Sizing up the Spurs

The Mavericks have payback on their mind. As Dirk Nowitzki said, the Spurs "kind of embarrassed us'' last week in San Antonio when they took down the uninspired Mavericks without Tim Duncan or Tony Parker. Tonight, the Mavericks will be the ones shortanded, with at least 40 percent of the starting lineup out (Josh Howard and Erick Dampier) and possibly a third member gone (Shawn Marion). "We have a tough opponent and we're a little banged up so we're going to have to be extremely aggressive tonight and get our crowd into it,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. "When you have guys unable to play, you have to have other guys step forward.'' Carlisle said he's tried to rid his mind of the way the Mavericks played in San Antonio, although they should remember it as a lesson of what not to do. "We just played poorly and we had no excuses,'' he said of the game last week in SA. "Our level of aggression and unselfishness wasn't where it needed to be.'' --Eddie Sefko