Mavericks' Coach Avery Johnson made it clear to the media that the illusion that point guard Jason Kidd does not have a free reign so far in Dallas is just that, an illusion, the Dallas Morning News are reporting.

"That's an overrated thing," Johnson said in his pregame media gathering. "You guys always talk about me not turning Jason loose. He's a 35-year-old point guard. We haven't held him back in any way. Look at Jason Kidd. He has no restrictions. We've always turned him loose from the first day he got here. He just didn't know the offense. And he didn't know how to work with Josh Howard or Dirk [Nowitzki]. But he's been turned loose from Day One."

While Dirk Nowitzki will not be available for the Mavericks' next two games, both on the road, they are hopeful to have their star back in uniform later this week, the Dallas Morning News are reporting.

Originally expected to miss two weeks, the sharp shooting big man may be back earlier.

"He did a little stairmaster and the bike, but no serious running yet," Coach Avery Johnson said. "He's not really ready for that. We'll see him when we get back off this road trip, which is pretty much what we thought."

Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA's reigning MVP, thinks it's time for Kobe Bryant to finally take home the trophy, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

"He's the best player in the game and he's never won it before. He's had his injuries, his team [has] had injuries and they're still right up there in the West. They just beat us without [Pau] Gasol and [Andrew] Bynum. I think this is his time," Nowitzki said.

According to Nets forward Richard Jefferson, the distraction created by Jason Kidd wanting out of New Jersey has put the team into a hole as they try to make the playoffs, the New York Daily News is reporting.

"I'm not going to lie," Jefferson said Thursday, "we were dead men walking with the Jason Kidd situation."

The Mavericks claim that they got all the right results from Dirk Nowitzki's tests and the initial two-week prognosis could be a worst-case scenario, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"From what I'm hearing, he's doing really well," coach Avery Johnson said Tuesday night. "That doesn't mean he's going to be back anytime soon. But for the type of injury, he's doing well. Hopefully, we'll catch a break with it. And he'll heal like he normally heals, and it won't take that long."

Officially, Dallas still has Dirk listed as out indefinitely.

With Dirk Nowitzki out indefinitely because of sprains to both his knee and ankle, the Mavericks could find themselves in the lottery this offseason.

The Star-Telegram is wondering whether their failure to even make the postseason would force team owner Mark Cuban to fire head coach Avery Johnson.

Johnson has three years remaining on his current contract with Dallas, something that wouldn't keep Cuban from simply buying the coach on.

Dallas Mavericks forward and seven-time All Star Dirk Nowitzki, who left yesterday?s game at the 3:18 mark of the third quarter, was re-evaluated today.  An MRI confirmed he suffered a moderate high left ankle sprain and a mild left knee sprain.  He is currently walking in a protective boot without crutches.

No timetable is set for his return.

The Mavericks expect Dirk Nowitzki to miss two weeks of action action hurting both his leg and ankle against the Spurs on Sunday afternoon, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

An official time frame will be determined on Monday after further tests are conducted.

Tests on Sunday night showed no immediate issues with his knee, but a sprained ankle is expected to keep him off the floor.

Mavericks' forward Dirk Nowitzki suffered an apparent left ankle and knee injury in Sunday?s game against the Spurs, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

Nowitzki crumpled to the ground with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter and grabbed his left knee while grimacing in pain.

Nowitzki had to be helped to his feet and needed assistance to get to the locker room.

The Boston Celtics earned the elusive Texas sweep on Thursday night with a win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics knocked off the Spurs, Rockets and Mavericks in four nights, and have now finished the season with a 6-0 mark against the ?Triangle?. Read about Boston?s win and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 20th?s games!

- SAS 102, CHI 80

The San Antonio Spurs used a 64-41 run that bridged the second and third quarters to edge the Chicago Bulls last night. Tony Parker finished with 23 points and 6 assists and Tim Duncan added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who outrebounded Chicago by four and forced sixteen turnovers. Luol Deng led the Bulls with 18 points and 7 rebounds and Ben Gordon added 12 points and 8 boards of his own in the loss. Chicago went 2-for-11 from three-point land, but hit 22-of-23 free throws. The Bulls are two games behind the Nets for the final playoff spot in the East, while the Spurs are two games back of the Lakers for the top spot in the West.

Game FIC Scores
Tim Duncan, SAS ? 21.3
Tony Parker, SAS ? 10.3
Luol Deng, CHI ? 10.3
Drew Gooden, CHI ? 8.8

- BOS 94, DAL 90

The Boston Celtics used a strong fourth quarter performance to knock off the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, allowing them to finish the season undefeated against the ?Texas Triangle?. Paul Pierce had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Kevin Garnett added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot just 34% from the floor but held a substantial advantage from the foul line. Jerry Stackhouse starred for the Mavs with 36 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 22 points and 19 rebounds in the loss. Dallas outrebounded Boston but three and hit 39% of their shots, but turned the ball over six more times. The Celtics have a six-game lead over the Pistons for the top spot in the East, while the Mavs are within arms reach of both the top spot and the ninth slot in the West.

Game FIC Scores
Paul Pierce. BOS ? 22.9
Josh Howard, DAL ? 17.5
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL ? 15.5
Kevin Garnett, BOS ? 14.8

- LAL 106, UTA 95

The Los Angeles Lakers used a 20-point first quarter advantage to record a win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Kobe Bryant had 27 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists and Lamar Odom posted 21 points, 12 boards and 6 dimes for the Lakers, who hit 52% of their shots and turned the ball over just six times. Deron Williams tallied 26 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds and Carlos Boozer added 23 points and 15 boards for the Jazz, who outrebounded Los Angeles by four and are now three games behind the Lakers for first-place in the Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores
Lamar Odom, LAL ? 24.0
Deron Williams, UTA ? 22.9
Carlos Boozer, UTA ? 20.1
Kobe Bryant, LAL ? 15.6

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season