After banging his head against the wall one final time with an all-veteran starting lineup that featured Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Brendan Haywood, Rick Carlisle finally began adjusting his rotation in the first half of Game 4.
As a result, Dallas and Oklahoma City are tied at 47 at halftime, a marked improvement from the 17 point drubbing the Thunder gave them in Game 3 to put the Mavericks on the brink of elimination.
With Kendrick Perkins out of the game, Haywood doesn't have a player to match up with on the interior, which has resulted in more minutes for Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright.
The two younger and more athletic centers have given Dallas more of a defensive presence, especially on help-side rotations, while also combining for 9 points and 3 rebounds in 8 minutes.
The Thunder have been paced by James Harden, as the Mavericks have had no answer for his athletic and playmaking ability at 6'5 220 all series. The Oklahoma City sixth man has 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 4-5 shooting so far.
On the other end of the floor, Dirk Nowitzki has been more aggressive establishing position on the low block, as the Dallas star leads the team with 13 points and 4 assists on 5-11 shooting.
For more on the game, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas storystream as well as Mavs Moneyball.