They've experienced plenty in Basketball except the joy and pain of squaring off as NBA head coaches in the same game. So when Grizzlies coach Iavaroni gives a final look across the court where Carlisle will stand in charge of the Dallas Mavericks in American Airlines Center, their mutual admiration won't be swayed by the final score.

"He's helped me a lot in my career and given me suggestions," Iavaroni said. "He started (his NBA coaching career) before I did, and he made the most of it."

Carlisle is on his third NBA head coaching job, having led Detroit and Indiana before sitting out last season, which happened to be Iavaroni's first with the Griz and as an NBA head coach.

Their clash should be interesting . Their offensive styles are predicated on motion offense, schemes based more on freelance movement than structured plays.

Defensively, the Mavs under Carlisle are what the Griz are trying to become under Iavaroni: tough and disciplined.

Though the Mavs (5-7) haven't started well under Carlisle, they are holding opponents to 40-percent shooting over the past five games and are 4-0 when opponents score 89 points or less.

Dallas has won three straight games but Carlisle sounded the alarm on defense at the height of his team's troubles, breaking down every nuance of the Mavs' performance when they didn't have the ball.

"The issues are consistent, hard effort at the defensive end," he said. "For instance, right now we are ranked No. 3 in the league in points per minute when we get a defensive rebound or a stop.

"So that tells you when we're getting stops, our efficiency at converting is at the very top of the league. When we take it out of the net (after a made basket) or take it out of the net when someone shoots a free throw, it goes down to 22nd and 28th, respectively.

"We've got to get stops, and we've got to have the energy defensively. We don't always have the best team speed, but we've got to make up for it by scrambling and hard play."

Sound familiar?

It's no coincidence that Iavaroni chose Kevin O'Neill as his defensive coordinator after Griz owner Michael Heisley insisted on hiring one after last year's ineptitude.

Iavaroni consulted with Carlisle. O'Neill's name drew strong consideration because he worked with Carlisle as an assistant at Detroit and Indiana.

"He recommended him highly," Iavaroni said. "(Carlisle) had a lot to do with the process. He told me (O'Neill) is a trustworthy guy who likes to win. He works very hard to develop players, and those were the most important qualities to me."

Iavaroni's trust is ROOTed in a long-standing relationship that dates back to the 1980s.

Carlisle played two years at the University of Maine before transferring to Virginia where he co-captained the Cavaliers' Final Four appearance in 1984. By then, Iavaroni was an NBA player, who worked out at Virginia regularly after having served as a graduate assistant coach through 1981 and player through 1978.

"We talk all the time," Iavaroni said. "(Carlisle) has helped me a lot on my ladder headed up. He's one of the guys in the league I really respect a lot and really care for. And he's always been there for me as well."

Excuse Iavaroni if he puts little-to-no stock in Dallas' 0-4 record at home - the franchise's worst in 15 years. Dallas is the only team in the league to not win a game at home. That's shocking given the Mavs have won at least 34 home games over the past two seasons.

If anyone, Iavaroni knows better.

"He's turned into a great coach," Iavaroni said of Carlisle,

Call Ronald Tillery at 529-2353 or read his Grizzlies blog at commercialappeal.com/tillery .

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Griz vs. Mavs

When, where : 7:30 p.m. today, American Airlines Center

TV, radio : SportSouth, WRBO-FM (103.5)

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