NBA JAM: DALLAS MAVERICKS

In our continuing rundown on the NBA season, Neil Acharya looks at the Southwest Division, specifically the Dallas Mavericks.

Last season: 60-22, fourth in Western Conference, lost 4-2 to Miami in NBA Finals
Coach: Avery Johnson
New face: Austin Croshere
Funny-looking white guy: Probably Dirk Novitzki
Blogs: Blog Maverick (written by owner Mark Cuban), MavsMoneyball

If they could have one quarter back, the Dallas Mavericks most certainly would have taken back the fourth of Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Poised to take a stranglehold 3-0 lead in the series, they had a 13-point lead with seven minutes remaining, and in their best Toronto Raptors impression, they blew it and lost that game and the next three to the Miami Heat.

The Mavs got a taste for the big show and this year they will certainly be on a mission to get back. If the Mavs play to their potential they should win the Southwest Division. Small forward Josh Howard is going to have to put up the same numbers as last year or better while playing as many games as the season before. Last year he only played in 59 games, so if he stays healthy the Mavs are that much more deadly during the regular season.

A big reason teams find Dallas so hard to contain is the fact they have so many scorers. Guard Jason Terry had a great season last year for the Mavs and his best since playing for Atlanta. He played his heart out in the Finals. Of course, Dirk Novitzki was unstoppable most nights. He hits clutch shots, he can carry a team and play at both ends of the court, but you know the rap on the big German; he's been too often accused of lacking a killer instinct. He kind of gets a bad rap, but that will change once he wins a championship ring.

Maybe the Mavericks should delete all the David Hasselhoff songs on his iPod just to mark Dirk get mad.

Centre DeSagana Diop, who can’t do much in the scoring department but is looking to become a defensive stalwart for his club, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots, keeping the ball away from opposition in his own zone and giving more opportunities to the triple threat of Terry, Novitzki and Howard by keeping the ball alive of the miss in the offensive zone, if he can add a few points here and there then all the better. He will most likely share playing time with Eric Dampier who can put up better offensive numbers than Diop.

Finally, Devin Harris will get the starting role at point guard, getting the ball to the Big Three. It certainly is a good way to get accustomed to playing day in and day out as he only started 23 games in the last two years.

The Mavs are no longer the new kid on the block, this year they are out for respect and will start by taking their division.

Also in Southwest Division: Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets, San Antonio Spurs