Brazilian point guard Marcelinho Huertas is the key to FC Barcelona’s attack. (EUROLEAGUE.NET)

The Dallas Mavericks found out first hand just how good FC Barcelona Regal is, as the 2011 NBA champs went down 99-85 to the European powerhouse in an exhibition game at Palau Sant Jordi in Spain on Tuesday.

It is Barcelona’s third win in three tries against an NBA team, beating the Phildelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers in previous editions of NBA Europe Live. Forward Pete Mickeal (who attended the University of Cincinnati) and former Euroleague MVP Juan Carlos Navarro each had 19 points to lead all scorers. Center Nate Jawai had 13 while Ante Tomic and Marcelinho Huertas each contributed 12.

Chris Kaman led Dallas with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Darren Collison added 14 while Elton Brand had 10 for the Mavericks, who did not have Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs All-Star was resting a sore knee.

Most NBA fans may not be familiar with FC Barcelona, but the Spanish club has been one of the dominant teams in Europe for the past decade, winning two Euroleague titles (2003 and 2010) and 17 Spanish League championships. The 2010 Barcelona squad is considered one of greatest Euroleague teams of all time, and it was led by Navarro, Mickeal, Fran Vasquez, and Ricky Rubio.

When Rubio bolted for the NBA, Barcelona turned the team over to another top-flight point guard in Huertas. ESPN basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla compares the 29-year-old Brazilian to Steve Nash in terms of ball-handling and play-making ability. Huertas, who is listed at 6-3, could easily make the jump to the NBA. But why would he? He would be wasted in the NBA because teams would be reluctant to hand him the reins of a team, and he’ll probably end up being a backup somewhere (much like FC Barcelona teammate Navarro, who rode the bench with the Memphis Grizzlies).

According to Draft Express:

Huertas is a small and skinny point guard, with solid quickness, excellent ball-handling skills, and the ability to change speeds on the fly and get to the basket at a very nice rate. Once known as a fairly wild player (like many Brazilian guards), Huertas has matured over the last few years, and now looks much more patient and under control, making excellent decisions on the pick and roll in particular, getting everyone on his team involved unselfishly (in a variety of ways), pushing the ball up the floor well, showing excellent court vision, and also being able to score the ball himself when things broke down offensively. He has a nice mid-range game, and is a decent shooter from 3-point range, nothing spectacular (his release is not very quick), but enough to keep defenses honest and prevent them from going underneath screens on the pick and roll.

Against the Mavericks, Huertas had three assists and two steals in 36 minutes. He was also 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

Alex Abrines helped Barca take an early 35-27 lead, but the Mavs stormed back thanks to Kaman and Shawn Marion. Dallas trailed 42-40 at halftime. Barcelona rolled after the break, as a put-back layup by C.J. Wallace made it a double-digit game at 59-49. Navarro and Mickeal powered the European club to a 68-51 margin in the third quarter. Dallas managed to get to within six at 89-83 with three minutes to go, but Tomic and Navarro stepped up in crunch time to seal the victory.

Dirk Nowitzki enters his 14th NBA season, all with the Dallas Mavericks. (GETTY IMAGES)

Dirk Nowitzki got a hero’s welcome in Germany Saturday when the Dallas Mavericks took on European club Alba Berlin. The preseason game, part of the NBA Europe Live tour, was the backdrop for Nowitzki’s big homecoming, which included several appearances and press conferences in his native country.

The Mavericks won in a sloppily played 89-84 matchup that saw both teams struggle with any consistency on offense and had several breakdowns on defense. Nowitzki didn’t have his best stuff, scoring just eight points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field in 33 minutes. But he still managed to excite the 02 World Arena crowd with a couple of his signature step-back, fadeaway jumpers.

Overall, the Mavericks have plenty of work to do to get ready for the real season. Head coach Rick Carlisle must incorporate a ton of new faces into his system, as only six remain from Dallas’ 2011 NBA championship squad.

But the lead role on the Mavs still belongs to Nowitzki. The 34-year-old is without question the greatest basketball player to come out of Germany and the only European to claim the Maurice Podoloff trophy as the NBA’s most valuable player in the regular season. When his storied career is all said and done, he will be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame not only because of his accomplishments on the court but for his immense contributions to the game as one of the pioneers of Euroball in the NBA.

Before Dirk, most NBA 7-footers were back-to-the-basket types who rarely drifted past the free throw line. Nowitzki spawned face-up big men such as Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, and Mehmet Okur, and now big men are encouraged to develop a midrange game.

Nowitzki is now in the third year of a four-year contract extension he signed back in 2010. He has previously stated that he wants to fulfill his contract, but would need to reassess his position in two years, leaving the possibility of playing in Europe as sort of a farewell tour. In any case, the NBA has been truly lucky to have Nowitzki. He has been nothing but a model of consistency in terms of his play on the court and the way he has handled himself for much of his professional career. Sure he suffered through some embarrassing defeats in the past, but he rose above it and erased all doubts when he won a championship ring in 2011.

Nowitzki enters his 14th season in the NBA, all with the Mavericks. He is also a newlywed as he married his longtime Kenyan-born girlfriend, Jessica Olsson. He is happily married and in much better shape than last season, so the rest of the league better watch out.

AMERICANS ON ALBA BERLIN

Alba Berlin don’t have any big-time names on its roster, but there are three Americans who, if you are a fan of college basketball, you might recognize:

Deon Thompson: A 6-foot-9 power forward who was a teammate of Brandan Wright at North Carolina in 2007. That team won both the ACC regular season and tournament titles and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAAs before falling to Georgetown in OT. He is in his first year with Alba, having played the past three years in Greece and Slovenia.

DaShaun Wood: A 6-foot-1 point guard who played at Wright State and was the Horizon Conference player of the year in 2007. In 2011, he led the German league in scoring for Skyliners Frankfurt. He is in his second season with Alba.

Zach Morley: A 6-foot-8 SF who played at Wisconsin. He was a member of the 2005 team that reached the Elite Eight before losing to North Carolina. He played in the Ukraine the last two seasons and prior to that has had played in the second and third divisions in Spain.

Fenerbahce Ulker’s Baris Ermis drives through the Celtics defense in a preseason game in Istanbul. (EUROLEAGUE)

The Boston Celtics’ world tour hit an early snag when Gang Green lost its preseason opener, 97-91, to Turkish pro team Fenerbahce Ulker.

Fenerbahce Ulker, one of Europe’s top club teams, scored 23 points off 25 Boston turnovers and held the Celtics to 18 points in the second quarter. Bo McCalebb, regarded as one of the best point guards in the Euroleague, more than held his own in his head-to-head battle with Boston All-Star guard Rajon Rondo. McCalebb sliced the Celtics defense all game, splitting double teams and creating offense off the drive-and-kick. He finished with 21 points, grabbed four rebounds, and had five assists.

“The reason I played good tonight is not that the game was televised in the States and it was not who was playing against me, Rajon Rondo. When I play against any good player I try to give my best,” said McCalebb, who played college ball at the University of New Orleans. “It’s not personal. And it was a really special night for us after playing a very hard game in the Turkish Cup a day before against Galatasaray Medical Park. We are happy to give our fans a very exciting win.”

McCalebb’s backcourt teammate, Romain Sato, led all scorers with 24 points, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the European club. Bojan Bogdanovic (drafted by the Brooklyn Nets) netted 11 points, including three 3-pointers.

Some new faces had decent debuts for the Celtics. Rookie forward Jared Sullinger led the Cs with 16 points and eight rebounds. Forward Jeff Green also had 16 points and looked very comfortable despite missing all of last season due to heart surgery. Jason Terry, wearing No. 4 in Celtic green, scored 12 points off the bench on 4-for-7 shooting. Courtney Lee started the game at shooting guard in place of Avery Bradley.

Turkey pro player Omer Onan with Celtics forward Paul Pierce. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

After trailing 18-8 early, the Celtics went on a 19-8 run — capped by Rondo’s 3-pointer at the buzzer — to take a 27-26 lead. But that lead quickly evaporated as Bojan Bogdanovic (drafted by the Brooklyn Nets) knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to push Fenerbahce ahead. The home team took a 55-45 lead at halftime and never trailed in the second half as Celtics head coach Doc Rivers rested starters Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rondo. Rondo is already in midseason form, scoring 13 points and dishing out nine assists.

The Celtics have been in Istanbul for a week, and Garnett feels the experience can only help bond the team.

“We are a family in a village, we can look at it like that. When we hit that floor or go outside of these walls, we take care of each other,” said Garnett, now entering his sixth season as a Celtic. “So we’re looking for those kinds of things when we come out of Turkey. Not just being your teammate, but being your brother.”