MOLI VIEW™

The Dallas Mavericks are a rampaging gang o' problems. Costly new acquisition Jason Kidd couldn't look weaker if he was — as so many jocks appear to be this spring — just kicking steroids. And Josh Howard is offhandedly telling the truth, as though Commissioner David Stern doesn't still have a right-wing fan base to massage. (Those "Where Amazing Happens" ad spots are effective, but not that spectacular.)

But none of these woes have affected the Mavericks' series with the New Orleans Hornets like David West's effort to punk Dirk Nowitski. (Man, they don't make white boys like Bill Laimbeer no more!) Dallas is old and perhaps overmatched, but West's deflating gesture set the tone of this 2 vs. 7 Western Conference match-up. Even Kidd's WWE-style takedown of Jannero Pargo could not keep the Mavs from falling back 3-1.

The NBA post-season has been largely defined by play that the analysts are calling "chippy." Washington's DeShawn Stevenson tried to take LeBron James's head off. Denver threw elbows on its way to losing at home to the Lakers. The playoffs, while made up largely of blowout games so far, have felt extremely edgy. Fans too have joined the fracas, brawling in Denver, jawing in Dallas with Mavs owner Mark Cuban on Sunday night, and, in LA, yelling "DUI! DUI!" — distinct from the "MVP!" chant — at the hapless Carmelo Anthony.

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