How DO they do it?

The Mavericks have left me speechless. They are putting a crunch-time lineup out there of: Kidd, Barea, Terry, Bass and Dirk. What's more confusing is that it's working.

It worked (kind of) against the Lakers, it pulled them out of a hole against the Clips, and it worked against the Suns last night, and I don't get it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason Terry wasn't a permanent fixture at the two is because of his lack of size. But somehow putting in a 5'10" guy at the 2, and moving Terry to the three is working.

Now, it won't work against a big two like Tracy McGrady or Kobe, but it will work against most teams.

J.J. Barea is blowing my mind. I picked him up in fantasy last week, and hopefully he will give the Mavs a legit #2 point guard.

The key to winning eight of nine for the Mavs has been: the times without Kidd haven't been a black hole.

Barea looks like he has been learning from both Kidd and Devin Harris, passing well and getting to the basket with ease.

When Howard comes back, it will be interesting to see how the Mavs play it, but all of a sudden the Dallas bench is looking pretty deep, as evidenced when they outscored the vaunted Lakers bench 56-25.

With a presumed starting lineup of (when everyone is healthy):
Kidd
Wright
Howard
Dirk
Dampier

Here is what the bench is:

• Jason Terry - Outscored the Lakers bench by himself, he is coming on strong and getting good looks to the hoop. Already a great character guy, he's making his minutes count for the first time in a year or so.
  
• J.J. Barea - The Wild Card. I'm doubtful that he will be as good as he has been for the rest of the season, but he does provide a spark, he's shooting well, getting to the hoop, playing good defense, and performing all around.
  
• Gerald Green - While his minutes have been cut into, he is still a factor off the bench, and he can provide energy in the late third-quarter, when the stars are resting up for crunch time. I'd still like to see him get more minutes (hopefully in blowouts) where he can get the feel of the Mavs ball movement and defensive schemes, as well as find a niche in the offense.
  
• James Singleton - He has done pretty well on the boards in his limited time, and even hits a jumper of two.
• Devean George - Shooting very well off the bench, and provides the defense that Barea and Terry lack on a big SG.
  
• Diop - Slowly getting back to form, and he's actually getting a little aggressive on the offensive glass. I'd like to see him get fed inside more often, since he's got better hands than Damp.
  

That's not a bad bench there, and if they can shore up the interior defense with someone like Kaman, that could go a long way.