This is dumb. The Mavericks should rub the Spurs face in it. It's not like they can play any harder than they did last year. It's important that everytime they play each other, the Mavericks send the message: "We're better than you".
They should never show fear or even respect to the Spurs, they're just another team the Mavs have to go through to get to the Championship.
It's important for Mavs to win this game, just as it matters to the Spurs that they can beat them.