The new goal of the Mavericks is to find a way to win a few games without so much as a single healthy veteran center available.
They are 1-0 in that pursuit.
Their win over Golden State on Wednesday was hard-fought and unexpected – the Mavericks were 7½-point underdogs on their home floor.
That’s unusual in the NBA, but a testament to how shorthanded they were.
So they scratched and clawed for a 111-107 win. And that’s the way they’ll have to play again Thursday against Miami at American Airlines Center.