The fact that the Mavs rank dead last in rebounding margin (minus-3.8) exacerbates their defensive issues.

Star shortage: Teams that don’t feature stars tend to end up in the lottery. Just look back at the pre-Dirk Mavs.

The Mavs’ 13-season streak of having at least one All-Star ended this year. They didn’t even have a candidate who could be considered a snub. Mayo had the best case, but it wasn’t close to enough to merit serious consideration for his first All-Star appearance, especially considering the Mavs’ record.

The Mavs are loaded with former All-Stars. Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman have combined for 26 All-Star selections. But they’re all past their prime, and Nowitzki is the only one who has a chance to ever be an All-Star again.

The need for a legitimate superstar to pair with Nowitzki – and be the face of the franchise’s future – led Cuban to strip down the championship team. (Yes, Tyson Chandler is an All-Star this season for the first time in his dozen-year career.)

That quest for a talent infusion has been an epic failure for the front office so far. If that doesn’t change before next season, the Mavs’ search for convenient excuses is sure to continue.

Five dribbles of info to get you ready for tonight's game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of ESPN's Friday night doubleheader:

* The Mavs have won five of their last six games while scoring an average of 110.7 points per game over that span. Dallas had only one six-game span last season in which it scored that freely, averaging 110.8 points in six games from April 10-18, 2012.

* O.J. Mayo's field-goal percentage (.408 last season to .459 in 2012-13), free-throw percentage (.773 to .861), and three-point percentage (.364 to 426) have all increased by at least 50 percentage points. No other player who appeared in at least 50 games last season has improved in each of those categories by such a significant amount from last season to this one (minimum: 50 games played in 2011-12).

*According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Mavs forward Elton Brand has made 67.9 percent of his shots from the floor (36-for-53) in the fourth quarter this season. That’s the second-highest field-goal percentage in the fourth quarter for any player with at least 50 attempts behind only the Knicks’ Tyson Chandler (80.8 percent). The Mavericks, as a team, are ninth in the league at 44.2 percent shooting in fourth quarters. San Antonio ranks No. 1 in the league 48.9 percent in the fourth quarter.

* The Spurs have already beaten the Mavs twice this season by at least 25 points each time. The Bulls (over Cleveland) and the Heat (over Washington) are the only other teams with multiple 25-or-more routs against a single opponent. San Antonio has never, in any season, posted three wins of that magnitude over the same opponent.

* San Antonio's Tony Parker has made 52 percent of his field-goal attempts this season, which is the highest percentage for any player who has started at least 30 games as a guard. The only other guard who has started 30 games this season and converted at least half of his shots from the floor, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is Miami's Dwyane Wade (51 percent).

The Mavericks got shut out of the All-Star selections to snap a 13-year streak, but Dallas’ title team will be represented during the NBA’s midseason showcase.

Coaches picked Knicks center Tyson Chandler as one of the East’s seven reserves. It will be the first All-Star appearance for Chandler, a dozen-year veteran who was Defensive Player of the Year last season and the soul of the Mavs’ championship team two years ago.

Chandler, of course, left Dallas after Mark Cuban’s controversial post-lockout decision that creating space under the salary cap was more important than locking the big man into a long-term extension. The Knicks gave Chandler, who is averaging a career-high 12.2 points with 11.0 rebounds and an NBA-best 67.4 field goal percentage, a four-year, $55.4 million deal.

The lone Mavs center to be selected to an All-Star Game was James Donaldson in 1988.

Dirk Nowitzki never wants to play for another NBA franchise, but he also doesn’t want to finish his career just fighting for the West’s final playoff spot.

PODCAST
Would you trade Dirk Nowitzki for Dwight Howard? Ben and Skin discuss and debate. Listen

That’s his fear for the franchise’s future if the Mavericks strike out again in the free-agency market this summer.

“Ultimately, my goal was always to finish my career in Dallas,” Nowitzki told ESPN in an interview taped before Wednesday’s Mavs-Clippers game. “The only way if I was going to leave was if we hadn't won a championship and I would have been chasing my last two years or whatever like (Gary) Payton and (Karl) Malone did when they went (to the Lakers) with Kobe and Shaq. Something like that, maybe I could have seen myself doing at the end.

“But since I got that ring now, I think I’m going to finish my career in Dallas, but I obviously do want to be competitive my last couple of years and I do want to play not for the eight seed. Saying all that, I’ve got this year left and next year (on his contract), so hopefully we can still make a push here this season and get something going this summer and be competitive again.”

Nowitzki reiterated his comments made over the weekend to ESPNDallas.com regarding his concerns in the likely scenario that the Mavs aren’t able to land Dwight Howard or Chris Paul in free agency, stating again that Mark Cuban’s CBA-influenced decision to let Tyson Chandler and other key championship contributors leave could be judged as a mistake or not after this summer. Smiling, Nowitzki added that he “took some heat” from Cuban about the comments.

The championship ring earned filled in the final line on Nowitzki’s resume to join the list of all-time NBA legends.

It did not, however, quench his thirst to compete for titles.

“You want that again,” Nowitzki said. “You want to experience it again. You don’t want to fight for the eight spot. I think that’s pretty clear that once you win, you want to keep winning and you want to keep being competitive at least.

“You never know. You never plan a championship, but at least you want to be able to compete. To play for the playoffs or just to make the eight spot, that’s not the way we carry ourselves in Dallas.”

As far as Nowitzki’s future with the Mavs goes, the question isn’t whether he’ll force his way to another franchise. It is: How long will he continue to play if the Mavs aren’t competitive?

Nowitzki said in October that he’d like to play at least through the 2015-16 season, two years after his current contract expires. He could certainly reconsider if the Mavs aren’t good enough to do anything more than scrap for a playoff spot.

The Dallas Mavericks taking down the Miami Heat to win the 2011 NBA championship seems like ages ago, but the lessons of that NBA Finals series still linger. The Miami Heat Index writers break down how it affected both teams and its place in the history of the game.

1. Was the 2011 NBA Finals the most memorable ever?

Tom Haberstroh: Not quite. Most memorable for me was the 1998 Finals with Michael Jordan's final shot against Bryon Russell. Perhaps I was just more impressionable in middle school, but it was such a poetic ending to Jordan's illustrious career. Wait, he played for the Wizards?

Israel Gutierrez: Ever? Like, ever ever? Umm, no. You're not going to remember too many actual in-game moments from that series the way you do John Paxson's game-winner against Phoenix or Michael Jordan's push-off jumper against the Jazz or Jordan's barrage against the Trail Blazers. This is remembered more for the off-the-court rumblings created by LeBron James' inexplicably poor play and Chris Bosh's post-series emotions.

Michael Wallace: No. Not hardly. For me, nothing would top the '91 Finals when the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers met for a transaction in which Magic Johnson personally passed the torch to Michael Jordan. It was also a transition from the most dominant team of the 1980s to the one of the '90s.

2. What was the biggest lesson for the Heat?

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Coop and Nate discuss the Mavs' matchup with the hated Miami Heat tonight at the American Airlines Center. Listen

Haberstroh: That LeBron wasn't a small forward. That changed everything, not just for the Heat but for the rest of the NBA as well. The ripple effect can be seen now with Carmelo Anthony thriving at the 4 in New York and others (hello, Kevin Durant) looking more comfortable playing a bigger position. LeBron had the size of Karl Malone, but the 2011 Finals showed why he needed to use it to his full advantage.

Gutierrez: That LeBron has to be at the center of what the Heat does. Miami tried to lift LeBron past his slump and win anyway. Succeeding at that would've been the worst scenario for both sides. The Heat wouldn't deem it necessary to rely on LeBron's talents, and LeBron would've probably had a hard time taking ownership of this team the way he has since. As LeBron has said, losing that series is possibly the best thing to happen to this group.

Wallace: That even the best player in the game ironically needed both a severe humbling as well as a major confidence boost to break through on the NBA's grand stage. LeBron James learned many valuable lessons from that defeat to the Mavericks that prepared him for championship triumph the next year against the Thunder.

3. What was the biggest lesson for the Mavs?

Haberstroh: Not that the Mavericks needed confirmation, but that Dirk Nowitzki is a pretty transcendent player. What Nowitzki did in 2011 and James later did in 2012 was reiterate that the "can't win the big one" label is maybe the silliest in sports. With Tyson Chandler anchoring the defense and shooters aplenty, Nowitzki finally had the functional parts to get him over the hump. Yes, Nowitzki evolved as a player too but he wasn't "soft" like many so wanted to believe.

Gutierrez: Just the knowledge that they can indeed be great. For years, that team, with Nowitzki as the main man, was considered too soft and too jump-shot dependent to be champions. After winning that series with stellar execution and ridiculous outside shooting -- not to mention some decent defense from current Knicks Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd -- Nowitzki and Co. know they can win at the highest level with that formula.

Wallace: That revenge can be one of the sweetest joys in sports. Mavs owner Mark Cuban always felt he had the better team in 2006 when Dallas blew a 2-0 series lead and lost four straight to Miami. Five years later, Nowitzki was as unstoppable in the Finals as Dwyane Wade was in 2006 as Dallas avenged that meltdown against Miami.

NEW YORK -- Tyson Chandler believes the Mavericks could have repeated as champions if the team’s core wasn’t blown up before last season, a take Mark Cuban responded to with what he does best: sarcasm.

“T.C.’s a smart guy,” Cuban said while entertaining the Big Apple media horde before Friday night’s game at Madison Square Garden. “I’m sure he’ll have a future as a general manager.”

Chandler got the last word, at least in the Knicks’ win over the Mavericks.

The athletic big man’s putback, and-1 slam pretty much put the exclamation point on the Knicks’ win. After a Carmelo Anthony miss in traffic, Chandler soared above the crowd to snatch the ball and throw it down hard with two hands despite being hacked by Jae Crowder.

Chandler followed that play, which pushed the Knicks’ lead to 10 points midway through the fourth quarter, by pounding his chest and screaming. If Cuban was still booing Chandler and fellow Mavs champion-turned-Knick Jason Kidd, it was drowned out by the deafening roars of the sellout crowd.

“I enjoy his boos,” Chandler told reporters. “I enjoy all those antics and anything else that he wants to do.”

As Mavs fans know, Chandler’s impact can’t just be measured by his line in the box score, although 11 points and nine rebounds aren’t bad. His defensive presence, especially in pick-and-roll situations, had a lot to do with the Mavs’ miserable second half, when Dallas scored 37 points on 35.1 percent shooting and committed 13 turnovers. The Knicks outscored the Mavs by 14 in Chandler’s 30 minutes on the floor.

And then there are the intangibles.

“When he’s healthy, he’s a difference maker,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “He was huge for us in the one year that we had him. He’s really turned this (Knicks) franchise around with his enthusiasm and exuberance, not to mention his abilities on the court. He’s one of the reason they’re a contender.”

Chandler was also a big reason the Mavs left New York with a loss.

A few more notes from the Mavs’ second loss of the season:

1. Missing Matrix: This had to be hard for Shawn Marion to watch from home while he nurses the sprained MCL in his left knee that will sideline him until at least next week.

The Mavs couldn’t stop Anthony, who scored 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Anthony has also had some big nights against Marion over the years, but the Matrix got the best of Melo the two times they’ve both been healthy for Mavs-Knicks meetings. Anthony scored a total of only 24 points on 7-of-27 shooting in those two games, both Mavs wins.

Anthony did a lot of his damage against Crowder and Dahntay Jones, both 6-foot-6, with his back to the basket. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Anthony was 5-of-8 from the floor against post-ups, something the 6-foot-7, long-armed Marion would be better equipped to defend.

Crowder, the second-round steal, really looked like a rookie for the first time against the Knicks. He had seven points, five fouls, four turnovers and three rebounds in 30 minutes.

“Having Trix out really hurt us,” Mavs center Chris Kaman said. “He’s a good-sized 3 man. He can guard some of those guys at the 3. It’s unfortunate that he’s injured, but it’s also part of basketball. Hopefully he’ll be able to get back soon.”

2. Carter hurts hip: Vince Carter started limping before his pretty fadeaway even hit the net in the final minute of the third quarter.

“When I did the stepback and I went to push off, I felt just a pull and a pop,” Carter said. “It tightened up instantly. It felt kind of weird.”

Carter, who faded away to avoid a collision with fellow NBA geezer Kidd, left the game during the next dead ball. He returned later and finished with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and expects to be available for the butt end of the back-to-back Saturday in Charlotte, although he’s a bit concerned about how his hip will feel when he wakes up.

“I’m planning on playing,” Carter said. “I don’t care what they say. We’re already down some bodies. Gotta go.”

3. Roddy B. returns: Backup guard Rodrigue Beaubois had five points on 2-of-7 shooting, three rebounds, an assist and a steal in his return after a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle.

“We’re glad that he got out on the court and was able to be effective at times and get some of his conditioning back,” Carlisle said. “It’s going to be a process getting him back to 100 percent.”

How it happened: The Mavs cooled off after a first-half shootout between two of the NBA’s highest-scoring teams. The Knicks kept filling it up.

The Mavs went ice cold in the fourth quarter, when they scored only 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting. That included a scoreless span of 4:06, when the Knicks scored eight points to essentially put the game away.

Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points to lead the Knicks, serving as a closer with nine of those points in the final frame.

But the Knicks had a critical spurt after their superstar went to the bench following his fourth foul midway through the third quarter. New York sixth man J.R. Smith had nine of his 22 points during the 11-5 run that stretched the Knicks’ lead to seven.

Shooting guard O.J. Mayo, who has performed like a star while Dirk Nowitzki recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery, continued to shoot the lights out from 3-point range. Mayo had 23 points, making five of 10 3-point attempts, but he was plagued by foul trouble throughout the game.

The Knicks didn't allow Dallas point guard Darren Collison to get going. Collison, who entered the night averaging 16.2 points per game, scored only four and didn't have a field goal until the final minute.

What it means: The undefeated Knicks ended the Mavs’ three-game winning streak. The Mavs were pretty competitive against a playoff-caliber team despite missing Nowitzki and Shawn Marion, but they’re 1-2 on the road entering Saturday’s trip to Charlotte.

Play of the game: Maybe Tyson Chandler’s ferocious, and-1 putback slam brought back fond memories for Mavs fans. It dealt a serious blow to the Mavs’ comeback hopes, stretching the Knicks’ lead to 10 with 6:08 remaining. After Anthony missed a reverse layup in heavy traffic, Chandler rose above the crowd to grab the rebound with two hands and throw it home despite contact from Jae Crowder. Chandler, showing the spirit that made him the emotional leader of the championship Mavs, celebrated by pounding his chest and hollering to the crowd.

Stat of the night: Collison and Mayo combined for 12 turnovers. They didn’t have any in Wednesday’s win over the Toronto Raptors.

GREENBURGH -- Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler want to make one thing clear: they're both happy to be playing for the Knicks this season.

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But Kidd and Chandler, both ex-Mavericks, believe that they could have done something special in Dallas if they decided to stay with Mark Cuban's club.

"I'm very happy with this situation, but to speak past tense I definitely think that we had an opportunity to go back-to-back and unfortunately things were blown up," Chandler said on Thursday. "But that's the business side of it; that's something the players can't control."

Chandler came to New York last year in a sign-and-trade that caught many off guard. Most initially believed the Mavericks would retain the free agent center, but they let him walk without making a competitive offer in part because they were gearing up to make a bid for big-name free agent last summer.

They didn't end up landing one, as Deron Williams re-signed with Brooklyn and Dwight Howard ended up in Los Angeles.

"I'm very happy with this situation," Chandler said on Thursday.

Jason Kidd was also expected to re-sign with Dallas.

He was reportedly prepared to sign a three-year, $9 million deal with the Mavs before backing out the next morning to accept essentially the same deal with the Knicks.

Cuban was livid with Kidd's decision.

"I was more than upset. I thought he was coming. I was pissed," Cuban said in late August. "J-Kidd is a big boy; he can do whatever he wants. But you don't change your mind like that. That was ... yeah. I'm sure I'll get over it at some point, but as of now, I wouldn't put J-Kidd's number in the rafters.

"It hurt my feelings, period, because I felt that we had developed a relationship, and I thought that he was committed to the organization. It sure seemed that he was. I mean, J-Kidd was active in going out there and talking to Deron Williams the whole time. I guess it was more shocking and surprising than anything else."

Kidd took Cuban's shot in stride.

"I don’t play for the jersey. I play for my teammates," he said earlier this week. "Cuban owns the team so he has every right to his opinion, but the one thing he can’t take away is a championship ring."

On Thursday, Kidd talked about the possibility of the Mavs repeating as champs last season had Chandler returned.

"You never know. In a shortened season anything is possible," he said. "That group of guys that we had was very special. If you asked every one they would have loved to keep that team together. But again, business gets in the way sometimes of a good thing and we didn’t have that opportunity.”

If Chris Kaman can stay healthy, he’ll be the best offensive center in Mavericks history.

That’s a big if, as evidenced by his triple-digit games-missed total over the last five seasons. And it’s also faint praise, as proven by all the praise about the pick-setting ability of bricklaying Mavs centers over the years.

Just for fun -- and because we don’t have anything better to do with a week and a half before the Mavs open camp -- let’s rank the best offensive seasons by a big man in franchise history. We’re talking solely centers, so Roy Tarpley, Sam Perkins and others who played a lot of power forward aren’t included.

Tyson Chandler, 2010-11: He understood his limitations and was phenomenally efficient, averaging 10.1 points while shooting 65.4 percent from the floor and 73.2 percent from the line. Chandler wasn’t a post-up threat, but he was a highlight waiting to happen as a pick-and-roll finisher. He’d knock down an occasional elbow jumper, but Chandler earned his keep offensively by setting rock-solid picks, finishing strong at the rim and creating extra possessions with his hustle and hops.

Sean Rooks, 1992-93: He was a bright spot during the darkest season in Dallas basketball history, averaging 13.4 points as a rookie for an 11-71 team. That ended up being his career high. He averaged 11.4 points the next season for a much-improved Mavs team (13-69 -- 18 percent more wins!) and then got traded to the Timberwolves. He averaged 10.9 points his first season in Minnesota and never came close to double figures again.
James Donaldson, 1986-87: He’s still the best big man who played more than one season for the Mavs. His best offensive season in Dallas came during his first year here. The 7-foot-2 Donaldson averaged 10.8 points on 58.6 percent shooting, one of five Mavs to average in double figures that year, led by forward Mark Aguirre’s 25.7 points per game. Donaldson also averaged a career-best 3.6 offensive rebounds per game.

Tom LaGarde, 1980-81: You’ve got to go all the way back to the Mavs’ inaugural season to find the highest scoring season by a center in franchise history. LaGarde lit it up for a career-best 13.7 points per game on 47 percent shooting for the merry band of 15-67 misfits.

Raef LaFrentz, 2002-03: Remember when LaFrentz’s perimeter shooting was going to pull Shaq from the basket and help pave the Mavs’ way to a title? Well, LaFrentz did make 40.5 percent of his 3-point attempts during his lone full season in Dallas. He averaged 9.3 points in 23.3 minutes per game that season -- and gave up a heck of a lot more than that on the defensive end.

Erick Dampier, 2004-05: Dampier’s most productive season in Dallas was his first one, when he averaged 9.2 points on 55 percent shooting. He never averaged more than 7.1 points in another season for the Mavs, which is why he became the most overhyped screen-setter in NBA history.

Shawn Bradley, 1997-98: Do you recall Bradley averaging double figures (11.4 points per game) during his first season in Dallas? Thought that merited a mention, although it’s amazing that a 7-foot-6 dude shot 42.2 percent from the floor.