When the Mavericks visited Oklahoma City last week and rested all of their starters, the backups took it upon themselves to muck up the game.
They were determined to show their teeth to the Thunder, and J.J. Barea led the way, eventually getting under Russell Westbrook's skin to the point that the OKC point guard got kicked out with two technical fouls.
That's what Barea does as one of the NBA's most-respected pests.
A byproduct of that game might be that the rivalry that some have tried for years to cultivate between the Mavericks and Thunder might actually be happening.