In the Knick of Time...

Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points to become the fourth European-born player in NBA history to surpass 15,000 points. The Mavericks survived the visiting Knicks, 105-103, on Friday. Josh Howard, who blocked a shot attempt in the final seconds, had 20 points.

Mavs buck the Bucks

The Mavericks notched win #60 with about 29 seconds left and without Dirk Nowitzki, who injured his ankle at the end of the first half. His injury was described as "two bone spurs rubbing together."

He left one point shy of 15,000 for his career.

"I don't check stuff like that," Nowitzki said. "That's something you think about when your career is over."

NOKC get stung by Mavs

The Mavs rolled over the Hornets last night, at Oklahoma City, 105 - 89. In fact, the top three (Dirk, Jet, and J-Ho) were spectators in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks became the first NBA team to notch three winning streaks of 12 games or more in a season. They're past halfway on their way to another one.

Dallas needs one more win to match the franchise record of 60, set in 2002-03 and matched last season.

Surviving the Scare

The Mavericks turned out the survivor in the late surge by the Hawks at Philips Arena on Sunday afternoon, 104 - 97. They led by as many as 23, but the Hawks fought back to briefly lead by 2. Devin Harris was still the Gingerbread Man - running in and out of the lane and between people's legs. Devean George made his return, after being out and on the mend from a sore knee. He and Greg Buckner (who also recently returned from injury) played limited minutes. All of this on Avery's 42nd birthday!

No Erin Go Bragh for the Celtics

The Mavericks coasted to a 109-95 win over the Celtics.

A word of advice for Paul Pierce: NEVER talk sh*t to the Mavs bench, especially to one Jerry Stackhouse. Another word of advice, but this one's for all the Celtics - make your shots! Heard of making points IN the paint?

It was fun to see Devin Harris play Gingerbread Man to you guys (faster, faster as can be...can't catch me!)...

....and thanks for win #57. It's good to see JJ, Pops, and Mo get some playing time at your expense.

I'm glad nobody slammed their head on the hardwood.

Thanks Mutoni!

I would like to thank Marcel Mutoni for this blog posting on the FanHouse. We should all take this into consideration: NOBODY IS PERFECT!

Dirk Admits to Being Nervous In the Clutch
Posted Mar 20th 2007 6:13PM by Marcel Mutoni
Filed under: Mavericks, Western, Dallas

I like Dirk Nowitzki a lot. I don't just like that he's probably the best player to ever come out of Europe, that he can shoot the lights out, or that he'll probably win this year's MVP.More than anything, I love his brutal honesty: He has no qualms about admitting that he loses sleep after really tough losses, and he's one of the few NBA players that will admit to sometimes being nervous at crunch time.

"I think everybody who says they don't get tense, they're lying," Nowitzki said. "It's big games. You got to find ways to stay loose and relax. I've been doing a decent job of not letting the pressure get to me and still enjoying the moment.""I love to have the ball at the end of games. That's what it's all about," Nowitzki said. "We all know if you make it, you're the hero. If you miss it, you're the goat. That's the position you have to be comfortable in. I guess I am."

It's definitely refreshing to hear this sort of thing coming from an elite player in a League where such an admission is often seen as a sign of weakness. Nowitzki and Arenas are probably two of the most honest NBA players, and unsurprisingly, they're also two of the most popular.

The Dethroning of King James

The dethroning of LeBron James took place Wednesday evening, but not without a little drama. The Cavs fell to the Mavs 98 - 90 and LeBron fell and banged his noggin. Amazingly - it looked worse than it actually was. Devin Harris was quite the impresario, weaving in and out of Cavs on the way to the basket.

With that said and done, the Mavs notched win #56. Up next, the taming of the Celtics...

All Mavericks!

Played 66. Won 55.

Sit and spin, haters.

Kicked the Knickerbockers' @$$

Isiah Thomas said his team didn't have a chance with the Mavericks. Avery Johnson responded to Thomas' whining by saying something to the effect of 'then stay in the locker room and forfeit the game.'

Maybe Thomas should have taken Johnson up on the offer.

Channing Frye got poked in the eye by Devin Harris. Eddy Curry sucked hardcore at the freethrow line. The Knicks were in the penalty in the 4th quarter with 8:03 left. Stephon Marbury slammed his head against the hardwood floor. Need I say more?

....Up next - the dethroning of "King James."

When Powerhouses Collide...

Dirk stepped it up Sunday afternoon when his Mavericks battled the Eastern powerhouse Pistons, scoring 28 points (21 in the second half).

"I had good looks, but I had a couple go in and out, so I wanted to stay aggressive," he said. "My team has a lot of confidence in my ability, so I just hung with it."

J-ho, Stack, and the boys came to win - and they fought to the finish. The Mavericks won 92-88, but not without some drama, Pistons-style.

Detroit was without Chauncey Billups who was out due to a groin injury suffered in a win versus Phoenix. (Go Pistons!) They were also without Lindsay Hunter who's serving a drug suspension. This gave Ronald "Flip" Murray the opportunity to shine - and boy did he!

Poor Rip Hamilton. It just wasn't his day or game. He was missing all kinds of shots. He was given a technical, his 12th of the season, for visibly and verbally arguing a charge. Then, he was the recipient of three stitches in the head after his own teammate, C-Webb, elbowed the *@?& out of him. He had to leave the game in the fourth quarter to get the cut tended to - as it was bleeding rather heavily. I hope he mends well.

It was a great game. I'm not going to diss on the Pistons - they are one helluva team. If it weren't for the Mavericks - I'd be a Pistons fan. I cheer them on until they play my boys. MFFL!

Mavs v. Pistons

Hopefully - this was a preview of what to expect when East meets West in the NBA finals!

Fairweather Fans

It's rather shiteous to me that "they" are deciding who the MVP is based on ONE game...hmm, case in point: last night's Phoenix v. Mavericks. How quick "they" have forgotten Dirk's heroics the LAST time, in December, when the two teams met! Granted - Nash is a rather phenomenal player, but there are plenty of OTHER well-qualified leaders on OTHER NBA teams that bring it - and are overlooked. No - let's turn the other way - and go the easy road. Nash has been graced with the MVP title 2 years in a row - has he done anything just outstanding to deserve it a third time? If he can teleport the basketball into the basket - then he's got my vote. I have yet to see him wiggle his nose and something just absolutely freaking fantastic happens.

Marcel Mutoni, Charley Rosen, Bright Side of the Sun, and Lang Whitaker are a bunch of bandwagon jumpers. I don't think this was "THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE SEASON." Why don't you save that moniker for the title game - and see who gets there. That's the leader who deserves the MVP title. It's the second week of March - not June.

My NBA Future...

I'm throwing my hat in for the coaching posish at NO/OKC.... How hard can it be to yell at a bunch of sweaty towering guys? I can draw on a white board. I can pace back and forth.

Suns win by DE-FAULTy refs...

Stackhouse put on a 3-point parade...Dirk was the dunking machine...Devin got knocked the f* out...and then it was in OT 2x. Somebody needs to step on Nymph Nash. Dirk ran over him a few times, but Nash is like tupperware. Boy got a T for questioning the second sorriest ref-squad for the lack of reffing on the other end. The refs called the game blindfolded. Making shit up. Do they offer ethics courses at REF-U?

And...how about those crazy white boy dance moves Dirk showed off during the halftime bloopers?! Nowitness in effect.

That Freaking Fat Lady Sang Opera Last Night...

Short and not so sweet for today - the Mavs played like ostriches with their heads stuck in the ground. Were the fans playing? I could have at least gone out there and helped out with some ankle biting. Give me a T - at least I would have done something. I wonder if Nellie paid the refs to call the game in his favor..............

That guy DID travel - how did it turn into a foul on Dirk? He (I think it was Pietrus) was tripping with NO luggage!

All in a Day's Work

With a 102-89 victory over the Nets, the Mavs accomplished the following:

• Clinched a playoff spot in the unusually deep Western Conference on March 6th

• Extended their win streak to 16

• Extended their home win streak to 23

• Became the only team (via Elias Says at ESPN.com) in North American pro sports history to ever win 51 game in a 56-game span in a single season.