Art Garcia of the Ft.Worth Star-Telegram reports: Dallas Mavericks head coach Don Nelson let off some steem about his team and the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday.

"We're dumb as a rock, as a team," Nelson said. "We [tick] Shaq off. We have an owner that talks about him and got him mad, [Nick] Van Exel talks about him, gets him mad, [Shawn] Bradley gets him mad just by showing up. He just hates Bradley for some reason.

"Just let sleeping dogs lie was always my philosophy. When I played against a guy that was really good, I didn't want to get him [ticked] off."

"The trail to the championship goes through LA," he said. "They're still the world champs. Last time I looked, that's the way it is. They hold the trophy, and someone has to knock them out to get it from them. They're going to be a great, worthy opponent in the playoffs no matter who they play."