Nowitzki was driving force

Regardless of how the Western Conference finals end, we should all be able to agree on one thing: Dirk Nowitzki has taken his game to a level only the elite inhabit.

While Devin Harris and Jason Terry got a lot of the attention during the Mavericks' victory over San Antonio in the second round, and for widely different reasons, it was the solid and spectacular play of Nowitzki that allowed Dallas to proceed. Over that seven-game series, he averaged 27 points, 13.3 rebounds, and shot 53 percent from the field. He often did what his critics said he could not and would not do: take the ball inside, create contact, get to the line, be physical. In those seven games, he attempted 80 free throws, including 24 in Game 3, 15 in Game 4, and 16 in Game 7. Not coincidentally, the Mavericks won all three games. Not coincidentally, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called Nowitzki ``unguardable." (Pop saw Amare Stoudemire put up even better numbers last year, but San Antonio prevailed anyway. Not so this time.)

Nowitzki also went anti-Antoine for the series, attempting just eight 3-pointers and making one. (This is the same fellow who won the 3-point contest at February's All-Star Game in Houston, besting Gilbert Arenas and Ray Allen.) By contrast, in one game (Game 3) of the previous series against Memphis, Nowitzki attempted 10 3-pointers.

But it's more than just numbers. Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who says he stays in close contact with Dallas coach Avery Johnson (they were once teammates in San Antonio), thinks it's Nowitzki's newfound emotional edge that has upgraded his already stellar game.

``It's nice, because Dirk has been a great player, and the only knock on him was, could he step up in the big moments? And he's doing it, not just with his playing, but also with his emotion," Rivers said. ``Until this year, Dirk has not been an emotional player, except for negative emotion, when things weren't going well. Last year, he was screaming at guys. This year, he was screaming for guys, and he was emotionally charged after making big plays. I thought that was important for that team. I thought they needed an emotional leader and now they have one."

Johnson, the Mavericks' firebrand of a coach, deserves a lot of the credit here. He wanted Nowitzki to become that leader, and with Michael Finley and Steve Nash leaving in successive years, it obviously fell on the lone remnant of the once-potent Big Three in Dallas. It isn't always easy to be that guy, especially if it's not in your personality. Just ask Paul Pierce.

But Nowitzki accepted the challenge.

``Dirk has grown up," Dallas owner Mark Cuban said via e-mail. ``He has learned from the best people he has been associated with here at the Mavs, from Nellie [Don Nelson], to Nash to Fin to Donnie Nelson and now to the person with the biggest impact, Avery Johnson. He is so much smarter than anyone gives him credit for. The combination of will, ability, effort and brains is incredible in this game and Dirk has learned how to use all the above."

That's why it was somewhat gratifying to see the Mavericks advance. It's hard to root against the classy Spurs (although they did have Nick Van Exel), but it's just as hard not to root for Nowitzki. He deserves this moment. The last time the Mavericks got this far, Nowitzki got hurt against the Spurs, missed three playoff games, and Dallas lost in six.

Maybe this time it will be different. After a 25-point, 19-rebound submission in Game 1 of the Suns series, Nowitzki followed that up on Friday night with a 30-point, 14-rebound game as Dallas evened the series with a 105-98 victory. It was the Mavericks' first win at American Airlines Center in a conference final; they were 0-4 prior to Game 2. They still have to win in Phoenix, but this year and this postseason have been about meeting challenges, and Nowitzki and the Mavs have, so far, proven up to the task.

It'd be a big jump for Jeffes

Among the many names on the NBA's early-entry list is Donald Jeffes of Roxbury Community College. That was a puzzler to a lot of people, including a couple of his former coaches, but Jeffes, who is 6 feet 9 inches and turns 22 in October, is dead serious about turning pro, even though he only has two years of JUCO experience.

``Never give up on what you believe in," Jeffes said in a recent interview at the Reggie Lewis Center, where he works out daily. ``I've seen too many kids' dreams shattered.

``This isn't a publicity thing. This is what I believe. If you do what you believe in, who knows? It may not happen now. It may happen down the line. But don't ever give up and don't let nobody else tell you what you're good at and what you're not good at."

Jeffes has no illusions about being drafted.

``Worst-case scenario? NBDL or maybe overseas," he said. ``Just want to get my feet wet. I know who I am and I'm determined to do what I've got to do."

Jeffes, who grew up in Roxbury, played his high school basketball at Boston English but left the team during his senior year.

``It was one of those situations where I was going through rough times," he said. (Efforts to reach his English coach were unsuccessful.)

Jeffes was a late addition to the junior college team at Moberly (Mo.), where his coach, Patrick Smith, rarely played him.

``He just wasn't good enough to play for us," Smith said. ``He was unhappy and he transferred. I wish him well."

Jeffes then played one year for Shawn Hood at Roxbury (2004-05).

``He has enough physical talent to play pro basketball," said Hood, ``but you need a lot more than that. There are gaps that need to be filled in by going to play basketball in college."

Last summer, Jeffes played in the Premier Exposure League in Boston and his coach, Donnie Powell, thinks the kid has a chance.

``He has an NBA body. He has an NBA shot," Powell said. ``He reminds me of Tayshaun Prince with a jumper. He can play defense. Everyone likes upside."

Jeffes has signed on with a local agent and hopes to get invitations to summer leagues.

Bobcats determine that Tapscott was bad for business

When the Charlotte Bobcats were basically still in utero, the man owner Bob Johnson chose to get the thing up and running was Ed Tapscott. By most accounts, Tapscott acquitted himself well. He brought in Bernie Bickerstaff to run the basketball operation, and the Bobcats appear to be doing things the right way on the court.

But the business side has been less successful, and Tapscott paid the price last week when he was shown the proverbial door.

``Bob has made it very clear from day one that not only did he want to build a successful franchise that showcased playoff-caliber basketball, but also to have the business side recognized as a first-class operation," said M.L. Carr, one of the team's partners. ``He's showing he is capable of making tough decisions on both sides.

``The business side is more challenging these days with the way things are. You have to be more creative, you have to think outside the box, because you're really in the service business.

``You have to give Eddie credit. He built this thing from nothing. But in keeping with Bob's stated mission, the basketball organization does fall into that. There needs to be more work on the business side."

The Bobcats' move into a new downtown arena last season did not produce the expected attendance gains. The team is among the bottom third in both season tickets and average attendance.

The Charlotte Observer said Tapscott refused to accept a lesser role in the organization, and Johnson told the newspaper, ``You'd have to ask Eddie," when queried as to why Tapscott was leaving.

Etc.

Fresh from the Too Little, Too Late Dept. comes word that the NBA rescinded the technical foul against San Antonio's Michael Finley in the second quarter of Game 4 in Dallas. Finley was called for a technical with 4:44 remaining in the half, and it appeared to be borderline at best. ``You can imagine what I wanted to say when I heard that," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who found out about the decision Thursday. ``Does that mean we win the game by 1 point?" Game 4, which was played May 15, went into overtime, and the Mavericks prevailed, 123-118, so the technical was huge. (Dirk Nowitzki made the free throw.) For Finley, it means he won't have to fork over $1,000 to the league. For the Spurs, it means yet another tough break in a series they just as easily could have won.

One of the real head-scratchers among NBA players is the public vs. private persona of Detroit's Rasheed Wallace. On the court, he can come across as boorish and almost certifiable; he annually is among the league leaders in technical fouls, often times incurring them at the most inopportune times. But away from the court, in the locker room, he is often described as a terrific teammate, a pleasure to coach, and a diligent worker at practice. That's the Rasheed Wallace that Tony Brown knows. Brown, currently Doc Rivers's top assistant in Boston, coached Wallace for four years in Portland and the two have remained good friends. ``I love his ability. I love his passion," Brown said. ``People get confused when they see him on the floor and see the reactions. He's not a bad guy. He might get too excited in regards to some of the calls. That's probably one of his bad traits, but not so bad that he isn't a good guy. He's one of the best guys to coach. He practices hard every day. He plays hard every day." It was the arrival of Wallace in Detroit that enabled the Pistons to go from a very good team to a championship team, something Brown also noted. ``He's the difference-maker for that team," Brown said of Wallace. ``I like Chauncey [Billups]. I like Rip [Hamilton]. But when [the Pistons] are playing at the top level, it's because Rasheed is giving them what he can give them."

The Miami-Detroit series features something that hasn't happened in four decades: two repeat conference finalists with new coaches. Last year, of course, it was Stan Van Gundy coaching Miami and Larry Brown coaching the Pistons. This year, it's Pat Riley (Miami) going against Flip Saunders (Detroit). The last time we saw this was in 1966-67. In 1965-66, the Celtics, coached by Red Auerbach, eliminated the 76ers, coached by Dolph Schayes, in five games in the Eastern Conference finals and went on to win the title. (Philly had the home court in that series.) The following year, Red stepped down and Bill Russell took over, while the Sixers replaced Schayes with Alex Hannum. The result was a 68-13 season for Philadelphia, one of the best teams in NBA history, and a 4-1 victory over the Celtics in the conference finals en route to what would be the first of Wilt Chamberlain's two NBA championships. (The other was with the 1971-72 Lakers.) History also is at stake in another way in the Miami-Detroit series. Shaquille O'Neal has never lost a playoff series (25-0) when his team has won Game 1. The Heat did just that against the Pistons before dropping Game 2.

Four days after the fact, Manu Ginobili was still upset over his foul on Nowitzki late in Game 7 of the Spurs-Mavericks series. Popovich and his wife planned to take Ginobili and his wife out to dinner Friday so the coach could remind Ginobili just how important he has been to the Spurs' success. ``We want to let him know how great he is, and we'd have two less championships if he hadn't been here," Popovich said. ``He has been so despondent for a while because he is so tough on himself. You want to treat him like he was your son." The Spurs were leading by 3 when Nowitzki drove to the hoop late in Game 7. Popovich had told his team not to foul, to prevent a 3-point play, but Ginobili went for the block, missed, and Nowitzki's 3-point play enabled the Mavs to tie a game they eventually would win in overtime. ``Manu is the most competitive player that I've ever been around," Popovich said. ``He comes up with a lot of plays that help you win." That was said well before Game 7. But those are words Popovich still stands by.

Material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.