The Mavericks have been searching for an identity for, oh, about three years now.
When you go through two disastrous seasons, that's what happens.
With a hard knock on the nearest wood, they may have found one as they near the one-quarter mark of the season with a 9-9 record.
Defense, of all things, appears to be the calling card.
For proof, look no further than the 7-2 run over the last nine games. Opponents have scored just 100.3 points per game, shot 42.7 percent and a meager 30 percent from the 3-point arc.
For the season, that stretch has only served to get the Mavericks back to about average in most categories.