(My Sportsbook) - The Dallas Mavericks finished 60-22 in 2002-03 and made it to the Western Conference finals before losing in six games to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Even after a successful run, the Mavs still were active in the offseason.

On August 18, the Mavs made their first blockbuster move. Dallas sent Nick Van Exel along with Evan Eschmeyer, Avery Johnson, Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau to the Golden State Warriors for Antawn Jamison, Chris Mills, Danny Fortson and Jiri Welsch.

The second trade came on October 20, as the Mavericks acquired Antoine Walker and Tony Delk from the Boston Celtics for Raef LaFrentz, Welsch, Mills and Dallas' first round selection in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Nine games into the 2003-04 season, it looks like the new-look Mavericks have learned how to play together.

On Thursday, Dallas defeated Western Conference rival Houston, 97-86, at American Airlines Center for its third straight win and improved to a respectable 6-3 on the young season.

The Mavs were led by two-time All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed five rebounds.

"It was a hard-fought game," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "Nowitzki was also ill. He looked about as white as I've ever seen him look."

Walker scored 17 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out seven assists in 35 minutes against Houston, while Jamison came off the bench and scored 13 points and pulled down eight boards in 23 minutes of action.

"As long as we continue to move the ball the way we do and find guys for easy shots and make the game easier for all of us, the sky's the limit on how good we can be," Walker told the Star-Telegram after Thursday's game. "Obviously, some nights every shot is not going to fall, but if we keep playing defense the way we have been playing, we can be a very good basketball team."

The 27-year-old Walker and Jamison, who is also 27, were the key additions for the Mavs.

A three-time All-Star, Walker, who was selected out of Kentucky by the Celtics in the first round (sixth pick overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft, is averaging 16.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists so far for the Mavs. He is also shooting a solid 46.3 percent from the field to go along with 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Jamison, who started 311 of 336 games in five seasons for the Warriors, has not made a start for Dallas this season. Nelson has used Jamison as the Mavs' first man off the bench.

A North Carolina product, Jamison was selected after his junior season by the Toronto Raptors in the first round (fourth pick overall) of 1998 NBA Draft. His draft rights were traded by the Raptors to Golden State for the draft rights to Vince Carter and cash.

Walker, who has a reputation of taking wild shots caused by selfish play, and Jamison seem to be adjusting to their new surroundings. In Boston, Walker teamed with Paul Pierce to form a lethal one-two punch on the offensive end of the court, while Jamison was the go-to guy in Golden State.

Now, there is Nowitzki, high-flying Michael Finley and point guard Steve Nash to share the ball with. Just like Nowitzki, Finley and Nash are both two-time All-Stars.

Even though it is early, Jamison is averaging just 13.1 points, which is down from the 22.2 he averaged last season for the Warriors, while Walker, who averaged just under 18 shots per-night in Boston last season, is taking just about 12 attempts per-contest.

The 25-year-old Nowitzki leads the Mavs in scoring (20.6 ppg), while Nash is averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 7.8 assists. Finley is fifth on the team at 12.1 points-per-game.

The Mavs kept their nucleus and were able to add two players to the roster that could be the go-to guys on any team in the NBA.

Everyone is making sacrifices in Dallas, and it seems to be working. Look out Western Conference!