After a dreadfully slow start, the Dallas Mavericks rallied to take game one of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Mavs, who found themselves down by 11 points in the 1st quarter, never let up, and maintained faith in the jump shot, which eventually started falling for them. Combine that with an outstanding defensive effort down the stretch, and the Mavs had their first game one victory since 1988 against the Houston Rockets. Many longtime Mavs fans will also remember that season as the year the Mavs went 7 games with the L.A. Lakers in the Conference Finals.

Leading the Mavs in game one was Dirk Nowitzki with 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Steve Nash contributed 21 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Other notable performances from the Mavs were 18 points from Nick Van Exel, 16 points from Michael Finley, and 5 blocks from Raef LaFrentz.

The undeniable turning point in the game happened at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. Quarter three ended with Steve Nash rushing up the floor as time was expiring, and launching a game-tying 3-point shot from just inside mid-court. The shot found nothing but the bottom of the net. The fourth quarter opened with LaFrentz hitting an improbable 3-point bank shot from the top of the arch to extend the Mavericks lead to 3 - a lead that they would never relinquish.

Game 2 is Wednesday at 8:30 PM.