But what if it doesn’t work out with the Dallas native?

Richie Whitt and Mike Fisher (filling in for Greggo) go over the options that will be left.

PLAY: If the Mavs don’t get Deron Williams, then what?

Listen to Richie & Greggo “RAGE” weekdays 2:00pm – 7:00pm on 105.3 The Fan. Follow us on Twitter @1053RAGE  @RichieWhitt  @TCUWhiteTrash @ArmenontheAir @Sybil1053

(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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After the Mavericks and Odom agreed to allow him to leave the team, Odom is still on roster with the Mavs. He’s owed $8.2 million next year, but can be bought out for $2.4 million.

Despite Odom’s personal troubles and inability to contribute to the Mavericks on any meaningful level, he’s going to be a popular target for teams trying to get him to buy in.

Early media reports say that one team which Odom could be interested in is the Knicks.

Read more at CBSSports.com

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With the end of his run as commissioner approaching and after a grueling lockout that had everyone questioning his authority, his control over the owners, and his morality for some reason, no one has known whether Stern would quietly exit the game or be aggressive in finishing out some of his initiatives. A report indicates the latter, pretty strongly.

Bottom line: Stern reportedly wants two rule changes — adoption of the international goaltending rule and more brisk penalizing of floppers — and has put people in place who will get it done.

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Besides bringing up obvious questions; Lamar, being swept from the playoffs, etc. RAGE also pressed the coach on the plans for finding new talent during Free Agency and the future of Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki.

PLAY: Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle with Richie & Greggo

Listen to Richie & Greggo “RAGE” weekdays 2:00pm – 7:00pm on 105.3 The Fan. Follow us on Twitter @1053RAGE  @RichieWhitt  @TCUWhiteTrash @ArmenontheAir @Sybil1053

(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Carlisle’s original four-year contract was set to expire after the current season.

He, along with the Spurs Gregg Popovich and Celtics coach Doc Rivers were  the  only active head coaches in the NBA this season with championship rings.

“We are excited that Rick will be back with the Mavericks for at least the next four years,” Owner Mark Cuban said. “He is a proven winner, a great teacher and a coach that will help the Mavericks improve as a team and as an organization.”

Details of the contract were not made available but the team is expected to make an official announcement sometime Tuesday afternoon.

Carlisle has a 198-114 regular season record in Dallas. He is 479-325 overall as a head coach with Detroit, Indiana and Dallas.

(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM and CBS Local, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved)

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No Chandler, no Barea, no Stevenson nor Butler;
Didn’t recognize those replacements that sucked as much as Jay Cutler.

Dirk wasn’t in shape, and we were forced to rely on Vince Carter;
At one point we actually thought Lamar Odom would be a quality starter.

Jason Terry was distracted by his contract, focused on Cut The Check;
His play meandered, prompting us to scream What The Fuu … Heck?!

Some players sucked and others simply weren’t good;
Then, several notches below, was a center named Brendan Haywood.

Roddy’s dad died, and Delonte West fractured his finger;
But no one more than Odom, caused Dallas’ hangover to linger.

Personal sadness aside, the guy didn’t even try;
What, he’s gonna let lost loved ones prompt an eternal cry?

His play was crappy and his body was doughy;
And don’t get me started on the fake “star” Khloe.

The Mavs tripped into the playoffs, one stumble leading to another blunder;
And ran into a youthful buzzsaw, named the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A Game 1 quirky bounce led to a historic sweep;
Now Dallas has time to watch more HBO, I think their new show is called VEEP?

Still not convinced the 2011 title was any sort of fluke;
But to contend again in 2013, the Mavs will have to pull a serious roster juke.

Come July 1 the Mavs’ signed players will be only five;
To land Deron Williams will take some serious recruiting jive.

I’m not blaming Mark Cuban, and I don’t think fans understand all the facts;
To bring back last year’s roster, would be ultimate suicide via CBA repeater tax.

Dirk needs a co-star, luckily the Mavs have tons of salary-cap cash;
But surely we can do better than a return of 38-year-old Steve Nash.

Chris Paul is in L.A. and Dwight Howard is off the market;
It’s either sign Williams, or take the Mavs’ bandwagon and park it.

A bummer summer is nye upon us, causing us to pout;
On the heels of a championship season, Mavs’ fans are suddenly all out.

9. Dear Lamar Odom, eff you. And I know your former teammates feel the same way because they voted against giving you a $14,000 playoff share.

8. Up 81-68 in the third quarter it appeared the Mavs had a pulse in Game 4. But without anyone to protect the rim it was all Fool’s Gold.

7. When your layup attempts become highlight-film plays – for the other team – you know you’re on the wrong side.

6. Dirk Nowitzki had two 30-point games in the series, but Jason Terry had only one good half and the Mavs got zilch offensively from Shawn Marion and Delone West and Vince Carter. Their margin for error was too slim to not play a high level. Bad series + Good opponent = Sweep.

5. I’m afraid we’ve seen the last game in a Mavs’ jersey by Terry. And potentially Jason Kidd. Sad. Not so sad? Saturday was also the last game as a Mav by Brendan Haywood.

4. Roddy Beaubois played 12 minutes the entire series. Color me very uncertain about his future with the team.

3. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel no worse when my team is swept 4-0 than if they would have lost 4-1. And I still we would’ve had a different, longer series had Kevin Durant’s Game 1 prayer not been answered. Lot of mind-sets were altered with that quirky bounce.

2. Watching James Harden effortlessly slice through the lane in Saturday’s fourth quarter was a stark reminder that Kidd has lost a step and that Nowitzki never had any defensive hops.

1. Easy to say now. But, in all honestly, it was easy to say back in December as well: Mavs’ fans would have preferred to defend their title with the team that actually won the title. This suffering, short-circuited season will be worth it if it lands All-Star point guard Deron Williams. If not … breaking up the Mavs’ championship core will go down as one of the biggest gaffes in Metroplex sports history.

Circumstances changed after Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks won their first championship only 11 months ago, and celebrated in South Beach before a parade through downtown Dallas.

There was the NBA lockout that led to a new collective bargaining agreement with different rules that affected how owner Mark Cuban put together his roster, and strategically let go of some big pieces. There was the rushed and condensed regular season for the league’s oldest team, along with the reality drama with early departed Lamar Odom.

And now the Mavs are done without even winning a playoff game, swept in the first round by the youthfully talented Oklahoma City Thunder, who overcame a 13-point deficit with less than 10 minutes left in Game 4 at Dallas to wrap up the first-round series.

“It’s disappointing obviously, frustrating,” Nowitzki said Sunday, their 11-time All-Star shocked that the season is already over. “We’d obviously love to get better. … We went for cap space for the first time in my career, so we’ll see what we can do with that the next year or next two years. But we definitely want to improve the franchise.”

The loss Saturday night not only ended the Mavericks’ championship reign, it started an offseason filled with questions about who will be part of the team next season and the potential for another drastically changed roster.

Jason Kidd, their 39-year-old point guard whose 1,315 career regular-season games are more than any other active player, and Jason Terry are among six free-agent players. Even Carlisle is at the end of his four-year contract, though general manager Donnie Nelson repeated Sunday that he expects the coach back.

“He likes us, we like him. … Rick’s not going anywhere,” Nelson said, without elaborating on the status of a new deal.

Carlisle and Cuban have both repeatedly refused over the last several weeks to discuss the coach’s future.

“This has been a great opportunity for me and my family and we love it here,” Carlisle said Sunday. “That’s as far as I’m going to go with talking about it.”

After last season’s championship, the Mavericks didn’t keep center Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, J.J. Barea or Caron Butler. Chandler went to the New York Knicks and last week was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

While letting those players go seemingly hurt this season, it helped Dallas gain some salary-cap flexibility for free agency this summer.

“We went through (the CBA) each and every which way that we could to try to figure out the best way to be successful. Given what happened, I think we put together a damn good team,” Cuban said before the final game.

“I wasn’t looking ahead at all,” he said. “It’s, here’s the rules we have. Given the rules we have, what’s the best way for us to build a team this year without destroying our future? Not, we’re going to build next year.”

But it’s now next year and it has long been presumed that the Mavericks will make a push for free agent Deron Williams, New Jersey’s All-Star guard from the Dallas area, if he doesn’t decide to stay with the Brooklyn-bound Nets.

Cuban, talking in general about free agency, insisted the Mavs don’t know yet what they’re going to do this summer. He said there are still many unknowns about how contracts will be done and the costs with the new CBA.

One thing Dallas needs to do is find a younger complement to Nowitzki, who will be 34 next season.

“That’s an important piece,” Nelson said Sunday, without mentioning any names. “I think you saw during the course of the playoffs that (Nowitzki) was fighting tooth and nail, and he needs help. He needs help and we plan to get it for him.”

When asked after the finale the top one or two things the Mavs needed to get done this summer, Nowitzki joked: “We have to get Kobe, Wade and LeBron in here.”

On Sunday, Nowitzki said his only concern was for the team to get better. As for Williams, he’d love to have him.

“Get your (rear) home,” Mavs forward Shawn Marion said when asked of his recruiting pitch to Williams.

Kidd said he’d like to stay in Dallas, and would have no problem backing up Williams. They happen to have the same agent and probably will play golf together this summer, though Kidd insisted he won’t have any influence on Williams’ decision.

“He’s his own man and he’s going to make the right decision for what’s best for him to try to win a championship,” Kidd said.

The Mavs have plenty of their own decisions that have to be made to try and fix what was a championship team not too long ago.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Nelson said. “You’ve got to have your (plans) A, B, C, D and E and so on, but you also understand that things are moving and situations are fluid. You go into it with eyes wide open and hopefully you can come out of it with what you want.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The Thunder trailed by 13 points with 9:44 left before Harden scored seven in a row, and nine in a 12-0 run over the next 3 minutes.

Oklahoma City finally took the lead, and kept it, after Russell Westbrook stole the ball from Dirk Nowitzki and passed to Serge Ibaka for a two-handed slam that made it 92-91 with 5:17 left.

Dallas is the second defending champion in five years to be swept in the first round. After beating the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals, Miami lost in four games to Chicago the next year.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks is introduced before Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2012 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (credit: Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (AP) – Kevin Durant finally found his postseason shooting touch to get Oklahoma City off to a quick start, and the Thunder never trailed on the way to a 95-79 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night for a commanding 3-0 series lead over the defending NBA champs.

After two close games on their home court, the young Thunder ran away with Game 3.

They will run away with the first-round series with one more win. Game 4 is Saturday in Dallas.

“You have to win four. … We’ll play every game like it’s the most important game. We’ve done that all year and continue to do that,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “(The Mavericks) have pride, they’re not going to give you anything. They’re going to make you earn it. We earned it.”

Even though Durant missed the first shot of the game, Serge Ibaka turned that into a putback basket. Durant then scored nine points in an early 3-minute span, including two 3-pointers and a 17-foot fadeaway, as Oklahoma City took a 14-7 lead.

Durant finished with 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting. The three-time NBA scoring champion was a combined 15 of 44 in the first two games of the series, though he had a game-winning jumper with 1.5 seconds in the opener.

“He was jumping over us and making shots,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.

Russell Westbrook added 20 points for the Thunder, while Ibaka had 10 points and 11 rebounds and James Harden and Derek Fisher both had 10 points.

Dirk Nowitzki had 17 points to lead Dallas, and Jason Kidd had 12.

The Mavericks have a nearly impossible climb to avoid being the first defending champion knocked out in the first round of the playoffs since Miami five years ago. After beating Dallas in the 2006 NBA finals, the Heat were swept in four games by Chicago in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs the next season.

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.

“Our mistakes we weren’t able to overcome. Their high-level play, we weren’t able to overcome either,” Carlisle said. “It’s really tough to go down 0-3. We’re going to keep fighting. … I like the way we’re battling, but we’ve had bad shooting nights and horrible decision-making.”

Oklahoma City had a 16-7 lead less than 5 minutes into the game, after Durant’s alley-oop pass to Ibaka for a layup. The Thunder pushed ahead with 16-5 runs in both the second and third quarters, the later one clinching the game.

When Kendrick Perkins had a tip-in of Harden’s miss with 4 minutes left in the first quarter, coach Rick Carlisle was so irate that the field goal wasn’t disallowed for basket interference that he had to be restrained by one of his assistant coaches.

Carlisle went ballistic, charging onto the court screaming and pointing at official Marc Davis. Replays showed Carlisle might have had a good argument, but he got called for a technical foul and Westbrook’s free throw put the Thunder up 21-11, their first double-digit lead.

“There’s been frustration with officials, but we’re not going to make it about officials,” Carlisle said.

A couple of minutes later, Durant made his third 3-pointer of the first quarter to stretch the gap to 28-13.

Durant had 15 points by the end of the first quarter, but the Mavericks cut their deficit to 32-26. Vince Carter made two free throws, had a driving one-handed dunk and ended the quarter with a 3-pointer in the final 1:34 for Dallas.

After Dallas got within 32-28 on two free throws by Delonte West to start the second quarter, the Thunder were again up by 15 after consecutive 3-pointers by Fisher and Westbrook.

Harden made a cross-court pass to Fisher in the left corner in front of the Oklahoma City bench. Then after a wide-open Shawn Marion fumbled the ball out of bounds under the Dallas basket, Westbrook hit a 3-pointer for a 48-33 lead that led to a timeout by Carlisle.

Dallas got a slam from Ian Mahinmi and a driving layup by Kidd in the opening minute of the third quarter to get within 50-45.

But the Thunder then had their second 16-5 run, and was back up 66-50 when Thabo Sefolosha made a 3-pointer with 5:54 left in the quarter. The Mavericks never got closer than 11 points after that, finishing the third quarter only 4-of-18 shooting with four turnovers.

During a timeout with just under 8 minutes left in the game, Dallas fans started streaming out of the American Airlines Center.

Three minutes later, both coaches cleared their benches and got all the starters off the court.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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This time, the Thunder might not let the defending NBA champions get past the first round.

Even though Kevin Durant has struggled shooting, and each of the first two games has gone down to the closing seconds, the Thunder have a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-7 series. The first-round series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 on Thursday night.

Last year, Dallas needed only five games to get past the Thunder’s lineup of 20-something players in the Western Conference finals. But there was an overtime loss by Oklahoma City and every game was tight.

Mavs guard Jason Terry says  “Game 3 is Game 7” for Dallas this time.

Stern said that the league doesn’t try and encourage players to play though. “No, we stay out of it,” he said. “The problem is that it’s so [ingrained] into the international players that they just always play. And so we were contemplating, even back in the day when we thought we maybe wouldn’t allow NBA players to go, that would have deprived us of Yao Ming because the Chinese government never would have let him come to play [in the NBA]. And the international players were going anyway. So then it would apply only to American players? So we found ourselves in a bit of an interesting dilemma with the whole thing.”

Stern made sure to say that the United States’ international dominance isn’t what makes him feel that way, saying he doesn’t have “a problem with Americans losing in the Olympics.”

“We don’t have to win everything for it to be great,” Stern added.

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There was that hope surrounding the Dallas Mavericks going into their first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The hope that the defending NBA champions could prove they have the heart of one in the one of the most ridiculous NBA seasons ever. That they could “flip the switch” and defend their title. Ain’t happening. Only switch flipping is going to be the NBA lights being turned off inside the American Airlines Center until the next NBA season.

Forget the big brother versus little brother battle and geographic intrigue in this first round matchup. It boils down to one team versus another and one team being the better one. That team is the Thunder.

Ultimately, this Mavericks squad is what it is: a six-games-over-500 squad that struggles on the road particularly against good opponents. The Mavs finished the season 36-30. They went 13-20 on the road and didn’t beat a team that had a winning percentage better than .600 away from the American Airlines Center. They struggled in close games. Going 7-8 in contests decided by three points or fewer.

All of these trends we are seeing in the Mavericks first two games against the Thunder. Road losses, not executing well in the closing moments of the games and looking just a step slow.

Don’t start getting all bunnies and tulips optimistic about the Mavs coming back to Dallas for the next two games. They might get a win but at this point, to channel Rangers Ron Washington, this team just do what it do. And, this postseason, that means first round elimination.

Think about it, though. Given the crazy the 66-game regular season and how absurd the schedule was, did you really expect much more?

Next up for the Dallas Mavericks: Extinction?

In the wake of another kick-to-the-crotch loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in which the supposedly savvy veterans lost a last-minute lead, the Mavericks’ flight home was delayed more than hour by bad weather Monday night. But even sitting in a hangar to protect them from the elements, the Mavs were certainly not comforted by the fact that, ultimately, they’re not going to be able to weather this storm.

When the Mavs finally arrived in Dallas around 3 a.m. they unpacked the grim reality: They are not quicker, stronger, faster or younger than the Thunder. And, with a playoff series that has continued a season-long troubling trend, they simply are not better either.

The Mavericks have played four games in Oklahoma City this season. In each game they have held a lead in the final minute. They are 0-4, including consecutive losses in this first-round series in which they’ve been outscored in the final 60 seconds by totals of 5-2 in Game 1 and 6-2 in Monday night’s Game 2.

Each time the details are different. But the script remains similar.

“We just haven’t made enough plays,” said a flabbergasted Mavs’ coach Rick Carlisle after his team lost 102-99 to fall into the almost insurmountable 0-2 hole to the second-seeded Thunder. “It’s tough. No question about it. We’ve had opportunities. But we haven’t cashed them in. They’ve made one more play than we have, in both games. As my good friend Ron Washington would say, ‘That’s how baseball go’.”

While the Texas Rangers and Yu Darvish are just embarking on what appears to be a record-setting, championship-winning season, the defending champion Mavericks are nearing their final, fatal gasps for life.

Two losses by a combined four points don’t seem disheartening, but it’s the style as much as the substance. Dallas’ edge was supposed to be guile and guts and executing down the stretch of close games in pressured environments. But Oklahoma City has been better. At the end of quarters. And, yes, at the end of games.

In Game 1 Kevin Durant made an improbable H-O-R-S-E shot, kissing the game-winner off the front rim, over the square on the backboard and in. In Game 2 Dirk Nowitzki attempted to give Dallas a lead with 25 seconds remaining, but his trademark Flamingo Fadeaway hit the rim, the backboard, the rim and, swear, the rim again before falling off.

So close. But yet so far.

“We’re going to keep coming at ‘em,” said Nowitzki, who also missed a wide-open 3-pointer that would’ve given his team a four-point lead with 1:13 remaining. “We’re not going to back down. We’re not going to give it to them, we’re gonna make them take it from us. We’ve got some warriors in here and the fight isn’t over. We’re a couple of bounces from being up 2-0.”

Added Mavs’ forward Shawn Marion, “It should be 2-0, us. It’s frustration, yeah, but more so I’m just pissed off.”

The series, of course, isn’t over. I fully expect the Mavs to play with desperation – which will manifest itself in energy and execution – and win Thursday night’s Game 3. They’ve done so much right in the series it won’t take much for them to make it competitive.

Kevin Durant has made only 15 of 44 shots. When the Thunder have shoved, the Mavs have pushed back. And with a mix of zone defense and holding their own on the boards, Dallas has, other than a Game 2 spurt, controlled the pace to an acceptable, non-windshield wiper pace.

“We are disappointed,” said Carlisle. “But we are not dismayed.”

The glaring problem: The Mavs have been outplayed in crunch time. In the final two minutes of the series’ eight quarters OKC has outscored Dallas, 55-29. And in the final minute, the Thunder have an 11-4 edge.

While the Thunder got winning, surprising production from Serge Ibaka and Derek Fisher, the Mavs have melted down. In Game 1 it was consecutive Nowitzki turnovers that helped choke away a late seven-point lead. And Tuesday night it was the three elders again: Jason Kidd with a wild pass out of bounds, Jason Terry bailing out OKC with a foul at the end of the shot clock and Nowitzki missing the potential dagger 3-poiner and the baseline fadeaway we’ve seen him hit not 100, but 1,000 times.

“That fadeaway bounced all over the rim … hit every part of it,” he said. “But that’s the way our season has been going. It’s frustrating.”

After the game Carlisle displayed his emotion, telling the media and a live audience on NBATV that “the dirty bullshit’s gotta stop,” in reference to Ibaka slapping Nowitzki in the face after a made shot and Kendrick Perkins trying to antagonize and intimidate Dirk later in the Game 2’s feisty first half.

Since acumen isn’t trumping athleticism, Dallas needs to combine its heart of a champion with the wisdom of a winner. Better performance, yes. But also better decisions.

The Mavs have been in playoff holes before. Last year they blew a 23-point lead in a loss to Portland. They gave up home-court to the Thunder with a Game 2 loss in the Western Conference Finals. They twice trailed the Miami Heat in The Finals. In Game 2 they survived a 46-30 deficit, but again lost in the final seconds.

Dallas can look at it two ways: 1. They’re either thiiiis close; 2. Or they’re simply not good enough.

The hail and lightning didn’t kill the Mavs.

But the Thunder may be too much.

97-96 Mavs lead with :50 left on the clock and 2.6 on the shot clock for OKC

Jason Terry decides to jump in front of Durant on the inbounds pass and attempt to steal the ball away.

Love the aggression, those are the things the Mavericks did last season that made them so hard to beat in close games on their way to a title. Jason Kidd, Terry and Shawn Marion would all fly into passing lanes, take a risk and send the ball back down the court for another Mavs possession.

If Terry had been a second sooner on his break, he would have stolen it clean and nobody would be calling it the “stupidest foul ever,” as you know many of you did on Twitter.

Problem was, he wasn’t and he didn’t. Durant hits two free throws and gives OKC the lead.

98-97 Mavs trail with :30 left on the clock and Dirk stumbles into the lane

The bounce that some call lucky for Durant in Game 1, I call a shooter’s bounce, didn’t go for Dirk.
Shawn Marion even went up for it, but couldn’t touch it because it was in the cylinder.

When you’re good, you get the bounces. Dirk’s shooting percentage is the lowest it’s been since 98-99 at .457, he’s not getting the shooter’s bounce right now because he’s not as locked in as he was last year .517.

If he hadn’t stumbled, he wouldn’t have wasted about 10 seconds resetting and probably would have received the pass clean and scored on his way to the rim for a score. He did, he did, he didn’t and he didn’t.

97-96 Mavs trail with 1:13 left in the game Dirk fires up a wide-open three

Last year dirk attempted 168 three pointers and hit 40 percent. This year he’s shooting 36 percent from three with 212 attempts.

He’s not as good this year on the three, and has taken the most threes he’s shot since that 2007 first round exit season against the Warriors. Still, with the wide-open shot he had, it looked like he was warming up with Holger.

If it goes down, the Mavs go up 100-96, James Harden doesn’t get the rebound ultimately setting up the Jason Terry foul with :50 seconds left.

19-17 Mavs trail 5:03 left in the first quarter Dirk and Perkins called for Double Technicals

Dirk had Tyson Chandler to fight his battles last year. He didn’t have to worry about somebody getting under his skin, ie. Kendrick Perkins, because Chandler was so busy getting into the other team’s heads and winning the physical war in the paint.

Without Chandler, Nowitzki has nobody who has his back vocally, gives him a little of that swagger that, and allows him to focus solely on punishing the opponent on the offensive end.

When Perkins threw that punch, the team rallied until they gave up a nine-point run to end the first quarter. This team does not have the physical presence or face-the-challenge psyche they had last year with Chandler manning the middle.

While Dirk is and can be an elite scorer, he is exhausting himself on the defensive end, and has nobody to throw the punch for him.

The Thunder in turn can allow Perkins, Ibaka and Collison to pound on everybody while Durant, Westbrook and Harden spend all of their energy on making shots and getting to the basket.

(Copyright 2012 CBS Local – a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved.)

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LOS ANGELES (CBS SPORTS) - Brace yourselves, fans of Lamar Odom’s reality show “Khloe & Lamar.” Because it’s over. According to TMZ, Odom is pulling the plug on the reality show to try to put his focus back on basketball. TMZ reports that people with the E! Network are trying to convince the couple to reconsider the decision, but Odom and reality star wife Khloe Kardashian Odom and standing firm.

Odom was placed on the inactive list with the Dallas Mavericks after getting low numbers earlier this season. He is likely to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, as he will likely have his contract bought out. He is not over-the-hill at just 32 years old, but this season has certainly placed a blemish on his career. Still, another team may hope that the former Sixth Man of the Year can quickly make a big comeback.

Odom is now back to living in Los Angeles, and has reportedly hired trainers to help him get his game back on track. Cutting the outside distraction of a reality television show, and his network responsibilities, could help get his focus back on the court where it belongs. It also eliminates some of the invasion of privacy that Odom has struggled with in the NBA.

Khloe is still under contract to appear on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

Click Here To Read More From CBS Sports

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Last postseason, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks rode a wave of late-game comebacks to win the franchise’s first NBA title.

Now the Oklahoma City Thunder are showing the Mavs how it feels to be on the other side.

Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, Kevin Durant added 26 in an off-shooting performance and Oklahoma City clawed out a 102-99 victory over Dallas on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Mavericks led in the final minute in both road games so far, but couldn’t even manage a split as the Thunder gutted out two wins by a total of four points.

“We just haven’t made enough plays. It is tough, there’s no question about it,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ve had opportunities and we haven’t cashed in. They’ve made one more play than we have in both games. That’s how playoff basketball is.”

Durant hit two free throws with 50.4 seconds left to give Oklahoma City a 98-97 lead, and reserve James Harden hit all four of his foul shots after that to close it out for the Thunder.

Jason Terry missed two 3-point attempts from the left wing in the final 5 seconds that could have tied it and set up overtime. Instead, the defending champs head back home facing what amounts to a must-win Game 3 on Thursday night in Dallas.

“That’s really all we need right now is to get on the board on Thursday,” said Nowitzki, who led Dallas with 31 points but missed both his shots in the final 75 seconds.

“I still think the guys are upbeat, even though we’re down 2-0. The guys know that we’re right there. We’re still in this if we get the game on Thursday.”

If not, the Thunder will take a big step toward avenging last year’s 4-1 loss in the Western Conference finals.

“Obviously, they have been here last year so they know what it takes,” Harden said. “We’ve made it pretty far, so we know what it takes.

“It’s going to be a battle.”

Durant put the Thunder ahead to stay after salvaging two key points with Oklahoma City inbounding the ball with only 2.6 seconds left on the shot clock. He grabbed the inbounds pass from Harden while headed toward the sideline, and Terry was called for a foul for bumping him.

Durant hit both foul shots, and Nowitzki missed his chance to answer with a fade-away 12-foot jumper from the left side.

Harden, only eight days removed from sustaining a concussion as the result of elbow from Metta World Peace, grabbed the rebound on Nowitzki’s shot and got fouled to set up the first of his four clinching free throws in the last 26 seconds.

“That’s what the playoffs are about,” Westbrook said. “Toughness.”

The late-game struggles are exactly the opposite of last year’s championship run, when the Mavs got two fourth-quarter rallies while sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers and closed out the Thunder with back-to-back comebacks from deficits of 15 and eight points in the fourth quarter.

But it’s a continuation of the regular-season series, when Dallas led in the final 3 minutes of both games in Oklahoma City and lost them both.

“We’re just a couple bounces away from being up 2-0,” Nowitzki said. “It’s tough and it’s frustrating, but we’re going to keep coming. We’re not going to lay down. If they beat us, we’re going to make them earn it.”

This one nearly came to blows.

The tension escalated after Serge Ibaka tried to block Nowitzki’s jumper midway through the first quarter and smacked him in the left eye on his follow-through, without getting called for a foul. Nowitzki hit another jumper along the baseline on Dallas’ next possession before he got shoved in the back by Kendrick Perkins while jockeying for rebounding position on a made 3-pointer by Durant.

Perkins followed Nowitzki for a few steps before Nowitzki bumped him away, and Perkins responded by taking a swing at Nowitzki’s head with his open hand. Official Zach Zarba stepped in front of Perkins and backed him away, and both were assessed technical fouls.

“He tried to bully me and I bullied back a little bit and talked about some stuff, and moved on,” Nowitzki said.

Perkins responded: “It’s playoff basketball. There’s grown men out here playing basketball and teams trying to advance. You’re just out here playing. It’s nothing to hurt nobody or nothing like that.”

The Thunder went on a run a few minutes later, scoring the final nine points of the first quarter — all within an 82-second span — and then carrying over the momentum to build a 46-30 lead with 5:55 left before halftime.

When Nowitzki and Perkins finally got back on the court together, the Mavericks’ All-Star exacted some revenge while getting his team back in the game. He went on a personal 10-2 run, with all of the points coming while he was matched up against Perkins, to get the deficit down to 50-47.

“It’s playoff basketball. It’s physical. We don’t like the cheap shots when they give them, and they don’t like them if we give them.

That’s the nature of competition,” Carlisle said. “I love hard-played, clean, competitive playoff series. You throw the ball up and may the best team win.

“The dirty (stuff) has got to stop. We don’t want anybody getting hurt out there, either way.”

Notes: After going back and forth responding to each other’s comments on how Oklahoma City’s defense on Nowitzki was officiated in Game 1, Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks insisted any dispute with Carlisle wasn’t personal. Years ago, the two roomed together while playing in the Continental Basketball Association.

“He was a good roommate. He didn’t snore,” Brooks said. “That’s all it takes. Buy me a meal every now and then and not snore, you’re a perfect roommate.” He later playfully retorted: “If you want it to be personal, I was a better player. How many years did I play in the league? How many years did he play? I played over a decade. He played three.” … Shawn Marion hadn’t made a playoff 3-pointer since 2007 before making three in Game 1. He had another in Game 2. … Ibaka, who tied his regular season best with 22 points in the first game, got into foul trouble and scored only two.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

9. Difference in this game was Thunder center Serge Ibaka. Not only did he score 22 points, but produced six dunks and constantly thwarted the Mavs’ Ian Mahinmi and Vince Carter at the rim. Hate to be a buzzkill, but Tyson Chandler finished a lot of the point-blank shots that Dallas missed.

8. If Dirk Nowitzki produces only two more baskets (8) than turnovers (6) the Mavs won’t win a game in this series. Simple. His two turnovers off loose dribbles were mind-boggling and his soft foul allowing Ibaka a three-point play were inexplicable mistakes that directly helped his team lose. It may not be his style, but Dirk’s gotta take a hard foul there and make a 65-percent free-throw shooter earn two points at the line.

7. Um, Failure Jesus, you need to get to gettin’. Mavs’ fans have prayed for Russell Westbrook to fail but, so far so bad. He made every mid-range jumper and in the fourth quarter locked down Jason Terry on defense. Worst of all, he kept his emotions in check. Not good. And with Delonte West obviously slowed by a bout with dirty oysters, why wasn’t Roddy Beaubois used to chase the Thunder point guard?

6. Mavs lost this game in the final 2:30 yes, but also at the end of the second and third quarters. Leading by six and with a chance to expand their lead into halftime, Dallas instead got an offensive foul from Nowitzki and then watched Ibaka drain a 3-pointer – only the third of his career. A lead that could’ve been eight was instead three at the break. At the end of the third Nowitzki threw away a pass for turnover and the Mavs then allowed James Harden an offensive rebound and free throws. Those wasted possessions and crucial coughed-up points are deadly on the road in the playoffs, especially when you wind up losing by one.

5. Even though he showed promising flashes during the regular season, I’m afraid the playoffs are too big of a stage and too physical of a game for Brandan Wright. He was just overwhelmed and ineffective.

4. Props to Durant for admitting that he didn’t see the rim and that “It looked bad leaving my hand”. But zero props for him and Westbrook showing up together for post-game press conference – in matching, unnecessary black-framed geek glasses. Better than last year’s backpack, I guess.

3. Mavs lost a heart-breaker in Portland in Game 4 last year. They lost at home to OKC in Game 2 last spring. And they trailed the Heat in The NBA Finals twice before rallying to win. Point is the Mavs are a battle-tested team, and they’ll respond. But a savvy team just has to find a way to close out a road playoff game in which they lead 94-87 with 2:31 remaining. Down the stretch they didn’t score a basket, getting a missed Dirk 3, a Nowitzki turnover, a missed jumper by Carter and another Dirk lost dribble. Heart of a champion is great and all, but you’ve got to combine that with the head of a winner.

2. Not a good sign: The Mavs lost a playoff game in which they got more rebounds, shot more free throws and made 10 3-pointers. Other than the turnovers in the final two minutes, I’m not sure they can play much better.

1. I know we’re supposed to tip our caps to Durant, but, let’s admit it, that was a lucky shot. With Marion in his face and unable to see the rim, he lofted a prayer that – although short and left – somehow was answered with 1.4 seconds remaining. Can’t see the basket … off the front rim … over the square on the backboard … nothing but net? It’s lucky because he couldn’t make that shot if he tried. But as we’re often reminded in sports: Lucky often trumps good.

 (Copyright 2012 CBS Local – a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved.)

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Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks recovers a loose ball by Kendrick Perkins #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2012 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma City defeated Dallas 99-98.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Kevin Durant was determined to not let the Oklahoma City Thunder lose another playoff game at home to Dallas.

He scored 25 points and hit the winning jumper from the foul line with 1.5 seconds left to give the Thunder a 99-98 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series — a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals.

The Thunder trailed by seven with 2 1/2 minutes left before rallying to take the first step toward avenging a 4-1 series loss a year ago.

“It’s the playoffs,” Durant said. “No matter how it gets done, you’ve got to do it.”

With his team trailing by one late in the fourth quarter, he forced his way toward the lane and found himself with defenders closing in and the clock winding down.

Durant maneuvered to the free throw line and got off a high-arcing shot over Shawn Marion that hit off the front of the rim and then off the backboard before falling through the net.

The defending NBA champion Mavericks, who were out of timeouts, could not get a shot off before the buzzer.

“If you have a timeout, you can move the ball (to half-court) and maybe have a look at it,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who had hit two free throws with 9 seconds left to put Dallas ahead. “But if you don’t have a timeout, that’s definitely a buzzer-beater.”

Nowitzki scored 11 of his 25 points in the final 5 minutes, going on a personal 7-1 run that made it 92-85 with 3:23 to go.

He then answered Russell Westbrook’s layup with a foul line jumper to restore the seven-point advantage, but it didn’t prove to be enough.

“It’s tough. This is definitely as tough of a loss as you can get,” Nowitzki said. “But if a team can recover it, it’s an experienced one and we definitely have a lot of older guys who have been through a lot.”

Westbrook led the Thunder with 28 points and Serge Ibaka had 22 points and five blocks. James Harden scored 19 points in his first game since sustaining a concussion when the Los Angeles Lakers’ Metta World Peace hit him with an elbow last Sunday and earned a seven-game suspension.

Dallas’ Jason Terry added 20 points — but none in the fourth quarter — and Marion had 17.

“We’re going to keep coming at these guys. Trust me, we’re going to keep going at `em,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We have a tough-minded team. We have a locker room full of champions.”

The second-seeded Thunder played catch-up most of the night, and Durant led the charge on the final push of seven straight Oklahoma City points before his right-handed slam tied it at 94 with 1:27 remaining.

Dallas went back ahead with an out-of-control possession, with Harden knocking the ball away from Jason Kidd and then Nowitzki losing it, too, before Vince Carter missed a desperation baseline jumper. Ian Mahinmi rebounded the miss and got fouled, stepping to the line to hit two free throws with 1:03 to play.

Durant drove to set up Ibaka’s three-point play at the other end, bumping the Thunder ahead 97-96. Nowitzki committed his second turnover of the final 3 minutes and Durant missed along the baseline before the two All-Stars came through in the clutch — with Durant getting the last chance.

“It was a great shot,” Harden said. “It saved the game for us. I don’t think we played well … but he saved us at the end.”

Back in December, Durant hit the third buzzer-beater of his career — and the most recent until Saturday night — on a 3-pointer to beat Dallas 104-102 in the fourth game of the regular season.

“I was all over him. He couldn’t even get a look at the rim,” Marion said. “He just threw it up there and got a nice little bounce and it went in.”

Afterward, Carlisle second-guessed his decision not to double-team Durant but he was more focused on the series of mistakes that allowed the lead to slip away — including Nowitzki’s turnovers and the defense that allowed Ibaka’s two three-point plays 53 seconds apart.

“We made mistakes you can’t make down the stretch. The last shot always gets magnified, but we made some uncharacteristic mistakes that we’re not going to make any more in this series,” Carlisle said. “We can’t.”

Nowitzki had dominated last year’s West finals, averaging 32.2 points and 11.8 in the fourth quarter. Dallas won both games in Oklahoma City a season ago and overcame fourth-quarter deficits of 15 and eight points in the final two games.

This time, the roles were reversed.

“I thought we had our chances, and we’ve got to create our own breaks. It felt like all season long, for some reason, the other teams were making one more play, one more bounce,” Nowitzki said. “We’ve got to come up and grab them.

“We were right there. The game was there for the taking. We needed one more play that we didn’t come up with.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

When the Dallas Mavericks arrive for Game 1 on Saturday night, it’ll be a rematch of last season’s West finals dominated by Dirk Nowitzki on his way to his first NBA title.

Many of the faces have changed, at least on the Dallas sideline. Gone are Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson and Peja Stojakovic.

In their place is a new batch of role players seeking to terrorize the Thunder again in the Mavs’ bid to repeat.

Nowitzki averaged 32.2 points against Oklahoma City in last year’s playoffs to outduel Kevin Durant, who just became the seventh player to win three straight league scoring titles.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 26: Ivan Johnson #44 of the Atlanta Hawks grabs a rebound against the Dallas Mavericks on April 26, 2012 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

ATLANTA (AP) -  Josh Smith scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, racing to a 23-point lead in the opening quarter on the way to a 106-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the regular-season finale Thursday night.

The Hawks (40-26) wrapped up the fourth-best record in the East and host Boston on Sunday. The defending NBA champion Mavericks (36-30) open the playoffs Saturday at Oklahoma City.

Atlanta pounced on the Mavericks right from the tip, making 16 of 23 shots (69.6 percent) in the opening period. Smith had the outside jumper working and seemed to be everywhere, scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out five assists and making a steal. A 28-7 run, capped by Willie Green‘s 3-pointer, pushed the lead to 36-13.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 22 points.

The Hawks led 60-44 at halftime and held off a brief spurt by the Mavericks at the start of the third quarter, capping a season in which Atlanta improved on its winning percentage from 2011 even after losing All-Star center Al Horford early in the lockout-shortened year.

Horford, who is still recovering from pectoral surgery, has ruled himself out for the Boston series but still hopes to play if the Hawks advance from the opening round for the fourth year in a row. The team hasn’t gotten past the second round since moving to Atlanta in 1968.

Dallas wasn’t nearly as dominant coming off its first NBA title, finishing far behind the top seeds in the West, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. With only its first-round opponent in doubt, the Mavericks had little to play for in Atlanta – and their performance reflected it.

Jeff Teague added 17 points for the Hawks, Joe Johnson had 15 and Kirk Hinrich contributed 12. Smith finished with nine rebounds and seven assists.

With the home court no longer in doubt, Atlanta was finally able to rest its starters in the final quarter. Green scored 11 points, Ivan Johnson finished with 10 and the Hawks got 33 points overall from their reserves.

Rodrigue Beaubois scored 13 points for Dallas. Jason Terry had 11.

NOTES: Hawks G Jannero Pargo did not dress because of a sore back. … Mavericks G Jason Kidd rested up for the playoffs, watching the game from the bench in his street clothes. … Atlanta coach Larry Drew is sounding less and less optimistic about C Zaza Pachulia (sprained left foot) coming back for the opening round of the playoffs. “Me, personally, I’m not getting my hopes up too high that we’ll have him,” Drew said. … This was the only regular-season meeting between the teams. The Mavericks had won the last three games against the Hawks, including a 2-0 sweep of last year’s series.

Dirk Nowitzki joins Elf & Friends at AAC (Photo by @iamElf, CBSDFW.COM)

DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – The Mavs could be starting NBA playoff action as soon as this weekend and with one game left in the regular season Dirk says the Mavs are healthy and ready to go!

The Mavs 7’0″ power forward took a break from practice at AAC to talk with Elf & Friends and give us a preview of the NBA playoffs.

PLAY: Dirk Nowitzki joins Elf & Friends on 105.3 The Fan

(iPad iPhone users click here for audio)

Catch Elf weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on 105.3 The Fan. Follow Elf on Twitter @iamElf

(© Copyright 2012 KRLD FM, 105.3 The Fan, CBS Local. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A man who once slept in cardboard boxes on the streets of Dallas is now a published author and business owner.

He hopes his story is an inspiration to anyone looking to beat the power of addiction.

Nathaniel Peavy is 45-years-old now. His short sleeve shirt and pants are crisp. His white sneakers look
new.

A few years ago, he showed up for a job interview wearing a pair of pants someone had given him. They were four inches too big.

He was homeless.

“I’m that guy that was under the bridge. It’s just really rough. Really rough,” he said.

As a 20-year-old, Peavy had a promising career in basketball. He was playing in the Dallas Mavericks Summer League.  Partying after a game one night in San Antonio, he was arrested for drugs. One of the young men he was with turned him in.

“I was with the informant. But, I blame myself for the choices that I made,” Peavy said.

Peavy left prison after seven years and lived on the streets.

It was difficult to find a job.

“People can look at you and see if you have holes in your shoes and I’ve had that. No socks. Wet socks. Nice shirt on. Torn up pants. And, who’s going to hire me?” he asked.

Tammy Kling, an author of more than 50 books encouraged him to write.  “I teach writing classes to the homeless. The main reason is writing helps you heal,” she said.

Peavy pulled up a chapter from his book on his laptop and started to read.  “My most vivid memory as a child when when my mom and dad had gotten divorced,” he read.

Peavy called his book, “The Secret to Overcoming Addiction.”

“Nathaniel’s book is about addressing anything that’s covering up the pain inside,” Kling explained.

Kling didn’t write it. Peavy did. She only helped him edit it.

“When I looked at his book, I was in tears. I mean phenomenal book,” Kling said.

Peavy said he was homeless, on and off, for at least ten years in different cities and different states.  But he remembers waking up one morning on the corner of MLK and Harwood in Dallas and seeing a sign that said, “Never Give Up.”

Now, Peavy makes signs as the owner of a graphics company in Mississippi.

He’s back in Dallas until the weekend to visit old friends and places where he used to sleep on the streets of Dallas four years ago.

“It’s a homecoming. It’s a healing,” he said.  “God has allowed me to do what I do and I’m thankful. Very thankful,” he said.

Peavy’s dreams to play for the NBA were dashed, but he says he’s satisfied just being peaceful and content.

He’s still a Mavericks fan though, and while he was in town went to see them play.

Carter’s personal streak ended when he had an assist on Jason Terry’s breakaway 3-pointer that stretched the Dallas lead to 87-75 with 9 minutes left.

It was the last regular season home game for the defending NBA champions, who clinched a playoff spot Thursday night without even playing. The Mavericks were guaranteed their 12th straight playoff appearance after Houston’s sixth consecutive loss, in New Orleans a night after the Rockets lost in Dallas.

Brandan Wright had 17 points for Dallas, which finished 23-10 at home.

Klay Thompson, one of four rookie starters for Golden State, had 26 points.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The NBPA says in a statement on its Twitter feed Friday (@thenbpa) that the executive committee voted 8-0 Wednesday that it had lost confidence in Fisher’s ability to lead. The statement says the decision was based “on numerous instances over the past six months, where Fisher engaged in conduct detrimental to the union.”

The union says that includes “acting in contravention of the players’ best interests, during collective bargaining, declining to follow the NBPA Constitution, and failing to uphold the duties of the Union President.”

The veteran guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder has been the union’s president since 2006.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Though the league says ratings are up and attendance will be about the same as last season, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t think there’s a future for a 66-game schedule.

Silver says a shorter season would result in a reduction of revenues for the league and lower salaries for players, so it’s not something either side would want.

The usual 82-game schedule wasn’t possible after owners and players couldn’t reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement in time. The compressed schedule has resulted in exciting playoff races in both conferences with a week left in what Commissioner David Stern calls a “barnburner of a season” Thursday during a meeting with Associated Press Sports Editors.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Jason Terry #31 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates a win against the Houston Rockets on April 18, 2012 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A victory was needed to help secure a playoff spot and the Dallas Mavericks answered the call with a 117 -110 win over the Houston Rockets.

The Mavs haven’t quite secured a playoff spot just yet but the win certainly gave them some breathing room leading up to their final home game against Golden State Friday night. With both teams shooting at least 50% for the game, defensive stops would be at a premium especially in the first half. There was a combined 110 points scored in the first half.

Rockets vs Mavs Photos

However, in the second half, key players for this team stepped up when the help was needed to secure the victory. The Mavericks had five players in double figures including Dirk Nowitzki scoring a game high 35 points, including 31 in the second half and 21 in the fourth quarter leading the Mavs to their 35^th victory of the season.

“It was a fun game, the atmosphere was good and we made some shots at the right time. ‘JET’ (Jason Terry) got hot there and made some shots. J-Kidd was hot so we made some great plays when it counted,” said Nowitzki.

The bench made the difference tonight; Jason Terry had 19 points and Vince Carter had a season high 23 points. Vince Carter’s extra contribution definitely did not go unnoticed with his coach.

“He just had a really strong disposition at both ends of the floor. He was attacking on offense. Defensively, he was putting his body on people and he was rebounding. He’s a tremendous all-around player. His passing ability is something that’s frequently overlooked because he’s a high flyer and scorer. We’ve needed him the last couple of games for spacing, and we need his all-around ability,” praised head coach Rick Carlisle.

Heading into the playoffs, better basketball is the key for this group and the moment seems to be bringing the best out of the Dallas veterans. Kidd played over 35 minutes tonight and has played at least 33 minutes in the last four games.

“We’re getting closer to the postseason so I want to be out there to help my team and my teammates win,” said Kidd, “It’s time to go. We can rest later on during the summer.”

The players obviously feel the pressure of the postseason quickly approaching, the team knows the importance of clinching a spot. Dallas’ magic number is down to one.

“If we win Friday, we’re in. We understand things and we talked about it this morning. This game was really pivotal in so many ways because it’s a double count game on the whole magic number thing, and it effectively takes one team out of it, which is big. We’ve got three more important games to go and they’re all meaningful,” said Carlisle.

The defending champions have an important opportunity ahead and finding a way to win is what champions are made of. The Mavs scored 67 points in the second half, 39 of which were scored in the 4^th quarter helping them overcome a nine point deficit. The victory gave Dallas a 3-0 record against Houston this season and it’s their seventh consecutive win over Houston.

Brian Waddle is the Producer for the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan Sundays from 10am-2pm. You can follow Waddle on Twitter @Big_Time_Waddle

(© Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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DALLAS, TX - APRIL 18: Jason Terry #31 of the Dallas Mavericks goes in for the lay up against Samuel Dalembert #21 of the Houston Rockets on April 18, 2012 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (AP) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks rallied Wednesday night for a 117-110 victory over the Houston Rockets, whose playoff hopes took another blow.

Jason Terry put the Mavericks ahead to stay with a 3-pointer that made it 93-92 with 7:37 left.

By the time Nowitzki completed a three-point play 3 1/2 minutes later, the Mavericks led 102-94. That wrapped up a 20-6 run their 11-time All-Star forward started with consecutive 3-pointers.

The Rockets have lost five in a row, matching their longest losing streak of the season. That dropped Houston a half-game behind Phoenix for the eighth and final playoff spot with four games left.

Vince Carter added 23 points and Jason Terry 19 for the defending NBA champion Mavericks, who can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Golden State in their regular-season home finale Friday night.

Dallas was coming off consecutive overtime losses, including a triple-overtime game at Utah on Monday night when Nowitzki played 53 minutes.

Against the Rockets, Nowitzki was 10-of-18 shooting while making all 12 of his free throws — 10 of them in the last 2 1/2 minutes of the game.

Goran Dragic had 20 points to lead seven Rockets in double-figure scoring. Dragic also had 10 assists, and Marcus Camby had a double-double with 11 points and 17 rebounds after missing the previous game because of his back. Luis Scola had 18 points for Houston, Chase Budinger 14, and Chandler Parsons 12.

Houston was up 71-62, its largest lead, when Scola made a short bank shot midway through the third quarter to wrap up an 11-0 run.

The Rockets still led by eight after Scola made two free throws in the closing seconds of the third. But when Carter missed a 3-pointer, Brandan Wright grabbed the rebound and beat the buzzer with a 10-foot jumper.

Budinger’s pull-up jumper with 10 minutes remaining had Houston up 88-82 before Nowitzki hit the first of his consecutive 3s.
After Terry’s go-ahead 3, Carter followed with one of his own at the 7-minute mark.

Soon after that Terry was fouled and went hard to the ground while driving for a dunk attempt. After staying down for several minutes and coach Rick Carlisle calling timeout, Terry got up and walked away smiling and urging the crowd the get loud.

After the Friday home finale, the Mavericks close the regular season at Chicago and Atlanta.

Houston, trying to hang on to the last playoff spot, plays at New Orleans on Thursday. The Rockets have home games left against Golden State and the Hornets with a trip to Miami in between those.

Phoenix, which played later Wednesday night, owns the tiebreaker against Houston since the Suns won two of three in the season, including a 112-105 victory at Houston last Friday.

Jason Kidd has 12 points on four 3s for Dallas while Delonte West had 11 points after finding out earlier Wednesday he had been fined $25,000 by the NBA for jabbing his finger in the ear of Utah swingman Gordon Haywood in Monday night’s game.

The Mavs were down 51-46 before Kidd made three 3s in a 90-second span late in the first half. But Scola’s two free throws with 30 seconds left tied the score 55-all at the half.

The game was tied 27-all after the first quarter, when Carter scored the last 10 Mavericks points. He capped that run withconsecutive slam dunks in a 20-second span.

NOTES: Terry broke a tie with Chauncey Billups (1,783) for No. 4 on the NBA career 3-pointers list with his first one Wednesday night. He had three pushing his total to 1,786. At No. 3 on the list is Kidd, who has 1,874 after his latest four. … The start of the game was delayed briefly because of problems with the sound system at the American Airlines Center. The game was about to tip off without introductions before part of the sound came back on. The starters were then introduced, but without the usual production of loud music with the lights down.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The NBA issued the fine Wednesday, calling it a “physical taunt.”

West had been called for fouling Hayward away from the ball then walked after him to give him what he called a “wet willy.”

West received a technical but was not tossed out of the game. Hayward walked away from the confrontation.

The Mavericks face Houston at home Wednesday.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Remember?

The Mavs, in the midst of a hollow streak of 11 consecutive 50-win, playoff seasons, were at it again. They’d won five in a row to improve to 53-21 and were threatening the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. But in a supposed statement game in L.A. in late March, Dallas was humiliated in a 28-point loss. Then the Mavs lost to the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.

And on April 8, with four games remaining in the season, the Mavericks had a four-game losing streak and zero believers.

Two months later, NBA Champions.

So here we are. As the Mavs enter their final four games of 2012 last spring’s dazzling run seems as long gone as stewardesses and stamps. Gone are Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson and J.J. Barea. And, yet again, the believers have dwindled.

Can’t exactly blame them.

The past memories may be fresh, but the current Mavs have grown stale. And old. Even unreliable. Don’t look now but as Dallas hosts the Houston Rockets tonight at American Airlines Center it desperately needs to win. Not just for its fragile psyche. But for its playoff life.

This year’s Mavs, void of a charismatic chemistry, late-game execution and clutch rebounding, are 34-28 with its two-game losing streak, clinging to 7th in the West with games looming against Golden State and at the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. Can the Mavs suddenly flip the switch, shake the Etch-O-Sketch and make another deep playoff run? Doubtful. But the good news? A year ago that was also the dismissive answer.

The Mavs last year won their final four games of the season and then rifled through the playoffs to the tune of 16-5.

This year? A chance again to win their final four and build momentum for a post-season streak. But, let’s be honest, it doesn’t look good. The Mavs are closer to the Lottery than to home-court advantage.

Dallas dumped Lamar Odom and that’s good. But they still can’t rebound. Still can’t guard opposing centers. Still can’t win – inexplicably – close games.

On a key four-game, West-Coast road trip this is what the Mavs delivered: A 19-point lead against the hapless, Lottery-bound Warriors dwindled to 3 before they escaped. A 24-point lead against the LaMarcus Aldridge-less Portland Trail Blazers evaporated to 4 before they escaped. A loss to the Lakers, playing without Kobe Bryant. And a loss to the Utah Jazz, playing without, well, anybody.

In Salt Lake City Monday night the 2012 Mavericks hit rock bottom. The Jazz, using D-League players named Blake Ahearn, Demarre Carroll and Alec Burks, outlasted Dallas, 123-121, in triple overtime. On the heels of a gut-wrenching loss to the Lakers the day before, make that four overtimes – and 0 wins. It was an epic game, only the second triple-overtime in the Mavs’ 32-year history. It was physically draining. Emotionally exhausting. Debilitating in the standings. And perhaps the body blow that will have Dallas about to tap out.

The Mavs lost in Utah because they were outrebounded by 12, allowing crucial offensive boards at the end of regulation and the third overtime. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry were whistled for technical fouls. Rick Carlisle forgot he had Shawn Marion and Brandan Wright. And Delonte West became so frustrated he resorted to giving the Jazz’ Gordon Hayward a wet willy with his index finger.

These are weird, woeful times.

Most troubling of all is the close games. Dallas is 10-13 in games decided by 5 points or less. Last year the Mavs went 17-11.

It could be that Jason Kidd is being used sparingly and will be fresh for the playoffs. It could be that Dirk will have his out-of-whack shot re-aligned by mentor Holger Geschwindner during the looming five-day break before their April 26 season finale. Or it could be that, with more days off between games in the playoffs, the Mavs will morph from the NBA’s oldest team into simply its most experienced.

Or, more likely, it could be that this season was doomed from the start. The lockout. The departures. The eye toward next summer’s free agency. Dirk showing up out of shape. Odom never showing up at all. Terry turning disgruntled. The late-game losses. The quirky last-shot defeats to Kevin Durant, Derek Fisher and Chauncey Billups and the unlikely shooting sprees of Randy Foye and Pau Gasol and Devin Harris.

“A lot of teams have been hitting some incredible shots against us where you’re just shaking your head,” Nowitzki said after the Utah loss. “Hey, it is what it is. If you’re the champs then stuff the next year is going to go against you and you have to fight through it. We’re not going to hang our heads now.”

With four games remaining in the 2012 regular season, do you trust the Dallas Mavericks?

Me neither.

But then again…

(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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No evidence of actually wetting the finger before the poke in the ear. Judge for yourself.

(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.com, CBS Local a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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Vince Carter of the Dallas Mavericks goes to the hoop over the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena on April 16, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (credit: Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Al Jefferson hasn’t been close to the playoffs since his rookie season.

Seven years later, the Utah Jazz big man is doing everything he can to make sure he’s not on the outside looking in again.

Jefferson scored 28 points and tied a career-high with 26 rebounds to fuel Monday night’s 123-121 triple-overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

“Right now we just got to win every game, no excuse,” said Jefferson, who had 10 points in the extra periods. “This is a big test for us. We just got to see where our heart is and I know everybody in the locker room wants to make the playoffs. So we are going to fight and we are going to fight `til the end. That’s all we can do.”

Dallas was coming off an overtime loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Monday’s felt just as bad. It was the Mavs’ first triple-OT game since Dec. 29, 1989, against Portland, which they also lost.

“It’s a disappointing loss,” said the Mavs’ Rick Carlisle, coaching his 800th career game. “We have to get ready for the next one. There’s not a lot of time to belly ache. It was a phenomenal game, the competition was great but we came up short.”

Monday’s win halted Utah’s seven-game losing streak against the Mavericks, but more importantly kept the Jazz in the postseason race.

Utah began the day 10th in the Western Conference but pulled one-half game behind Phoenix and Houston for the eighth and final spot with four games remaining.

The Jazz (32-30) hold the tiebreaker with the Rockets but not with the Suns, who they face again next week.

The loss dropped defending champion Dallas to seventh in the West, one-half game behind Denver.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points against Utah for the second straight time. His 3-pointer forced the second overtime, but he couldn’t convert late in the third extra period.

The Jazz forced overtime on Paul Millsap’s put-back dunk with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation.

“The good thing about the overtimes is we knew they were going to kind of run out of gas,” Jefferson said. “They are an older team, they played yesterday. So we knew the shots were going to start falling a little short. I am surprised they lasted as long as they did.”

The Jazz led by as many as 11 points early, and were up 87-83 with 46 seconds left in regulation before Vince Carter hit back-to-back 3s, including the second with 8.5 seconds left in regulation.

On Utah’s final possession in regulation, Gordon Hayward drove the lane but missed, only to have Millsap fly in for thunderous put-back dunk.

Nowitzki’s long 3 to win it at the buzzer in regulation came up short.

Utah led by four in the first overtime, only to see Nowitzki force the second extra period with a 3 with 3.9 seconds left.

Jefferson hit a jumper in the third overtime then blocked Ian Mahinmi’s shot, setting up Millsap for a fast-break score and 115-113 lead.

Devin Harris hit a 3 and Jefferson’s 6-foot running jumper after Nowitzki’s missed 3 gave Utah a 120-115 lead with 1:08 remaining.

Delonte West sank a 3 with 56 seconds left to get Dallas back within two points.

Millsap made 1 of 2 free throws with 14.9 seconds left and Utah led 121-118.

Jason Terry and Nowitzki both missed 3s in the final 10 seconds. Terry finished with 27 points and four 3s.

Harris’ free throws provided Utah’s final points, before West hit a 3 that was too little too late.

“Big plays and big shots on both ends of the floor, the crowd was into it, so you couldn’t ask for a better game,” said Nowitzki, who added nine rebounds and six assists. “We had our chances. If we get one rebound at the end of regulation the game is over.”

DeMarre Carroll instead would come up with two huge rebounds for the Jazz late in the third overtime.

Carroll was playing just two days after having a front tooth dislodged and suffering a mild concussion in a loss at Memphis.

He was cleared to play Monday morning, and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, six assists and a steal for the Jazz.

Hayward added 24 points for Utah and Harris had 23, with five 3s.

Like the last game played in Utah between the teams, this one got chippy, with the Mavericks whistled for three individual technical fouls.

West drew chants of “Throw Him Out” after he was called for a technical in the second quarter after fouling Hayward away from the ball then poking his index finger in the back of Hayward’s head a few seconds later.

Nothing was more physical than the matchup between Nowitzki and Millsap, who bumped and battled the entire night.

“He’s a tough player,” said Nowitzki, who started 3 of 3 but found early foul trouble. “I always liked him. He can make plays off the dribble and can post up. He’s an active defender. We always have good matchups. Just their whole team competes. I don’t care who they throw out there.”

Millsap finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

No matter how tight the Western Conference race, the Jazz know how hungry Jefferson is.

“He was huge,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “I mean 26 rebounds, the timely shots on the perimeter. They were double-teaming him as soon as he got it, had bodies on him all night to try to get him off the block. But he hung in there.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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New School wonders if Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki, the unofficial leader of the team, will be able to steer the Mavs to another NBA Finals?

PLAY: Can Dirk take the Mavs back to the NBA Finals?

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(© Copyright 2012 KRLD FM, 105.3 The Fan, CBS Local. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Andrew Bynum surgest past Brendan Haywood at Staples Center on April 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Andrew Bynum had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Pau Gasol made back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime, and the Los Angeles Lakers won their fourth straight game without Kobe Bryant, 112-108 over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Ramon Sessions scored 22 points, and Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who are 4-1 while the NBA’s leading scorer rests his bruised shin.

Metta World Peace had 18 points as Los Angeles rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit before finishing off a four-game season sweep of the defending champion Mavericks, who swept the Lakers out of last season’s playoffs.

Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points on 9-of-28 shooting and 14 rebounds, but Jason Terry missed a potential tying layup at the rim with 5 seconds left in overtime for the Mavericks, whose three-game winning streak ended. Delonte West scored 20 points, and Terry had 21 before missing a shot while trying to avoid Matt Barnes’ defense.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Lakers coach Mike Brown says the NBA scoring leader is likely to take another game off to rest his bruised left shin.

The Lakers are 3-1 without Bryant, beating the Denver Nuggets 103-97 on Friday night.

Bryant is walking comfortably on his leg without protection, but hasn’t tried running or jumping with the injury yet. The Lakers have six games left before the postseason after clinching a playoff berth Friday.

Brown returned to the Lakers for Saturday’s practice after missing Friday’s game to deal with an undisclosed personal matter. Brown wouldn’t elaborate on the reason he abruptly left Staples Center shortly before game time.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)