They had a simple case of first-game jitters. That's how the Mavericks explained their slow start, their suffocatingly tight performance and their uncharacteristic play. They were not themselves.

That's how they explained the way they scrapped past Minnesota, 101-94, in Sunday's Game 1 to take a 1-0 edge in the best-of-5 series.

Because they somehow triumphed in a way that defied logic ? with deficits in nearly every statistical category, with none of their typical high-scoring effectiveness, and with some actual decent defense. Aside from Dirk Nowitzki's All-Star form and some good luck with 3-point baskets at a sold-out American Airlines Center, they simply were not themselves.
"We were just so anxious to get going," Nick Van Exel said. "We had a lot of energy. Sometimes that's not the best thing. Once we settled down, we were OK."