02-09-2008, 06:35 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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William Skywalker
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Germany
Age: 21
Posts: 9,716
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Under-the-radar Dallas Mavericks right where they want to be
Quote:
Under-the-radar Dallas Mavericks right where they want to be
12:15 AM CST on Saturday, February 9, 2008
We know the Mavericks tend to crumple under pressure.
We've seen them choke in the NBA Finals, blowing a 2-0 lead against Miami. And we'll never forget last year's gargantuan collapse, when they became the first No. l seed to lose a best-of-7 series to a No. 8 seed.
But there is hope for this season.
That's because the Mavericks play best when they fly under the radar – and that's what is going to happen this year. I know that sounds silly considering the Mavericks are 19 games over .500 and have the second-best record in the Western Conference after a 92-81 win over Memphis on Friday night.
After the flurry of recent trades involving Western Conference contenders, no one – and I do mean no one – is talking about the Mavericks being one of the league's contenders.
Think about it.
All of the conversation seems focused on Phoenix and how much the addition of Shaq is going to help the Suns win their first championship. Or how Pau Gasol makes the Lakers one of the favorites, especially once Andrew Bynum (knee) returns to the lineup.
And you can't talk about Western Conference contenders without mentioning the Spurs, the defending champions, and their star triumvirate of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
And we haven't even talked about how Utah has been streaking since adding Kyle Korver, the Nuggets with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony or the pesky Warriors with Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson.
See what I mean? Suddenly, the Mavericks have become an afterthought.
"A couple of years ago, we kind of snuck up on people, and we're kind of in the same situation this year," Jerry Stackhouse said. "Everyone is talking about the Lakers and the Suns, so maybe we'll be able to float on by with no expectations and no pressure.
"We went to the Finals with pretty much the same group. I like this team, and when we're playing right and doing the right things on defense, we're as good as anybody else in the league."
Since the trade talk with New Jersey about acquiring Jason Kidd seems to be on ice, it's time to come to grips with the fact that the Mavericks aren't going to make a blockbuster deal.
I can't really blame them since I don't think Kidd guarantees Dallas a title. Maybe the Mavericks will make a small deal that adds yet another role player to their roster, but there's been no indication anyone in the power structure is willing to break up the team's core to add another player.
Even a guy like Memphis' Mike Miller, one of the league's best pure shooters, would be a nice addition, but the Mavericks don't really have what it takes to acquire him.
So it looks like the Mavericks are going to try to win a championship with the team they spent the off-season putting together. That's not really so bad, considering the Mavs have been the NBA's best team the past two years, though they don't have any hardware to show for it.
The window for this team isn't closing this year, though the Mavericks have reached the stage of development where anything but a title represents a disappointing season.
Dirk Nowitzki hasn't started declining yet. Neither has Jason Terry. Josh Howard and Devin Harris are still ascending players.
None has even celebrated his 30th birthday yet.
There's still time for this team to win a championship. The Mavs don't want to wind up being the Utah Jazz, who had 11 50-win seasons in a 13-year period and never won a title.
We all know this team's issues reside between its ears. It has nothing to do with talent. It's all about handling playoff pressure.
Perhaps the failures of the last two postseasons have forged a mental toughness that will allow the Mavericks to thrive this year. Avery Johnson doesn't know. Neither does Nowitzki. Nor anyone else.
We'll find out the answer in a few months, because help is not on the way.
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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...r.3b4545a.html
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