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Jerry Stackhouse wondered why every guard with a pulse got the chance to start except him.

It bothered Stackhouse. But the veteran swallowed his pride, bit his tongue and waited for coach Avery Johnson to turn to him.

The Mavericks haven't lost since.

Go ahead and dismiss the competition. Wins over New Jersey, New York and Charlotte aren't going to make anyone look differently at these Mavericks.

But confidence and momentum have to be built from the ground up. The Mavericks have played better with Stackhouse in the starting backcourt than they have with any other combination since Jason Kidd joined the team.

"We were kind of sputtering a little bit," said Stackhouse, who finished with 10 points and six assists in Wednesday's obliteration of the Bobcats. "Avery went with what he felt was needed to get it going. I take a lot of pride in that.

"I've never once asked him or told him that I should start or wanted to start."

Stackhouse started the first two games of the season. Eddie Jones, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Deaven George have rotated through the position since then. Even Maurice Ager and J.J. Barea took their turns.

Stackhouse was silent as Johnson spoke of the need for a 3-point shooter at that position to spread the floor.

"It's not about who's the best 3-point shooter," Stackhouse said. "It's about being a threat and playing basketball."

He didn't squawk when Johnson longed for a shut-down defender.

"I think the whole defensive thing is overrated," Stackhouse said. "You know what I'm saying, trying to start the game with defense. Sometimes, it's just mental.

"It's like Ron Artest or Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady. I've gone at those boys so hard. Mentally, they look at me differently probably than anyone else on our team.

"Not that I'm a better defender," Stackhouse continued. "But it's, 'OK, you know, Stack might trip me, so I'm going to shoot this jumper on him instead of drive.' You know what I'm saying? I try to take advantage of some of those things.

"You ain't nothing without your rep."

Maybe you don't want to see Stackhouse open on Bryant or McGrady to start the game. But guess what? With Stackhouse on the court, Josh Howard can defend the high-scoring perimeter player the way he did Wednesday against Jason Richardson. That frees Stackhouse to take the other man.

How many teams have big scorers at shooting guard and small forward? The answer is none of the teams currently ahead of the Mavericks in the Western Conference standings.

Start Stackhouse, and you don't have to putt Kidd on the other team's shooting guard to open the game. It also gives the Mavericks more size so they don't get caught short in the pick-and-roll.

Don't take any of this as Stackhouse firing shots at his coach or teammates. He understands why Johnson was reluctant to move him into the starting lineup.

The Mavericks did go to The Finals and followed that with 67 regular-season wins with Stackhouse as the sixth man. Stackhouse alone outscored the opposing bench 21 times over the last three seasons. He did it nine more times in the playoffs the last two years.

But it has happened only three times this season. The Mavericks continued to churn the bench, and that impacted Stackhouse more than anyone else. His average of 10.1 points is a career low.

"That's what people don't understand," Stackhouse said. "That has such a bearing on your individual flow in the game.

"That's who I've been since I've been here. They don't change the top five or six players. They change the next ones. Those are the ones I have to learn their game and they learn me.

"But I always feel comfortable when I'm in that group with Dirk [Nowitzki], Damp [Erick Dampier], Josh, JT or now Jason. That's what we end games with."

It's too early to say this experiment is the answer. Next week's gantlet against the LA Lakers, Boston and San Antonio will reveal much more about this team.

But with these Mavericks, it looks like Stackhouse must fill a different role. The team is 4-1 this season when he starts.

"It's better for me," Stackhouse said. "I'm not saying I'm going to have 20 every night, but I can spread the floor and do the things we need to make the team have the success we're looking for."