Now let's see what you've got

It's natural to focus on how the Mavericks performed against San Antonio.

I'm more interested in what they do tonight against New Orleans.

No one knew the Mavericks would beat the Spurs by five points. But if you've followed this team in recent months, you knew they would respond to their embarrassing loss to Oklahoma City. They've done it all season.

It didn't take Mark Cuban's condemnation to spark that effort.

"Whether Mark had made comments or not, our players have pride,'' Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

A better test is how they play against the Hornets.

The Mavericks haven't beaten a Western Conference contender on the road since Christmas night. Can this erratic, veteran team show the same sense of desperation on the second night of a back-to-back? Can it keep pace with a younger, more athletic team on the road?

"We can't go up and down all the time,'' forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "We can't have highs and follow up with a low.''

Let's see if the Mavericks can sustain Wednesday night's high before anyone reads too much into their victory over the Spurs.

_ David Moore