Dallas should win all 4 games against slumping opponents, Finley says

03/26/2002

By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News

March in the East is an unappealing prospect for every traveler but the Mavericks.

? Notebook

? Mavericks-Bucks preview  
They begin an oddly structured four-game trip Tuesday night at Milwaukee. The trip includes three games against clubs from the Eastern Conference.
Extended play outside the home conference is rare at this time of the NBA season. For the Mavericks, it could be a blessing in their race for a choice spot in the West playoff ladder.

The East is a lesser conference than the West. The Mavericks get the extra break of catching four clubs, including Minnesota from the West, mired in deep slumps.

The potential benefits far outweigh the possible pitfalls for the Mavericks on this trip.

"All of these teams are striving for the playoffs, but they are four winnable games," Michael Finley said. "We should come home with all four."

The stop-by-stop breakdown:

? Milwaukee cannot pull out of a lengthy free fall. The no-defense Bucks have lost 18 of their last 29 games, and several vital players are ailing. Ray Allen (knee) and Glenn Robinson (tailbone) are expected to play against the Mavericks at less than full speed. Tim Thomas (knee) could return after a six-game absence.

? Once a Midwest Division contender, Minnesota is 3-9 in March and has lost 17 of its last 29 games. Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders complains about his club taking too many jump shots.

? Boston had a seven-game win streak this month. All that did was give the Celtics a losing record (13-14) for their last 27 games. Coach Jim O'Brien sees defensive "slippage," which prevents the Celtics from getting easy baskets.

? A Valentine's Day victory put Washington four games over .500. The Bullets are 5-15 since, and Michael Jordan is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in his career.

The Mavericks, who have the league's best road record at 21-11, see the possibility for a knockout trip. With so much at stake, general manager-coach Don Nelson wants to avoid the feeling these games are as much a lock as the victory Saturday against lowly Memphis.

"You can't let your guard down," Nelson said. "The worse the team, the more pressure I put on myself to make sure we win those games. The better the team, the more pressure there is to beat them.

"You can't get rid of pressure."

There are potential trouble spots for the Mavericks.

They have lost 12 consecutive games in Milwaukee. They have the dreaded back-to-back of Minnesota on Thursday and Boston on Friday, with a lengthy airplane flight in between.

The pressing problem will be a lack of familiarity.

Most West teams have put away their East scouting reports by now. The Mavericks have played 17 of their last 20 games in the West. They know the West. They step into a dark room when it comes to playing the East at this time of the season.

"There is a possibility of error," Steve Nash said. "But it still gets down to playing basketball."

The Mavericks have done that far better than the teams that await them on this trip.