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Mavs aim for 3-0 series lead over Lakers

May 6, 2011 - 3:36 PM (Sports Network) - A desperate Los Angeles Lakers team invades north Texas Friday hoping to get back into their Western Conference semifinals set with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks arrived at Staples Center earlier this week having never beaten the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers in a road playoff game. Now they are back in Big D with a 2-0 lead after Wednesday's 93-81 win.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points in that one as the Mavericks continued to put a damper on a possible three-peat for Kobe Bryant and Co. Coming off a 96-94 comeback win on Monday, the Mavs pulled another surprise on the Lakers in Game 2.

J.J. Barea came off the bench to score eight of his 12 points in the final quarter. Shawn Marion contributed 14 points and nine rebounds in the win.

"If you told me before we were going to win both games, it would have been hard to believe. But I believe we earned it," Nowitzki said.

This is the first time the Lakers have lost the first two games of a playoff series at home since 1977 when Portland beat them in the Western Conference finals. The Trail Blazers went on to win the title that year.

Bryant scored 23, but the Lakers missed their first 15 three-point tries and ended 2-of-20 from beyond the arc. Andrew Bynum tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Pau Gasol totaled 13 and 10 boards.

"I saw guys tired out there, but I don't think it's contagious from two years ago, last year or three years ago being in the Finals," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Energize-wise it looked like Dallas had more energy on the floor than we did, and that's concerning."

To make matters even worse for LA, a frustrated Ron Artest, who had 11 points, was ejected in the game's final minute after striking Barea's face. The Lakers' enforcer was suspended by the NBA for Game 3 on Thursday. Bryant is expected to move to small forward to replace Artest in the frontcourt while Shannon Brown will enter the starting lineup as the off-guard.

Perhaps even more impressive than the wins in LA for the Mavs is how they got it done. Dallas has tightened the screws in the fourth quarter allowing the Lakers just 35 total points over two games on 33 percent shooting in the final frame.

Bryant, the best player of his generation and perhaps the best closer in the game, has made 23 field goals in the set but none of them have been layups or dunks.

"They're executing extremely well and we're not making the right reads defensively," Bryant admitted.

The Mavs success in the series also seems to have gotten in the Lakers' heads.

"I think all 13 of our guys have trust issues right now," said Bynum. "We're a talented team so we kind of get by sometimes...at this point it's obvious because this team is cutting us apart and we're not doing anything about it...now it's time to really sit down and ask ourselves the tough questions."

Those tough questions will have to be addressed in Dallas now and if history is any kind of precursor, the Lakers are in deep trouble. LA is just 2-16 all time in the postseason when falling behind 0-2. Meanwhile, in NBA history, teams that go on to win the first two games on the road have won the series 15 of 18 times.

"This series is far from over," Nowitzki said. "I've been around a long time. I've been up 2-0 before and ended up losing the series...we have to stay focused, stay together, let our home crowd rise us on Friday, and hopefully get another great win."

No NBA team has ever escaped an 0-3 deficit.

"With the crowd and being at home, I think we just took a piece of their heart," Mavs swingman DeShawn Stevenson told NBA.com on whether he's ever seen the Lakers this frustrated. "I haven't [seen them this frustrated]. I don't know if it's winning back-to-back titles or being tired, I don't know what they're going through."

Even Lakers legend Magic Johnson is questioning his former team.

"It's going to be a tough climb to come back and I think their chances are slim," Johnson wrote on Twitter. On Thursday, Magic added that Bynum "should've kept his mouth shut."

Dallas and LA finished with identical 57-25 records during the regular season, but the Lakers won the season series, 2-1.

The teams have met three times previously in the playoffs with the Lakers taking all three sets, a 4-1 series win back in 1983-84 West semifinals, a 4-2 triumph in the '85-86 West semis, and a seven-game triumph in the '87-88 West finals.

Game 4 of the best-of-seven set is Sunday, also in Dallas.