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Now you know why I picked the Mavericks to beat Golden State in five games.

Now you know why Don Nelson kept saying his team didn't have a chance.

The Mavericks' 121-99 win over the Warriors was the game people expected to see in the playoffs and never got. It shows what would have been if the Mavericks hadn't buckled under the weight of their own expectations and matched the intensity of Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson instead of backing down.

The phrase better late than never comes to mind.

"This is how we're supposed to look against them," Mavericks guard Devin Harris said. "Points in the paint. Ball movement. Interior defense."

You mean all those things the team failed to do when it mattered most?

"Yep," he said.

The Mavericks have had eight long months to think about what the Warriors did to them in that series. Opponents have thrown Golden State's defensive scheme in the face of Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in the sometimes rocky start to this season.

Wednesday night's win was a strong indication that the Mavericks have begun to adjust.

It all starts with Nowitzki.

The Warriors cover the Mavericks star with the smaller, more athletic Jackson and send another defender his way the moment the ball goes into the post. Golden State sometimes flies a third defender at Nowitzki if he puts the ball on the floor.

Nowitzki didn't give the Warriors a chance to do that Wednesday. The first time Golden State double-teamed him in the post, he kicked the ball outside to Josh Howard for a 3-pointer.

Nowitzki either made his move in the post or made the pass before the second defender could close. He had more assists (three) than shots (two) in the first quarter as the Mavericks jumped to a 13-point lead.

Nowitzki finished with 29 points and six assists. He looked to score when only one defender was on him and moved the ball when he drew a second defender.

"He's been working on his passing all year because of some of the difficulties we had, and tonight you saw the benefits of all of the drills," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said.

The criticism Nowitzki absorbed after the team's playoff failure was justified. But the Warriors constantly ran two and three players at Nowitzki in that series. They often ran two in Howard's direction.

That means the Mavericks had a lot of players open, players who failed to capitalize on their opportunities.

That wasn't an issue this night. Six players scored in double figures. Harris and Erick Dampier, the center who didn't play well enough to stay on the court in that first-round series, combined for 30 points and went 10-of-15 from the field.

"It hurts when you have your dream shattered," Mavericks guard Jason Terry said of the team's ignominious first-round exit.

"We're ready to take that next step in our season and show everyone the team that's assembled this year is the real Mavericks now. It takes a game like this at the start of the new year to kind of get you going."