Mavs-Nuggets ready to get back to basketball

DENVER -- Cooler heads have prevailed.

That's the hope of the NBA office, which has decided not to punish Kenyon Martin or Mark Cuban for their parts in a series of unsightly incidents Monday night. The Nuggets forward and Mavericks owner became cross over words Cuban had with Martin's mother Lydia Moore two nights prior.

Cuban has since apologized to Martin and Moore through his blog, adding he would go out of his way to take care of Martin's family should the series return to Dallas. Martin didn't speak directly to reporters after the Mavericks' 119-117 victory and slipped out a back door of the Pepsi Center after practice Tuesday.

Martin was also involved in several profane exchanges and gestures with fans during and after Game 4 in Dallas, according to NBA.com and various media outlets. The league has since investigated the reports and decided that no further action is necessary.

"Mark has apologized on his blog and he will be reaching out to Kenyon personally," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said. "We are confident that this will be brought to an intelligent close with an adult conversation."

Instead of inflaming the issue with a fine and/or suspension, the league would rather restore a sense of normalcy to a series where tempers have quickly escalated. The Nuggets still lead the Western Conference semifinals 3-1 and can lock up their first trip to the conference finals since 1985 with a victory Wednesday night at home.

The hostility between Martin and Cuban can be traced back to the end of Game 3, when an official's error factored into Denver's one-point victory. The wild postgame scene Saturday night included a quick but pointed exchange between a visibly upset Cuban and Moore, who was seated near a courtside tunnel exit leading to the owner's bunker suite.

Cuban admitted referring to Martin as a "thug" with Moore, without actually using the word. Martin vowed to "take care of it" before Game 4, adding that he would do so "face-to-face" with Cuban. Martin attempted to confront Cuban after the game, but Cuban walked away from the irate power forward.

The scene in the stands during Monday's game wasn't pretty, either. Martin got into it with Dallas fans during the game who were seated around his mother, girlfriend and other family members. Security was eventually placed around Moore. Carmelo Anthony's girlfriend had to be escorted from her seats in the second half. Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said his wife and family also endured several unsavory situations.

"It is distracting," Billups said. "You get your family to travel and try to support you, and it's the only support you really have in the arena, and you got to worry about their safety and well-being. That's not right. That's not right by any means."

Cuban won't have face the wrath of Nuggets fans Wednesday night. He'll be in Las Vegas receiving an advertising award.

Cuban's absence is probably a good thing. Billups added that Cuban's attention-grabbing antics set the tone for the problems during Game 4.

"That's unacceptable, man," Billups said. "That's just not right. He's the owner of the team, and he should be held to a different standard of professionalism. You can root for your team and all that, but that's unacceptable."

If you have a question or comment for Art Garcia, send him an email.