What the Mavs had to say in Houston

AVERY JOHNSON
(on his team's play against Houston)
"We've won a few games and made a few more shots against a very good basketball team. Our players have taken a defensive challenge the last two games. The Rockets are a very good defensive team and when Yao sits in the lane he makes it tough for us to score."

(on the key to his team's success)
"We need 4, 5 and 6 guys that can consistently get double figures for us. We thought Dampier battled Yao all game. We feel we want to be more physical and our guys are getting it. They know what we do well when we win and we have a plan of attack that we need to stick to. Stackhouse played with emotion on both ends of the court and has lit a fire for our team."

DIRK NOWITZKI
(on Dallas' improved play)
"It's about time. It's December now and there has to be a sense of urgency and the last two games there has been some progress. We're pressing too much and we don't need to worry but to just go out and have fun. You can't get too high or too low because it is a long season."

(on the Rockets and Dallas' recent advantage over them)
"They are a good team and bring out the best in us. It is a fun match-up. All the teams in Texas are good. It seems like every game can go any way and the bounces have gone our way more often.

(on the key to the game)
"Devin Harris was really a key making those 3's for us in the third quarter."

JASON TERRY
(on the difference in Dallas' play)
"We are bringing more of a swagger on defense and we're taking pride on both ends of the court. Coach pointed it out to us. He let us play for 20 games our way and then he took over. More than anything, we're just attacking for 48 minutes."

DEVIN HARRIS
(on his 2nd half shooting)
"I made some shots. They started Tracy on me and I came out and hit my shots and it was down hill from there."

(on Dallas' play)
"It's so much easier when you have 4 or 5 guys who can get the job done. We are taking one thing at a time and we have to get better each game.Then we can take it to the next level. The energy is the most important thing."

JERRY STACKHOUSE
(on the team's recent play)
"It's all about energy and having fun. We put too much pressure on ourselves. We need to create our own enthusiasm and our guys need to be talking to each other and we are responding."

(on his play)
"I'm making a conscious effort to bring more energy and to get our team going. We still have room to grow and we are getting better."

(on the difference when the game was tied at 51)
"We got aggressive and started putting more pressure on them. Then it was a matter of closing out the game. We set our defensive strategy better and we were more aggressive."