Rick Carlisle was visibly giddy, especially for him. Mark Cuban was upbeat, too, between trying to convince reporters that player-franchise discord happens all the time.
Dennis Smith Jr? It was impossible to tell from his facial expressions - before, during and after Tuesday’s 106-98 victory over the Clippers - how he felt about returning from a week-long self-exile from the team.
But then again, it’s always been hard to read Smith.
“I want to talk about the game tonight, if anybody else would like to,” said Smith, deflecting questions about the reasons for his absence. “We just got off a [four-game] losing streak and that’s the biggest thing right now.