Complete and utter domination

UNT96 · May 7, 2003

Worse score than the Portland a$$ whooping but for some reason it was not nearly as painful to watch. Maybe because I respect the Kings more, maybe because I actually like the Maloof brothers, maybe because they are not a bunch of thugs and gangsters, and maybe because they have really great fans. It just didn't hurt like game 6 did, I hope I am not getting soft. What did you fellas think?

By the way, I am just assuming that we lose, we are down by almost 30 at the end of the 3rd quarter!

CMJ · May 7, 2003

Plus...the squad won't be into this series until Game 2. It's HARD to come off of a grueling seven game series and have that same level of hate for Game 1 of the next.

IronMan4 · May 7, 2003

Well I think the Mavs are screwed. They are clearly not themselves and only have two more days before game 2 and then there is a back to back in Sacramento this weekend. So that means the first four games are in six days, less than two after a seven game series. Why do I have the feeling the NBA would never make the Lakers or Knicks play back to back away games in the playoffs.

CMJ · May 7, 2003

Dallas needs to win Game 2 or the series is over in four. Regardless I think the Kings will win...most likely in Six games.

TheColonyEagle · May 7, 2003

Wow, 98 points through 3 qtrs. What a disaster. You think there is one Sacramento King that is even the least bit scared of the Mavericks?

They own us. Plain and Simple.

It's probably already a foregone conclusion but, if we lose game 2, I hope everyone got a good look at this team, because it WILL NOT look like this next year.

IronMan4 · May 7, 2003

Before we throw a pity party about how bad the Mavs suck and the Kings have bitchified us, let's take a look at the NBA elite.

Right now the fickle Dallas fan base wants to blow up the team and start all over...how soon we forget what hell it was to be a Mavs fan not too long ago. It's just like the Cowboys, either they win 13 games and the Super Bowl or they suck and you get a fresh batch of email jokes about them forwarded to you. But that's not what I'm getting at. Look at the Kings, they are the best looking team in the league the last two years (with exception to a fourth quarter of a game 7 that should never have happend last season). When the Kings burst onto the playoff scene, they went up against the Lakers and pushed them to a game 5 before bowing out. The next season they took the Jazz to five before losing. The last three seasons they have lost to LA. So to keep track, it took the Kings 3 times to make it to the second round and still haven't made it to the finals. The Mavs burst on the scene and beat the Jazz in year one. Last year they made it to the second round, as they have this year. If you go by the Kings model (which everyone seems to think we should strive for), the Mavs are ahead of schedule. The Kings were a few players away from taking the step up adding Bibby and Clark, and now they are there on the cusp. I think that's the way whoever the GM is needs to look at it. Add a perimeter defender, a live body inside and that could very well be enough. Going back to the Bulls, they had to learn to get past the Pistons, the Lakers had thier share of playoff troubles even when they had Kobe and Shaq and had to overcome them and the Kings have slowly (even moreso than the Mavs) climbed thier way to the top. Blowing things up because you didn't win it all your third year back in the playoffs could be a huge mistake that would reset the timetable for success rather than advance it. As much against the personality it is for D/FW fans, you have to b patient and enjoy the basketball you watch, NBA trophies don't appear in your team's case overnight.

Ok I'm done I think.

CMJ · May 7, 2003

Totally agree. If Cuban dismantles the Mavericks he's an idiot. Great post IronMan4.

Zeke · May 7, 2003

Until the Mavs learn about this thing known as Defense (they can watch what the Kings did to them to learn quickly) than this is as good as its gonna get for them. 3-pointers and fast-breaks are cool, but its the D that can move them past the second round.

UNTFan23 · May 7, 2003

Good post Aaron.

You could switch out the Mavs with any DFW team's name and it's still the same thing..."We want you to win the championship, or you suck and we hate you."

CMJ · May 7, 2003

That was one of the least attractive features of the average DFW fan. Not that Los Angeles is any better or anything.

IronMan4 · May 7, 2003

Until the Mavs learn about this thing known as Defense (they can watch what the Kings did to them to learn quickly) than this is as good as its gonna get for them. 3-pointers and fast-breaks are cool, but its the D that can move them past the second round.

People said the exact same thing about the Kings two years ago.

TheColonyEagle · May 7, 2003

Right now the fickle Dallas fan base wants to blow up the team and start all over...

I do remember how bad this team was and we've come a LOOOOOONNNGGGGG way, I was just commenting on what the general feeling is out there. A lot of people are saying this could be Don Nelson's last season, blah, blah, blah. Mark Cuban himself is starting to get impatient. Look at our losses in this season's playoffs. Game 6 against Portland was the biggest giveup I've seen in a long time. Tonight was pathetic.

When the Mavs hit their jumpers they win when they don't they lose. It's that simple. When we won the first 3 games in the Portland series, Dirk was what, 75% from the 3-point line? That is impossible to keep up. And even with the Mavs shooting lights out, we didn't exactly blow Portland out in those 3 wins.

I love the Mavs and I hope they find some guts and sack up against the Kings but they haven't shown they can in the past couple of years.

Layup after Layup after dunk right down the lane.

Like a coach told me one time: "I don't care if you hit 6 threes in a game, it doesn't do you any good if the guy you're guarding hits 7!!!"

I followed Bill Murray's attitude in that Michael Jordan movie, Spacejam: "Oh no, I don't do defense."

Can this group we have get any better? You can't all of the sudden make Dirk Nowitski a Ben Wallace or Dale Davis.

Shawn Bradley and Raef LaFrenz are what they are. With the size of their contracts who is going to want to trade for them?

I'm trying to stay positive, but we weren't even competitive tonight. We'll see what game 2 brings.

Brian · May 7, 2003

I am far from a basketball expert but I don't think that the *sad sac kings* played defense that great tonight, the are just a solid, deep team that is far better than the mavs. I think the only chance we win a game is if the mavs shoot the lights out.

IronMan4 · May 7, 2003

I wasn't singling you out at all Colony, it's just the things you had to say are very typical of what you will read on other boards or if you listen to talk radio. I hope they can turn it around too, but they need to get some serious rest tomorrow because Thursday is a huge game.

TheColonyEagle · May 7, 2003

Oh yeah,

Iron Man you're right about DFW fans, we are an impatient bunch. The Kings a few years ago had something the Mavs don't have: Chris Webber.

Maybe Dirk will learn to play a post up game or we can get a scrapper inside, but until that happens, we're in trouble.

I don't think Cuban is going to wait around that long. I've got a bad feeling this team WILL look different next year if we don't turn it around.

Right or wrong that's very well what might happen.

TheColonyEagle · May 7, 2003

I wasn't singling you out at all Colony, it's just the things you had to say are very typical of what you will read on other boards or if you listen to talk radio.

Can't say I disagree with you.

Are there such thing as other boards?

GMG,

Jason

class84 · May 7, 2003

It's time for Loyola-Marymount ball. Take no more than 10 seconds to shoot, jack up a minimum of 50 three-pointers. First team to 150 wins!

Sacremento is averaging 125 a game vs the Mavs this year with us "trying" to play defense. The only way out is to try to play to the strength of the Mavs and outscore them. There are way too many bad match-ups to overcome by playing conventionally.

Hell, if it doesn't work we at least get some entertainment value out of this.

IronMan4 · May 8, 2003

I would think basketball fans already get some entertainment from the Mavs. They play a fun to watch brand of the game that the Eastern conference should take some notes from .

TheColonyEagle · May 8, 2003

....the Eastern conference should take some notes from .

Isn't it weird the way the power swings? It used to be all eastern conference in the 90s. Bulls, Knicks, Pacers, Pistons, Magic. (Mostly Bulls) The west had Phoenix and Utah (and Houston when Jordan retired) but that was about it. Now, The Spurs, Lakers, Kings, Mavs, Blazers, Wolves, and Suns could possibly finish in the top 7 spots in the east with the Pistons finishing 8th. The power really swings. Kind of like the NFC in the 90s with the Cowboys, 49ers, and Packers. The conference championship game is the real superbowl. The same will go for the NBA this year.

GMG,

Jason

CMJ · May 8, 2003

That kind of stuff happens in all 4 major sports. Not sure why exactly, but usually one conference dominates another for a period of time and then it switches suddenly.

I thought about actually typing recent histories out but I decided not to.

IronMan4 · May 8, 2003

Courtland, don't start half assing these posts now.

CMJ · May 8, 2003

Sorry to let you down.

TheColonyEagle · May 8, 2003

I thought about actually typing recent histories out but I decided not to.

I love the honesty

GMG,

Jason

PerryG2480 · May 8, 2003

Alright guys...I think the Mavs could be very well described as the "Junior Kings" (as said by Newy Scruggs on ESPN Radio 103.3). We are following their formula, and it will take a few years to get to the top. However, it will take some restructuring. I hate to see it, but the big 3 will have to be dismantled to make a championship happen. We could talk all day about acquiring a P. J. Brown, Michael Olowokandi, or Alonzo Mourning (a shell of his former self), but Newy brought this up: I don't know what the stipulations of Kevin Garnett's contract is, but I believe it is up soon. We deal Nash, Finley, and miscellaneous player or two for Garnett. Before you bash me, think about it. I love Steve Nash, he's probably my favorite player. But imagine this: Van Exel at the point, Wahad or Bell or Griffin or acquired free agent at shooting guard, Nowitzki at small forward, Garnett at power forward, and the two-headed ivory tower center tandem. That might be a team that could hang with the Western Conference elite. Just a thought...probably not a very realistic one at that.

IronMan4 · May 8, 2003

Newie has been on that Garnett thing for a while. I think he is the best all around player in the game and would dance a jig if he became a Maverick. However, that scenario is not likely and the route of adding a perimeter defender and somebody inside that make things happen (like Najera except bigger) is the most likely thing to happen, and I believe, the best route to take.

I also like how we are all planning as if the season is already over. I hope the Mavs make us stick our foot in our mouth.