Dallas Mavericks By Eric Weinstein, NBA.com HEAD COACH Don Nelson (Sixth year) 2001-02 RESULTS 57-25 (4th in West) SEASON OUTLOOK: The Mavericks set a franchise record for victories last season, but it's no secret that owner Mark Cuban wants more. The midseason acquisition of Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz was made with the idea of winning the championship now. Dirk Nowitzki is quickly becoming the best all-around threat in the league and along with fellow All-Stars Michael Finley and Steve Nash he'll provide an almost unstoppable 1-2-3 punch, reminiscent of coach Don Nelson's "Run-TMC" lineup in Golden State in the early 90's The problem is, the Mavs need more help on the defensive side of the ball and on the glass rather than filling up the hoop. And while Van Exel and LaFrentz are good players, the trade didn't prevent the Mavs from giving up 101 ppg, second-worst in the NBA. Nowitzki is a seven-footer, but he's not the defensive stopper that can contain the Western Conference's top power forwards every night. The acquisition of Popeye Jones should help in that area, but he isn't a solution. The playoff series with the Kings was indicitive of the Mavs' problems. Sacramento was able to run with them and punished the Mavs to the tune of almost 113 points per game in the series, which -- while it was entertaining -- turned into a 4-1 blowout. With the offense healthy, Nelson knows where his focus should be. "If we're really going to be serious about going farther in the playoffs and have an opportunity to win a title, it's quite obvious to everyone we have to rebound better and defend better," Nelson recently told the Dallas Morning News. You can't outscore everyone, right? VIDEO FLASHBACK: GREAT CALL OF 2001-02 Dirk Nowitzki throws down a dunk on Shane Battier: "Flying down the Autobahn!" 793k avi | QuickTime WHO'S IN: Free-agent signees Popeye Jones and Raja Bell bring a a defense-first attitude to the court. There's no doubt the Mavs welcome players who aren't looking for a lot of shots. WHO'S OUT: None of the core Mavericks are gone, but Greg Buckner and Danny Manning will not return. BENCH: In the backcourt, Nick Van Exel should start the season coming off the bench, and could make a run at sixth-man honors if he accepts his role there. Bell becomes the number one defensive stopper that can give both Nash and Finley a rest. Up front, Eduardo Najera re-signed with the team. Najera is a player the Mavs love for his defense and intensity. Shawn Bradley has bulked up and Nelson may use him more as a defensive presence. Evan Eschmeyer supplies front court help but is not a major contributor. Free-agent Johnny Newman is still unsigned, but has always given Dallas quality minutes when called upon. THE MAVERICKS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : At least two of their offensive options are clicking at all times. THE MAVERICKS MISS THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : Their matador defense gets the best of them.		Michael Finley is part of an offense that is the league's best. Glenn James/NBAE/Getty Images P R O J E C T E D   S T A R T E R S POS PLAYER SCHOOL YRS PG Steve Nash Santa Clara 6 SG Michael Finley Wisconsin 7 SF Adrian Griffin Seton Hall 3 PF Dirk Nowitzki Germany 4 C Raef LaFrentz Kansas 4 S C O U T ' S   T A K E "Dallas is a club whose big people can stretch the floor, and they play such a unique style that they create mismatches everywhere and are very hard to guard. At the other end of the floor, though, they have a tough time, because their big people are not good inside defensively ... So they've got to be in some kind of trick or scheme rather than playing just matchup defense. They'll always just try to outscore you, but they do have the type of team that can do that. They're definitely a playoff team, but getting out of the second round is dependent on how your defense holds up under pressure, and where they've got to improve is their team defense. They have enough skill people everywhere and their system is so well devised that offensively, they're fine. It's what they do defensively." -- Western Conference assistant coach 2 0 0 1 - 0 2   L E A D E R S PPG Dirk Nowitzki 23.4 RPG Dirk Nowitzki 9.9 APG Steve Nash 7.7 SPG Adrian Griffin 1.29 BPG Raef LaFrentz 2.22 G A M E S   T O   W A T C H 11/15 Boston 8:80 ET, ESPN 11/21 Houston 7:30 ET, TNT 11/28 Indiana 7:30 ET, TNT 12/6 L.A. Lakers 10:30 ET, ESPN F A N T A S Y   S L E E P E R Nick Van Exel - Guard Following the trade from Denver, Van Exel's numbers took a major downturn. They won't be what they once were, but now that he's more accustomed to his role on the Mavs, expect Nick to be filling it up from long range. T H E   S T A T 105.2 Points per game scored by Dallas last season, best in the league. This is good, because they gave up 101 per game.
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