LOS ANGELES - For Dennis Smith Jr., defying gravity began in a garage with a small refrigerator and a basketball hoop set at 8 feet, a concession to the ceiling that often was in danger of being head-butted.
Not far into his teenage years -- but not too long ago, either -- Smith and his buddies would play basketball wherever they could. Often, it meant lowering the goal and moving it into the garage at his house.
That's where things got interesting. It's where Smith started his fascination with floating on air. And it's where the Mavericks rookie's legend in Fayetteville, N.