Dirk and Steve float the same boat

The Mavs and Suns may be at the top of the list of 29 teams chasing San Antonio. Best buds Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash may be at the top of the list of superstars chasing a title.

“We’re still trying to reach the same goals, I guess,” Nowitzki said today after practice. “We both won MVPs, but I think if we could trade the MVP trophy in for a championship, we would do it. That’s what this league is all about.

“I think we both have a couple good years left. We’ll see who reaches that goal, but we understand there are a lot of great players in this league that have never won a championship, so it might not happen for either one of us. But as long as we still can walk, we’re going to give it our best shot, play hard and see what the outcome is.”

Asked if the road to the Western Conference title still goes through San Antonio and Phoenix, Avery Johnson nixed the second part of the equation.

“San Antonio is the champion,” he said. “They are the champion. Everybody else, all of the other 29 teams, are chasing San Antonio and we’re all lumped together. I don’t necessarily think anybody is ahead of another team right now.

“We just have to come out and play this team [Phoenix], which is a difficult team to play, but we can be a difficult team to play, also, when we play Mavs basketball.”