These are not the same Dallas Mavericks that we are accustomed to seeing. The Mavericks in the 90’s never had a winning record. They always drafted early in the first round bringing the likes of Jim Jackson, Jason Kidd, and Jamal Mashburn to The Lone Star State. All these guys did was bicker with one another and left fans waiting for football season and The Dallas Cowboys. The Mavs of the 2000’s made the playoffs every season, but came up short every time. This was highlighted in 2006 when The Mavericks one the first two games of The NBA Finals against The Miami Heat. In game three Dallas saw a 13-point lead disappear like my hair line in the final minutes and they went on to lose the series four games to two.
The following season they came in determined to get over that bump in the road. They won 67 games in the regular season and locked up home-court advantage for the entire postseason. Forward Dirk Nowitzki was the league’s Most Valuable Player and the team was poised to grab the title that always eluded them. The Mavs had a tiger by the tail as they were dominated and thus shown the door in the first round by the upstart Golden State Warriors. Ultimately these playoff disappointments cost Maverick head coach Avery Johnson his job.
Rick Carlisle took over the reigns in 2008 and he looked to install a toughness to Dallas. Carlisle previously took both The Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons to The Eastern Conference Finals. The mix of Carlisle and his players have formed an intoxicating potion that has given Dallas a great shot at a title. Nowitzki has always been labeled as soft and as a guy who falters when the game is on the line. As a team, The Mavericks have always been seen as a team that will score a ton of points and have nothing to show for it. Now this tougher Dirk has The Mavs on the cusp of a title as they look to close out The Oklahoma City Thunder with one more victory and get back to The NBA Finals. Nowitzki is making clutch shots and his teammates are feeding off of that. Nowitzki has gone over the 40-point plateau twice in the first five games of this series. In game four Nowitzki led Dallas back from a 15-point deficit with under five minutes to force overtime and subsequently win. This was the same kind of lead Dallas blew versus Miami five years ago. These Mavs swept the two-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers in the second round as most experts figured The Mavericks would have been the team to be swept.
Carlisle has turned The Mavericks from a wild west show to a gritty defensive team. Dallas finished the regular season tenth in fewest points allowed and Carlisle deserves credit. Carlisle played with The Boston Celtics during the mid 80’s and if you played with Larry Bird you needed to be tough, especially on the defensive end. Last summer, The Mavericks acquired big man Tyson Chandler from The Charlotte Bobcats and he blocks shots and grabs boards like I grab salami sandwiches. Chandler gives The Mavs a presence that they have never had on their frontline, an intimidator. In 2008 The Mavericks made a trade with The New Jersey Nets that brought former first round pick Jason Kidd back to town. At age 38, Kidd is still one of the games greatest passers, and just ask The Thunder about his shooting late in the game. Guard JJ Barea is instant energy off the bench. Barea is averaging 8.6 points a game during the playoffs and more importantly he is fearless. Barea goes to the hole and he is not afraid of the contact. Guard Jason Terry is averaging almost 18 points a contest coming off of the bench during these playoffs and he is right at home. While at The University of Arizona,Terry went to head coach Lute Olsen and requested that he come off the bench to give The Wildcats more depth. This strategy enabled The Wildcats to win The National Title in 1997 and at any level a championship team always needs unselfish players.
The Mavericks can still turn around and blow this three games to one lead versus The Thunder. The Mavs can also be dismantled in The NBA Finals by either The Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat. Anything is possible in these playoffs, which is why the new found toughness and clutch play has surprised many when it comes to The Mavericks. The eccentric owner of The Mavericks is a former dance instructor and with five more victories I am sure he would do his best Fred Astaire impersonation as NBA commissioner David Stern. The Mavs are not there yet, but they have shown that they are for real.
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