07:01 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 30, 2006

SportsDay columnist Tim Cowlishaw answered your questions on Tuesday, May 30.

moderator: Tim Cowlishaw is here to talk Mavericks. So, bring on the questions.

moderator: Hey Tim, love your game analyses and your columns! Do you think the Suns will win another game in this series? I foresee the Mavs just steamrolling them from here on out.

Tim Cowlishaw: And I love anyone who loves my fine work, which is just about everyone. I don't know about steamrolling. When Phoenix gets hot, there's not that much you can do. But Mavs defense has gotten better and better as fast-break points are disappearing from Suns' attack. And Phoenix can't win a halfcourt game.Give Dallas 60 percent chance of winning tonight and if that happens, it's over.

Stuart: Do you think Cuban has seen the value of having a two-guard lineup featuring Terry and D. Harris? Harris is a great player in his own right, but having Terry play with him is what makes the backcourt special. I really hope Cuban does whatever it takes to keep Terry.

Tim Cowlishaw: Yes, I think he has. He could have toyed with the idea of letting Harris run the show and not re-signing Terry until we got to Game 6 of the Spurs series. That's when Harris was horrible without Terry, and he wasn't very good in Game 7 either but Terry was. Terry is going to make mistakes and not find open shooters much to Dirk's dismay. But he's a big game, big shot player.

Jimmy Delach, Spring Hill, Fla.: If the Mavs get past Phoenix, do they stand a chance against Miami or Detroit (though Miami seems more likely) in the NBA Finals? Thanks and good luck on "Around the Horn" this week.

Tim Cowlishaw: Well, I know you will be watching today and tomorrow when I put the other ATH panelists in their place, Jimmy. A chance? Dallas would be favored against Miami, and if Detroit were to win three straight to get into the Finals, I think the Pistons just might be out of gas with their lack of bench. Dallas killed Miami in a regular season game here and the Heat would have trouble with the Mavs' quickness on the perimeter. Of course, Dallas would have its own problems with Wade, and Shaq would love to kill a Mark Cuban-owned team. Plus he loves to beat up on Dampier. Great series if it happens.

Jason: After last year's playoff disappointment, what do you think has most propelled Dirk to play at a level he has never been at before? He has always been a tremendous player, but now it seems like he is playing with a will and determination that has allowed him to dominate games, especially in the pressure-packed moments.

Tim Cowlishaw: Can't say for sure where the will came from, but it's there. He was highly motivated to show his critics he is a big-game player, and he has done that. It's funny how the perception might not have changed had Manu Ginobili not fouled him on that drive to the basket at the end of Game 7 regulation. Dirk might have been viewed as a great player who just can't lead his team in the playoffs. He doesn't have to worry about that now. ... wondering when I get my first Edmonton Oilers question.

Jeff Millard, Greenville, S.C.: I'm not criticizing Avery since his approach has worked great for the past year plus. But if the Mavericks have the longer bench (particularly with Bell out for the Suns), why not run with them and wear them down? If the game is a track meet, won't the Mavs' superior depth win in the end?

Tim Cowlishaw: Oh, Jeff, did you miss Game 1? The Mavericks ran with the Suns. And Phoenix got 32 fast-break points and 70-something points in the paint. It would be highly entertaining but much more high risk for the Mavericks. The Suns get frustrated when they can't score 110 points. Avery's doing it the right way.

Raf Adame: Why do coaches tend to stick with fewer players in the lineup during the playoffs? What is up with Marquis Daniels? Has his confidence gone out the door?

Tim Cowlishaw: His game comes and goes. Daniels frustrates Avery to death. You can tell that by the fact that Josh Howard was in foul trouble throughout Game 7 against the Spurs, the most important game Avery has coached, and he eventually fouled out in overtime...and Daniels never got in the game. He makes great athletic plays, and brain-dead plays. In the playoffs, you don't need as many players. No back-to-back games.

Maria Jose: Why does the media go so far overboard after every playoff win? If the Suns win tonight, the steamroller questions go out the window, don't they?

Tim Cowlishaw: We go overboard because we have lots of space to fill in newspapers and lots of airtime to fill on talk shows that are highly popular (especially the one at 4 p.m. on ESPN I might add). So we make the occasional sweeping generalization that looks great after Game 1 and ridiculous after Game 2. As I said, I don't think it's about steamrolling anyone. But if the Mavs win tonight, I don't think the Suns recover from that. No discredit to them. No Amare, no Kurt Thomas, no Raja Bell. I didn't think they would beat either LA team and somehow they did. ... Rangers 4 games in front in the AL West. Where's that first question on those boys?

Hanker: Assuming Dallas finishes off Phoenix, who do you think they match up better against? Miami or Detroit?

Tim Cowlishaw: Good question. I think Dallas depth would give Detroit fits although I think if the Pistons somehow won 3 straight against Miami to advance, they would get some new life in the Finals. I don't think Miami matches up well at all, but the will of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O 'Neal would offset that. At the moment, I would pick Mavs over Pistons in 7, Mavs over Heat in 6. Subject to change.

stuart: How many technical fouls do you think will be called tonight? I think it will be a hard -fought game with Phoenix in a must-win situation.

Tim Cowlishaw: Don't think I've ever been asked to predict a technical foul total, but I'll give it a try. How about four? Avery Johnson, Mike D'Antoni, Tim Thomas and Josh Howard. Don't hold me to that one.

rkh84: Tim, do you think we can now see Diop get some substantial minutes and possibly see less KVH, in moderation? I wonder what KVH's +/- is in this series? Diop starting tonight?

Tim Cowlishaw: I think Diop has earned more time after Game 3. He's the kind of athetic big man who can be of value against Phoenix whereas Dampier really cannot. I think they would still like to use Van Horn because he can put points on the board in a hurry, but, yeah, I'll buy more minutes for Diop tonight.

Henry M: Hey, Tim. You rock! Of the following, who needs to pick up their game the most tonight: Van Horn, Stackhouse or Harris?

Tim Cowlishaw: Any question that starts out with "Hey, Tim, you rock" is a good question. Keep that in mind if you want to jump into this chat. Van Horn is a luxury. It would be nice for Dallas if he could hit wide open three-pointers but he hasn't been consistent. I think Harris is more of a key than the other two. If he could get back to his early Spurs series level, flying to the basket, drawing fouls and playing tough defense on Nash at the other end, Dallas could wrap this thing up in five games.

Ted Marston: I think it would lend tons of credibility to the Mavs winning the NBA Finals if three things happened: If we could beat the Suns, who took us out of the playoffs last year; if we beat the defending NBA champions (wait a sec – we already did that!); and if we could beat the Pistons, the other NBA Finals contender from last year. What are Detroit's chances of winning their series against Miami?

Tim Cowlishaw: I would give Detroit about a 15 percent chance of winning the series. I only put it that high because of the two home games. If the Pistons can win Game 5, then they put the same kind of pressure on Miami that the Spurs put on Dallas. And the Spurs won that sixth game. But getting back to your point, beating Miami wouldn't be viewed as any less of an achievement than beating Detroit. It's not like the Pistons have a dynasty going. They have been to the Finals the last two years, and that's it. Shaq is Shaq. So it's a big deal for the Mavericks either way.

ChiaPet: Are the Suns not just a better version of the past Mavs? Did they not get the memo that at this point in the playoffs you can't be as successful with this style as with one like we have adopted? Is this accurate and will this series be over by Game 6?

Tim Cowlishaw: I don't want to say that the Suns' style, much like the Sacramento style and Dallas style of a few years ago, can't work. The Kings could have and should have beaten the Lakers that one year, can't remember which. I know, I know, they didn't. But they should have. And had they won a title with Bibby and Stojakovic and Turkoglu and Webber running the floor and shooting jumpers, people wouldn't say it can't happen. Add Amare Stoudemire and Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas to the current group of Suns playing, and tell me that team can't win the Western Conference playoffs next year. Harder to do it that way, yes. But it can be done.

skv: I think Charles Barkley is trying to help his former team Suns by playing down the role of Diop and hoping that Dallas would listen to his rambling. What are your toughts?

Tim Cowlishaw: I'll listen to Barkley ramble anytime. Most entertaining sports personality on TV, present company excluded. And don't really think he feels strong enough ties to Phoenix to be trying to tilt this series in the Suns' favor with his powers of suggestion.

Mike, Dallas: Tim, with so many bad calls throughout the playoffs and regular season, do you see the league stepping up and making changes to help with the poor officiating? Maybe instant replay in certain situations?

Tim Cowlishaw: Look, there aren't any more bad calls now than there were 20 years ago. There are just more camera angles and more sports highlights shows and talk shows to dissect those calls now than there were. The NBA is hard to officiate. I would hate, hate, hate to see replay become a regular part of the game, other than the way it's used now at the end of quarters. These games take three hours already. How late are you prepared to stay up? Are we going to use replay on charges? How about traveling? We can play games all night. I think Cuban's suggestion that too many officials are used in the early rounds is probably correct.

nelly: I know that Dallas will always be connected with the Cowboys. But when does this officially become a Mavericks town? I mean, the city's more excited about this than any sporting event since the '95 Super Bowl.

Tim Cowlishaw: Hold on there, buster. The Stars were getting ratings in the 20s when they won the Stanley Cup in 1999. Let's let the Mavs dispose of Phoenix and actually get to their first Finals before we hand them Laura Miller's keys. But, yes, I think this is a pretty likable team and it pretty much owns Dallas right now. Until John Rheinecker shuts out the Cardinals in Game 7 of the World Series, anyway.

231530: Do you think the Mavericks will the NBA championship?

Tim Cowlishaw: Here are my official odds at this very moment. No one else has these expect the millions of people reading this chat. Odds of winning NBA title: Mavericks 44 percent. Heat 37 percent. Pistons 12 percent. Suns 7 percent. There you have it.

BigTexAce: Diop has been a real factor for the Mavs in the paint, why doesn't he get more minutes? The Suns dont have anyone to post up on him and he can keep them from making the easy layups.

Tim Cowlishaw: He doesn't get a lot of minutes because he's no threat at the offensive end and he tends to get into foul trouble. But as I mentioned in a prior question he is a factor at times with his athleticism. Let's give him 21 minutes tonight and see what happens.

Kent: Jumping ahead, what will the Mavs do this off season if KVH leaves and Mbenga leaves? The way I see it, the Mavs need another pure shooter. Somebody to come off the bench when Terry and Dirk are sitting that can make outside shots.

Tim Cowlishaw: I love it when people start worrying about next year when a team is possibly about to win a title. Reminds me of a friend who is a big UT fan who asked me three days before the Rose Bowl, "We're going to stink next year aren't we?" I don't know what the Mavs do to replace Mbenga. I don't know what Mbenga does. As for Van Horn, the Mavs just aren't quite getting their $15 million worth out of him, so i don't really worry about him escaping either.

jlust22: Tim, How brilliant of a coach is Avery Johnson? I didn't think he coached a very good game 1, but like he always does, he seems to know exactly what adjustments to make? From a strategic standpoint and his relationship with his players, have you seen a coach just become a natural overnight like AJ has?

Tim Cowlishaw: That's a great question. There are a lot of players that cause people to say "He's going to make a great coach." Most of them don't. Johnson manages to relate to players while at the same time having quickly distanced himself from them and established himself as an authority figure. That's very, very hard to do. And yes his adjustments seem to be right on. Give Del Harris a little credit for that, too.

nelly: Why don't the mavs post up with Dampier? It seems like he would own the paint against the Suns. By not attacking the post aren't we playing their game (albeit beating them!)

Tim Cowlishaw: We're going to wind it up with this one. It's tempting to play Dampier because, yes, he should be able to get easy dunks. But he doesn't get enough of them because his hands are horrible. We all know that. And remember in Game 1 when Avery started him and Tim Thomas stepped out and hit back-to-back threes to get the Suns rolling. Phoenix just doesn't play anyone for him to guard and the Mavs are winning the rebound battle, anyway. You've been a delightful audience, I'll be back next week I'm sure because I have no real say in these matters. Courage.