Dirk Nowitzki is right.

Friday night's NBA playoff schedule might say "Game 3."

But it's Game 7 for the Mavericks. Lose, and they can stop off on the way to practice Saturday morning and buy a few dozen Titleists. The golf season would be ready to begin.

Both of these home games this weekend are must-wins. Level the series at two wins apiece, and the doubt then shifts to the New Orleans Hornets.

Anything else, and the clock is ticking on a lot of possibilities, most of which will be brought up in the questions below.

Really, all the Mavericks have to do is play their game and let the adrenaline flow. And above all, do not panic. They have been a good home team all season. Let that dominance show through.

This series is not over. It's half over if you're the Hornets. But for the Mavericks, it all begins with a Game 7-like atmosphere Friday night.

Eddie Sefko

Q: What happens if the Mavericks get knocked out in the first round? Will the team be blown up? Will Avery Johnson be fired?

SEFKO: We got this question from what seemed like 90 percent of the Mavericks' fan base. The best answer to both questions right now is "probably."

If, for the second year in a row, the first round is all there is for this team, then changes are needed. Out with the old, in with the new. And even though he's not old, that probably means Josh Howard is a goner. That might not be the worst thing for Howard. There are a lot of teams that covet him. And for a still relatively young player, a fresh start sometimes jump-starts a career that seems to have hit a plateau.

The Mavericks appear to have only three players they are dead-set on keeping for next year – Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Brandon Bass – although Antoine Wright is an intriguing young talent, too.

Everything else is open to discussion. And if the right thing presented itself, even the three aforementioned players might be expendable.

Which brings us to the coach. If there's a first-round ouster, his firing probably won't be far behind. That doesn't make it right. But that's the way these things work. If Johnson and owner Mark Cuban can come to a financial settlement, the change would happen quickly.

To his credit, Cuban has said nothing about Johnson during the late portion of the season or the playoffs. If he came out in support, it would look like the dreaded vote of confidence.

So who might replace Johnson? That's another question for another day. But the first two names under consideration ought to be Del Harris and Paul Westphal.

I have nothing to suggest they have any sort of inside track if something happens. They just both would seem to be marvelous fits for a team that needs a steady hand at the helm.

Q: How in the world did the Mavericks think it was the right thing to do to put together a team of old, slow veterans when the Western Conference is getting younger and tougher and quicker by the minute? The Mavs look old and tired against a young, athletic team like New Orleans. Maybe the Warriors series wasn't a fluke?

Dale M.

SEFKO: First, it should be noted that San Antonio is up 2-0 against Phoenix, and all the Spurs did this year was add Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas, neither of whom is a spring chicken.

Old still has its value in the league. But it has to be a certain kind of old. The Tim Duncan kind.

The Mavericks thought players such as Eddie Jones and Jerry Stackhouse had some life left in them. That production has been erratic.

Rest assured that if this playoff run is as short as it looks like it might be, a youth movement will take place.

Q: The Mavs are done. They have no heart, guts, toughness or chemistry. First it was Dwyane Wade, then Baron Davis and now Chris Paul. We have no stoppers. This team lost it all in the Finals two years ago. It's time to trade Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse. Keep Dirk, Kidd and Bass. Fire Avery.

C.T.

SEFKO: OK, technically, C.T., you didn't ask a question. But we'll let you slide because you hit a lot of points that a lot of other fans are concerned about. Many people seem to feel the same way.

What will be interesting is to see how Paul does if the Hornets go on to win this series. What will he do against Tony Parker? Or Steve Nash?

But I digress. If this thing doesn't turn around, the changes will be massive. The prevailing wisdom is that Johnson would be the first to go. But the only wisdom that really matters is Mark Cuban's.

My guess is that Johnson probably will not survive. But it's easier to dump a coach than it is to dump players. You can't jettison them all. But you can try. And the Mavericks just might.

Q: I have said it before, and I'll say it again – the Mavs will not win big until they fix their biggest problem. That problem is Erick Dampier. He has a great game once a year. He has 10 or 15 so-so games per year. The rest of the time, he's below average. If he can't dunk the ball, chances are he'll miss the shot. These are my thoughts. Yours?

John

SEFKO: Few people have as much tolerance for Dampier as I do. I try to see the screens he sets and the clogging of the lane he does, plus the seals he does on opponents to free up teammates.

That's all well and good.

But this is a $63 million man we're talking about. That's a huge investment and one that you expect to produce more than seven points and seven rebounds.

You don't have to have a monster center in this league to win big. But it helps if you have one that can do one thing very well. Usually, that's either rebounding or shot-blocking or scoring.

Dampier has no specialty.

All I can say is that the Mavericks feel your pain. And it's far worse for them.

Q: I was interested in an article you wrote recently, until I got to the first few paragraphs. You mentioned Sam Cassell in the same league as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Come on. You're better than that. You just lost all credibility.

Colby

SEFKO: First of all, credibility has been in short supply for a long time. I hang around with D-Moore. How can you have much credibility?

But to your question, have you bothered to watch the games? Sam Cassell has a reputation as one of the clutch shooters in the league. He's made more game-winners than James has even thought of taking.

My point wasn't that Cassell is in the same ballpark as those superstars. But if you are in a tied ballgame against him, you do not want him shooting the key shot.

Q: The Mavericks will never get anywhere relying on Dampier and Howard. Howard is especially unreliable. But I have to admit, Brandon Bass looks like the real thing. What do you think?

Tom S.

SEFKO: Agreed that Bass has a wonderful future. The big concern, it would seem, is whether he can be on the court at the same time with Dirk Nowitzki. They play so differently that they might be a nice pairing in the front court, although that means one of them has to guard a small forward.

As for your Dampier-Howard assessment, it's fashionable now to rip on Howard. But he's been a pretty solid player for several years. A superstar? No. But a good, productive asset? Absolutely.

Just because he is going through a rough spell right now doesn't mean Howard doesn't still have value. A lot of teams would love to have him.

Q: I saw your story about referees and was curious about the Mavericks' record when Bennett Salvatore works their games. Is the old geezer still around?

Les B., Dallas

SEFKO: Oh, he's still around. The Mavericks were 2-2 with Salvatore this season.

Rest assured they will see him in the playoffs – if they hang around long enough.

Q: How much of this soft stuff do you guys have to see before you guys will call out Dirk Nowitzki? David West punked "Irk" again by putting his hand on Nowitzki's face. Maybe instead of going to Australia for nature hikes, he should go to the gym in Oak Cliff and "bang with the brothers." That was embarrassing.

Trent L.

SEFKO: OK, so you're saying that guys at any gym anywhere in Oak Cliff or all of north Texas are going to rough up Nowitzki more than NBA players who get paid to do it? Sorry, but there is no rougher place to play basketball than in the NBA.

Did West overstep the bounds of respect? No question. I don't blame Nowitzki for not responding. If he had, he'd have been the one that got caught and been assessed harsher punishment.

I do blame teammates for not jumping in. If you're one of the secondary players such as Jerry Stackhouse or Jason Terry, you need to have your superstar's back.

You're right that Nowitzki is not the toughest guy in the league. But he showed everybody plenty of grit coming back to play, basically on one leg, during the last weeks of the season.

Take the whole package if you're going to rag on Nowitzki. If you aren't impressed by what he does, then I would question what it is exactly in the NBA that you do like.