Del Harris came to Dallas precisely two years ago with exactly zero expectations. He can admit now that he was hesitant to come. The Mavericks had lost more games than any other team in the 1990s. He had his doubts.

But he is a lover of numbers, which means he could probably recall that the Mavericks have a .685 winning percentage since he became an assistant coach. Or that he is having about as much fun this year as he has in any of his 13-plus years as a head coach in the NBA.

He chooses, instead, to focus on what it has been like to coach again with his good friend Don Nelson.

"I wonder what our record is together," Harris said.

For the record, Harris and Nelson are 163-84 (.668) as a head coach-assistant coach combination. That includes one season in Milwaukee, but not three years in which Harris scouted for Nelson's Bucks. And it includes a 15-5 ending to the Mavericks' season two years ago, last season's 53-29 mark and the current 45-18 record.