Jason Terry says he and Dirk are ready to carry the load with Howard out.

"I don't see why not," Terry said. "That's our job. Dirk and I can shoulder the load. We're not scared of that responsibility. They're paying us enough money to get it done. That's going to be our responsibility the rest of the way. Dirk and I taking 25 shots a night wouldn't be crazy."

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Sefko says Devean George has to step up with Howard out.  He also says George is a better defender than J5.

Where things have to be different is at the other end of the floor. With Devean George starting in Howard's place, the Mavericks have a chance to be a better defensive team.

...if the Mavericks are to have any success on the coming road trip, it will be because George and others hold the fort at small forward.

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Mike Fisher has his notes on the game and has an interesting Jason Terry stat.

Terry single-handedly matched the Washington bench with his 33. ... and that's the 20th time this season he's matched the opposing bench. Dallas' record when he does s is 14-6.

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And if you can stomach it, there is a good article on the Mavs/Heat NBA Finals over at the Dallas Observer.

"The trophy was right there-I mean, right there," recalls Mavericks' assistant coach Darrell Armstrong, a reserve guard on that '06 team. "But we had no idea how to grab it. We're up 13 and during that timeout, I remember looking at our huddle and thinking 'uh-oh'. It was eerie. Too quiet. We had this funny look in our eyes like 'we might actually win this thing,' and we weren't ready for it."