Nowitzki gave mixed reviews to the Kidd trade, which cost the Mavericks young point guard Devin Harris, a former first-round draft choice.

“Honestly, things didn’t look great before the trade. It would have been a struggle to get into the playoffs either way, so we just went for it,” Nowitzki said. “Sometimes you have to take some risks in this business. We went for one of the best point guards ever to play this game. ... For some reason, we never got clicking the way we wanted to.”

Johnson didn’t say anything about his future with the team, other than to say he expects to be in meetings soon concerning how to improve the squad.

The Hornets shot nearly 54 percent in the first half and took their first double-digit lead in the first quarter at 24-13.

Dallas battled back to tie it at 32 when Stackhouse hit an acrobatic fast-break layup as he was being pulled to the floor on a hard foul by Pargo, but the Mavs never took the lead and the Hornets began to pull away again when Pargo hit a 3.

Pargo’s jumper several possessions later ignited a 17-3 run to close the second quarter and the Hornets led 54-39 at halftime.

The Hornets’ victory closed the latest happy chapter for a team that won only 18 games in the last full season it played in New Orleans before a two-year displacement to Oklahoma City because of Hurricane Katrina.

Yet, shortly after the game ended, so did the brief celebrations by Hornets players, who said they expected to get at least past the first round after a 56-26 regular season than earned them a Southwest Division crown and the second seed in the tough Western Conference.

“We’re not going to pop champagne bottles or anything like that,” Paul said. “We’re trying to set a new standard here with our organization. This isn’t like a fairy tale for us. This is something that we’re trying to keep going.”

Notes: Shortly before tip-off, the Hornets presented Scott with the Red Auerbach trophy so fans could honor the first-time NBA coach of the year. The voting totals were released earlier in the day. ... Saints running back Reggie Bush was in a courtside seat and persuaded by the Hornets’ mascot into signing a football and throwing it into the crowd. ... Paul had one triple-double and three double-doubles in this series. ... Attendance was 18,260. The Hornets sold out all three home playoff games in the series. ... Bass hit his first 21 free throws of the series before missing one with 8:56 left in the game. ... The Mavs are 8-6 all time in first-round playoff series.

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