Looking out of it, Mavericks avoid a historic ouster

DALLAS —  A funny thing happened on the way to the choke of the ages.

Having just blown a 21-point lead, about to become the winningest No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks’ fallen star, Dirk Nowitzki, rallied his teammates from a nine-point deficit in the final 3:02 as they scored the last 15 points to beat the Golden State Warriors, 118-112.

The Warriors still lead the series, 3-2, going back to Oakland for Thursday’s Game 6 but the Mavericks aren’t complaining.

Nowitzki, pilloried locally with Coach Avery Johnson snarling at him too, didn’t make a shot -- and only tried one -- from the time Golden State tied it, 67-67, to the time the Warriors went up, 112-103 ... then scored 12 of the last 15 points.

“The pressure’s on them [Warriors] now,” said Johnson afterward, hopefully. “They got 10,000 pounds on their right arms.”

Said Golden State Coach Don Nelson: “All we had to do was guard and that’s why Dirk got loose and [Devin] Harris got loose.”

Nowitzki, in the process of being defrocked as a most-valuable-player candidate, had struggled all series, further irritating his coach when he said they had to win Game 4 or the series would be “pretty much over.”

Nowitzki also noted that the Warriors were ganging up on him, saying he had to “take what they give me and they don’t really give me a lot.”

This was too much for the intense Johnson, who went off before Game 5 when someone asked if Nowitzki was discouraged.

“Too discouraged,” said Johnson. “OK?”

“I’m tired of hearing about how they are taking him out of his game and any lack of confidence. You are just not supposed to have that, all right? I wasn’t the best of players and didn’t have the best of skills, but you are not going to shake my confidence.”

The local media was even more to the point. Wrote the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram’s Randy Galloway:

”... There’s an MVP award to be announced next week. Just save Dirk the embarrassment, please. Give it to [Steve] Nash.”

Of course, it’s possible that even Johnson’s confidence wavered when the Mavericks took a 53-32 lead, only to see the Warriors rally.

The Dallas lead was down to 62-55 at halftime. The Warriors tied it, 67-67, early in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks kept going back into the lead and the Warriors, as they have all series, kept coming back, finally shooting into what looked like a commanding 112-103 lead on Baron Davis’ off-balance, step-in three-pointer, after getting the ball back from Harris, who had tipped it away.

If everything seemed to be going for the Warriors, it didn’t look too important when Nowitzki made a three-pointer, his first points of the fourth quarter.

However, with the Mavericks double-teaming Davis at half court, the Warriors missed their last nine shots.

Another three-pointer by Nowitzki cut it to 112-109. Harris scored on a driving layup to cut it to 112-111.

Nowitzki, going to the basket, was fouled and made two free throws, putting the Mavericks ahead to stay with 48 seconds left.

Putting the finishing touches on themselves, the Warriors’ Stephen Jackson, who was ejected in Game 2, was thrown out of this one too.

“Life of Stephen Jackson,” said Jackson afterward. “That’s all I’m saying.”

Nelson, who fined him “a substantial amount” for the first offense, said he’ll take another “substantial amount.”

Jackson should be happy if that’s all it costs him. After his first ejection, Commissioner David Stern said Jackson’s checkered past hadn’t factored into the league’s $50,000 fine. “But the next one will,” said Stern.

“We’ve got to win Game 6,” said Nelson. “We would prefer not to come back for [Game 7] and we’re going to do everything in our power and our fans’ power to do that.”

Their fans had better be on their game.

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mark.heisler@latimes.com