NBA commissioner David Stern has a message for those who objected to the back-to-back setup of Games 3 and 4 of the Mavericks-Kings series. Are you listening, Mark Cuban?

"Teams play back-to-back all the time and they should stop whining," Stern said before Game 6 Thursday night. "There's always been a back-to-back possibility in the round with the West for as many years as I can remember. That's just horrible whining."

Stern said the decision to play on consecutive nights -- the Mavs split the two games at Arco Arena to regain home-court advantage -- was based on a combination of factors. A master grid is used by the league that attempts to balance arena availability (NHL playoffs, concerts and other events) and television needs.