Jan 25, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) shoots against the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at the American Airlines Center. The Spurs beat the Mavs 113-107. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Carlisle opted to start Elton Brand at center over Chris Kaman in the hopes of shoring up the Dallas defense inside and it mattered not as the San Antonio Spurs carved up the Dallas Mavericks inside and outside for a 113-107 victory at the AAC Friday night.

The score reflects a late surge by the Mavericks, who went on an 11-0 run near the end of the game, capping a 39-25 advantage in the fourth quarter, neither of which were enough to overcome complete dominance by the Spurs for most of the game.  The Spurs led by as much as 26 points and Dallas was never close until the end of the game.

Despite playing without Tim Duncan, the Spurs had no problem scoring inside on Brand or anyone else as DeJuan Blair had a season-high 22 points, including 17 on 8-of-9 shooting in the first half and Tiago Splitter had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Tony Parker also missed a good portion of the game after taking an elbow in the eye requiring stitches but that didn’t stop him from racking up 23 points and dishing out 10 assists.  Seven Spurs scored in double figures.  The Spurs also played with little help from Coach Greg Popovich, who remains ill and Manu Ginobili, who just came back from injury but rested most of the game.

The Mavericks had a rare sighting of Roddy Beaubois’ talent as he led the team with 19 points.  Vince Carter scored 17.

Brand grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked a couple of shots but only managed 8 points on 4-of-10 shooting while the Spurs centers had their way inside.

Box Score

Full analysis coming up on The Smoking Cuban.

Most NBA teams who have a fighting chance at winning the title have at least two stars and many integral role players surrounding them:

The San Antonio Spurs have Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, however, they also have one of the deepest rosters in the league.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but they also have a terrific supporting cast around those guys.

The Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

The LA Clippers have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin…and so on and so forth.

The Western Conference is stacked with teams who have more than one star in hopes of advancing in the postseason. The Mavericks have Dirk. And thats about it. The rest of the roster appears to be filler. Jason Terry can be a crucial third piece, but he cannot be expected to fill the role of the 1-2 punch with Dirk. That needs to be a starter. A leader. Someone who’s talents can blend with the those of Nowitzki in the half court and the fast break. Someone, perhaps, with the last name Williams, first name Deron.

But that’s neither here nor there.

May 5, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts at the end of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Thunder beat the Mavs 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

The Mavs allowed crucial pieces of their title team to flee after last season’s historic run in order to be a big player in this season’s free agency. In order to land a big piece, Mark Cuban will need to perform his best sales pitch. He’s one of the best owners in the NBA, perhaps in all professional sports, however, he will need to convince a high profile player that Dallas has the capabilities of winning. Without the necessary ingredients to win a championship, free agents will not be inclined to relocate to Dallas.

The biggest factor lies in the question posed earlier: Can Dirk regain his superstar form from a season ago? We’ve all watched him take over games over and over again. His patented -fall-away-one-legged jumper is indefensible. He’s a seven footer who can step out on the perimeter and consistently shoot the long ball. But we knew that already. His inside game is what needs to continue to improve. If he solely relies on his jumper for the remainder of his career as he continues to age, the Mavs have no chance at winning. If he continues to drop in the rebounding department, the Mavs cannot expect to compete at the highest level. It’s up to Dirk to dig down deep and find his inner power player and channel that on the court in the coming seasons.

Regardless of who the Mavericks end up luring to the American Airlines Arena next season, one thing is for certain: Dirk will forever compete. He will not lay down and simply allow the league to trample over him. He’s tasted glory once. And he has quickly found out that he is hungry for more. Let’s see what he’s made of.