Mavs: "Let's Get Physical"

Apparently, Avery Johnson has made the Mavericks stop and appreciate the glory and the power of Olivia Newton John's music. The national media still struggles with the concept (see: Barkely, Charles), but there's evidence in them thar hills that Dallas doesn't run scared from a fistfight any more.

In the '02-'03 season, the Mavs attempted 1793 free throws while hacking the opponent for 2032 of them. In '03-'04, the Mavs eked out 1854 attempts but gave up 1960. Last year, the Mavs rose up to shoot 2314 free throws against 2123 for the opposition. And what happened last year? Avery Johnson took over, resulting in a huge spike in trips to the line after Don Nelson stepped down.

This season, Dallas is on pace for 2371 gimmes, and their 28+ attempts per game has them in the top 10 in the league. It wasn't long ago (some would say a matter of days) that the Mavericks were chastised for their lack of physical play, but you don't get to the stripe that often without attacking the rim. Hard-nosed penetrators like Devin Harris and Josh Howard team up with Dirk "China in a Bull shop" Nowitzki to strike fear into the heart of any would-be charge-drawers under the hoop. Okay, well, maybe they aren't striking fear yet, but they should be.

Beyond getting to the stripe, Dallas has proven itself by dominating points in the paint the last five games, scoring over 50 in 3 of them. No, they don't have the low-post presences of San Antonio or Houston, but they have transitioned out of the jump-shooting identity numbskulls like Bill Walton cling to for dear life.

Get out of the way, NBA. The Mavs are taking it to the rack.