Dallas Mavs Proving You Wrong!

The Mavericks were the underdog coming into the playoffs.  Each series, the other team was being picked to win by fans and analysts alike.  It seems like Charles Barkley was the only person continuously picking the Mavericks to win the series' they were in.  Why did everyone hate on the Mavericks?

I know all about the Mavericks' choking problem.  Three of the last four years prior they had gone out in the first round.  So it wasn't a huge surprise when people were picking the upstart Blazers to seriously contend with the Mavs in the first round.  Then, during the first round the Mavs did choke away a 23 point lead in a game and lose.  The Mavs, however, came out on top.

In the second round, I heard again how the Lakers were getting it together finally and were going to put down the Mavs in 6 games.  Well, the Mavs swept the Lakers and looked great doing it.  Dirk was on fire.  The rest of the cast were hitting on all cylinders.  Unlike in past playoff years, the Mavs did not choke out in close games and hit all the big shots they needed.

Then the Mavs faced the OKC Thunder.  I heard how great the young Thunder team was, and how they would use their energy and youth to run over the Mavs.  The Mavericks seemingly had no chance at guarding Kevin Durant.  Oh and Russell Westbrook was also going to run over the Mavs with his skills.

Well the Mavs did have some hard fought games with the Thunder.  The Thunder are a great team and really brought it in the series.  The Mavericks were down 15 with 5 minutes left and went on a 17-2 run to push that game to OT.  Then the Mavs won in OT.  That is the moment I knew this was definitely not the Mavs team from the past.  This team had guts, skills, better players and a whole lot of balls.

The Mavericks won the series in five games, beating most people's predictions and making the NBA Finals.  After ALL that, the Mavs were still named the underdog of the series.  Going in, most fans and analysts picked the Heat, some more emphatically than others.  Bill Plaschke of the LA Times said that not only would the Mavs lose, but they would lose in five games.

Not only did you have people picking against the Mavs, but you had some analysts seeming to downplay the Mavs success altogether, and write it off as meaningless or less than great.  Chris Broussard, NBA analyst for ESPN, was asked "If Dirk Nowitzki wins the NBA Title, will this cement his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time?" and he answered "No, because this one series won't elevate him into the upper echelon yet."  That was June 4th.  June 5th, he tweeted "@Chris_Broussard: Win or Lose, Dirk boosting legacy."  Make up your mind analysts!

He was right, Dirk didn't need this series to prove he was an all time great.  Not because he isn't, but because he already is!  Dirk Nowitzki is the best three in NBA history IMO.  I don't consider him a power forward since he lives on the perimeter.  No matter what he actually plays, he's really just a really big three.  I view this series as the Big Three vs the "Big" Three.  Dirk is winning the battle, despite overwhelming doubt by fans and analysts.

So why is everyone hating the Mavericks?  When the series was tied 2-2 before last night's game, I noticed that the PTI panel was asked who would win and finally started hearing "Mavericks can win it" from some people but not Bill Plaschke.  He kept his stance that the Mavericks had zero chance to win the series.  Others at ESPN have said the same, but some are starting to change their mind.  Michael Wilbon being one.  He has started to say he believes now that the Mavs are going to win; in seven games.

I caught part of an interview between Jim Rome and someone who works for ESPN who's name escapes me.  They were discussing the NBA Finals being tied 2-2.  Then inexplicably, he Rome posed the question, "Do you think the Mavericks can come back in this series?"  Really?  If the series is tied 2-2, it's not a comeback if you win the series.  Especially when game 5 is at home for that team.  This is just how the media felt about the Mavs at that point; that they were still behind, still down, still the underdogs.  The tides have been turning.

Magic Johnson has come off the fence now and said he believes the Mavericks will win in seven games too.  Still, analysts are not giving the Mavericks full credit by saying they will win the next game.  There is no reason after game 4 to believe the Mavericks couldn't win the series, especially not to believe they had just as good a chance as the Heat to win it in six games.  On the ESPN poll before the series, most fans picked the heat to win in six games.  Second place was Heat in seven games followed by Mavs in seven games.

I understand the hesitation to say the Mavericks could beat a team with three of the Top Five draft picks from one of the best drafts in NBA history in 2003.  I understand believing that the Mavs have always choked, so why wouldn't they choke again?  I even understand citing 2006 as an example of how they failed against this team in the Finals before.  But I don't understand after seeing four games, why so many people still didn't change their mind or at least take a step back in their commentary.

The Mavs dominated most of Game 5 and now have a 3-2 lead in the series.  The series heads back to Miami, where Miami very well may win both games and win the title.  I'm not saying the Mavs have won anything yet, other than respect.  They should have won the respect of every NBA fan by now, and I am just griping simply because I don't understand why it has been so hard to obtain it and why some people still won't give respect to this team and to Dirk.

Dirk is no longer the soft guy who folds in big games.  Jason Kidd is no longer the PG who can't score and can't make the big plays when they matter.  Jason Terry is no longer just some guy who scores sometimes and not others.  Biggest of all changes, the Mavs are no longer a team that can't play defense.  The Mavericks have caused nine shot clock violations on the Heat.  They have also outscored the Heat 92.6 to 91.5.

LeBron James has been a no-show in the fourth quarter of each game, only scoring 11 points in the five fourth quarters combined so far.  Conversely, Dirk Nowitzki has scored 52 points in the fourth quarter; in Game 3, he scored his team's last 12 points.  I'm not saying Dirk is a better player than LeBron, just more clutch this series.

So no, the Mavs haven't won anything yet, but they should have won respect.  I can't believe there are still people who won't give it to them.  There are still people who say the Heat are failing instead of the Mavs are succeeding in these games.  At this point, that's just ridiculous.  They've earned the accolades.  Now they just need to finish it off.