Thank goodness it's a 48-minute game

The Mavericks kind of figured they would be met by a surly bunch of Cleveland Cavaliers. After all, they were beaten Friday night in Charlotte while the Mavericks were hammering Indiana. Won't that make it tougher to deal with the Cavs, Carlisle was asked pregame? "In theory, it could,'' he said. "I know our team tends to be more motivated after losses. Most teams in this league are. "You're not going to beat Cleveland in their building by turning the ball over or being passive. You're going to have to throw the kitchen sink at them and do it well.'' In the first half, the Mavericks have done neither. With 2:20 to go in the half, the Cavaliers have their biggest lead of the game, up 62-45. LeBron James already has a double-double and the Mavericks have a grand total of eight rebounds. Cleveland has 17. --Eddie Sefko