Mavericks on 10-0 roll since a sputtering 0-4 start

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DALLAS (AP) -- Avery Johnson gambled this preseason, opting to let Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse ease their bodies into action. A week into the season, it sure looked like a mistake. After ending last season with four straight losses in the NBA finals, the Mavericks lost their first four games of this season. For all the lousy teams Dallas has had, this club -- the one trying defend its new title as Western Conference champion -- was the first to start 0-4. Well, look at the Mavericks now. The Mavs didn't just break through with a victory or two, they've won 10 straight, matching the fourth-best streak in club history. Better yet, it's already propelled them to where they expected to be this season -- fighting San Antonio (11-4) for tops in the Southwest Division and in the mix for the best record in the NBA. "We had a plan," Johnson said prior to the latest victory, a squeaker over Minnesota on Monday night. "Even if we had to suffer through the first week, it could be beneficial for us." Another benefit was realizing that teams view Dallas differently now. Sure, the Mavericks have been an elite team for years, but they were always considered too soft and too reliant on outside shots to be taken seriously. Johnson's emphasis on defense and making the finals have changed all that. "We had to get used to the ferociousness that other teams were coming at us with," said Johnson, last season's coach of the year. "We were still kind of on the summer-vacation level and other teams were playing a lot tougher mentally and physically than we were. We had to adjust." The biggest adjustment was simply time. Nowitzki, Terry and Stackhouse knocked the rust off, then started getting more comfortable with their new teammates. Although Dallas kept together its starting lineup and two top reserves, there are still some key new faces. Anthony Johnson is now the backup point guard, Greg Buckner the backup swingman and Austin Croshere is Nowitzki's backup. Devean George eventually will be counted on, once he can stay healthy, and rookie Maurice Ager is being brought along slowly. "I missed two weeks, Stack missed two weeks, Dirk missed a week," Terry said. "It was more about us getting to know each other on the floor. That's a process that's continuing through the year. It isn't going to happen overnight." Johnson is still tinkering with lineup combinations. He says he's trying to figure out which don't work as much as he is stacking up those that do. "It doesn't matter how good a guy was with his previous team, if he doesn't hone his skills to fit with our system, it's really useless. We're trying to get to that point," Johnson said. There's also been a tweak to the starting lineup, with Erick Dampier regaining the center spot and DeSagana Diop backing him up. Dallas won 13 straight games immediately after Diop joined the starters last season, but the playing time was split almost equally. Dampier is now getting the majority of minutes and, for the first time since he joined the Mavs, is consistently giving strong performances -- such as Monday night, when he had 12 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the final few minutes. Johnson said it's not selfish for Dampier to aim for a double-double every night. "We think it is a good goal for him," Johnson said. The most impressive part of Dallas' roll is that most of it came without Josh Howard, the second-leading scorer last season and their best defender. Howard missed the last loss and the first seven wins because of a sprained ankle. In the three games since he's returned, the Mavs have scored at least 33 points in the first quarter. And the defense has had its two best first halves the last two games. Over the winning streak, Dallas has led by at least 10 points in all but one game. The Mavericks have been ahead by at least 20 in three of their last four games. Next up is Toronto, which was 0-7 on the road going into a game Tuesday at New Orleans. If Dallas can get to 11 in a row, then No. 12 could come Saturday at home against Sacramento. After that, the Mavs are off to Washington and New Jersey. Win 'em all and they'd match the franchise record of 14 straight set at the start of the 2002-03 season.