2011 NBA Playoffs: Meet the Dallas Mavericks, the Most Lovable Team Remaining
The Dallas Mavericks are not your normal contender. In fact, few people consider them to be one at all.
They have had the most regular season success, of any team, over the last decade, but have not been able to win a title in any of those years. Basically, the Dallas Mavericks are the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s without the '95 title.
The struggles this franchise has faced, the criticism Dirk Nowitzki has gathered over his career and the overall personnel of this team makes them painfully identifiable and thus, lovable.
If you are someone who has succeeded in everything you've tried, never been cut, never felt like you continually come up short at school, on your own sports team or at the office, then no, these Mavericks are not for you. For the rest of us—if we don't already have a beloved team—the Mavericks are the perfect group to rally behind.
For the record, I am not a diehard Mavericks fan. I cheered for Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, I was all for the Golden State Warriors upset in 2007 and I have never even been to the state of Texas or seen Dirk Nowitzki play live, in person.
All I know is last night, against the Los Angeles Lakers, I found myself jumping up and down, heartbeat racing, holding my breath when Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd went to the foul line, then really holding my breath when Kobe Bryant fired up that Michael Jordan-esque, would be game winning three-point shot.
I'm not sure why it happened, but last night, I became a born-again Mavericks fan, and am now ready to make the case that this team from Dallas—not the Cowboys—is America's team.
Not Your Normal Superstar: Dirk Nowitzki
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There is nothing normal about Dirk Nowitzki's game. He's a seven-footer with an incredible shot, three-point shooting capabilities, a release from behind his head (makes him even harder to block) and a Larry Bird like ability to get off awkward shots successfully.
These, however, are what make him fun to watch, they are not what make him lovable.
What makes Nowitzki lovable is how much crap he has taken over his career for not winning a title. Just look at the comparison in this series. On one end, you have the Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. He growls after big shots, he has five championship rings and no one has ever questioned his desire to win. On the other side, there's Nowitzki who doesn't look mean, has no rings and is often called soft.
In last night's battle, it was assumed that Nowitzki would choke on his late free throws and Bryant would hit the game-winning shot. This was not the case. Nowitzki, who almost always plays well in the fourth quarter, had another great performance, proving once again that he too is a closer.
Look at it this way, both Nowitzki and LeBron James are big guys who play more like guards. Neither has won an NBA Championship and both have had MVP seasons. However, it seems like James has to win a title in order to validate himself as one of the best ever whereas Nowitzki needs to win a title just to be remembered at all.
A Strange Sidekick: Jason Terry
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Jason Terry has been there for almost the entire ride. He is Dallas's second most dangerous offensive threat, but yet, gladly comes off the bench.
The most surprising stat from last night was seeing Terry so high on the list of fourth-quarter scorers in the NBA. Names like Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki made sense, but Terry?
Terry plays the game with an immense amount of passion and can often be seen spreading his arms out like wings after a big, late game shot.
The home fans love him, the community loves his work and his teammates love playing with him. Terry is an unusual sidekick, but is a major reason why the Mavericks are so fun to watch.
A Veteran Leader: Jason Kidd
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He's so... old.
Jason Kidd is 38 years old, and still logs over 30 minutes a night playing point guard for his team. He's always been a fierce competitor and provides leadership for the Mavericks.
In last night's game, Kidd dished out 11 assists on offense and came up big guarding Kobe Bryant in the final minutes.
Kidd looks like one of your friends' dads, who happens to still be in shape, and dominates his men's recreational basketball league.
A Loveable Owner: Mark Cuban
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In an era when all we hear about are NFL and NBA owners being greedy billionaires who do not care about their players, Mark Cuban is a refreshing breath of fresh air.
Cuban is right by his team in every battle. He celebrates when they win, and curses out officials to the tune of $100,000 when they lose. He's always looking for trades that will help his team get better, he has no problem spending over the cap and shows a great deal of loyalty to his star player, Dirk Nowitzki.
I think Cuban is the ideal sports owner. It's fun to watch him on the sideline and it's good to see that owners have more invested into their teams than just the money.
Cuban wants to win a title almost as badly as his players do. Maybe even more.
An Underappreciated Head Coach: Rick Carlisle
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Rick Carlisle has always been overlooked in his coaching career.
It started in Indiana. He was an assistant coach for Larry Bird and helped the Pacers get to the NBA Finals. When Bird stepped down, he gave his blessing for Carlisle to take over, but Donnie Walsh went with Isiah Thomas.
Instead of being the Pacers head coach, Carlisle was hired by the Detroit Pistons. Showing why he deserved to be a head coach in this league, Carlisle led the Pistons to back-to-back 50-win seasons.
However, this was not enough either, and the Pistons fired him for Larry Brown.
After the Pistons fired Carlisle, the Pacers hurried in—now knowing what Carlisle was capable of—and hired him immediately. Carlisle led the Pacers to 61 wins and the No. 1 seed out East.
The Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but were painfully eliminated by his old team, the Larry Brown-led Detroit Pistons.
Carlisle is the perfect fit for the Dallas Mavericks. His whole career, in coaching, has seemed to be him leading his teams to great regular season records, getting his teams close to the NBA Finals, but never being able to win it all. This is the exact model of the Mavericks and is why I hope they can win one together.
However, if the Mavericks pull a "Detroit Pistons" and fire him for a guy like Larry Brown, who can come in and win a title, I may never forgive Mark Cuban.
The New York Knicks Reject: Corey Brewer
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The New York Knicks, or Mike D'Antoni rather, said they could not find a use for Corey Brewer.
Really?
Corey Brewer is not an essential part of the Mavericks, but as we saw in Game 1, he can come in for those minutes when DeShawn Stevenson is struggling and give the Mavericks a temporary lift.
Kobe Bryant scored a lot on Brewer, but the shots he was making were always contested. On offense, Brewer made things happen and didn't turn the ball over as rapidly in his limited minutes as Stevenson did in his.
All in all, you have to root for a guy who was deemed unsuitable for the Knicks, but is now finding minutes on a real contender.
The Former King: Peja Stojakovic
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Peja Stojakovic has been in this league a very long time. He had several good years in Sacramento and a decent run in New Orleans.
This year, Stojakovic was beginning to fade away. Like Brewer, the Mavericks swooped in and picked up Stojakovic off of waivers. Now, he's one of the most important parts of the Dallas bench.
I think Stojakovic and Brewer are both testaments to Carlisle as a head coach. When other coaches and other teams couldn't find a way to use him, Carlisle has been able to insert Stojakovic into the rotation and get around 10 points of production from him a night.
The Little Man: J.J. Barea
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J.J. Barea is listed at 6' tall, but looks more like he's 5'5''.
Want to know why you should love Barea? Here's a look at his girlfriend.
The little guy is doing just fine.
The Enforcer: Tyson Chandler
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What the Mavericks have always lacked is a big man who can go toe to toe with the other team's low post threat.
Tyson Chandler finally fulfills this role for Dallas.
Chandler is fun to watch, because he blocks shots on defense and finishes alley oops on offense. He's not a polished offensive player, but he doesn't have to be.
What Chandler gives this team as the enforcer is enough to make the frontcourt of Dallas legitimate.
They Are an Underdog Story
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Everybody loves an underdog tale. The Mavericks, surprisingly, may be one of the biggest ones left in the playoffs.
In the first round, most people had the No. 6 seed, Portland, eliminating them in six or seven games. The Mavericks proved us wrong.
In their next series, everyone is leaning the Los Angeles Lakers. So far, they have proven us wrong, once again.
If they end up playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, they wouldn't be considered the unanimous favorite, and even the Memphis Grizzlies—who by that point would have knocked out two top teams—may be seen as having too much size and toughness for the timid Mavericks.
If the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals, they would be the underdog again.
For instance, let's say they play the Miami Heat. Since 2006, the Mavericks have only really added Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler to their core. The Miami Heat? Well, they only happened to bring in LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
If you are a Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat or any other team left in the playoffs fan, then by all means, stick with your guys. If you don't have a team or have watched your team be eliminated, I officially invite you aboard the Dallas Mavericks bandwagon.
There's plenty of room.
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