It is the Dallas Mavericks' first visit to the postseason in 11 years, but they vow they're not here just to enjoy the spectacle.
Nor are they prepared to roll over for the far-more-experienced Utah Jazz.
The teams resume their best-of-five first-round playoff series Tuesday night at the Delta Center, with Utah up 1-0, and the Mavs promise to be unintimidated, better educated and intent on securing more rebounds.
They seem confident, and why not? Despite a lot of things that went wrong, or at least could have gone a lot better, they lost by a mere two points.
"We're proud of our young team," said assistant coach Donn Nelson, who finished Game 1 as head coach after his dad got tossed. "We played well enough to win. We feel good about the experience. We'll take from it and learn from it."
And what did the Mavs learn?
"Against teams like Utah, you have to do it for 48," Nelson said. "I think our guys will have a more realistic idea of the physicality in there. We'll know it has to be one through five."
Or, as was the case Saturday, one through six, considering that seldom-used veteran power forward Mark Bryant came off the bench to have a legitimate impact on the game. He drew the assignment of guarding Karl Malone during a stretch when the Jazz star went 0-for-10 from the field.
If nothing else, Bryant's performance should have shown the Mavs that playoff basketball is more physical — which doesn't necessarily mean teams whack each other harder, just that they whack for the full 48 minutes.
"One thing we learned is that the little things throughout a game give teams a win," said Mavs forward Michael Finley. "If we win the rebounding game come Tuesday, we'll win the game."
Rebounding was a major emphasis of the Dallas coaching staff in practice since Game 1, in which the Mavs were outboarded by a sizable 48-37 margin.
As for other issues addressed by the coaches, it might have included such topics as illegal defense — young center Calvin Booth was caught cheating on back-to-back possessions in the first quarter; dealing with officials — the Mavs seemed ill-prepared for the way referees call playoff games differently, allowing more contact but handing out quick technicals and borderline flagrants; and dealing with frustration.
Only minutes into Game 1, Finley and starting center Shawn Bradley appeared visibly annoyed at the way calls were going, a reaction point guard Steve Nash said his teammates can't afford.
"We can't waste our time being frustrated or negative," Nash said. "We played great, and we had a great chance to win. It's important to realize it's a series, and we have to bounce back mentally."
There are several Mavericks probably hoping to bounce back, including Finley, who made just 10 of 23 shots and badly misfired on a potential game-winning three, and Dirk Nowitzki, who made 7 of 20 shots and had a crucial turnover in the closing seconds.
Nowitzki can expect an additional test Tuesday, in the form of Jazz fans no doubt irate about the Dallas forward's comment that Salt Lake City is a "bad city," which is one reason the team returned to Texas between games.
At the Delta Center, that kind of comment can attract the sort of attention usually reserved for such public enemies as Jazz defectors Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson.
But that likely won't be anywhere close to a major factor in an intense series that is proving to be an eye-opener for the youthful Mavericks.
Nelson thinks his youngsters are prepared to handle whatever comes their way.
"We've always been resilient," he said. "I think that will be the tale of this series. We're not going to go away. We're in the real deal, and we have to learn that. If you don't learn quickly, you'll make a quick exit."
E-MAIL: rich@desnews.com