It's been a long time coming.

The Dallas Mavericks haven't really played 40+ minutes of Mavericks basketball since the Jason Kidd trade, but on Friday night, backs against the wall, the Mavs - the real Mavs - actually showed up in their own arena.

The real tale of the game can be told through one simple statistic: free throw attempts. The Mavs shot 38 and made 28; the Hornets went 13-for-13. What the number 38 tells you is that the Mavericks didn't fall into their usual love affair with jump shots, and instead spent a healthy amount of the time driving to the hole. They also had 23 fast break points to just four for the Hornets. Jason Kidd made a concerted effort to keep up with Chris Paul, and together with Jason Terry helped hold the MVP candidate to 16 points on 4-for-18 shooting. There were no easy baskets for the Hornets tonight, which represents a HUGE departure from the first two games in this series.

Avery Johnson said postgame that he had made some significant adjustments after going over tape from all of their games against the Hornets this season. One big adjustment was putting Jason Terry back in the starting lineup. Jet's three-point shot and his ability to hit an array of jumpers opens up the game for everyone else. Jerry Stackhouse, who had been starting, has been MIA on the offensive end. In fact, tonight Devean George got most of Stack's minutes off the bench. Jet had 22, as well as six assists.

I had a chance to meet Jet's girls tonight, which was fun. His wife, who he credits with having the most difficult job in the NBA, and their daughters were all waiting for Jet to come out of the locker room. A happier couple (and a cuter bunch of little girls in pink Jason Terry jerseys) you will never find.

The Hornets made a late push, thanks in large part to Jannero Pargo's ridiculous night (30 points, 12-of-20), but the Mavs were focused and aggressive in pulling out a 97-87 win. If this Mavericks team shows up again on Sunday this series could get interesting.

Chris Paul took the loss and his shooting woes in stride and said he's looking forward to playing here again on Sunday, adding that it's better than having to travel to somewhere else and prepare for a totally different team. Byron Scott said he's confident that if Paul and David West get 38 shots between them again on Sunday they'll make more than the 10 they made tonight.

Game 4 is Sunday, tipping off at 8:30 Central.

The Mavericks came out of the gates like they couldn't wait for this game to get underway. They rolled to a 15-4 lead to star the game, but at the 7:56 mark of the second quarter Julian Wright scored to give New Orleans a 28-27 lead. Josh Howard got the lead back with a driving dunk, but Bonzi Wells and Peja Stojakovic scored on consecutive possessions to put the Hornets back on top.

From there, the Mavs regained their focus.

After a couple of lead changes Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd scored on back-to-back possessions, Devean George hit a runner, and Brandon Bass hit two free throws to help Dallas take a 47-40 lead into the locker room.

Dirk was playing like a man possessed - or like his usual self - from the opening tip. At the half he has 13 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Mavs, who also got 8 points apiece from Kidd and Terry. Josh Howard had seven, but struggled through a 3-for-11 first half. Jerry Stackhouse still hasn't shown up, going scoreless (0-2) in the first half. Fortunately, the Mavs defense was in full force. Chris Paul was just 2-for-9 and the Hornets shot 40% as a team.

Check back postgame for more - and check out HOOPSWORLD TV for interviews with Chris Paul, Brandon Bass, and Hornets GM Jeff Bower.

You know, sometimes winning basketball games is all about timing. The perennial championship hopefuls certainly understand that there is a time and a place for everything - especially any talk of your extra-curricular activities.

For instance, let's say you're a recreational pot user. During the offseason only, of course. The best time to talk about that probably isn't a couple of hours before the most important game of the season for your team. You see, this is how the media works. Now, instead of talking about how Josh Howard needs to step up, all we're going to hear about tonight is how Josh went on a national radio show and discussed his recreational pot use. Is that why he's playing like a third-rate NBDL player in the playoffs?

It's kind of like how Fox (Faux) News covers the election. Instead of talking about Iraq or health care or the economy, they're asking Senator Clinton is she loves the flag more than some retired minister who is apparently running for President.

It's stupid, and is a complete waste of time during the most important election we've had in decades.

The Mavericks must win tonight. It's not an elimination game, but it might as well be. They've been blown out twice in two games and have not had any answers for Chris Paul and his amazing New Orleans Hornets. But now, when we should be talking about defensive schemes and plans of attack, we're going to be barraged by stupid questions about J-Ho's stupid comments.

Welcome to the new world of American media, where stupidity reigns supreme.

As we turn our focus to the game - yes, we're playing basketball in Dallas tonight - the theme of the evening from Avery Johnson and his players is: "Don't Panic."

But Mavericks fans are panicking. They've seen very little resistance from their beloved Mavs, who haven't even been active participants in the last three halves of basketball played in this series. A lot is being made of the long history the Mavs have of beating the Hornets in this building, but tonight will be the first time this season the Mavs have hosted a Hornets team that's truly committed to winning.

Chris Paul has been nothing short of amazing in this series, as he has been all season. Mavs assistant coach Paul Westphal admitted that he would really be enjoying watching CP3 play if he wasn't beating the Mavs.

So here we go - Josh Howard insists his pot won't be a distraction, and hopefully he and his teammates will give us something else to talk about tonight. Josh said he feels like the Mavericks owe Avery more than what they've given him so far. They certainly do - because if they don't give him more they'll lose him altogether.