Dallas Bloodied but Uncowed

Ask not for whom the cowbell tolls ...

It tolled for the Sacramento Kings Monday night, as the freewheeling Dallas Mavericks came from 13 points behind in the second quarter, turned the game into the shootout everyone was hoping for and won it with guns ablaze, 110-102, evening the series at 1-1.

For the second series in a row, the Kings, No. 1 seeds in the West, have surrendered their home-court advantage. Unlike the last one, however, they aren’t going on the road to play an old, slow team, like the Utah Jazz, but the Mavericks, who are at least as deep and as explosive as they are.

“We know we have to watch out for the quick pace of their offense,” said the Kings’ Chris Webber, “but we feel like they have to watch out for the fast pace of ours.

“But they were successful. You have to give the guys in that locker room all the credit because it’s not easy to come into Arco Arena and do that.”

The Mavericks matched the Kings dunk for dunk, jumper for jumper, and even tried to get into the cowbell competition, with owner Mark Cuban incensed at courtside fans who came brandishing the popular local farm implement, intent on deafening the Dallas traveling party.

Assistant coach Donnie Nelson said his ears were ringing so badly after Game 1, he had to see a doctor.

Bent on protecting his own, Cuban procured a cowbell and hammered on it, almost in the ear of a Sacramento writer at the press table, asking him, “How do you think we feel?”

Before the game, Cuban emerged from the Dallas dressing room, carrying his cowbell, vowing to pay King Coach Rick Adelman and his staff back in kind.

“Just wait till we get back to Dallas,” said Cuban. “Adelman will wish he’d never seen a cowbell in his life.”

Meanwhile, the fans behind the King bench, who began targeting Laker Coach Phil Jackson and are now directing their reign of terror at the rest of the league, were warned before the game by an arena security man about ringing the bells in the Mavericks’ ears.

Everything else, of course, was still OK.

“Apparently, we got some people upset last game,” said Greg Ponath, a cowbell-bearing car dealer.

“We’ve hit the limits. They gave us some ground rules. They said during the quiet times, they don’t want us to ring ‘em, but if the crowd’s going nuts, ring away. We’re not supposed to step over and put ‘em over their heads.”

For the Mavericks, the problem was, the din was going to get louder before it got quieter.

The Kings shot 70% in the first quarter and led, 40-27, early in the second, at which time Steve Nash, the Dallas point guard--who’d had a subpar 12-point Game 1, taking 10 shots and missing seven, and was supposed to come out much more aggressive in this one--had four points ... to 15 for the Kings’ point guard, Mike Bibby.

At that point, Nash started getting shots to go in, even if he had to force them, and the Mavericks took off with a whoosh felt throughout the metropolitan area.

In a span of 1:17, Dallas went 10-0, with Nash hitting a runner, a three-pointer and a fastbreak layup, and there went the rout. He had 10 of his 30 points in the second quarter. Nick Van Exel, who scored 19 off the bench, had 13 in that period.

“I wanted to be aggressive and Nick was really on me before the game,” said Nash. “He just kept reminding me and reminding me and telling me I’ve got to score, so ... “

Nash would score 26 points to Bibby’s seven the rest of the way. Given the fact the Kings’ stars were struggling--Webber shot 10 for 23, Peja Stojakovic five for 19 and Vlade Divac missed most of the third quarter when his neck stiffened up--Sacramento was fortunate to stay in the game as long as it did.

“I overplayed [Nash, who went 41 minutes],” Coach Don Nelson said. “There’s no question that we knew this was really an important game and we had to go after it.

“If you lose the first two, it’s not that you can’t win the series but when you think of the odds, they only have to win two remaining games and you have to win four and there’s not many left....

“You live for games like this, competitive and exciting, and gosh, it sure helps when you win.... The league should be proud of this game and I’m sure they are.”

The series resumes Thursday night in Dallas, where the Kings are advised to bring their jumpers and earplugs.