UNIVERSITY PARK – If you want a theme song for coach Rick Carlisle's first Mavericks' training camp, dust off that old Lynyrd Skynyrd album and crank up "Gimme Three Steps."

The first day of camp was spent running. More specifically, it was spent running hard for three quick steps at the start of each change of possession. It's something the new coaching staff will be unwavering about. They will demand that players turn on the jets the moment they switch from defense to offense, or vice-versa.

It's a nice departure from the pass-and-hide offense of the past, which helped the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals once, but had grown stale the last couple of seasons.

"It's going to have to be a fact of life for us," Carlisle said after more than three hours of court time at SMU's Crum Basketball Center. "Offensively, when Jason Kidd gets the ball in his hands, you're a fool if you're not running hard right now because he's going to see you and he's going to put it to you in rhythm on stride, and you're going to be in position to attack the basket.

"We drilled it today and talked about it and we're going to stay with it because it's got to be a big part of how we're playing. It's higher RPM's."

The first three steps are critical to a fast-breaking team. The Mavericks have to reinvent themselves, not to mention they have to get in better condition. That puts an emphasis on players like Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard and Devean George to get to full speed as fast as possible.

"One of the things that made the Lakers teams of the '80s so great was that James Worthy had one of the most explosive first three steps of anybody that ever played," Carlisle said. "We need Josh and Stack and Jason Terry and Devean and our young guys to get in that habit because with Jason, the ball's going to be there." It didn't take 30 minutes of practice for the players to notice. Kidd said the running started right away.

"Stretching came second," he said.

The message, however, caught nobody by surprise. Part of the reason Carlisle spent so much time this summer visiting his players and getting to know them was so they would know what he expects when camp begins. There was no guesswork.

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Getting up to speed quickly in the transition game will be emphasized under new coach Rick Carlisle.

So Tuesday was more of an affirmation that the Mavericks will try as hard as they can this season to rely on the running game instead of their set offense. And even that will look different, by the way.

"I think as a team we caught on to what his philosophy is in the sense of moving or never making a pass and stop and watch," Kidd said. "Guys were catching on, and I think it can also help with our conditioning. You've got to move in this offense.

"I think it's night and day."

That's the best strategy to get players out of old habits.

Jones coping: Eddie Jones strained his left hamstring while running on a treadmill before camp began. He said it has not improved enough to participate in drills.

"I can't even run right now," he said. "But I'd rather have it happen now than in January."

Jones had knee and hamstring problems that hindered him last season.

Tuesday: It was a day to get acquainted with the new digs. SMU's Crum Basketball Center has two courts, ostensibly for the Mustangs men's and women's teams. Dirk Nowtizki said he would prefer a glass wall in between the gyms to see what players on the other court are doing. "But other than that, everything's great," he said. "The weight room is big, the locker room is great. And the gyms are great. Obviously we want to thank SMU for the hospitality." ... Rick Carlisle on the first day of camp: "This was not an easy practice. But these guys are ready. Guys knew this was going to be hard work."

Today: The Mavericks will continue with one long practice vs. two shorter workouts. Two-a-days, Carlisle said, don't make much sense for the Mavericks. "We have a limit of 31/2 hours a day and if you have two practices, only one can be contact," he said. "You can break it up and bring guys back at night to do shooting. I'm not sure that you gain much by sending them home and bringing them back a few hours later. I like practicing long because it tells me who can concentrate and who can't. And the guys who can't, we got to be on them to get better at it."

Eddie Sefko