PHOENIX -- They did not knock Dirk Nowitzki out of the MVP lead or send his Dallas Mavericks scurrying into therapy or even clinch the No. 2 seed in the West.

Nor were they trying to.

The Phoenix Suns happily settled for success on a more modest quest Sunday.

"We have our identity back," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni says.

Small. Fast. Fun.

D'Antoni believes that the Suns' only chance to win a championship, no matter what traditionalists say about what wins in the playoffs, is when you can use all three of those adjectives to describe their game. He believes it even as he admits that the first two inevitably lead to defensive and rebounding shortcomings.

What he can't believe is how little fun he's been seeing from the Suns lately, pretty much ever since they won that double-overtime epic in Dallas on March 14.

So . . .

Blaming himself to a degree -- specifically his recent attempts to get his only accomplished interior defender (Kurt Thomas) on the floor more -- D'Antoni has vowed to play smaller and faster for the rest of the season, preferring to focus on the much-needed joy and energy it might generate as opposed to potential consequences. Yet you suspect he'd have made that vow sooner if he had any inkling of the fun that would follow: Phoenix shot 64.8 percent from the field in a 126-104 rout to register the finest display of marksmanship in the history of a building now known as US Airways Center.

"Sometimes, to a fault, we play to the level of competition," said Suns guard Steve Nash.

"When we play well, no one is going to defend us well. … This was one of those games where we were close to our best."

"If you don't miss a shot," D'Antoni volunteered, "it helps."

April Fools Day didn't get off to the funniest start for the quippy coach. Suns owner Robert Sarver called D'Antoni on his cell phone in the morning with a made-up tale about Nash and Nowitzki going out to dinner Saturday … and Nash getting arrested for climbing behind the wheel after one too many adult beverages. He had D'Antoni going for a minute or two before Sarver's victim realized what day it was.

Better news awaited at the office, where D'Antoni learned Dallas' foremost deterrent at the rim (Erick Dampier) would be sitting with a shoulder injury. Although he was determined to play his smallest possible lineup combinations regardless, making sure three quality shooters were on the floor at all times, Dampier's absence made it even easier. The Suns responded by throttling their guests with a barrage of layups and 3-pointers that, according to Nowitzki, had the Mavs "going both ways" defensively and usually making the wrong choice.

Nash and Amare Stoudemire missed only seven shots between them and combined for 47 points, but Leandro Barbosa and Shawn Marion were the Suns who hurt Dallas most. Barbosa seemed especially unguardable, sinking four triples that opened up countless drives, resulting in 29 points for the Brazilian speedster to go with Marion's all-around activity and energy.

Dallas knows it can beat the Suns even if the first two go off. It has no chance with the Suns are recording a ridiculous 50-16 advantage in points scored in the paint.

The Mavs nonetheless managed to hang in for three quarters by hitting seven of their first eight attempts from 3-point range, only for their aim to gradually waver. When Nowitzki landed on Marion's foot early in the fourth, forcing him to the bench with yet another twisted ankle, Dallas gradually faded away. Nowitzki (21 points on just 6-for-18 shooting) tried to play on after a 1:39 rest stint but was clearly hobbled when he returned. Mavs coach Avery Johnson finally pulled him with 2:43 remaining, realizing that the Suns just weren't going to miss at the end.

No joke. Phoenix made 13 of 15 shots from the field in the final period to inflict just the third defeat Dallas has suffered in the past 65 days.

It became a full-fledged holiday for the Suns later in the evening when word of San Antonio's loss in Indiana reached them, widening Phoenix's lead over the Spurs for home-court advantage in a possible second-round matchup to three games with nine to play. For the first time in a while in Phoenix, where the home team was briefly booed last time out, there was no shortage of fun.

Which explains why none of the Suns were apologizing, even though we didn't get the Phoenix-Dallas classic we've now come to expect every time these teams hook up.

"I'd say it was still better than 90 percent of the games in this league," Nash countered.

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AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki

LeBron James, sidelined by right knee tendinitis, gives a rise to Damon Jones. Boston, the East's worst team which was playing without Paul Pierce, defeated the Cavs 98-96.

A Little Jab Will Do Ya

[Editor's note: David Thorpe breaks down some of the best moves in the game:]

JAB AND GO (Opposite direction from the jab)
This move is just as it reads. The player jabs in one direction, getting the defender to shift toward that side, then attacks in the opposite direction. Since most players jab with their "shooting foot" (right foot for right-handed shooters), this means going opposite requires a strong "weak hand."

The best: Carmelo Anthony

It stands to reason that we'd put Anthony here as the top guy. He has the best first step in the league, and the best jab and go.

• Full David Thorpe story