Offense isn’t all about Nowitzki

Is it conceivable for Dirk Nowitzki not to lead the Mavericks in scoring this season? The reigning MVP has done so for the last seven years.

Of course, it’s still early and drawing conclusions after just five games is just plain silly. Still, Nowitzki’s 21.6 scoring average going into Saturday’s matchup with the Trail Blazers is third on the team behind Josh Howard‘s 24.0 and Jason Terry’s 23.0.

It may be fair to assume that Nowitzki, even if he ends up the team’s scorer leader, won’t lap the field. Offensive balance is what the Mavs are searching for and what they may be finding.

“Offensively, we have to have consistently in playoffs for us to win like we should,” Avery Johnson said Friday.

Nowitzki has led the team in scoring just once in five games. In the other four games, Terry has led twice, Howard once and those two tied for game-high honors in Thursday’s 120-115 win at Golden State.

Nowitzki, Terry, Howard and Devin Harris each scored between 21-24 points against the Warriors. Eight have hit double figures at least once this season.

Jerry Stackhouse and Eddie Jones, currently out with a sore right leg, are proven scorers. Brandon Bass, though still raw, has a nose for the rim and isn’t afraid to challenge defenders. Gana Diop’s improved positioning is starting to pay dividends around the bucket.

Nowitzki is always going to draw attention. How he attacks it is the key.

“If every playoff series that is played, they’re going to play three guys on Dirk, we’ve got to make them pay,” Johnson said. “And then if Dirk gets single coverage, well he’s got to punish the defense and sometimes with double coverage he has to punish the defense.”

Though he looked uncomfortable at times against Golden State’s scrappy zone defense, Nowitzki didn’t hold the ball too long. The Mavs shot 50 percent and had 25 assists on 42 baskets.

“We really worked on zone offense,” Nowitzki said. “Last year in the playoffs we weren’t fluid. We’re really moving the ball well.”

Johnson counted six or seven possessions where the ball moved at least seven and eight times against Golden State. He illustrated the importance of ball movement before practice at the Rose Garden.

“Forget the playoffs,” he said, “we didn’t get that in the latter part of the season, so that’s why I really wanted to show the team this morning what we need consistently. We won’t have to rely on Dirk’s 36. And if he doesn’t get 36, and he has a night where he goes 6 for 15, we can still win.”