How tough is it going to be for the Mavericks? Well, the Spurs have the second-best road record in playoff history at 59-81, a .421 percentage. Only the Lakers at .435 have a higher success rate on the road in the postseason. ... In case you forgot, Bruce Bowen is still around. He hasn't missed from 3-point range in the series, going 2-for-2. ... Bowen, Matt Bonner, Ime Udoka and Tim Duncan all will see time on Dirk Nowitzki tonight, and possibly smaller defenders like Michael Finley and Roger Mason. ... The Spurs are 18-of-32 from 3-point range so far. The Mavericks have made just 11 3-pointers.

Scouting the Mavericks

They have yet to get a vintage game from Jason Kidd, who was ill during Game 1 and had a quiet five assists to go with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals in Game 2. ... Overall, their starters have been outscored, 162-113, in the two games. It's asking a lot for the bench to overcome that. ... Dirk Nowitzki hasn't taken more than 15 shots in either game. He averaged 20 shots per game during the regular season and that normally goes up slightly in the playoffs. ... Nowitzki, by the way, shot 55.1 percent in eight April games, but is 10-of-29 in the playoffs.

Eddie Sefko