Living to fight another day

Where concentration happens

You play the games on the schedule.

Fortunately for the Dallas Mavericks, on the brink of elimination on their home court, they encountered a San Antonio Spurs team content with going to a game 6.

The Spurs had it largely on cruise control in a 103-81 loss. They were at 65 percent and if they wound up close in the third quarter, they might have played things different.

Instead, they packed it in and the Mavs ran away with it. The good news is that the Mavs aren't in a place where they can discriminate. They need three straight. One down.

Ten things:

10. Got a bad feeling as the Spurs had their eighth string on the floor, their starters relaxing while Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood are logging minutes up 24 in the third and fourth quarters. All the while Greg Popovich is watching Butler attack the basket and Eddie Najera and DeShawn Stevenson attemping three pointers. Maybe you try to build on for the next game. Maybe the Spurs don't care. Either way, bad basketball karma.

9. In the playoffs, there is such a thing as "better late than never." In fact, the adage pertaining to the post-season is "too little too late." It took three straight San Antonio wins for Rick Carlisle to think outside the box by starting Brendan Haywood (energized with the start), going largely big and getting his guys to perpetually attack the basket.

8. Sitting Erick Dampier was imperative. Why Carlisle was married to the guy for games 2-4 is a complete mystery. Game 1, he showed some energy. Games 2-4, he looked like there were hospitals he'd rather be in than playing professional basketball. He's one guy going into free agency that is not building his stock in the playoffs. Hasn't Jerome James taught us nothing?

7. How many MVPs does Dirk Nowitzki need to earn to get a fucking foul call? Christ.

6. Have you seen a guy miss more shots within five feet than Shawn Marion? I mean, Dampier's a block-handed goof with no coordination. Marion's an athlete. He's sleek. He has tough. Yet, it's a 50-50 proposition if he's not dunking the ball.

5. It'd do the Mavericks good to take their effort on the boards into game 6. This game was won on the boards (52-41) as they grabbed 14 offensive to keep the ball out of the Spurs' hands. I don't know why the Mavericks are poor rebounders. I think it's effort. But how do you get Dirk Nowitzki to put forth 10 percent more effort to get 20 percent more rebounds? How does this intuitively make sense?

4. Am I alone in thinking DeShawn Stevenson could do something against Manu Ginobili defensively? Would it hurt to try? As the season wore down, I kept convincing myself that Stevenson could be a guy the Mavs turn to to take on the Manus, Kobes and Jason Richardsons of the world. Instead, he's waving a towel.

3. I'm glad the Mavericks won. I'm especially happy for Mike Bacsik. It's a sliver of a silver lining on a big, black cloud. Happy Tweets.

2. I'd like to give credit to Jason Kidd. Instead of sitting on the perimeter waiting for those wide-open three pointers, he drove some and let his offense come about in the flow of the game, in the paint. Kidd's hit some big shots, but his effectiveness is found in grabbing rebounds, running the transition game and putting his guys in a spot to make easy baskets. 10-7-7 is 100 times better than 22-5-5.

1. At the end of the day, Carlisle needs to put his best players on the court. This is Jason Kidd, Butler, Marion (at the three), Nowitzki and Haywood. Bring Najera and Terry in as the Nos. six and seven men. I guess Barea is your No. 8. Those guys should be told to go out and run like hell. Run, run, run. Crash the boards and get in the passing lanes. Quit trying to match-up and play the mind games with Popovich. Force his hand. If you lose, you lose.