Christmas day had finally arrived and with that family, food, presents and the Opening day of the 2011-2012 NBA season. For the Mavs this was their 31st season opener, but very unlike the previous 30. This particular season opener was accompanied by a banner raising…a championship banner raising. I’m man enough to admit that I did tear up. I have been waiting my whole life to witness such a site as a Dallas Mavericks championship banner being raised into the raters. That’s also why that “we are the champions” feel is going to take a lot more time to wear off. This one will feel good for a while, regardless of the current level of play. The banner itself kept people in the seats longer than they probably would have on any other night. The game was that ugly. A motivated Heat team who in all likelihood had also been eagerly awaiting their first rematch against the Mavs appeared to be just that…Motivated and eager. To mix a hockey and a basketball term, they deked and dunked, killed the Mavs in the paint and out played them everywhere else. While there are many glaring weaknesses at the moment that the Mavs must address…most expected, and a few not so much. For me, well, let’s just say I’ll purposely let the start of this opening night erase my memory of what was to follow. So the Mavs start their defense of their title 0 for 1. Even in a shortened season, it’s a long season. One thing is for sure, with the shortened and condensed schedule we won’t have to wait long between games to see how this team takes form, or doesn’t. And as for what to do with this roster, past present and future, well, that’s an entire post of its own…I’ll save that one for another day.

I could read that title for days…and I may never come out of this haze.

The Dallas Mavericks entered game 6 with a 3-2 lead in the series and a chance to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. I knew that this Mavs team would step on their throats in game 6, knowing that the savvy veteran laden Mavs wanted to have to play a game 7 in Miami. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the start of this game. The City of Dallas was on edge with past results buried in the back of everyone’s head. Many fans including myself “wouldn’t let themselves go there in their head”. Mavs fans have been conditioned to never look ahead while on the journey. The Mavs brought the intensity that was needed for game 6. It was also the first time that the Mavs had a chance to play since the video of Wade and Lebron mocking Dirk’s illness from game 3. The video surfaced on Friday morning and there was not a single comment from anyone except the big German. Dirk called it “childish…and ignorant”, and instructed his teammates to not react through the media; it was his issue to deal with. The best response would be to win it all. The Mavs knew that the title was within reach now and their opportunity would not be squandered. Dirk struggled in the first half, going just 1-12 shooting. A confident and hot shooting Jason Terry helped with the offensive effort for the Mavs. The first half had some crazy runs on both sides, causing the defensive theme from early in the series another night off. The offensive game played right into the Mavs hands and to the strengths of the squad. Carlisle coached his ass off this series and there has to be something said about that. Barea in the starting lineup again for game 6 gave the Mavs good balance in the rotation. Barea is now 3-0 as a NBA Finals starter…and a free agent come July 1. He will be getting paid handsomely soon by someone. Anyways, it really was another game of most of the same. For the Heat it was a familiar sight as well. Wade picked up some of the scoring, Bosh played decent and that James fella was pretty much MIA again. The Mavs rose as the Heat sunk late. I think that the situation of game 6 showed a little more to me that James has some mental weakness and some glaring weaknesses in his game as well. The Mavs salted it away late with clutch plays down the stretch, a consistent theme these playoffs for the Mavs.

I could go on about detail of the game, but why.

THE DALLAS MAVERICKS ARE THE 2011 NBA CHAMPIONS!

On July 8^th of last year Lebron was on my TV announcing his “talents” or “disappearing act” were headed to Miami. (oh, and for the record I have always been a Lebron fan, Have a Cavs jersey and some other stuff… But I def lost respect for him a lot in these finals. I almost don’t feel right even being a fan of his now) I then told fiancé and roommate that the Mavs would win the NBA title this year…over the Miami Heat…4 games to 2. To me it just felt like it was destiny. (I will always believe that we got screwed out of the 2006 Finals) Matching up against the Heat gave me the same feeling when Texas was matched up against USC in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Honestly, it gave me chills when it was set that the Mavs and Heat would play for it all. USC was stacked and had 2 Heisman winners in their backfield, while Texas was a team around Vince Young. And VY was so good that the rest of the Horns were overlooked. Winning any championship feels amazing, but it meant so much more and felt so much better to beat that USC team. Same goes for beating this Heat team.

Oh, and early in the season a trip to Vegas was made. I got the Mavs to win it all at 8-1 odds….Mavs Championship party in Vegas is being planned right now.

MFFL. Rowdy Proud & Loud.

Don’t call it a comeback in game 5. Call it routine, call it a playback, whatever you want to call it in the end we call it a win. The Mavs came from behind closing another game out strong for the W. The Mavs and Heat entered game 5 tied at 2 games a piece, making game 5 a huge game. The Mavs would be without the services of Brenden Haywood again as he is still bothered by a hip flexor issue. Dirk stated he was feeling better and had gotten over the sinus infection accompanied by a 102 degree temp. Dirk dropped 29, right around what you expect from Dirk every game. It was a total team effort that powered the Mavs through game 5. Everyone chipped in where they could. Cardinal gave some good quality minutes off the bench helping to fill in for the injured Haywood…hell, even the “foul machine” Ian Mahimi gave some solid minutes and even got himself logged in the stat books. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and JJ Barea became the first 3 teammates in NBA finals history to score at least 10 points have at least 5 assists while hitting at least three 3’s. The Heat on the other hand played well, except for another MIA performance from Lebron in the 4^th quarter.

One thing is for sure the Offense that has been absent for the entire playoffs so far was present in game 5. Both teams nearly reached their previous game totals in the first half of last nights game. The Mavs were able to get better looks and hit open shots that they had not been hitting consistently up to this point.  Much credit has to be given to Coach Carlisle for his outstanding coaching in this series. He has made the right moves in the rotation and schemes in this series.

I’m still not getting ahead of myself. The Mavs still have a tough task to win one in Miami to obtain the hardware.

Mavs try and get this thing over with tonight in Miami…

Game 3 felt a lot like game 2 except that the Mavs fell 2 points short of the Heat. Dallas did cut down on the turnovers and rebounded better than in game 2, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. The Mavs played from behind most of the game again and went on one of their 4^th quarter comebacks that we are so accustomed to by now. The absence of Haywood was a big blow to the Mavs defensive and rebounding effort and they hope to get him back for game 5. The Staff has said that he will only play if at least 70% healthy. He will be another game time decision. The veteran laden Mavs did play good defense again though holding the Heat under 90 points. It was a heavy dose of Dirk down the stretch again. Only difference this time is that he missed an elbow jumper to send game 3 into OT. It was good defense by Haslem, but let’s not act like it really had any effect on Dirks shot. Dirk just missed the shot. He got a good look, one he gets and takes many times each game, he just missed it this time. No one hits them all, though Dirk is such an amazing player you are surprised when it doesn’t go in. I would want the ball in no one else’s hands, in no other spot with the game on the line, so I can live with it. The killer was the possession before, in which Dirk caught the ball in the same spot at the elbow with a double team following. Dirk then saw an open Marion spotted up on the 3 point line, tried to hit him with the pass out of the double, the only problem was that Marion was then making a basket cut to the hoop, which resulted in a turnover. It was a tie game at that point and the game clock and shot clock correlation had given the Mavs the upper hand…if they could continue to get buckets.

A disappointed Dirk after the Game 3 loss

The Mavs have not been playing their best basketball as a team in the Finals so far. With some better decision making I think that they could make things much easier on them. The Mavs make many runs like every NBA team does. They cut down leads like no other team does. My concern with these runs is as simple as this. When the Heat make a run they go up by 15 or so, when the Mavs make a run they are closing a 15 or so gap. The Mavs are expending too much energy to get back into these games to take them down to the wire instead of using it to create their own lead. This is either a recipe for disaster or the recipe of the most mentally tough team in the history of team sports. The rest of the Finals will tell us that.

The defense of the Heat has caused many problems for the Mavs in this series. Dirk continues to roll like a former MVP would but has not been able to have a consistent #2 scorer due to their defensive pressure. There is nothing else to do but to dig down and rise up. Certain guys just have to step up, bottom line. Now isn’t the time for Carlisle to get cute with the lineups or schemes. Now isn’t the time to try something new or to look for motivation. These guys have been playing basketball for their entire career to obtain one goal…an NBA championship. I don’t question the Mavs motivation though, this is a team full of guys who have been all-stars, each who have had their share of playoff disappointments. They have seen the valleys and now strive to see the view from the peaks.

We will see what game 4 has in store. Obviously, this is the biggest game in franchise history up to this point. I think that this Mavs team is a team that responds very well when they feel backed into a corner.

The Dallas Mavericks pulled off yet another furious comeback in the 4^th quarter. The Mavs trailed by 15 after Dwayne Wade hit a three from the corner then held his follow through for the sculptor sitting behind the Mavs bench…Oh there was no sculptor I’m told. The Mavs then started to sure up things on the defensive end of the court, make shots and take advantage of a Heat team that had obviously thought they had the game won. A veteran filled Mavs roster knows that until that clock reads 0:00, the game ain’t over just yet. Dallas let Miami close an early gap, eventually take the lead and then grow the lead to 15 mainly due to turnovers. Dallas did miss some shots early that they usually make, but the turnover area is what hurt them the most. The Heat thrive in the open court and hurt their opponents in transition. The Mavs turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 20 times which lead to 31 Heat points. When the Mavs began their comeback, taking care of the ball, turning up the defensive intensity and allowing the Heat to take some bad shots, turned the game in the way of the Mavs. Dallas then ended the game on a 22-5 run, with you know who scoring the last 9 Dallas points himself. Leading to a 95-93 win. Dirk showed his cogs again late in this game. Dirk hit the clutch 3 pointer to tie and then got to the rack with his “hurt” left hand on Bosh for the go ahead basket.

The play of Marion and Chandler must be mentioned too. Both played outstanding and were big contributors in the win…along with the rest of the team. (minus Peja, again) Haywood left with a hip injury late in the game has been listed day to day until he was switched to questionable today. The play of Haywood has been a huge plus for the Mavs. He is out for tonight and his loss could hurt the Mavs. Without Haywood, Chandler must stay out of foul trouble so that he can log more minutes on the floor. It will also force Carlisle to play either smaller lineups or lineups with Mahimi. Either way, the Mavs will be at a disadvantage at times and must play smart and protect the ball.

Many can and will question the Heat players and the decisions of Coach Spoelstra down the stretch of game 2, but this isn’t the first comeback that this Mavs team has made…Lakers or Thunder ring a bell? This Mavs team has shown character and a never say die attitude that is needed in a championship contender. If you recall a 23 point collapse in a loss to the Blazers back in round 1…. How’d the Mavs respond then?…just by winning seven straight. Nbd.

The Mavs split the two games in Miami and now head to Dallas for the most important game 3. Since the Finals format went to the 2-3-2 format in 1976, when a series is tied at 1-1 the winner of game 3 has gone on to win the series 100% of the time.

We will see just how each team will respond in Game 3 tonight.

The house Rowdy, Proud & Loud that I know for sure.

Game one of the NBA Finals was not a great one if you are a Mavs fan. But the Mavs had previously won each game one in each of their previous series and this is also the first time that the Mavs have trailed in a series this postseason so we got a little spoiled. But it’s also not concerning to me nor should it be. The Mavs have to deal with exactly what they thought they would. A very athletic defensive minded team that has become the Heat over the course of the playoffs. So I don’t think that there are any coaching mind games to play nor major adjustments to be made over the course of this series in order to ensure success, just simply stated, play better than your opponent. However, little adjustments are always made. Dallas has had much of its offensive success, outside of Dirk, due to their outstanding ball movement. Dallas has been able to find open shooters many times hitting uncontested shots as a result. The Heat have the big three, as they call them, and Bosh is often underappreciated because of the star power he plays with. They are very quick to recover, rotate and closeout on defense. Better than any team that the Mavs have faced up to this point, and probably in the league for that matter. The Mavs must take their ball movement on offense up even another notch. Having more space to shoot will improve their percentage. But easier said than done. I think this should help all of the offense, bench included. The Mavs must also rebound the ball better. They gave too many second chance opportunities to Miami, not to mention that that cuts down on the number of offensive possessions of the Mavs. Chandler only hauled in 4 boards. I am sure that he will not have another game like that. Part of the problem was due to the zone defense implemented by Carlisle, used in order to keep Wade and James from getting to the rim. It is hard to get a body on a man to box out at times when in a zone due to the fact that you are primarily defending an area and not a man. Not all can be attributed to the zone though. The Mavs must just get in there and mix it up a little getting on the glass.

One setback that the Mavs faced came late in the 4^th quarter when Dirk reached in to strip and tore a tendon in his finger. Dirk did finish the game a stated that it was not a problem. It is on his non shooting hand but he will wear a splint on it for the remainder of the Finals. Dirk does like to drive with his left hand it will be interesting to see how it affects him, if it does at all.

I know that Carlisle will make adjustments where needed. The team will follow stride. Jason kidd already put the blame for the offensive woes on him for game 1. So you know that his head will be right for game 2.

Round one is over and done.

I am ready to watch round two of this fight. Game 2. Thursday night.

I’ll start out by saying…hooray. There, I’ve celebrated the Conference Title. Moving on…

As far as game 5 went, the Dallas Mavericks came from behind late to get the win in game 5, much like they did in game 4, except this time it was for the series. The Thunder are a great young team and have lots of talent and potential, but to get to the top of the summit you have to handle some bumps on the way. For them hopefully this was just a bump. It was a hard fought game between both teams, but the Mavs showed that they are for real this year and will stop with nothing less than an NBA title. Dirk has in many minds has begun to cement his legacy and has showed us numbers during this playoff run from a seven footer like we have never seen before. (though I am one who believes Dirk has been this good for many years, and the biggest difference this year is his supporting cast more than him) Dirk has had the ability to play one on one basically the entire playoffs. One of the toughest covers there ever has been and let him go one on one. What results would you expect? All successful teams have what we call “role players” We are all familiar with some of the greats. The Mavs have role players but a few who score the ball at a high efficiency. Their ability to score the ball and shoot from outside force other teams to abandon the double team on Dirk. Dirk is able to play in more one on one situations as a result. Obviously there is much more to the success of the Mavs than just their role players and Dirks one on one ability, but they are vital parts. Shawn Marion played another outstanding game, again causing difficulty and confusion for Durant all night. The Dallas bench was its usual self, with Barea and Terry both contributing immediately and often once inserted into the game. This is a Mavs team of not only talent but they also possess outstanding resolve and chemistry.

It was a great feeling watching another Western Conference Trophy being held up in Dallas…but that’s just it…another conference trophy. We want the Larry O! Dirk’s celebration was short and sweet after the game, with his feelings being present and obvious in his mind at the time…and voiced by himself after the game saying, “We already have one of those trophies…it didn’t mean anything after that season…Once you get to the Finals, there is no second place.” The Most Dangerous Shark on Dry Land, owner Mark Cuban, stated it well himself also, saying, “We, ain’t done yet!”

So the Mavs will rest and wait yet again for an Eastern Conference winner. Bulls or Heat? I don’t know, but one thing I can tell you is that the Dallas Mavericks don’t care. They are gonna go right through them.

Next stop. NBA Finals.

Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals was one with a lot of excitement late…or early…depending on who you were rooting for. The Mavs pretty much looked to be showing their age early in the game, but always managed to keep it just close enough. My father, who lives back in my hometown in Texas is an avid sports fan and will call me often when our teams play. He’s a bit of a worrier and made his first call before the end of the first quarter. He was concerned and not liking what he was seeing. I didn’t like what I was seeing either, a Maverick team that was looking old and slow, not putting a body on people, not boxing out and so on. It led to a lot of Thunder points early in game 4, and easy points at that. The Thunder started out 9 of 9 from the field before their first miss. But the Mavs never let that lead grow too big. But I reassured him that there was plenty of time with my usual, “Look, they are getting out played that bad and they are only down that much.” He gave his usual reply of, “ok, ok.” And we hung up the phone.

The second call came at halftime and even though the Mavs had cut the lead down significantly going into the half, he was still concerned. I just repeated, there’s time. The NBA is a league of runs. Teams go on runs and give up runs every game. One of the biggest things that a successful NBA team can do is to try and weather or manage those runs when they are happening to them. The Mavs were getting killed on the glass and were making many uncharacteristic plays. But the Mavs were doing a few things well. Shawn Marion was playing outstanding on the defensive end, playing Durant physical, forcing him off his spots and away from the hoop. Durant’s game is at its best in transition and when shooting coming off picks and cuts. He is not at his strongest when creating for himself, and it’s something that I’m sure that he will master with hard work and experience, but right now it needs improvement.

The last call from my father came in the third quarter and he was not impressed with the Mavs performance still. He didn’t say much, just that he’d try and stay up with them till the end. Which usually means that he’ll fall asleep watching it in the living room. The third quarter and up until the 5 minute mark of the fourth everything was pretty much going the same. Durant had just hit a 3 pointer to put the Thunder up by 15. James Harden picked up his sixth and fouled out with 4:45 left and things started to change. The Mavs started to chip away at the lead quickly and leading the march was none other than the fearless leader of the Mavs nation, Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk outscored the Thunder 12-2 just himself of the Mavs final 17 points. Kidd also hit a big 3 pointer from the corner giving a closing out Westbrook a pump fake to get the shot off. The Thunder then began to hang their heads and look lost on the court, which was a reversal of roles for the Mavs in some years past. Even with the last shot the Thunder were unable to do anything well, they couldn’t even get good spacing, with Westbrook right near Durant allowing three defenders to be in the vicinity of the shot. Durant pulled up for about a 30 footer, Marion got a hand on the ball sending it into the hands of Jason Kidd…who then is smart enough to call a timeout giving the Mavs the last shot.

Marion blocks Durant's last second shot

Even though it turned out to be a failed attempt, still a very heads up play by Kidd. The Mavs had then taken everything from the Thunder they could possibly have taken other than their girlfriends by the end of regulation and took the game away in OT. It was a great feeling to watch a comeback like that by the Mavs, especially since I have been on the other end of a couple of those comebacks. *cough, Portland, cough* Dirk ended with 40 points for the game and the series goes back to Dallas for game 5 on Wednesday, with Dallas holding a 3-1 series lead.

Oh, and my Father did fall asleep…missed the entire comeback. It’s ok, I can replay it for him over and over in my mind…

The Dallas Mavericks came into Tuesday’s game with eight days of rest since knocking off the defending champ LA Lakers in four games. The Thunder on the other hand, had to turn the corner quickly after just finishing their previous series with Memphis in game 7 on Sunday. Leading up to the game most of the talk centered on the rest vs. rust factor for Dallas and how the youth vs. veteran angle would play out. Dallas has shown its toughness, resiliency and offensive fire power in the playoffs, and they would continue to do so in game 1.

Game 1 was a shootout with two players scoring 40 plus. KD ended with 40 points, getting loose and getting his shots like he is good at. But this one was all about Dirk. All the talk between game 1 and game 2 will be about Dirk, and rightfully so. There has been a lot of talk lately about Dirk, his game and his legacy. Recently Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle had stated that he thought Dirk was a top 10 NBA player of all time. Now, even myself a die hard Mavs fan and Dirk being one of my favorite players of all time, I can’t put him in the top 10. This is besides the point but I would put him on the top 20 all time for sure, the best shooting PF of all time, the best 7 ft shooter of all time, look at his career numbers, the consistency, etc…I could go on for days about Dirk. I’ll write an article just on Dirk at some point in the future. I hear it all the time but its true, no one his size has ever been able to shoot the lights out like Dirk. Dirk scored 48 points on just 15 made FG’s, only missing 3 shots all night! Most of your top scorers in the league would miss 15 FG’s on a 48 point night. But not Dirk. Efficiency is what Dirk is about. It’s what his life long skills coach, Holger Geschwindner, has been preaching to Dirk ever since he discovered a young Dirk. Holger years ago told Dirk that he should be shooting 60% from the field, 50% from 3 and 95% from the free throw line…for the season…every season. It is this type of motivation and these goals that has fueled Dirk’s offensive game over his entire basketball career. Along with Dirk’s great shooting performance from the field, he also excelled from the free throw line in game 1, setting an NBA playoff record going 24-24. An outsider might look at 24 free throws by Dirk and think that Dallas got the benefit of calls in game 1. But, Durant shot 19 and Westbrook 18 free throws respectively and the Thunder shot more than the Mavs as a team. So, throw that out the window.

Dirk's 48 leads Mavs to game 1 win

Dirk, scoring one short of his career playoff high of 50 obviously fueled the Mavs to a win in this one. But what else helped? JJ Barea was a spark off the bench. He reminded me of the Microwave, Vinnie Johnson, with his quick scoring. Only difference was Barea is an energy guy off the dribble using his speed and aggressiveness to get to the cup. He is a shoot first guard but can find the open man when needed. Barea scored 12 straight off the bench for the Mavs at one point in game 1. Simply put the guy has guts. Flat out guts. And you can see why Bynum wanted to put an elbow in his side, he’s just so frustrating to defend. The Mavs defense and Carlisle had a good game plan for the Thunder in game 1 also. The Mavs defense contested every Westbrook drive, contributing to his 3-15 from the field, shooting performance. Westbrook ended with only 3 assists and a team high in turnovers as well. Durant will get his on most nights, but limiting his teammates is key to beating the Thunder.

It’s obvious that the Mavs need to keep the intensity up and their minds right if they want to keep rolling in the playoffs.

Game 2. Thursday. Dallas.

Well, I think it was Tirico on the telecast who said something like, If you’re a Mavs fan right now all you can say is wow. And that’s exactly what I was saying. Wow. It was apparent early in game 4 that the Mavs came in on Sunday with the intention of ending this series and sending the Lakers on vacation. And on the other side of things, the Lakers just didn’t bring the intensity that is needed when playing to avoid a closeout loss, especially on the road. The Lakers looked slow, tired and mentally distracted most of the game. The major difference in the game was something as simple as pushing out on shooters quicker and better.

The JET was flying high on Sunday

Jason Terry was straight out of NBA JAM and on FIRE. Terry finished the game with 32 points while going 11 for 14 from the field, Including an NBA playoff record tying 9 for 10 from the 3 point line. Peja was 7 for 7 with 21 points and JJ Barea added 22 points of his own. The Mavericks as a team tied an NBA playoff record of their own making twenty 3 pointers going 20 for 32 for the game. The Mavs took game 4, 122-86. The Mavs bench scored 86 in this one…yes, 86. Their bench would have sent the game into OT by themselves. (based solely on numbers) But in all seriousness, The Mavs just brought more to this series than the Lakers did and they came out with four straight wins and moved on with a big game 4.

Bynum has 13 inches and 110 pounds on Barea.

Then there was what Mike Wilbon called, “Thuggish bush league behavior that ought to embarrass one of America’s most important sporting franchises.” Skip to late in the game…Odom received an early ejection with his hard foul on Dirk Nowitzki. The refs really had no choice but to toss Odom. The game was well out of hand, the Lakers were clearly frustrated and you can’t have players risking the health of players that will be moving on to the next round of the playoffs. If Odom wanted to send a message to the Mavs he needed to send it early in game 2. Try to set a tone then, even up the series. Then 54 seconds later Bynum decided he was also done playing and would like to take an early shower as well. Except Bynum took a much worse approach, landing an elbow on a mid air JJ Barea sending him straight to the ground. Bynum made no play at the ball and showed no remorse directly after either. Receiving an immediate ejection, Bynum then took himself towards the tunnel, removing his jersey in the process of leaving the court, showing everyone watching what a real class act he is. Even after the game he showed no remorse for his actions in his comments, stating “It is what it is.” He clearly doesn’t get it and I know that Dr. Buss does not want his organization represented like that. Then there’s the other part to this game. Was it the last of Coach Phil Jackson’s career? If indeed this was Phil’s last game, it’s a shame that it ended like this and that his team represented him like they did. The man is nothing short of a legend.

But in the end this one was about the Dallas Mavericks. For them a quick series and now a chance to rest their legs, notably Jason Kidd who was mentioned with a chuckle by Dirk and others after game 4. The earliest the Mavs will play will be Sunday, which will give almost an entire week of rest. They will face the winner of the series between Memphis and OKC and I can tell you that the Mavs don’t care one bit which one they play. They will look to continue their success and carry their momentum into the Western Conference Finals.