Despite being one win from NBA Finals, Mavs insist they're not looking ahead

The Mavericks know what you’re thinking.
And shame on you, they say. They refuse to allow themselves to indulge in the same process. At least, not for more than a moment or two.
The Miami Heat is waiting out there. Maybe not for certain yet. But it’s a strong possibility the Mavericks will be revisiting their 2006 demons in the NBA Finals.
Miami has a 3-1 lead over Chicago in the Eastern Conference finals.
Not that the Mavericks can afford to look forward to a rematch of the heartbreaking ’06 Finals.
“We’ve got to worry about OKC and focus on them,’’ guard J.J. Barea said. “We’ve got a lot to worry about here rather than looking ahead.’’
Not that the thought isn’t there. Dallas wouldn’t be human if it didn’t have the temptation to peek into the future.
“Watching their game [Sunday in Miami], I know everybody’s thinking it,’’ Barea said.
“I was getting texts from friends asking me: Who would you rather play? But we got to keep our mind on this.’’
The earliest the NBA Finals can start is Tuesday, and that’s only if both conference finals end in five games. Otherwise, the Finals will start June 2.
Bring your voice: Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has been impressed with fans at every stop in the playoffs so far, including American Airlines Center. And he expects there to be more loudness in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
“There’s a couple of things that I feel are important,’’ he said. “No. 1, we’ve got to have a loud crowd. I mean, we’ve got to have a crowd that’s insane because that’s how Oklahoma City was. That’s how Portland was. And that’s how our fans were in the Lakers series. They were off the charts.
“That helps, especially when you are trying to push over the top and win a game in a close-out situation.’’
Oh, and by the way, the other things that are important?
“Second thing is, the rebounding is a really big thing,’’ Carlisle said. “Turnovers early [Monday] hurt us and really got them going. And those are two areas we’ve got to address.’’
Still impressive: Speaking of Monday’s incredible comeback from 15 points down in the final five minutes, Dirk Nowitzki believes it might be the best rally he’s ever been a part of, at least when it comes to taking place on a huge stage.
“It’s got to be up there,’’ Nowitzki said. “I can’t remember another comeback like that. It didn’t look great there. But our defense was unbelievable down the stretch.
“Where they were killing us all night long was offensive rebounds. And finally, the last five minutes, I can only recall one offensive rebound in the last five and in overtime.
“Once we got to OT, we had to feel good about ourselves. We talked about it and said we’ve got to go for it.’’