NBA PLAYOFFS : Mavericks Make a Date With Lakers

SALT LAKE CITY —  There was more a feeling of relief than satisfaction among the Dallas Mavericks Friday night after they finished off the Utah Jazz, 117-113, to win their first-round NBA playoff series, three games to one.

Now that the Jazz are out of the way, the Mavericks can strive for the satisfaction that would come from upsetting the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, which begin Sunday afternoon at the Forum.

While the Mavericks didn’t really expect to lose this first-round series, they immediately adopted the position that not many expect them to dethrone the Lakers, who handled Dallas in five games in the second round of the 1983-84 playoffs.

This time, however, the Mavericks will face the Lakers with something they didn’t have two seasons ago--confidence.

“I remember the last time we met the Lakers, there was a feeling of frightishness among us,” Maverick guard Rolando Blackman said. “The Lakers are supposed to win every game. All we have to do is forget about being scared and have some fun out there.”

There is fun in winning, as a smiling Mark Aguirre showed when he sprinted to the locker room after Friday’s win with his fist thrusted in the air.

“I’m very happy,” Aguirre said. “But not satisfied. I don’t want to get in the mode like two years ago after we beat Seattle (in the first round). We felt we accomplished something. This year, we still have a lot to prove. I hope we don’t think of this as a big accomplishment.”

After evaluating the state of the Mavericks, Aguirre liked his team’s chances.

“If we mind our business and we don’t let the mystique of the Lakers get to us, anybody could win,” Aguirre said.

The Mavericks tended to business quite proficiently Friday night in Game 4, breaking out of an epidemic shooting slump that prevented them from sweeping the Jazz on Wednesday. In the first three games, Dallas shot only 44%, but they broke out of it in Game 4 by shooting 56.3%. While Aguirre (28 points) and Blackman (20) provided the usual production, Dallas received unexpected offense from forward Sam Perkins and reserve guard Brad Davis.

Perkins, whose shooting percentage in the series hovered in the high 30s before Friday night, scored 29 points. He made 13 of 22 shots and also led the Mavericks in rebounding with 12.

Davis, quite simply, was perfect. He made all eight attempts, including 5 for 5 in three-point shot attempts, for 26 points. Davis’ five three-point baskets tied Mike Bratz’s playoff record set in 1980 against the Lakers.

“My performance and Ro’s, well, we sort of expect that,” Aguirre said. “But when we get it from guys like Brad and Sam, that really helps. That makes a difference.”

The Jazz, still very competitive even with star forward Adrian Dantley again sidelined due to a strained back, refused to let Dallas pull away in any of the games. Friday, the Mavericks opened a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter before the Jazz made a late comeback to make it close.

Thurl Bailey (24 points) and Bobby Hansen (22) led the Jazz, while center Mark Eaton added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Dallas Coach Dick Motta credited Utah’s pressure defense for the Mavericks’ poor shooting in previous games, and he credited the Jazz with giving his team a good test before they meet the Lakers.

“I told Frank (Layden, Utah’s coach) afterward that I never had a series as close as this,” Motta said. “It was a good series for the fans and for our team.”

Naturally, Motta is more cautious than his players in his optimism entering the second round.

“The slate is clean,” he said. “This series is history. We know we’re going against the defending champions, and we know it wasn’t a fluke that they are defending champions.

“We play (the Lakers) well--sometimes. I’m not saying we match up well with them. No one matches up well against the Lakers.”