Snap out of it

Though it wasn’t the major reason for the trade, the Mavs front office admitted the team needed a shake up. Something just wasn’t right this season.

Some called it a mental hangover for the playoffs. Others went with complacency for a team that’s won at least 52 games the last seven seasons. Injuries played a part. In any case, a change was needed.

“Overall, the consistency was missing a little bit this year for whatever reason,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “Last year down the stretch, we just knew we were going to get that stop, going to get that score to win those close games. For some reason or another we didn’t have that this year.

“All those close games, especially on the East Coast, we didn’t find ways to win. It’s a new situation and sometimes it’s the best thing to start over fresh.”

Josh Howard had his own explanation for the some of the head-scratching trends. The Mavs are 12-11 against the Eastern Conference and 12-15 on the road.

“The NBA has gotten better,” he said. “Easy wins that we were used to getting didn’t come so easy no more. Players have gotten better, teams have gotten better, so I think that was the difference.”