Dallas Mavericks

GRADE A-

If Dallas goes down in this series, it's not going down quietly. The Mavs again refused to fold, even though they faced big deficits for most of the game, and their defense went to another level in the second half. And even though Dirk Nowitzki missed a potential game-tying basket, the legend of his crunch-time prowess continues to grow. It bears repeating: This is shaping up to be a great series.