Inside Report: No. 2 Lakers (0-3) at No. 3 Mavericks (3-0) — Game 4 preview

Earl K. Sneed previews Sunday afternoon's Game 4 between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, as the Mavs take their home floor to another blue-out while looking to close out the two-time defending champions' season.

DALLAS — In his future Hall of Fame career, which includes an NBA record 11 championships, Lakers coach Phil Jackson has never seen a playoff team under his command swept of out of the postseason.

The Dallas Mavericks hope to change that on Sunday.

After setting an American Airlines Center record with a crowd of 21,156 in Friday night’s Game 3, the Mavericks hope to continue to draw off their frenzied fans and the organization’s second straight royal blue-out in order to knock Jackson and the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers out of the postseason with a 4-0 sweep. But the Mavs admit doing so will not be easy, especially with back-to-back Finals MVP Kobe Bryant looking to avoid a knockout blow while helping his team stave off elimination.

“We’re not thinking that we’ve won three games and can walk over these guys,” Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry said. “They’re the champions. You’ve got to knock the champ out in boxing and in basketball.”

“They have a lot of pride over there in that locker room, and we’ve gotta go take it. They’re not gonna give it to us,” Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki added.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks will take the court looking to close out the series following an epic comeback in Game 3, when the Dallas team fed off its home crowd and outscored the reigning champs 20-7 over the course of the last 5:08 of play in order to creep away with a 98-92 victory.

And with the Lakers very likely to come out and show the heart of a champion in the fourth matchup of the series, looking to send the best-of-seven showdown back to L.A. for a Game 5 at the Staples Center on Tuesday, the Mavs know that they can’t afford to give the defending titleholders an opportunity to get back into the series.

“We’re not good enough to relax or take a step back or the pedal off the medal,” Nowitzki modestly said. “We’ve gotta play with the same energy, enthusiasm and with the same crowd on Sunday.”

“Just taking it one game at a time,” center Tyson Chandler added. “We’ve been fortunate to get this 3-0 lead. Until it’s 4-0, I’m not going to count them out. I don’t want to put any words in their mouths. I’m not sure how they’re feeling right now. I just know how we’re feeling. We feel like we’ve got to seize the moment. We’ve got a great opportunity, and we’ve got to close it.”

Closing the Lakers out will likely take another strong defensive effort from Dallas, which has been the case through the first three games.

After shooting over 46 percent from the floor as a team during the regular season and averaging 101.5 points a game, the Lakers have seen a scrambling Dallas defense that has held their offense in check, with L.A. connecting on just 43.8 percent and averaging just 89.0 points in the series. And with the Mavs hoping to continue to elevate their play at least once more at home, Nowitzki admits that aside from his scoring — posting 27.6 points, which is good for the third-best scoring average in this season’s playoffs — he and his team will have to continue to lock in on the defensive end of the floor in order to hand the Lakers a season-ending loss.

“We’re playing against the best. I mean, they’re the two-time defending champions. And if you want to beat the best you’ve gotta bring the best,” Nowitzki explained. “I think we’re all coming together and playing on a higher level than we did in the regular season. …They have the heart of a champion, of a back-to-back champ, so you don’t ever want to give a champion life.”

With the Mavs looking to avoid doing just that, the Lakers will try to keep their heartbeats ticking when the two teams take the court for an early tip-off on Sunday afternoon.

Note: Game 4 of the Mavericks’ second-round series will take place at the American Airlines Center on Sunday afternoon, airing nationally on ABC at 2:30 p.m. CT. Great seats are still available and tickets can be purchased by visiting the American Airlines Center box office, logging on to Mavs.com or by calling 214-747-MAVS (6287).

The Mavs-Lakers Game 4 this Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center will be a MAVS ROYAL BLUE-OUT!

Be there early! Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Mavs players take the court at 2:15 p.m. and tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. Be decked out in MAVS ROYAL BLUE at Game 4 and all home playoff games.

Tickets for Game 4 are priced $19 and up for Round 2. Tickets will be available online at mavs.com, via phone (214-747-6287 or 1-800-4NBA-TIX), the American Airlines Center® North Box Office* and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Simon Mall in Garland and Shops at Willow Bend).

The first-round series between the two teams continues as follows:
Game 4 – Sun May 8 2:30 p.m. CT ABC
Game 5 * Tue May 10 TBD TNT
Game 6 * Thu May 12 TBD ESPN
Game 7 * Sun May 15 2:30 p.m. CT ABC