SAN ANTONIO _ The Mavericks looked down at the other end of the court Monday night and it wasn't what they saw, but what they didn't see.
No Kawhi Leonard. No Tony Parker. No Manu Ginobili.
Time waits for no one. Not even ageless Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.
And not Dirk Nowitzki, either.
One of the oldest sayings in the NBA is that if you don't keep up with the changes, it'll pass you by in a heartbeat.
The Spurs indeed have a different look. But the results haven't changed much. They now have won 12 of the last 14 meetings with the Mavericks after Monday's 113-108 overtime victory against the Mavericks, who have lost four in a row and now are 2-5.
If the Mavericks need proof that an organization can remake itself in the afterlife when franchise icons move along, the Spurs have the blueprint _ even if the Mavericks pushed them to the limit on Monday.
San Antonio is doing it with DeMar DeRozan. And LaMarcus Aldridge. And a retread like Rudy Gay.
"Man, it's very different," said Harrison Barnes. "As long as I've been watching the Spurs, Tony, Manu, Tim (Duncan), those guys have been there. When Tim retired, I was like, 'Dang, he's actually hanging them up.' Tony going to Charlotte. I never thought I'd see Tony Parker in another uniform. That's crazy.
"But I think fans and players alike can appreciate what those guys accomplished, just like they can with Dirk and our franchise."
Nowitzki remains sidelined as his rehab from ankle surgery is ongoing. But he will return at some point. He has begun shooting 3-pointers and working up a decent sweat before games.
But even when he comes back, Nowitzki will be a 20-minute player at most. This is quickly going to become Luka Doncic's team and Dennis Smith Jr.'s team.
It's the way the league rolls.
"The NBA is about dynamic change," Rick Carlisle said. "A franchise like the Spurs that has had such great consistency and great continuity move some guys you're used to seeing, it is a little unusual. But they get the DeRozans and guys and fit them in seamlessly."
In the past decade or so, Boston has gone from Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward.
Houston went from Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady to James Harden and Chris Paul.
Somehow, all those franchises survived. And the Mavericks will to, although to what degree of prosperity remains to be seen.
On nights like Monday, they looked capable of just about anything. Even when they were down 89-83 midway through the fourth quarter.
The trio of Barnes, Doncic and Smith pushed the Mavericks back in front with Smith's 3-pointer giving them a 101-98 lead.
DeRozan, however, wasn't finished. He scored four points and when Smith missed the second of two free throws with 2.3 seconds left, it left the game tied and the Spurs had a chance to win it. When DeRozan's 18-footer was off, the Mavericks had a reprieve.
It didn't last. DeRozan, whom Carlisle had called before the game one of the best 2-point shooters in NBA history, proved it with two from midrange that helped the Spurs go up 111-106 with 10.9 seconds left.
And so, a pretty solid effort went for naught for the Mavericks. They looked capable all night long.
But missed 3-pointers in the overtime put them in a hole from which they could not escape in the final possessions.
