Mavs Show Signs Of Life

The Dallas Mavericks might seem like fodder to most of the NBA, but they have finally found a team they can consistently beat. Amazingly, it’s the Seattle SuperSonics.

The NBA’s worst team of the 1990s has picked up two of its seven wins this season against the Sonics, and a 107-98 drubbing Tuesday night was more impressive than the first victory, which Seattle excused as an early season flop.

In their only national television appearance of the season, the Mavericks might have shocked viewers by posting a double-figures lead during the game. But Dallas also led Minnesota by 24 points Saturday and Indiana by 19 the previous Saturday, only to blow both games.

This time, the Mavericks didn’t blow it.

“As a team, we haven’t been able to finish games,” said Erick Strickland, who scored a career-high 30 points Tuesday night. “We put one together against a great team that’s going to go far in the playoffs and we showed the country the Mavericks can play good basketball.”

Dallas has been playing better since firing coach Jim Cleamons in December, even if the record doesn’t show it. Only 4-10 then, the Mavericks are 3-22 under Don Nelson.

But players are no longer rebelling against the coach or his offense. They have a better attitude, an improved work ethic and everyone seems to see the bright side of things.

For example, following the collapse against Minnesota, players were instead focusing their building of such a big lead.

“We’re doing the things a young team needs to win - running the floor, blocking shots … in the end, this will be the way we will start beating teams,” forward Samaki Walker said. “Nelson has us playing well, and the wins will come.”

Nelson, the fourth-winningest active coach in the NBA, said victories aren’t the only way to tell if a team is improving.

“We’ve been playing some really good quarters,” Nelson said. “We played (Minnesota) for three quarters and then we broke down. All our strategies worked.”