There absolutely, positively has to be a difference here. Doesn't there? Surely there's no correlation between a 30-point lead over the three-time champions in December ... and a 3-0 series lead over the implosion champions in the first round.
Right?
Let's just say that, if there is a connection here, the NBA will have a new implosion champion.
By Marc Stein...... LINK
E-MAIL OF THE NIGHT
Why is Dallas overlooked in every postseason award category? All season, critics said their record was better than the team really was. If that's true, then shouldn't Don Nelson receive more credit than he has? Gregg Popovich won Coach of the Year for leading his team to the same record as Dallas -- and it took a late Michael Finley injury for the Spurs to catch up. Most people expected San Antonio to be good -- the Spurs have won the Midwest Division three years in a row -- and Nelson didn't even finish in the top five of the voting. So if it wasn't Nelson's coaching that made the difference for the Mavs, then it must have been MVP-caliber play from their superstar. Right? Apparently not. Tim Duncan is on everyone's short list of MVP candidates; Dirk Nowitzki isn't. If the Spurs have the Coach of the Year and possibly the MVP, how do you explain their identical records? Regardless of how far either team goes in the playoffs, I am baffled by how little attention the Mavs get for the great regular season they had.
Brian Jones
Redmond, Wash.
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2008-2009 Season Record Prediction
50-32
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Can Mavericks really blow 3-0 series lead?
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