And neither can remember the last time they were in a loud, playoff-like atmosphere like the one at sold-out American Airlines Center, or the last time they beat the best team in the league so convincingly with so many weapons ? as the Mavericks did with their 111-97 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The new guys fit in just fine in their debut, but it was the old standbys that were most valuable in leading the Mavericks past Sacramento. All-Stars Steve Nash (28 points, eight assists) and Dirk Nowitzki (26 points, 21 rebounds) were dominant as ever with their scoring, and the Mavericks even mixed in a little valuable defense from Johnny Newman.

Without question, the old guys were still in charge Saturday, which explains why the Mavericks aren't yet too giddy about the new additions from Thursday's seven-player trade with Denver.