well, there is always next yeCAV'S WIN! CAV'S WIN!

In case you missed it, last Friday during game two of the Cav's Magic Eastern Conference finials, Hedo Turkaglue (the turkish Michael Jordan) hit a shot with 1 second left, putting the Magic up 2. Problem was he left a second, and the Cav's have LeBron.

needless to say he hit the shot to win the game. Its what he does.

Here I bring you a Cleveland newscast that was finishing just as the Cav's game was. Wait for it.....Wait for it.....



There it is.

Silly white girl broke into the "cheerleader" hand movements.

I think I just travelled to 1977 on the island

I’m sitting here working and watching the Rockets-Lakers game, and I think that I just saw the most confusing thing I’ve ever seen.

In an embarrassing bit of cross-promotion, TNT found Kyra Sedgwick sitting in the stands at the game.  Craig Sager went over to interview her and it went like something like this:

Sager : “Kyra Sedgwick. What do you think about the game?”

Sedgwick : “What can I say?  The Lakers are really far ahead. Gosh, what do you think?”

Sager : “Lots of celebrities.  How do you like Laker games?”

Sedgwick : “I’m a Knicks fan, I’m in LA filming the show.”

Sager : “So…how bout the Knicks?”

Sedgwick looks at Kevin Bacon : “I dunno. What do you think?”

Sager : “Kevin Bacon.”

Bacon : “We have hope for the New York Knickerbockers.”

Sager : “Kyra Sedgwick. The Closer. TNT. Back to you, Kevin.”

Kevin Harlan : “Ok then”

FYI regarding tomorrow’s Mavs game – it’s a “BLUE OUT”

This was sent to me by the Mavs ticket office:

Here’s a quick reminder that the first home game of the second round of the playoffs (Playoff Game E on your tickets) is tomorrow (Saturday, May 9^th) at 4:00 p.m.  Come early and please wear BLUE to the game.  Let’s get Rowdy, Proud & Loud!

For those of you without tickets, the game will be on TV on ESPN.  (We still have a few tickets left, so call me if you need some.)

The Mavs rely on our fans to make the AAC one of the toughest places to play for our opponents, and our home record supports the great job that you do. 

Did you know?

• The Mavs are 17-1 at home since the All Star break!  (Not including our two home playoff wins over the Spurs)
• The Mavs were 32-9 at home this season (including our hiccup of a 0-4 start to the home season.)
• Our home record over the past 5 seasons is 165-40, an 80.4% winning percentage.
• We have the current longest running sellout streak in the NBA – 317 consecutive regular season games!  (Thank YOU!)
• The Mavs are one of two NBA teams that have a current streak of NINE STRAIGHT 50-win seasons!  (Only the 4^th NBA franchise ever to achieve this!)
• This is the Mavs 9^th straight playoff appearance, currently the 2^nd best in the NBA, (only the Spurs with 12 straight have a longer streak.)

The net/net of all this is that our success on the court depends in great part on the support of our season ticket holders, and you have done a great job for us!  Thank you for your Rowdy, Proud and Loud support!  Let’s show the Nuggets how we do it in Dallas !

Is there a cure for what this team lacks?

All of season and up to the trade deadline, Maverick fans such as my self were waiting for the Mav's to trade for a player to help this team "get back on track," or "change the culture of quiting."

All we really got was Matt Carrol and John Hollins. Sweet.

The non-move really made me shake my head and prep for an average season, probably losing in the first round of the playoffs, but no real hope for the future.

Then a very odd thing happened. Jason Kidd and JJ Berea started to run this team away from the idea they were losers. The last month of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs saw the Mav's play with something that I haven't seen in them since the Phoenix series of 06, Heart and a desire to prove that they were the better team.

This new found drive started getting my hopes up about this team again. I started thinking to myself, "you know what, maybe this team doesn't need Dirk to be the leader, maybe it can be Kidd, or JET, or some games even JJ."

Then the Spurs happened. I knew going into that series that the Mav's were going to beat them. Even if the Spurs had Manu, I think the Mav's just match up well with them, and could take that series.

For the same reasons that I thought the Mav's could beat the Spurs(and ultimately did), is the same reason I don't like the probability that they take this series vs the Nuggets.

The simple idea is mental toughness. And I don't know if the Mav's have enough of it. The Mav's knew they could take the Spurs, they believed it. So even when Parker was scoring any way he wanted to, they just knew they could come back.

That's not there in this series. When Denver literally punches them in the mouth, the Mav's won't take it, look back, wipe the blood from their face, and hit them back even harder. Na, that's not the way the Mav's work. They will look around with their hands up, waiting for a whistle to bail them out. Sometimes it will, but the whistle won't bail you out four out of seven games.

So the problem that I thought was gone has come back. We need heart. Heart that says "we aint takin' this shit no more," or even "hit me one more time mother fucker, see what happens." And unless something changes over the next few days, I don't know where its going to come from.

Miles and Miles of heart.

If you don’t watch Game 7, you’re crazy

I’ve mentioned it several times before…this year’s Bulls-Celtics series has been THE most entertaining series in a long time.

Tonight’s game went into triple overtime to see the Bulls stave off elimination and force the Game 7.

Joakim Noah’s level of energy is nuts.  You know how Ryan Hollins isn’t a polished player, but he plays with a level of energy that brings the team and the crowd to its feet?  Multiply that by 10. That’s what the Bat-Boy brings to Chicago.

I think I’m more excited to see Derrick Rose battle Rajon Rondo for the next 10 years than I am to see Chris Paul battle Deron Williams.  Paul and Williams are methodical in the way they execute.  Rose and Rondo are like an action flick. 

Scalabrine made it on to the floor.  I’m going to type that again.  The Ginger Wonder, Brian Scalabrine, was on the floor and saw minutes in the third OT.

Brad Fucking Miller redeemed himself for the end of the last game by sinking his free throws and getting that layup into the basket.

Seriously, if I find out you don’t watch Game 7 on Saturday, I’m going to punch you in the throat and you’ll not be allowed to watch anymore basketball.

Re-visiting my thoughts on Brad Miller

Christian Bale plays for the Bulls!

I was watching the end of the Bulls-Celtics overtime thriller last night (I told you it’s been an awesome series!), and on the last play of the game, Brad Miller airballed a wide open lay up that would have tied the game, and with the foul he took, give him the opportunity to put Chicago on top by 1 with 2 seconds left on the clock.

By that time, Ray Allen and Derrick Rose had both fouled out, so Chicago had a defensive front on the floor, and Boston’s stone cold shooter (who turned out to be PIerce anyway) wasn’t on the floor.

I immediately texted Big the following, “Oh my god, Brad Miller is fucking terrible.”

This is something I think I’ve said since Miller was a Pacer, but never more evident than in his current Bulls uniform.

Then I saw the replay, and I’ve got to cut Miller some credit. Rajon Rondo hit him in the jaw and knocked out a tooth while Miller was going up for the lay up.

Vinny of the Black was begging for a flagrant. Kevin Harlan wanted a flagrant. Only Doug Collins said, and rightfully so, Brad Miller would have had to be on the stretchered out for the refs to call a flagrant foul with 2 seconds left in a playoff series deciding game.

I just wanted to pull back a little bit on my Brad Miller hatred. I’m pretty sure getting a tooth knocked out by the skeletal remains of Rajon Rondo would throw me off my game from a) making a layup and b) sinking 2 game tying free throws in overtime of the playoffs when I haven’t taken a free throw all game and I’m Brad Fucking Miller.

So, how does this play into the CP3 rumor?

That’s an honest-to-God crowd shot from last night

The biggest ass whipping NBA Playoff history happened last night, as the Denver Nuggets destroyed the New Orleans Hornets 121 – 63.  Wait, sources are telling me that the largest margin in the ENTIRE NBA history, not just playoffs.  (Think they’re celebrating the Billups for Iverson trade?  I think so.)

Wow.

So, how does that affect the Mavericks?  Well, if you haven’t heard, New Orleans is hemorrhaging money right now.   They need to get rid of the big contract players and assume expiring or low cost players.   If the Hornets don’t get out of the first round, there’s serious talk of blowing up what was, not that long ago, one of the NBA’s darling young teams because of financial reasons.

A part of that salary dump involves a rumored trade to Dallas. Josh Howard, Erick Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse for Chris Paul and a large contract (think Peja Stojakovic or Tyson Chandler). 

Pray the Hornets have given up and conceded their franchise.  That means HUGE things for the Mavericks. 

The Best Series You Aren’t Watching

If Dallas’s interest in their own team is any indication, no one is focusing on what is the most entertaining series of the playoffs, and what could develop into an AWESOME rivalry to come.

If you aren’t paying attention, Chicago and Boston are locked up in a really entertaining series.  They had a few great games in the middle of the season, but no one thought they’d have four games of it in the playoffs.

Oh, and this is with injury depleted rosters and two terrible coaches.

Chicago won game 4 in a thrilling double overtime.  They won the first game in overtime, lost game 2 in the shoot-a-palooza between Gordon and Allen, and were blown out in game 3.

You’ve got the rookie of the year, Derrick Rose against the still improving awesome Rajon Rondo.  The underrated, could have been Maverick, John Salmons playing his best defense ever against the old man, Paul Pierce.  Gordon and Allen pretty much playing HORSE against each other. And the spare bigs battle of Noah/Miller/Thomas against Powe/Davis/Perkins.

If you aren’t watching this series…I suggest you do.  It’s what the Boston-Atlanta series was last year…fun and entertaining

Okay, Go Mavericks

A lot has been made that television ratings have dropped for the Mavericks this season.  You could point to the 2-7 start, the fans perceived “tiredhead” regarding the same starters, the total dominance of Kobe and LeBron as issues.  However, people thought that a playoff series against the hated rival Spurs was going to be what the fan base needed to re-energize.

But…television ratings haven’t really gone up or come close to what they were three years ago. Why?

It can’t be a sense of entitlement. We haven’t won anything.

It can’t be a sense of doom and gloom because Dallas is up 3-1 and playing some of the best basketball they’ve played in years.

It can’t be a sense of “luck’s about to run out” because, again, this team is playing the best basketball it’s played in years.

It’s not lack of starpower, Dirk, Josh, Kidd and JET are a great nucleus of stars.

So, what’s the deal?  Why are fans not gunned up for the Mavericks this year?

It’s fear.  Plain and simple.

The Dallas sports fan is a fairweather fan.  Those of us who have weathered the 11 win Mavs seasons and constant Ranger failures are the few and the proud (?).   Dallas fans are married to the Cowboys, and the heartbreak that has been caused by the team since 1996 is well etched on Dallas’s fanbase.  We’re afraid that if we truly follow and believe in a team, we’re going to get let down again.

No one believes that the Mavs can win the finals. Why?  Because they can’t.  No one is beating the Lakers in the West, that’s a given.  Because of this, fans have resigned that the season is over already, and all the playoff pushes in the world won’t matter.

All I can say is what I’ve told everyone who’s shown a slight disinterest in the Mavs:

Don’t Lose Faith.

As George Dunham said, “you know how your favorite movie ends, but you still stay till they roll the credits, don’t you?”

It’s time! It’s time! It’s Playoffs time!

Hey, at least we won't play the Lakers!

With Utah losing last night to the Lakers, the Mormons have locked up the 8th spot in the NBA finials, which means that they will play the mighty Lakers this weekend during the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Some good news for us Maverick Fans. Good News.

SO, that brings us to tonight, and what might be one of the more entertaining nights of basketball in a long time. 4 teams(Denver, Houston, San Antonio, Portland) are playing for spots 2-5, and your Dallas Mavericks are in a duel with New Orleans for the 6 and 7 spots. To make things better, all 6 of these teams play each other tonight. Check it out.

Hornets at Spurs 8 pm ET
Rockets at Mavericks 8pm ET
Nuggets at Blazers 10:30 pm ET

Right now, the seeds stand like this.

1.LA
2.DEN
3.HOU
4.POR
5.SA
6.NO
7.DAL
8.Utah

Lets just worry about Dallas, as all the other things make my head spin.

IF DALLAS WINS TONIGHT

6 seed if NO losses to SA, in which they would play the 3 seed SPUUUUURRRRSSS!
7 seed if NO Wins, they would play Denver if they win tonight, or Houston if they Lose.

IF DALLAS LOSES TONIGHT

7 seed vs. Denver if Denver beats Portland, Houston if Denver Loses to Portland.

So there you go. To be honest, I can see the Mav's pulling the upset over any three of those teams(HOU, SA, DEN). But I'm a homer. The best would be winning the 6th seed and then New Orleans pulling the upset in the first round of the playoffs so we wouldn't have to play LA until the West Finials.

But that's not going to happen, the Dallas teams are too cursed for that.

What would you rather see?

A) Whoever wins on Thursday is declared the national champion and Texas, Utah and USC are left with their dick in their hands because "that's the system and, hey, Notre Dame won the Hawaii Bowl, so it's a good system!"

OR

B) The semifinals of a playoff where Texas vs USC and Utah vs Florida/Oklahoma with the winners playing for a real national championship

Use the comments and share your thoughts.

Could tonight be the start of something new?

This years NBA playoffs have been fantastic. We have had new teams, (or at least new players on some old faces), big step up players, close games, and most notably, the teams that play good D, aren't the favorites anymore.

Tonight, the defending champs, San Antonio, could get knocked out of the playoffs by the upstart New Orleans Hornets. The best all round team over the past 10 years could get beat by the young, fast, offensive oriented Hornets. And on Friday, the Lake show could defeat a Jerry Sloan, defensive grid it out team in the Utah Jazz. And if you look at seeding, they should win.

If LA, and NO meet in the west finials, who ever wins will be the worst Defensive team to come out of the west in 20 years, maybe ever. Now, they both aren't bad defensive teams to say the least, but neither one has anybody that you can say, "hey guy, go cover that teams best player" and expect it to work.

The funny thing is, if you look at the East, they are about where the West was 8 years ago. They have one team that plays fantastic D, but has no real go to superstar(DET), and two teams fighting it out that rely solely on transcendet players(BOS,CLE). They are the LA with Kobe and Shaq, and the anti Sad Sac Kings of a couple years ago(instead of all O, they have all D, and no crunch time player).

Of course all of this a mute point if SA or Utah come back and win the last 2 games, but it gets me excited to think that in a copy cat league, some more teams will start to copy this trend of team oriented, offensive minded play.

OMG, THE MAV'S LOST, HOW IN THE HELL

Maybe we all need to tap the breaks a second. Going into this year, the expectations for the Mav's were high. I mean come on, 2 years ago they should have the NBA championship, and last year they won 67 games and were the number one seed in the west. We should expect a good year from this team, right?

That's not really what we got. All year long, Dallas played like a pretty good, but not great team. With hot spurts where they could beat anybody, and low times where the average teams in the NBA gave us trouble.

So what if that's what we really are? A good, but not great team? We have a superstar in Dirk. We have a great court general in Kidd. After that? ehhhhh.

Josh Howard was going to be this teams number 2 guy, but while in role for over 2 years now, he has steady gotten more and more mentally unstable to handle it. Josh Howard is at his best when he isn't expected to do anything on the offensive side of the ball. When he can just move through traffic, get an open look here and there, and grab rebounds. Running an ISO for him on the wing takes hims out of that role as "disruptor."

Jason Terry is "tweener." Who isn't big enough to play the 2, but doesn't have the ball handling skills to play the point for 40 min.

And then, there is Jerry Stackhouse. He was the balls of this team when we made our run to the finals a few short years ago. He was one of the only players who had no problem taking it to the rim and getting fouled. Now? His age and constant injury's have slowed him to a point to where now he can only give you a good game one out of five.

Damp, Bass, and Lou all have roles on this team that they fill well. But as for everybody else? Garbage. So this is your team.

PG - Kidd, great general, needs people to move around him to be at his best.
SG - Jason Terry, Undersized, can't play defense against bigger guards, is a streak shooter
SF - Josh Howard, 2nd best player on the team that needs a role where he is 3rd or 4th.
PF - Dirk, nothing is wrong with him at all.
C - Damp, when not in foul trouble, is a solid center who plays a decent role.
Bench - Bass, great energy smallish big guy
Lou - Nice back up point
Stack - One out of five games, when he is hot, you can count a good game. Other than that, not very good at all.
Edddie Jones - Old and sucks.
Juan Howard - Old and sucks.
Devon George - If he played 5 min a game, might be worth it, but 25? old and sucks
JJ - young and sucks
Malik Allen - average big
Antoine Wright - young, raw.
Coach - Avery Johnson. Thought it was a good idea to play, at one point in the first game, Juan Howard, Devon George, and Eddie Jones at the same time. His style of coaching, both how he leads and the plays he calls, don't match this team at all.

That's our team. That's all they are. A good, but not great team. Its no surprise that they are a 7 seed. It shouldn't be a surprise that a 2 seed beat us. Now can we get hot for a couple of game and win? You bet your sweet ass. When we get hot, and shots fall for dirk and terry and howard, and J-Kidd can run the fast break, and Damp keeps his head in the game, we can beat ANYBODY. But what makes a team great isn't how you play when you get hot, its how you play when your cold. And this team is TERRIBLE when they are cold.

Don't get me wrong, Mav's still win in 3.

Mavs and Hornets - It starts on Saturday

I guess I'm beating Big to the punch here, but this is my breakdown of your Dallas Mavericks opening series against the New Orleans Hornets.

Center

Hornets: Tyson Chandler
Mavericks: Erick Dampier

Brown's Take: If I've said it once, I'll say it again: it all depends on which Dampier shows up in this series. If it's the Dampier that played in Seattle, Chandler runs away in this contest. If it's the Dampier that we've seen show brilliance while playing with Kidd, it's Damp. As for Chandler, he's averaging a double-double this year about 12 pts and 12 board a game, and that's pretty much the same against the Mavs this year.

Result: Even

Power Forward

Hornets: David West
Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki

Brown's Take: Sure, I'm a homer, so I'm going to say that Dirk has this one by leaps and bounds. I'm pretty sure you'd all agree with me. I will say that West is averaging about 20 points a game this season and just under 10 boards. Look for him to keep moving and try and exploit Dirk's legs.

Result: Mavericks

Small Forward

Hornets: Peja Stojakovic
Mavericks: Josh Howard

Brown's Take: I like this matchup as basketball fan, not so much as a Mav's fan. Howard isn't exactly the greatest perimeter defender, and Peja would like nothing more than to pull Howard out of the middle and sit and wait to pop shots. Look for some kind defensive switch-a-roo to happen. That being said, Howard has come on as of late, and if he can manage to keep things rolling, he should outshine his counterpart.

Result: Even

Shooting Guard

Hornets: Morris Peterson
Mavericks; Jason Terry

Brown's Take: Morris Peterson isn't the contributor that Jason Terry is, and he's not exactly a defensive threat. Terry has this contest by a mile.

Result: Mavericks

Point Guard

Hornets: Chris Paul
Mavericks: Jason Kidd

Brown's Take: This is the matchup that EVERYONE is wanting to see. Jason Kidd, the last reamining pure point guard from the Stockton era (make no mistake, it's Stockton's era). Chris Paul, the new era and legitimate MVP contender. Whoever the Mavs put on Paul, he's going to get blown off the dribble. The Mavericks have to play "Spurs-ball" and say "we're shutting down Paul, beat us with West and Peja."

Result: Hornets

Bench

Hornets: Mike James, Jannero Pargo, Bonzi Wells, Julian Wright, Melvin Ely, The Birdman
Mavericks: Eddie Jones, Jerry Stackhouse, Bandon Bass, Tyronne Lue, Malik Allen, Howard/Magloire

Brown's Take: From a production standpoint, it's the Mavericks. Period.

Result: Mavericks

Coach

Hornets: Byron Scott
Mavericks: Avery Johnson

Brown's Take: Byron Scott knows how to coach teams, and this ain't his first go round in the playoffs. Has he had "ring success", no. Had he had post season success? Yes. That being said, I think it depends on what Avery does that decides this match up. If Johnson forces Kidd to try and shoot, the Mavericks are dead. Avery Johnson has to make sure he doesn't change this team's style like last year. Side note, does anyone else think Byron Scott looks eerily similar to the black detective on "Dexter"?

Result: Even

Notes

• The season series is tied 2-2
• The Hornets haven't been to the playoffs, more specifically this is Paul's first trip.
• Make no mistake about it, this is basic science: which team's trio can do more damage? Paul/West/Stojakovic or Nowtizki/Howard/Terry?
• Now is the time to show why the Kidd move was made. He was brought here to anchor this team and lead them on the court in the post season. He is not supposed to be jacking up shots, but distributing the ball. He's the guy who should be yelling at people when they need it and settling guys down when they need it. If we find ourselves saying "Devin Harris would have matched up better on Paul" after 3 games, then you'll know it was a bad trade.

Brown's Final Take: I like this match up because I think it's a good example of how the Mavericks are much better than a 7 seed and can prove it. Everyone is going to be buying into the love fest around Chris Paul, so I think this give Dallas a chance to sneak in and be this year's Golden State.

Result: Mavericks in 6 (Not sure how Big has the Mavs sweeping in 3...)

Your NBA Playoff first round guide - East

In an attempt to ease myself into the gut wrenching, crotch kicking time known as the NBA playoffs, we are going to start from the teams in the EAST, furthest away from the Mavericks, and work our way back to Dallas. This is your Eastern Conference 1st round Playoff preview.

1 Boston Celtics vs. 8. Atlanta Hawks.

Boston has, as we all know, the big 3, Ray Allen, Paul Peirce, and Kevin Garnett. Without a doubt the most talented big 3 in the League. Combined they average over 55 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists, per game. The role players on this team are veterans with experience, Posey and Cassell, and young guys with upside, Rondo and Perkins. I haven't seen a single place yet that says this team will even have a problem with the Hawks.

Durring the middle of the season, Atlanta saw a roster that was for the most part young, talented and scary. Of there opening day starting roster, 4 positions had locked down starters in it. The only thing that didn't was PG. SOOO that's where the Sad Sac Kings came into play. They had a veteran star who wanted out, they wanted to get rid of some cap space, and the Hawks made them a good offer. Enter Mike Bibby. I don't think this trade was for this year, but they knew that in the east, if you can hover near 500 you can make the cash cow that is the playoffs. So that's what they did. Joe Johnson still makes this team go, and they can rebound with about anybody, but they have no chance against one of 2 teams that beat the west this year.

Boston in 4

2. Detroit Pistons vs. 7 Philadelphia 76ers

Detroit is the constant definition of "team" basketball. The team leader is crazy ass Rasheed Wallace, but his play is not measured in points, but in bad assness.

76ers - Young team, streaked into the last part of the season, then lost their last 4. Despite splitting the regular season series, I don't give them much of shot.

Detroit in 5

3. Orlando Magic vs. 6. Toronto Raptors

Orlando has a budding super star(Howard), an overpaid semi star(Lewis), and decent role players (Turkaglu, Nelson). I haven't watched much of Orlando, but I like where the team is heading.

Toronto is another east time on the rise. Chris Bosh is a beast down low, and Jose Caldaron/T.J. Ford make for a more than serviceable PG duo. Alot of people expected this team to take some steps forward this year, but they really didn't.

Magic in 6.

4 Cleveland Cav's vs. 5. Washington Wizards.

Might be the only match up in the east to really pay attention to. Its LeBron vs. Gilbert. How can this not go at least 6?

The Cavs are still trying to figger out how to best implement the new players they got at the trade deadline. Wallace has been OK, West has been good, and Wally is just Wally, he could go for 25 or shoot 1-23. LBJ will carry this this team as he always does.

The Wiz have an interesting team. They lost their best player, Arenas, for most of year, and still fielded a good team in the east. Most of that can be attributed to the underrated play of A. Jamison, and C. Butler. Both near 20 points a game.

Cavs win on the back of LBJ
Cavs in 7

Not ready for the full blown preview yet, but.

Mav's V. Hornets. Round 1. Hornets the 2 seed, Mav's 7th. I will do a full blown preview coming up soon, but here is something to look at. ESPN's experts predictions.

Adande Mav's in 6
Broussard Mav's in 7
Ford Hornets in 7
Hollinger Hornets in 7
Stein Mav's in 6
Thorpe Mav's in 7
Big Mav's in 3

Just food for thought.