DALLAS -- It is no easy thing to ascend to the top of any competitive enterprise, a fact that certainly applies to the NBA and its in-flux Western Conference. It is equally true that a champion hasn't effectively been unseated, nor any kingpin adequately replaced, until that person has been truly and totally vanquished.
Both facts were on display Monday as the Dallas Mavericks fended off the Los Angeles Clippers' somewhat road-weary brand of Lob City, a version that included Blake Griffin unable to make free throws and Caron Butler missing a wide-open and potentially game-winning 3-pointer as time ticked toward zero.
All that culminated with a 96-92 Mavericks win, but it's in the details that show where each team stands -- and proves the lie that what happens in the NBA in February has little to no meaning.
There are two questions, one each, clinging to every single moment of the Mavericks' and Clippers' seasons. For the Mavs it is whether they can reclaim their recent past; for the Clippers, whether they can claim a future that lives up to all that posterizing, dunk-inducing excitement.
Both questions were addressed in Monday's game. The Mavericks, now on a four-game winning streak that has included Dirk Nowitzki looking like his old self, have reasserted themselves back into the top echelon of the Western Conference.
The king, so far, is not dead.
And the Clippers, who just grinded out a 4-2 road trip, were reminded that there is a fine line between the best and the rest. Where they stand in that regard remains open for debate -- I'd say they're among the best -- but what is not open for debate is that any hold they have on their new-found excellence is tenuous.
This challenger, so far, is like so many others: Not there yet, but showing signs of promise.
"There are lapses but overall things are good -- are great," Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said afterwards. "There will be wins and losses, but we're looking down the road."
The lapses Monday included Blake Griffin hitting just 2 of 9 free throws, meaning that despite scoring 20 points he was a big reason the Clippers lost.
"It's on me," Griffin said. "I missed shots, I missed free throws, I missed easy ones, I missed a dunk."
He was angry afterward, and surly, and certainly professional with his answers. All, I'd say, signs of a guy who can turn talent into something more precious: Greatness. Anger is important, as is passion, as is a deep-seated sense that losing is simply unacceptable.
Griffin was angry, in part, because he was right. He missed out on a lot of opportunities to give his team a win against a future Hall of Famer and his defending championship team -- a very big deal indeed for those with grand plans.
Missing out on a chance to notch a win against a foe, and a champion, stings because those moments represent everything he and his teammates want to be. It is just February, yes. And it is just one game, yes. But for the Clippers to become what they want -- winners of the highest order -- they must do one of two things.
Win these kinds of games against the very defending champions they want to surpass.
Or learn permanent lessons when they do not.
"I can move on," Griffin said afterward. "I'll be ready by tomorrow."
Part of that lesson can come from the guy who also had a sour night from the field. Dirk was just 5 of 15, scratching out half his 22 points on 11-of-15 foul shooting.
But Dirk, drawing from his own missteps (the 2006 Finals) and triumphs (last year's championship win over the Heat) did what had to be done: He summoned it all, let it power him, and won the game.
He channeled that greatness when it mattered. Or at least as much as a February game matters.
With 41 seconds left and the Mavericks up by one point, Dirk hit a jump shot with the certainty of a champion. The lead was three. It would not be relinquished.
"He's the classic case of a great player, and you just stay the course," said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. "I played with Larry Bird for three years and there were nights he'd go 2 of 13 and then hit the last three shots to win the game. Dirk's the same kind of guy."
And that means the king isn't dead until he's dead, and the Mavericks aren't done until someone finishes them off. They are a different team than last year, yes, but they have Dirk, and they have a slowly building confidence that could be felt in their locker room afterward. They also know that since their star took four games off to get in shape that they have looked a lot like a team you wouldn't want to play in the playoffs.
The Clippers can leave Dallas knowing they had both an excellent road trip and still let two games get away, Monday's against the Mavs and one last week at Cleveland.
The Mavericks can know they're on a nice roll, even if they were an open Butler shot away from losing.
And we all know that Dirk is Dirk again, while Griffin is still learning to be not just a star but a closer and a champion. And so we know both teams remain what they have been from Day One: The Mavs a group looking to hold on and the Clippers looking to grasp that kind of greatness themselves.
You can follow Bill Reiter on Twitter or email him at foxsportsreiter@gmail.com.
