And then, 2-7 happened.

That abysmal start yanked the enthusiasm right out of the Mavericks like a fender-bender three blocks after you drive that new ride out of the dealer's lot.

"Nobody liked the way we started," Carlisle says.

This presented a new problem for Carlisle. In his two previous coaching stops spanning six seasons at Detroit and Indiana, his teams had gotten out to jackrabbit starts.

Now, the Mavericks were in danger of being irrelevant before Thanksgiving. Not surprisingly, players squawked about the system. There were rumblings that the players couldn't get a grip on Carlisle's way of doing things. Some in the media speculated that the players simply didn't like their new coach.

Funny, but six months later, nobody was talking about any internal fractures.

The Mavericks' new coach may indeed have been an acquired taste. But the chemistry built slowly over the long, regular-season grind. So much so that, by the end, the Mavericks were roundly saluted for playing as hard as they could and, given the injuries they had to overcome, going about as far as anybody could reasonably expect them to in the playoffs.

"Part of our struggles early was an attempt to redefine our style of play, which can be a challenge," Carlisle says. "It took awhile to find the balance between pushing the ball and being able to put ourselves in a position to defend effectively....

"As the year went along, we kept moving in the right direction. I know it was difficult for the players at times. But I admire the way they fought through so many challenges we had, especially the losing streaks."

The Mavericks had a five-game skid early as part of their horrid start, then dropped four in a row in January. They never won more than five in a row. It was that second losing streak that got the vultures circling again. Some speculated that making the playoffs was not in the Mavericks' future.

But slowly, Carlisle's methods were starting to take ROOT. He played many different players, sometimes rearranging the rotation from game to game - the surest way a coach can frustrate his players.

But when it got time to make a playoff run, Carlisle knew what he had on his roster. He knew the strengths, and more important, he knew the holes.

"Playing in a new system with a new coach, it was an adjustment process," Jason Terry said. "But we kept working and kept improving."

A few weeks before Carlisle was hired, Avery Johnson said as he was fired that it "was a miracle" the Mavericks made the playoffs.

Since the roster didn't change significantly, what does that make the job Carlisle did?

Of course, Carlisle won't address that, but it's clear from what he and owner Mark Cuban have said that a second-round appearance is but a step toward bigger goals.

"We want to be playing in the Finals, so we've got work to do," Carlisle says. "We've got to get the guys who were here that are going to be here better. That's going to be a lot of work. We've got to be active and look for opportunities to upgrade the team overall and inject whatever we can into our core group."

It cannot be overlooked that Carlisle and Cuban have gained an appreciation for each other. Cuban has seen the adjustments Carlisle has made during the course of the season.

He's seen Carlisle give Jason Kidd a major role in calling plays. He's watched Carlisle handle pressure playoff situations adroitly, calling timeouts when they needed to be called and getting players on and off the court when situations dictated so.

And Carlisle has realized that his owner can be his best friend.

"This has been my best year in coaching," Carlisle said. "Working for Mark has helped me become a better coach.

"He's a guy who is going to do everything possible to provide the resources to be successful. He's emotional. But I'm absolutely convinced of this: When he walks in that building and sees a full house, that's something that he does not take for granted. He feels that everybody in this building is part of his family, and he feels an obligation to not only win but provide a great experience."

Carlisle realizes that a 50-win season and second-round playoff berth aren't going to be good enough to keep him employed in Dallas for four, five or six years down the line.

"This situation is about aiming for a championship. And that's one of the things I love about him," Carlisle said of Cuban. "When you get in this position, you feel a great obligation to help Mark deliver that."