This time last year most of Dallas was in a state of shock and disgust as the #2 seed Dallas Mavericks lost to the #7 seed San Antonio Spurs, their arch rival, in 6 games.
Many people called for Cuban to make major changes and to begin rebuilding because all confidence had been lost for this seemingly heartless team. People had reason to be frantic because this had been the Mavs’ 3rd first round playoff exit in the last four years since their Championship collapse against the Miami Heat when they led the series 2-0, only to lose 4-2, in 2006. I for one agreed with the skeptics and believed Cuban should clear house and try to get some young players and begin building for the future, but instead Cuban stayed calm and stuck to his guns. He traded away no key players and only added one significant player, Tyson Chandler.
Coming into this season I didn’t have high hopes at all and I was expecting the same old Mavs season- a solid regular season and then choking and losing to a lower seed in the playoffs. The season went just as expected as we finished 3rd and showed some signs of being great but also signs of weakness as we finished the season’s last 8 games 4-4, including losses to 3 playoff teams. There were some differences this year however that gave some reason to believe, like the new and improved defense, led by Tyson Chandler, which was tough and had a never back down approach and the team’s depth, which was an advantage they held over every other team. Still I told myself I wouldn’t put my heart into the team this year, that way it wouldn’t be so painful when we disappointed everyone and lost in the first round, as I expected.
I made the mistake of believing once the Mavericks took a decisive 2-0 serious lead thanks to Dirk’s strong play and out defense, but my heart stopped as we lost game 3 and then game 4 in the ugliest of fashions. With an 18 point lead heading into the fourth quarter the Mavs showed their old selves by letting Brandon Roy lead the Blazers past them by scoring 18 points himself including a 4 point play to tie the game with a minute left. This left everyone with a terrible taste in their mouths; one too familiar that we’d hoped we wouldn’t have to taste again. All hope was lost.
The Mavs had choked and the Blazers would take the series now that they had all momentum, I thought. But I thought wrong as the Mavs put their foot down and roared back, winning the next two games and taking the series 4-2. What is more surprising than the fact they won was how they did it. Both games the Blazers played well and tough but the Mav; for once, we’re tougher. They drove the ball, instead of settling for jump shots, and got to the free throw line, and answered every time the Blazers would start to get on a run. Most importantly they finally showed some heart and toughness which is what we’ve all really wanted. Next up the Mavs face a greater challenge in the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. It’s going to take a whole different level of toughness to compete with them and whether or not we’ll be able to rise up to the challenge remains unanswered. As for now though, I’m cautiously optimistic.
