The stand-up routine has been a big hit.

Don Nelson said Golden State had a better chance to get hit by lightning than win Game 2, and everyone laughed. He told anyone who would listen that his team didn't have a snowball's chance to win the series, and people shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

That Nellie. What a sandbagger. He's got the Mavericks right where he wants them.

Well, guess what. Nelson has kept us in stitches. He's been wildly entertaining.

And he's also been telling the truth.

The Mavericks are the best team. Nellie isn't pulling our leg on that one. Wednesday's 112-99 victory over the Warriors was proof.

This was the Mavericks team that won 67 games in the regular season, a team that digs in defensively as the game wears on.

The Mavericks held the high-scoring Warriors under 100 points for the second time in four nights. Golden State, a team that lives by the long jumper, was only 4 of 20 from 3-point range. The Mavericks forced 24 turnovers and converted those into 33 points. The Warriors unraveled in the second half as their two best players, Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, were ejected.

"We're not hitting on enough cylinders to beat this team," Nelson said. "As far as I'm concerned, we don't have enough guys playing at a high level. We've got to get that.

"I don't know what Al [Harrington] did, but not much. You know, if we're going to go small, he's got to be a bigger factor."

Harrington has scored just 12 points and gone 4 of 22 from the field in the first two games.

The Mavericks went big this game and it paid dividends. Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop, who combined for less than 19 minutes in Game 1, played more than 41 minutes this night.

The Mavericks were aggressive. How did they stop Davis, who burned the Mavericks for 33 points and eight assists in Game 1?

They put Josh Howard on him. Just as important, they attacked him and made him work on the defensive end. Whether it was Jason Terry or Devin Harris, whomever Davis found himself defending took it to the basket.

"We've just got to match his aggressiveness and make him work on both ends of the floor," said Terry, who was the most aggressive Maverick offensively with 28 points.

While Nelson cracked jokes, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson took a different tact in the days leading up to Game 2. He said the team was disgusted by its performance to open the series. Terry was disturbed by the team's lack of passion.

"We didn't execute and we didn't have any energy," Terry said of the Game 1 loss. "If you find another 'e' word, let me know. I'll throw that in, too."

Maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised by what happened in Game 1.

The Warriors had to fight in the final few weeks of the regular season to land the final playoff spot in the West. Remember when Nelson said his team had no chance to make the playoffs?

Well, the Warriors had to go 16-7 to prove him wrong. If they had gone 15-8, they wouldn't have made the playoffs.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, seemed to wrap up the division title around the All-Star break. They were so far ahead of Phoenix for the league's best record, the final three weeks were irrelevant.

The Mavericks lost their sense of urgency during that period. They lost their edge.

"We don't use excuses," Johnson said. "But the Warriors came in and had to win nine out of 10 to make it into the playoffs. We had clinched with six to eight games left. We tried to mix in rest and work to keep us ready.

"The main thing I said was we wanted our guys, Dirk [Nowitzki] and Stack [Jerry Stackhouse], even with the game they had the first game, I wanted them healthy.

"We can fix some of the problems. But I wanted to open these playoffs with everyone healthy and ready to go. Then let's get into the series and see what we can do."

We saw what the Mavericks can do in Game 2.

"I'm telling the truth, but I'm taking it a step farther just to have fun with it," Nelson said before the game. "We know who the best team is, and it ain't us."

Maybe now people will start to believe him.