Mavericks 94, Lakers 80

How much Hall of Famery is in this shot?

Well, contrary to popular belief the Dallas Mavericks will not go 0-82.

The Mavs shook the bad mojo that typically surrounds them in Los Angeles and beat the mighty Lakers 94-80.

It's not that the Mavs were awesome. They weren't. No one shot super well and they had 17 turnovers. But they played some really good defense and executed when they needed to and kept their foot on the Lakers' throats for four periods until the final buzzer. In 60 games, we may not even think about this game, but it's definitely something to feel good about.

I did want to note that coach Rick Carlisle used the phrase "ass kicked" in his post-game in reference to the Washington Wizard loss. And Eddie Sefko used it unedited or censored.

I never remember the Dallas Morning News print "ass" before in reference to a team or a player's rear quarters. Maybe they've always had. Or they're just so liberal nowadays.

Notes:
1. Drew Gooden was awful. Going 0-4 before getting hurt. I know we're supposed to be super optimistic about the guy, but the Spurs (and a trillion other teams) let him walk.

2. Want to make a run? Wait out for the Mavs bench. J.J. Barea's a seive and Kris Humphries ain't Brandon Bass.

3. Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 12 free throw attempts a game (granted, it's been two games).