Nowitzki's big night is Mavs' second-round series clincher

DALLAS -- The "Big D" isn't just a nickname for Dallas anymore.

That moniker belongs to Dirk Nowitzki, too, after his best game of the second round pushed the Mavericks into the Western Conference finals.

Nowitzki had a big game Saturday night with 30 points, 19 rebounds and a super-timely 3-pointer -- one of 11 by the Mavericks -- and Dallas defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-99 in Game 7 of the conference semifinal series.

It was the type of breakout game the team had been waiting for from Nowitzki, whose struggles in this series were so pronounced that the Dallas Morning News listed him as a 20-1 underdog to be the hero of the game.

But that's what he was, with strong supporting roles from Nick Van Exel, Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Raja Bell and even Shawn Bradley as the Mavericks advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 1998.

The all-Texas showdown with the San Antonio Spurs begins Monday night, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals.

Van Exel, the Mavs' most consistent offensive producer during the high-octane series, had 23 points and four 3-pointers. Finley added 18, Nash had 18 points and 13 assists and Bell chipped in 12 points.

Riding adrenaline, Pistons open against rested Nets

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Twelve hours after one of the franchise's biggest victories, the Detroit Pistons were back on the practice court Saturday, defying the skeptics again.

With barely any time to celebrate -- or even sleep -- following Friday night's series-clinching overtime victory at Philadelphia, the Pistons had no trouble getting motivated for the New Jersey Nets. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is today.

"There were things that were said that kind of made it personal," guard Chucky Atkins said. "There were some comments made about us from Richard Jefferson."

Jefferson took a swipe at the Pistons during the regular season, but the material still serves the purpose for a group not used to getting this far. Detroit is in the conference finals for the first time since 1991, a year after its last NBA title.