Don't Mess With Dallas

Let me start off by making this very clear. I did not just see Dallas get hot and all of a sudden hop on the bandwagon like many other people. I didn't pick them just because they blazed past the Blazers and dominated the Lakers. I respect Dallas and am rooting for them because I love watching the way they play basketball. Of course, once the season ends, I will be a full time fan of the Jazz/whatever team moves to Anaheim. With that said, here are my thoughts:

Let's start off at the top with the owner, Mark Cuban. This is a guy that gets criticized a lot, but honestly is a great owner who players want to play for. He is one of the few that really cares about his team and his players, not just the profits they make for him. The fact that the Mavs' winning percentage has increased nearly 30% since he bought the team doesn't hurt, either. The model for building the team has been impressive as well, and Cuban and GM Donnie Nelson deserve a lot of credit for that. While most teams have following Oklahoma City's model and loaded up on young players and draft picks, Dallas has snatched up experienced veterans for cheap contracts. In fact, ten of the fifteen players on the roster have been in the league for at least eight years. This team is a group of vets who have been around the block, and are hungry for a championship.

Obviously, the first person to come to mind when you think of this Mavericks team is Dirk. I fully believe that nobody on the planet wants an NBA Championship ring as bad as Dirk Nowitzki does this year. The man has been named MVP, gone to ten All Star games, and the Three Point Contest, but has never won the big one. If his performance against Oklahoma City in Game 1 was any indication, he is determined to finally win it all. What makes the team fun to watch is how everyone plays like that. Jason Kidd, Shawn "The Matrix" Marion, and Tyson Chandler are all big name players who have had a lot of success, just not in the Finals. These players are the guys to trust deep in the playoffs.

The biggest reason that the Mavs are so popular, other than their highly proportional amount of Europeans, is that it is fun to watch teams shoot lights out. Watching Jason Terry and Peja make it rain never gets old. Combine that with an unselfish distributing point guard and a seven footer who can spread the court, and you can put on a great show. There is also the fundamentals factor which makes them more appealing. Had he not been a foreigner, it would have brought a tear to the eye of Moose Lewis seeing Dirk knock down free throw after free throw (24 in a row, actually) in Game 1.

In conclusion, I will be honest. While I think Dallas will take out OKC, I realize that they might struggle in the finals, as both Chicago and Miami create some serious matchup problems (Wade for the Heat and Rose for the Bulls, particularly), and they conceivably could just be out of their league. Either way, though, this is a very fun team to watch, and one that seemingly impossible to root against. Unfortunately, as we have seen with teams like Phoenix and Detroit, people age quickly in the NBA, and teams loaded with veterans are very questionable in the long term. This could very well be the last season that this core group of players plays this well, and I suggest we just enjoy it.

NBA (Delayed) Playoff Preview

First off I want to apologize for the delay, but due to Brent Barry's William Tecumseh Sherman-esque run through the bracket, I had to wait an extra round to post this. With that said, a lot has happened since then. The Celtics rolled, Miami and Chicago escaped, and Dallas avoided the upset that everyone predicted. Oh yeah, and in the words of the great Kristin Cavallari, the top seeded Spurs are officially dunzo.

Let's start out in LA where the Lakeshow struggled a bit against the David West-less New Orleans Hornets. After starting the series off 2-2 and letting Chris Paul torch their defense, Phil and Kobe got the squad under control by ripping off back to back blowout wins to end the series. Now with the top seeded Spurs eliminated, LA has to be the heavy favorite to make it out of the West. First, they get Dallas, who may be without Caron Butler (who conveniently would be guarding Kobe.) Dallas has a better shot at keeping the Lakers in check down low with Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, and of course, Dirk Nowitzki. However, their perimeter defense will struggle against Bryant, Artest, and Fisher. If nothing else, go with the Lakers just because betting against Kobe and Phil is never a good idea.

The other series out West pits Memphis and OKC against each other. The Thunder made headlines by trading for Kendrick Perkins in an attempt to bolster their frontcourt. It actually looked really good as they cruised past Denver in the first round. Memphis, however, is going to be much tougher as K-Mart and Nene aren't even worthy of holding Zach Randolph's jock the way he has been playing. Randolph put the team on his back with 31 points and 11 rebounds in the series clinching win over San Antonio. The Thunder better be ready to fight if they plan on shutting him down. Shane Battier is also going to be crucial with his perimeter defense against Durant. Kevin Durant has been lights out and is proving himself as an elite player in the league. Battier and Tony Allen are going to have their work cut out for them trying to put the clamps down.

On the other side of the bracket, Chicago came in to the playoffs as the consensus favorite to win the title, but now look very vulnerable after getting a tough battle from Indiana. One thing that Chicago has going for them is the best point guard in the league, Derrick Rose. The former number one pick averaged nearly 30 points a game while dominating the Pacers backcourt. The only concern seems to be shooting, as he shot 21% from behind the arc, looking awful in Game 1 (0-9) and Game 4 (1-9). Luckily, they have Kyle Korver for that. Chicago is going to have to exploit its rebounding advantage it has on paper with Atlanta 28th in the league. If Boozer and Noah control the boards again, the Bulls should have no problem here.

Finally, we have the main event, Celtics vs Heat. This is a perfect rivalry as it has blue-collar Boston taking on flashy South Beach. When these two teams take the court, they will have a combined 80 all star appearances between them. While he has taken a lot of criticism, LeBron will be the best player in the series. He has some unfinished business after being eliminated by the Celtics last year, and needs to execute better in crunch time, or they may end up looking like the Knicks. Kevin Garnett played a big part in the last series, and while he is definitely getting older, he is still the emotional leader of the team, and is capable of making a huge impact. Mike Bibby is a player who is going to need to step up for Miami, as his three point shooting could be a big factor. He struggled big time against Philly, and at the very least will need to knock down a few open jumpers.