Full-Court Press

Two old teams are playing back-to-back

DALLAS _ When two old teams play back-to-back games -- this is what happens.

The Dallas Mavericks are up on the Boston Celtics, 27-19, with 7:03 left in the first half tonight at American Airlines Center. Why the low scoring?

Blame it on the NBA schedule.

Dallas played in New York on Sunday, the same day Boston was playing in Detroit.

-- Dwain Price

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No Rondo or KG -- Mavs catch a break

DALALS -- The Dallas Mavericks will catch a huge break tonight when they play the Boston Cetlics at 7 at American Airlines Center.

That's because the Celtics will be without point guard Rajon Rondo and power forward Kevin Garnett.

Rondo was suspended two games by the NBA today for tossing a ball and hitting a referee during Sunday night's loss to the Detroit Pistons. Garnett is out after a death in his family.

-- Dwain Price

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D'Antoni believes Lin has heart

NEW YORK _ One of the reasons New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has been able to take on all comers and make believers out of them is because his coach said he has something very special.

"He has heart, and that is what you can't teach,'' Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Seems like at the heart of the moment that he shoots the ball, he makes big plays and he is fearless.''

Lin finished with 28 points,14 assists and five steals as the Knicks defeated the Mavs, 104-97.

"He is tough,'' Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "I thought we really tried to trap him off the pick-and-roll, but he is crafty.

"He knows how to get to the basket and was able to get a couple of and-ones. I really like him, and he is a great example that if you work hard and get your opportunity you can make the best of it. He is inspirational.''

-- Dwain Price

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Lin said win over the Mavs helpful

NEW YORK _ This was supposed to be the game where Jeremy Lin met his match.

This was supposed to be the game where the kid who has taken the NBA by storm get put in-check by the defensive-minded defending world champions from Dallas.

Final score: New York Knicks 104, Dallas Mavericks 97.

Speaking indivdually: Lin became the first player in league history to have 28 points, 14 assists and five steals against the defending NBA champions. In short, Lin has arrived, as a national TV audience noticed when he shredded the Mavs on Sunday.

And Sunday's game at Madison Square Garden -- when Lin did most of his torching against one of the game's best defenders in Shawn Marion -- really should put to rest any notion on whether or not Lin can keep this wonderful train ride going. But whether Lin can lead the Knicks to an NBA championship is another story.

"Looking back, last year I was watching Dallas win the championship,'' Lin said. "Obviously you can't win championships without being a good defensive team.

"We came out, we moved the ball and we had a lot of people congtribute. Across the board, the efficiency was there from everybody.''

Lin noticed that the Mavs doubled him often, trying to take the ball out of his hands, which would make him less effective. He found his way around that, too.

"Obviously with the double team I was just trying to get rid of it, or back it up and wait for the double team to go away, then I would attack Marion,'' Lin said. "With the double team, I hadn't seen that and it caught me off-guard a little bit.''

All in all, the win over the Mavs gave the Knicks an array of hope.

"This,'' Lin said, "is helpful to us to see where our team can go and what we can become.''

-- Dwain Price

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Nowitzki said it was weird playing against Chandler

NEW YORK -- Dirk Nowitzki said things looked kind of awkward when the Dallas Mavericks played the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon.

That's because the Knicks' starting center is Tyson Chandler. Yes, the same Tyson Chandler who teammed with Nowitzki to help the Mavs win last year's NBA title.

"It was weird,'' said Nowitzki, who poured in a season-high 34 points during the Mavs' 104-97 loss to the Knicks. "We had dinner last night, and it was great seeing him.

"Obviously we miss him. He's a great guy, a great locker room guy and just a warrior.''

Chandler finished the ame with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes. In other words, he the damage he did to the Mavs on Sunday was some of the some damage he did last year for the Mavs.

"He helped us win a championship and he's part of the (Mavs) family for the rest of our lives, and it was definitely great seeing him,'' Nowitzki said. "He's a competitor and I wish him luck.

"It's going to be great when he comes to Dallas (on Mar. 6) and receive his ring. I think he's going to get a great welcome back by the fans, because he deserves it and he was part of why we won last year.''

-- Dwain Price

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Mavs lose to Knicks, 104-97

NEW YORK _ The Dallas Mavericks had their six-game winning streak broken Sunday afternoon, losing to the New York Knicks, 104-97, at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks guard Jeremy Lin continued his rapid rise and lived up to the hype, scoring 28 points and handing out 14 assists and making five steals to go with his seven turnovers. Also for the Knicks, J.R. Smith tallied 15 points, former Mavs guard Steve Novak had 14, and former Mavs center Tyson Chandler finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with a season-high 34 points, and Shawn Marion added 14.

The Knicks used a 27-6 run to get back in the game after trailing in the third period by as much as 12 points.

-- Dwain Price

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Knicks lead at the half, 48-45

NEW YORK _ Jeremy Lin has been everything as advertised so far.

The New York Knicks' point guard has 12 points, six assists and only one turnover in 22 minutes as the Dallas Mavericks trail New York at halftime, 48-45. The Knicks ran off 17 unanswered points at one stage late in the first period to go from being down 18-13 to take a 30-18 lead.

Dallas trailed 32-20 after the first period, but employed a 14-2 un to tie the game at 34-all on a fast break layup by Dirk Nowitzki with 8:11 left before intermission.

Nowitzki led the Mavs with 14 points and Shawn Marion scored 10. J.R. Smith, in his first game with the Knicks, buried three three-pointers, and Landry Fields added 11 points for New York. Former Mavs center Tyson Chandler had six points and six rebounds.

The Mavs were 17-of-37 from the field for 45.9 percent, while the Knicks were 20-of-46 from the floor for 43.5 percent.

The game got a little testy when Jason Terry was whistled for a Flagrant 1 foul when he ran into Lin late in the first quarter. The Mavs protested, believing if it wasn't Lin, it would have been just another normal foul in the open court.

Also, Brendan Haywood placed a hard foul on Chandler in the second quarter.

-- Dwain Price

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Terry not impressed with Lin

NEW YORK -- Dallas Mavericks guard is not overly impressed with what New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin has been able to accomplish.

Especially those NBA record 45 turnovers Lin has produced, which are the most by a player in the NBA since the league started keeping turnovers in the 1977-'78 season.

"I've been a point guard in this league and (45 turnovers in seven games) would have gotten me on the bench real fast,'' Terry said.

'Terry believes Lin has benefited handsomely from Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni's uptempo system.

"He's in D'Antoni's system, and any player that plays a guard position in D'Antoni's system has opportunities to be able to put up good numbers, and I think that's what he's been able to do,'' Terry said. "The ball's in your hands a lot and you're going to have turnovers.''

Terry also said that a lot of what Lin has accomplished is media-driven.

"I think it's a lot of hype right now,'' Terry said. "Is he going to be a good player in the future? If he continues to work, he will.

"But given the opportunity, he's taken advantage of it. But everybody's making a lot out of just the seven games he's played.''

And what about those seven games?

"I've been in the league 13 years, and seven games don't necessarily make a career, but he does have great buzz right now,'' Terry said. "But we'll see when he face the (world) champs tonight.''

-- Dwain Price

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Marion got off to a rocky start with the Mavs

NEW YORK – When Shawn Marion came to the Dallas Mavericks approximately three years ago, he had a difficult time fitting in with his new teammates.

Even last year, Marion was shuffled in and out of the starting lineup until he became the permanent starter at small forward after Caron Butler suffered a season-ending knee injury on New Year's Day.

"The thing I most respected about (Marion) is that when he caem to us two-and-a-half years ago it wasn't a seamless transition for him or us,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. "There were struggles the first year, and there was frustration.

"The second year when he came back he made massive adjustments to his game and his approach. He was willing to come off the bench for us with Jet (Jason Terry), and we got off to a great start when Butler was still healthy.''

Marion's game started to flourish after Butler's injury, mainly became Marion finally had some stability and a defined role he could consistently count on. And the Mavs went on to win the NBA title with Marion supplying terrific defense while putitng up some solid numbers on the offensive end of the floor.

"As the season went along and we lost Butler and things kind of changed and he became a starter, he was the guy that did everything for us,'' Carlisle said. "He defended, he scored and he was the guy that made plays.

"And this year it's more of the same. Now he's getting more attention because he's guarding some of the premier point guards that are a real problem.''

-- Dwain Price

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Mavs miss West's versatility

NEW YORK – Delonte West was just rounding into shape and becoming a positive influence in the Dallas Mavericks’ attack.

Then he tried to make a steal this past Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets and wound up fracturing his right ring finger. The injury and subsequent surgery has shelved West indefinitely and put a strain on the Mavs' backcourt.

"He's a terrific all-around player,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's gotten more and more comfortable within our offensive philosophy, so the good thing is that the five or six day period to the All-Star break (from Feb. 23-27) there won’t be any games then.

"So there’s a healing period where he won’t miss games. In the meantime, we’re going to have to kind of get everybody else ready to go and then just go from there.''

West will eventually have a second surgery to remove the pins in his finger, and there is no timetable for his return.

-- Dwain Price

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@dwainprice