Art Garcia | Mavs.com

Posted: April 29, 2008

NEW ORLEANS – With the season and possibly more hanging in the balance, the Mavericks summoned the kind of effort needed to continue the fight. It still wasn’t enough.

Not much went right Tuesday night when the odds were already long enough. The final blow came in the form of a gut-wrenching 99-94 loss at New Orleans Arena, giving the second-seeded Hornets a 4-1 series win. The Mavs begin another long summer after a second consecutive first-round playoff exit.

“Our offseason has started,” Avery Johnson said after his fourth playoff run as coach. “We will evaluate everybody and every situation from the coaching staff and the players.

“[Team owner Mark Cuban] and I have great communication and we’ll sit down and talk about it, and see what we need to do to go from here.”

After being virtually uncompetitive during the three previous losses, including the first two games in New Orleans, the Mavs slugged it out with the Southwest Division champs for the full 48 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki should know. He was out there for all 48. The last seven minutes witnessed a furious rally from 17 down that made it a one possession game with 33.2 seconds left.

The Mavs got the stop they needed with the score 97-94, but Tyson Chandler tipped out Chris Paul’s miss back into Hornets’ hands. The Mavs were forced to foul and Peja Stojakovic nailed two free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining. The five-point deficit turned into a five-month break.

Nowitzki’s grit seeped into most of the team, which was trying to extend the series to Game 6 back at American Airlines Center on Thursday. Other than winning Game 3 in Dallas, the focus and tenacity had never been better. It was what Johnson, coaching in his hometown, hoped to see and the players hoped to show after running their own practice Monday.

“The effort was great,” Nowitzki said. “We just didn’t play well enough to win. In Game 4 when we lost at home, we needed that effort.”

The man who Johnson congratulated as a “young Nate Archibald” and could follow Nowitzki as MVP proved too tough once again. Paul darted for 24 points, while also setting the table for everyone else with 15 assists. Nowitzki finished his tenth season with 22 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the finale.

Though several Mavs left it all on the floor, the production wasn’t always there. Many of the same issues came to light in Game 5. Josh Howard finished out his most disappointing playoff run since becoming a starter by sitting most of the fourth quarter. Jason Terry and Jason Kidd battled, but each expected to do more.

“I just feel bad that our men’s season is over for them, but we’ve really been inconsistent this year,” Johnson said.

The Mavs wouldn’t have had a chance without Brandon Bass’ broad-shoulder stubbornness. The backup power forward refused to quit on any rebound or any chance to score in the post. Saying the former Hornet took it up strong is putting it mildly. Jerry Stackhouse also arrived, though he was ejected late in the fourth.

The team has its exit interviews scheduled for Wednesday at American Airlines Center. With his hair still dripping from the shower, Nowitzki acknowledged changes in the works for a franchise with eight potential free agents and coming off an abbreviated playoff run. But it wasn’t a topic he wanted to address.

“It’s a little too early for that question: What’s going to happen this summer? Right now we’re all just disappointed. We were better than we showed in this series.”

The Hornets were the aggressors early, getting the lead to double digits before 10 minutes were played. Paul and Chandler connected on a couple of lob-slams, David West (25 points) got inside a few times and a pair of 3-pointers connected. New Orleans was looking for the knockout punch.

But the Mavs finished the first quarter strong. Howard didn’t miss in the period (4 for 4) and Terry’s 3-pointer late cut the Hornets’ lead to 28-22. Considering the energy in the building – Byron Scott was presented the Coach of the Year trophy before the game – the visitors had to be pleased with the first 12 minutes.

The surge continued into the second quarter. Nowitzki began to find his range by continuing to attack. After struggling to find his form through four games, Stackhouse showed that sixth-man spark with a driving dunk and an improbable 3-point play on the break to tie the score at 32-all.

The Hornets snatched the momentum right back. Perhaps buoyed by a Stackhouse-Paul dust-up, New Orleans finished the half with a 17-3 run to take a 15-point edge (54-39) into the break. As hard as the Mavs were playing in the first half, they weren’t getting the results.

Johnson shortened the rotation, using only Stackhouse and Bass off the bench. Nowitzki and Terry shot a combined 4 of 14 in the first half. Howard didn’t score in the second period, missing both of his shots. Kidd actually outscored Paul in the half (9-8), but the Hornets triggerman dished off 11 assists to Kidd’s three.

Terry opened the second half with two 3s and the Hornets responded with a quick timeout. The Mavs kept grinding and closed the gap to 63-57. The contest grew increasingly intense, as seemingly every trip down the floor included some sort of collision without a whistle. Stackhouse was blocked twice at the very end of the third, but the Mavs were down a manageable 71-63.