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--> --> Mavs sweep Wolves Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS - Don Nelson thought the Dallas Mavericks were vulnerable, and it didn't matter that his team was on the verge of a sweep. The Dallas coach can relax, for now. The Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-102 Sunday, advancing to the second round of the playoffs after three straight victories. "People will look at it and think it was easy," Nelson said. "I don't look at it that way. I approached that if we lost today, we'd lose the series." Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 of his 39 points before halftime and Michael Finley had 13 of his 30 in the third quarter to carry Dallas. Steve Nash added 25 points and 11 assists for Dallas, which shot 13-for-24 from 3-point range and advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year. The Mavericks will play the winner of the Utah-Sacramento series. "We're trying to go all the way this year," Nowitzki said. "We're deep enough and talented enough, so why not?" The Timberwolves are not about to disagree. "They've got a dangerous team," coach Flip Saunders said. Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 17 rebounds, and Wally Szczerbiak and Anthony Peeler each scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who made their sixth straight first-round exit from the playoffs. The Mavericks, after winning the first two in Dallas, withstood a 22-7 run by Minnesota to start the fourth quarter behind a deafening Target Center crowd of 18,795. Up by 18 starting the fourth, Dallas suddenly went cold as Minnesota drew to 104-101 on a free throw by Garnett with under three minutes to go. But Eduardo Najera's rebound and putback after a timeout put the Mavericks back up by five, and Szczerbiak's 3-point attempt rimmed out with 2:00 to go. Nash sank a 3 on the other end to make it 109-101, and Peeler's pass went right to Finley in the lane on the next possession. "We want early shots," Nowitzki said. "For us, that's money. We're at our best when we run." Nowitzki had 17 rebounds and shot 11-for-17 from the field and 14-for-16 from the line. He scored 99 points in the series. "He's a matchup nightmare," said Szczerbiak, who did a decent job defending Finley but, like the rest of his teammates, could only shake his head at some of the shots the Mavericks made. Philadelphia 108, Boston 103 After being challenged by coach Larry Brown to take more responsibility, Iverson scored 11 of the Sixers' last 15 points, and Derrick Coleman made the go-ahead basket for the with 45.5 seconds left. Game 4 of the best-of-5 first-round series is Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Boston leads the defending Eastern Conference champions 2-1. Paul Pierce had 29 points for Boston and Antoine Walker added 27, including seven 3-pointers in the first half. Boston hit 15-of-30 from beyond the arc, but was only 5-of-16 in the second half. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing