Lamar Odom ejected from Mavs debut

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DALLAS -- A four-point, four-rebound, four-foul performance with an early exit isn't what Lamar Odom envisioned for his Dallas Mavericks debut.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Odom said.

But that's what happened in the Mavericks' 105-94 loss to the Miami Heat during an NBA Finals rematch on Christmas Day that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated. Odom was ejected with 5:06 remaining in the third quarter and the Mavericks trailing by 28 after expressing displeasure when he was called for a charge against Miami's LeBron James.

Referee Scott Foster called two quick technical fouls on Odom, who made a 3-pointer seconds after checking into the game for the first time, but finished 1 of 6 from the floor with two turnovers on charge calls.

"Usually after 13 years, a couple of rings, seeing my face, now playing with the champs, you usually get a warning or something like that," said Odom, a multitalented forward who was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Mavericks on Dec. 11. "I guess that I was out of character a little bit."

Odom didn't feel that his first technical foul, which Foster called after Odom made a brief, animated gesture to protest the call, was warranted. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year acknowledged that his comments merited the second technical foul.

"I think the second one was probably necessary and the first one was a surprise, to be honest with you," Odom said, mentioning that Foster is an official that he's talked to several times during his career. "I was kind of shocked by the first one."

Odom was also ejected in his last appearance at the American Airlines Center. His final play as a Laker was a forearm to Dirk Nowitzki's chest that resulted in Odom being ejected during the Mavericks' sweep-sealing rout in Game 4 of last season's Western Conference semifinals.

Tim MacMahon covers the Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com.

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Tim MacMahon

ESPNDallas.com

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• Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
• Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
• Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM