Jan Hubbard champions Dirk's growing leadership.

At practice, Nowitzki is in control. His voice is the loudest. His trash talk is the funniest. He works the longest and hardest.

In games, he is the offense. He's the best outside shooter. When the situation calls for him to post up, he battles with the most physical power forwards in the league. He lives for the last-second shot.

And when he has to speak, he does.

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Josh Howard is doubtful to play tonight.

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The Zen Master on the Mavs slow start.

"This is a team that's been through a number of campaigns together now," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said of the Mavericks. "Getting off to a quick start may not seem that important to them."

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David Moore has an article on the really good and drama free Lakers.  Jan Hubbard does as well.

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Eddie Sefko warns Mavs fans to lay off the doom and gloom, and points to the 0-4 start of two years ago (when the Mavs then sort of turned it around and went 67-11 the rest of the season) as a reason why.

Jason Terry remembers the situation of two years ago vividly. And he knows what has to happen for the Mavericks to turn things around.  It will take a spark.

"We went to a six-man rotation and basically just said, 'hey, we're going to roll with the guys who know what they're doing and get a win,' " Terry said of that '06 start that gave way to a 67-15 final record. "That's exactly what happened then, but I'm not saying that's what has to happen now.

"It could be anything. It could be this first win at home against the Lakers. You could look back and say, 'hey, that's the one that propelled us.' "

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Mike Fisher thinks the Lakers secret to their 5-0 start has been shutting down the opposing teams main offensive weapon.

When Baron Davis, Carmelo Antony and Brandon Roy play the Lakers, they are reduced to being 33-percent shooters? And when Tracy McGrady plays ‘em, he makes one basket while coming down with some sort of vaginal pain?

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This Day in Mavs History

2002 The NBA named Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse (WAS) as Players of the Week for the week ending November 9. Nowitzki averaged 21.8 points and 11 rebounds as Dallas went 4-0. Stackhouse averaged 29 points and 5.8 rebounds was Washington went 3-1.