"I'm sure they'll do some adjustments," Nowitzki said. "You can't just watch Barea walk down the lane five or six times in the fourth quarter. I don't think that's going to happen."

The Spurs, to some extent, are in a bind. They were successful in not allowing Nowitzki and Terry go off. But their defensive strategy backfired because all the other Mavericks played so well.

Barea was the catalyst. He turned the corner on pick-and-roll plays and spent the fourth quarter fooling the Spurs' big men in the paint.

"We just have stay in front of him," Michael Finley said. "It's easier said than done, but we just have to find a way to make him have to make tough shots. If he makes those tough shots, then you just have to tap him on the back and say, 'Good shot.'"

No matter what the Spurs do, Nowitzki said, the Mavericks are prepared to take whatever they are given on the offensive end.

"[Gregg] Popovich is one of the greatest coaches of all time," he said. "We'll see what they throw at us. Pop is very creative, and defensively, they have a wide arsenal. Hopefully, me and Jet can just play our games.

"If it's not there, it doesn't make sense to force bad shots if your teammate has a better play. We did a good job trusting our teammates and moving the ball."

Kidd feeling better: Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd was fighting a nasty stomach problem during Game 1 Saturday night and was told to stay at the hotel and rest rather than attend the light practice Sunday afternoon.

By Sunday evening, Kidd was improving, team officials said. He is expected to be at the shootaround this morning and play in Game 2.

Kidd actually vomited while on the bench in the opener. He had been nauseated since Saturday morning, leaving shootaround in a hurry to get to the nearest bathroom.

The Howard factor: Popovich said he thought Josh Howard's 25 points were crucial in the opener.

"I thought Josh Howard had a fantastic game making shots," Popovich said. "The majority of them were contested, but he knocked them down."