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Wednesday, Apr. 19 8:00pm ET
Mavs reach 40 wins for first time in 10 years | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Don Nelson finished with a flourish. Nelson closed out his 22-year NBA coaching career Wednesday night with a 113-107 victory over the playoff-bound Minnesota Timberwolves, the Mavericks' 11th victory in their final 13 games. "This is it. It feels great," Nelson said. "To have this team come along as it has feels great." New owner Mark Cuban didn't say exactly when his search would begin for a new coach, but did say Nelson would always have a place in his heart -- and in his front office. "Nellie was the right guy to train me," said Cuban, who recently bought the team from Ross Perot Jr. "Nellie spent time with me and he'll be here a long time as my general manager. A long, long time." Steve Nash led Dallas with 22 points and 10 assists. Michael Finley added 18 points and Erick Strickland and Cedric Ceballos each scored 17 for the Mavericks (40-42), who went 30-18 after falling 14 games below .500 on Jan. 10. "I think it's really positive for the team the way we finished the last three months," said Nelson, who has 37 years of NBA experience as a player, coach and general manager. "I've had a lot of really great years, but not as much fun as the last three months." Nelson, 59, took over the Mavericks' coaching duties midway through the 1997-98 season after coaching stints in Milwaukee, Golden State and New York. Dallas went 16-50 the rest of that season and 19-31 last year. "It was a mess, I thought I could straighten it out. I didn't think it would happen this quick," said Nelson, who was 926-752 lifetime for a .551 career winning percentage. "It should be easier for the new coach because we've established a lot of positive things." Wolves coach Flip Saunders praised Nelson's innovative style, saying every coach in the league has learned something from him. "He's put this team in the right direction," Saunders said. Before the game, Saunders admitted that the Wolves, who finished 50-32 for the best record in franchise history, had turned their attention to their first-round playoff series with Portland. "I'm not taking anything away from Dallas .... but the last two days, our staff has spent all our time watching Portland," Saunders said. "I'm going to start calling them Portland." At times, the Mavericks looked like a playoff team, thanks in part to Minnesota's depleted lineup. With the sixth seed in the Western Conference secured, Kevin Garnett (hamstring) and Terrell Brandon (back) watched the game in street clothes. The Wolves weren't accustomed to resting their regulars. "It was different," Tom Hammonds said. "We got a chance to sit Kevin and Terrell. But we had a chance to win the ball game, too." Brandon was placed on the injured list, and the Wolves activated forward Andrae Patterson. Brandon will be back for the playoffs. Malik Sealy said Minnesota's first 50-win season in franchise history won't mean a thing if the Wolves don't get out of the first round, something they've failed to do the last three seasons in their only trips to the playoffs. "Our goal is to win a championship," Sealy said. "We've got 15 more games that we want to win." Others said that even if they don't advance, this was a special season for the Wolves, who overcame a 7-13 start. Still, Saunders said being bounced in the first round again would be a major disappointment. "I think it's time. Every year we've done something better," he said. "We've knocked on the door enough. At some point, we've got to walk on in." Garnett, who missed a game for the first time all season, became the ninth player in NBA history to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The last one to do it was Charles Barkley for Phoenix in 1992-93. Game notesAnthony Peeler scored a season-high 22 points and Bobby Jackson tied his season-high with 21 for Minnesota. ... The Mavericks made their first 16 free throws. ... Patterson spent almost all season on the injured list after tearing cartilage on Oct. 28 and undergoing an operation the next day. ... Other players who have averaged 20 points, 10 boards and five assists are: Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Billy Cunningham and Sidney Wicks. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Dallas Clubhouse Minnesota Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 112 New York 85
Dallas 113
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