So it looks like the Mavs brought a magnificently anti-climactic end to their wonderful playoff run. We folded under the pressure of actual expectations, great interior defense, ridiculous officiating and an unstoppable superstar, and lost to the Heat 4-2. The Mavs brought me to the brink, only to spectacularly knock me back down. In a way, the circle is complete. My manager Mark may have jinxed it when he said after game 2, Good, so you've got two teams winning championships this year. But the reality is I got a taste of both extremes. Absolute Euphoria and Horrible Heartbreak. And so it is.
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I had a day to digest and vent and unwind the anger and sadness of it all, but the part that still gets to me is that for whatever reason, the Mavs that made it through the West never really showed up in the Finals. Sure we had our chances to put it away, but even when we were winning, it just wasn't the same Swiss Army knife team that ran the Spurs off the court and clamped down on the Suns. I think from the coaches down, once we choked away Game 3 to D-Wade's I'm-stealing-Dirk's-mojo-for-good transcendent fourth quarter, everyone was just too nervous, too afraid to lose. It's like once we were the favorites, we lost that toughness, that underdog swagger and forgot to play loose and have fun. I hate to admit it, but that's probably where Shaq's, Riley's even Payton's and Zo's experience came in. The wisdom and patience that comes with age. I think that, even more than D-Wade, was the real difference.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the officiating. I've never been one to complain about refs. I've hated certain calls, but I'm always quick to give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, it's a hard job, they have to make judgments on things that happen in split seconds, and of course there are mistakes, they're only human. I've always believed that referees try their hardest to call a fair game. And then Game 5 came along. I can't really say anything that our man Bill Simmons hasn't already said, but as my friend Steve says, it's always good to see affirmation of your injustice in print. Some key observations from Simmons,
First, Dwyane Wade shot as many free throws (25) as the entire Dallas team in Game 5. I just don't see how there's any way this can happen in a fairly-called game. It's theoretically impossible...not only did Salvatore officiate Sunday night's Game 5 (in which Miami had a 40-12 free-throw advantage at one point), but Salvatore called the foul on Wade's final drive in overtime (remember, the call where ABC couldn't find a replay to show that anyone touched him?) even though he was standing at midcourt a full 35-40 feet from the play, and even though two other refs were closer to the play. Not only was that NOT his call, he butchered it.
That's basically all there is to it. It wasn't enough that Miami's D was very good and knocked us off our game. It wasn't enough that Wade was playing at an astronomically high level, but now we have to deal with this? And we still had plenty of chances to put the Heat away. We just lacked the testicular fortitude to stand up to all that. In my mind, we legitimately choked away games 3 and 6, lost game 4 outright, but game 5 was stolen by the refs, pure and simple.
(The really sad part is all the backlash from casual and even die-hard NBA fans. Non Heat and Mav affiliated basketball fans wanted to see good games. As the sidebar from the column shows, one-sided officiating doesn't just tick off a team's fan base, it drives people away. For awhile yesterday I was in their camp. But I know next May, a Mavs-Spurs or a Mavs-Suns game is gonna blow me away and suck me back in.)
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The Mavs youth and lack of experience is obviously also a positive. Dirk's the oldest starter at only 28, and Avery Johnson isn't much older than him. And that's really the second best thing about sports (after the aforementioned euphoria). There's always a next. A next game, next series, next season. I believe we'll sign Terry and Howard and contend once again. I believe in Cuban's whiny persistence and Avery Johnson's tenaciousness. I believe Dirk will once again work his ass of this summer and figure out the Haslems and Poseys like he did the Bowens and Marions last summer. My annointment of Dirk's playoff run into the Dallas sports Pantheon may be a bit tainted, but I believe he's got way more to show us. I believe I'll be posting about another deep playoff run next year, and I believe the US will beat Ghana tomorrow morning, Italy will beat the Czechs and we'll have a first round date with the best football team in the world, Brazil.
Sure, we don't stand much of a chance, but it's the ride that counts baby, and it's why we love our games.
Go USA.
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"You play your heart out for eight, nine months every night ... all the way until the middle of June. You make it to the finals, to the big stage, then go home. Second is tough. ... But I'm sure that the more time goes by, we can be proud of what we did this year."
---Dirk Nowitzki
Last year around this time I was writing a euology for the Dallas Mavericks. They had just been knocked out of the second round of the playoffs by the Suns, and another slightly-above-average season was in the books for the Mavs. Throughout the Mark Cuban era, we've been perennial 50 game winners, but never really broke through to elite status.
Ohhhhhhh what a difference a year makes. Cuban and the Donnie Nelson stopped tinkering with the roster, and even though we lost Nash (who went on to win two straight MVPs in Phoenix, at least one of them questionable) and did not pursue Shaq, the Mavs actually ended up with one of the most versatile and athletic rosters in the league. It's a roster that is good enough to beat both Phoenix and Miami and ironically those are the two teams standing between Dallas and the title.
My list of good and bad signs were heeded quite well it seems. A full year of Avery Johnson (who turned out to be a brilliant coach) at the helm did indeed whip the Mavs into shape. While we probably won't ever be known as defensive stalwarts, we can get stops and rebound with some consistency. Most importantly, Dirk did not lie when he pledged to get right and work his ass off in the offseason. Not only is he having an absolutely unconscious playoff run (capped off by a 50 point explosion last night, more on that later) you can tell he's really matured as a player and as a leader. He's figured out how to affect the game without scoring (passing, rebounding, defense), and he knows what to say to his teammates and when to say it. The Diggler even has a sneering, tongue-baring new attitude that the team, especially the younger guys, feeds off of.
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In January 1994, the Dallas Cowboys of Aikman, Smith and Irvin met the Giants at the Meadowlands for all the regular season marbles. A division title, a first week bye and home field throughout the playoffs were all on the line. In the second quarter, Smith suffered a separated shoulder, but after missing only two snaps continued to play the game. By the end, Emmitt had rushed for 168 yards on 32 carries and added 10 receptions for 61 yards. During the game winning drive in overtime, he accounted for 41 of the Cowboys' 52 yards. All of this despite excruciating pain and with one arm hanging limp by his side. This article by Ed Werder of the Dallas Morning News is a great recap.
(Some of my favorite quotes: '"He told us in the huddle to make sure we ran behind him so someone could pick him up," offensive lineman Nate Newton said.' and '"Jimmy told me to go in," [backup running back]Coleman said, "but Emmitt told me to get out"')
Emmitt's performance that day left an indelible mark on me. For years it defined guts and will and athletic excellence. Whenever someone would bring up other great performances, like the Jordan flu game, I would always counter with Emmitt's game that day against the Giants. He (literally) singlehandedly willed the Cowboys to victory, and we would go on to win a second straight Super Bowl.
There hasn't been too many moments in Dallas sports since to challenge Emmitt in 94, but I do believe we finally have a contender. Dirk's playoff run this year has been just as inspiring, just as amazing, and hopefully will end in the same way with a title. I could've picked game 7 against the Spurs as Dirk's moment, but then he went and decided to destroy the Suns by himself last night, so I'm gonna have to fudge a bit and give him the entire playoffs as his moment. During the game itself, it was easy to get lost in the ebb and flow and miss the enormity of what Dirk was achieving. All I cared about was that we come back, build a lead and get some stops. It wasn't until we had a comfortable lead and Dirk reared up for that last 3 to hit 50, that I realized I was witnessing (sorry Lebron) something truly great. In perfect refuse-to-lose, carry-my-team-and-the-fans-to-a-higher-place fashion, Dirk has at last affirmed his and the Mavs' place among the NBA's elite.
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The ride has been amazing so far. The Mavs have given us a little bit of everything. We've totally dominated (4-0 sweep of the Grizzlies), we've been up (fighting to a 3-1 lead against the defending champ Spurs), down (losing that 3-1 lead, then losing a 20-point lead in game 7), and fought back with our backs against the wall (winning game 7 in OT, Dirk last night). We've also had a dose of unintentional comedy with the whole Hasselhoff subplot. Our hope is genuine, and our chances are real, here's to the ride and to seeing it to through the end.
Go Mavs.
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"Jimmy told me to go in, but Emmitt told me to get out."
--Lincoln Coleman (I couldn't resist)