PUR – Confident Puerto Rican Barea logging important minutes with Mavs

DALLAS (NBA/2009 FIBA Americas Championship) - Jose Barea of Puerto Rico has played a vital role for the Dallas Mavericks this season in the NBA and he admits the confidence gained while on national team duty last summer is a big reason why.

The point guard, who raised a lot of eyebrows six years ago at the World Championship for Junior Men by averaging 27 points per game for the Puerto Ricans, competed alongside Carlos Arroyo last year in Greece when his country played at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

“During the summer, I played for Puerto Rico’s national team," he said.

"The experience allowed me to improve my skills since I had a lot of playing time."

The 6ft Barea, who turns 25 in June, has played an average of more than 26 minutes per game in the NBA play-offs.

The Mavericks upset the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the first round but now trail the Denver Nuggets 1-0 in their Western Conference Semi-Final after falling 109-95 on Sunday.

In that contest, Barea started and had five assists to go with his four points and two rebounds.

Barea has no intention of taking the summer off once the Mavericks' season is over.

He wants to help Puerto Rico book a spot at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

"I think that I will play in the FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico," he said in remarks to ESPN.

"The team (Mavericks) won't stop it."

FIBA