Mavs Afternoon Drive: Welcome, Coach Westphal!

Old friend Paul Westphal is coming to town as the coach of the Kings (Sacto at Dallas, 7:30 tonight at the AAC) … but Shawn Marion won’t be dressed up to greet him. A couple of quick pregame notes in this Mavs Afternoon Drive:

   *"I know enough to know you don't want to let Dirk and Jason Terry shoot very much," said Westphal of his strategy against the Mavs team he spend the last two years working with. "I also know enough to know that. Jason Kidd knows how to get them the ball. It's tough for anybody to go in there and knock them off."

   *A Westphal aside, if I may: Last year he was an assistant-GM-sorta guy alongside Donnie. (He sort of slipped in the backdoor, but nothing slips by me, if you recall the story we broke ... which I can't find the link to!! Dangit!) But it was the season before that was most interesting to me: He was an assistant on Avery’s staff. And with all his knowledge and with all his experience, Avery listened to Westphal about as little as he listened to Del Harris the previous year.

   *Shawn Marion (ankle) is a no-go. He’s hoping for a return on Tuesday for the Golden State meeting.

   *The Mavs have won 10 straight home games in this series.

   *Sacto is 5-5 with four wins in its last five. The 9-3 Mavs are aiming for a fifth straight win. A Dallas win will put them in a first-place tie in the West with the Suns and will match the win total of the East-leading Hawks.

   *The Kings don’t have Kevin Martin available due to injury, but Roddy Beaubois will get to match up with yet another prized rookie guard, Tyreke Evans, who has been a 20-ppg machine so far this year.

   *You get Ben & Skin on the Mavs pre- and postgame shows on the Mavs’ flagship station, 103.3 ESPN … and then you get yours truly on Saturday morning at 10 for “Mavs Magazine,’’ the official radio show of the Dallas Mavericks, again all on 103.3 ESPN Radio!