Dirk went 12-14 for field goals while going perfect on his free throws, 12-12, getting 36 points and grabbing 7 boards. Seems he went into playoff mode a week before the end of the season and is definitely extending this type of play now that they are in the first round.

Butler contributed 22 points while Kidd contributed 13 points and 11 assists.

With the Spurs taking a late lead though, Dirk helped spark a 7-0 run on his own. With Dirk killing the Spurs defense, only missing two shots the whole game, the Spurs even tried to foul Dampier 3 times in hopes he would start missing free throws. Unfortunately, Dampier is no Shaq and can make most of his.

Ginobili, Parker and Duncan showed up for the game for the Spurs, which isn’t enough. Their bench went 10-26, which doesn’t win games. The Spurs took a flight home so they can regroup for Game 2 which is in Dallas on Wednesday.

Let’s hope the Mavs can bring back this intensity, with Dirk playing the way he is, I’m sure he’s going to get more defense pressure in Game 2 so the rest of our guys need to step up, which should not be a problem with the talent this team now carries with them.

Congratulations Dirk, go for a third week in a row by keeping the streak alive.

The Lakers have lost 3 straight so grabbing that top seed is not impossible, with the Nuggets not far behind as well.

With Terry out, we seem to have enough talent to pick up the slack, especially Beaubois putting up some great numbers in the last 3 games.

Also I must admit, Shawn Marion seems he’ll do anything to get a ring and thinks the Mavericks have that chance. He could easily be that 20 plus points and 10 rebound player but plays conservatively to win, making his teamates better as well in the process.

Kidd came out with another triple double, but not just an ordinary one, he grabbed 16 rebounds, made 17 assists and scored 19 points.

Dirk had a good night with 37 points and 9 rebounds while Haywood contributed 11 rebounds and 11 points. Marion had one of his better games than usual contributing 14 points.

Wafer has played for 5 years, averaging around 13 mins a game in 109 games, 11 of those were in the starting lineup and close to 6 points a game. He last played for the Rockets in 2008-2009.

Josh Howard tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee which puts him out for the rest of the season. Riddled with injuries for the past year or so, injuries which most athletes could bounce back from, I think this one is going to really put Howard down, maybe even slowly start to dissipate from the spotlight as a premier player with All-Star quality and potential.

I just hope we can actually find a way to get Gooden back and just allow Dampier to disappear from the roster here in Dallas. It was a good idea at the time to get a big man but I just felt some Dallas players just don’t have it in their hearts to win or go for that championship, like Dirk and a few others carry with them. For some, it’s about playing and winning, not the money. Sadly I think Josh Howard was one of the obvious players who just stopped caring about not only his team but his own career and performances.

Since the trade, we lost to OKC but I actually fear that team more than say, the Spurs nowadays. But since that loss after the big trade, we’ve now won 4 straight games.

Now only if we can get Kidd to shoot the ball as much as he likes to pass, we can start getting a further lead in our conference to secure a better playoff spot.

I would like to ask my friend Daniel to not go out and purchase any Haywood or Butler jersey’s because everytime he does, it seems the player starts to suck or gets traded.

I really like this trade and I think we got the better players out of the deal, especially with the ailing Josh Howard who’s been injured prone for the past two seasons, who seems to not care as much nowadays about his playing ability. I did like Drew Gooden but I figured he was picked up at the beginning of the season for this exact reasoning, to trade or deal in a multi-player trade.

Caron Butler brings on a healthy starter for the Mavericks, who averages what Josh did for us before injuries started sidelining him. Haywood was the leading rebounder for the Wizards, so I already think that’s a plus. He can likely replace Dampier as our starting center, putting up good numbers and even better numbers than Dampier. He also played at UNC during college, that’s always a plus for me since that’s my college team.

So let’s hope these guys can help the Mavericks for the remainder of the season, stay healthy and give us the needed boost and confidence in the playoffs this season. Perhaps with these additions, the Mavs are the new team to beat.

Shawn Marion blocked Caron Butler’s attempted last shot of the game with 1.9 seconds left to seal the win at 94-93.

The Mavericks also came into this game with a win against the Celtics in Boston, a huge win and a big blow to one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Nowitzki is now 34th on the all time NBA (doesn’t include the ABA) list and should easily move up the ranks as he still has plenty of years left in him.