Spurs-Mavericks: Dallas' Season Ends in Disappointment...Again

Thursday marked another disappointing end to a Dallas Mavericks season as the Mavs lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs to bitter in-state rival San Antonio in six games.

The series started off promising for the second-seeded Mavs after they took Game One, but the team's play was erratic from that point forward. After their opening game win, the Mavs dropped three straight games to the San Antonio Spurs.

Dallas appeared to have gotten their game together when they defeated the Spurs by 18 points, in Game Five. In the Mavs' resounding victory Caron Butler scored a playoff career high 35 points and the Mavericks finally received scoring production to complement Dirk Nowitzki.

However, whatever momentum the Mavericks had built up in Game Five died before the tip-off of Game Six. The Spurs came out firing on all cylinders, as they scored 22 points in the first quarter, and limited Dallas to only eight.

Despite the hot start by the Spurs, who led by as much as 21 points during the game, the Mavericks managed to cut the San Antonio lead down to two points after Rodrique Beaubois provided an offensive spark for Dallas off of the bench.

Beaubois, who scored 16 points on seven for 13 shooting, seemed to be Dallas' only legitimate scoring option that was able to drive and get points in the paint against a stingy Spurs defense.

Roddy Beaubois was on the bench as the Spurs distanced themselves from the Mavericks once again and Rick Carlisle will have to answer some tough questions about why Beaubois was not in the game as Dallas tried to complete the comeback in the fourth quarter.

The failure of Dallas to deliver and live up to expectations in the playoffs is a storyline that is all too familiar to the Mavericks faithful.

Many believed that the Valentine's Day trade that brought Butler and Brenden Haywood to Dallas was the final piece to the Mavericks championship puzzle. However, fresh blood and fresh faces still brought the same result.

The owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, will have some serious personnel issues to address now that the season is over including the futures of Coach Carlisle and the long-time face of the franchise, Dirk Nowitzki, who will be a free agent this offseason.