By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com
      Thursday the Kings created for the Mavs a mess only James Caviezel’s makeup man could love.
KINGS NEWS FROM SACRAMENTO BEE
      Speaking of ‘Passion,’ Steve Nash used the word in trying to describe what ails a Dallas team that now simply cannot beat good teams on the road. Said Nash: "I don't think we played hard enough or with enough passion. … It's very frustrating. We're very inconsistent. It's new territory for us. We can't quite find the answers to it."
      Once upon a time, the Mavs could boast a terrific mark against the other members of the West’s Big Five. Just a week ago, the 2-2 record against the Lakers, the 2-1 record against the Timberwolves, the 3-0 record against the Spurs and the 2-0 record against Sacramento gave Dallas a grand – and we do mean grand – record of 9-3 against the powerhouse conference’s other powerhouses.
      In the span of eight days, that 9-3 record has imploded into a 9-6 record, the latest failure being a 120-102 drubbing at the hands of the Kings.
      The Mavs have now dropped into a tie for fifth in the West with the Grizzlies, all because Dallas is a lousy road team (11-20, with four straight losses when away) and a befuddled team when playing powerhouses on the road (and a slipping 40-24 overall record to show for it).
      We’re not going to bother here analyzing the why’s of the game itself. A road game, Arco Arena, the quality of a Kings team that has the West’s best record and is just now getting back its best player, Dallas’ defensive deficiencies, the Mavs’ present slump. … all of those contributed to what is, after all, just one loss.
      No, the bigger picture – the Mel Gibson-sized picture – is the consistency with which this club is underperforming when facing a top-notch team on the road. Because if the Mavs can’t drag themselves out of this mess, top-notch opponents and road games will define what Dallas’ postseason is all about.