Mediocre Mavs

Why Dirk and Dallas are Destined for Denial in their quest for a title.

column by AJ

As San Antonio and Dallas faced each other on Sunday afternoon, one could not help but scoff at the relative unimportance of this late-season tilt. What would normally have been a crucial must-win to secure home-court in the playoffs had been reduced to a crucial must-win to remain securely in the playoffs at all; something that for Dallas, with their loss of the game and their MVP, seems increasingly unlikely. Both of these teams have become obscured by the Western boom this season, with teams like the Lakers, Suns, Hornets and Rockets stealing as many W’s as they have headlines from these perennial contenders. Although they’re mired in the bottom of the playoff bracket, there are plenty of reasons not to count out the defending champs…and some glaring flaws that will prevent this Dallas squad from making noise in the playoffs.

1. The Kidd Trade

Sure, adding a first-ballot hall of fame point guard to your roster in most cases would be a shrewd move. Kidd was the East’s second-most efficient point guard and is closer to averaging a triple-double than any player’s been in a very, very long time. Sadly for the Mavs, he’s not that quick of a defender and is routinely abused off the dribble by________(insert name of starting Western point guard here). He also doesn’t have the fast-break finishers he needs to push a transition offence like he did in Jersey. Then consider that the Mavs sacrificed Devin Harris’ youth for a 2-3 year window at a title, along with their best post defender when other playoff teams are bulking up down low. The move already looks questionable. Then compound it with the sad reality that the Mavs haven’t beaten a team over .500 since acquiring Kidd (in eight tries), and it seems safe to say it hasn’t made them a better team.

2. Disco’s Injury

I’ll be the first to call myself a Dirk hater; there’s nobody in the NBA I enjoy watching fail more than him. Despite this he isoccasionally a nasty clutch performer and easily Dallas’ best player. Losing him when your team’s already been gaining nothing but momentum towards the lottery is critical, maybe fatal. It remains to be seen if Josh Howard can be the focal point of an offense that has to outscore Phoenix, New Orleans, Denver, the Lakers and Golden State twice in the coming weeks. If Mark Cuban’s (who apparently now ghostwrites for the Dallas medical staff) prognosis of two weeks is on point, then Dirk will be working himself back into shape as the playoffs begin. Whether or not his team’s still a factor at that point remains to be seen.

3. The West’s Depth

In all reality, the Mavs are far from a bad team. They’ve stumbled a bit since a major acquisition but look, at least on paper, like a contender. Problem being, the West is just too damn good and even if Dirk makes a healthy return it’s hard to see them beating a team like Phoenix (who are suddenly looking very sincere) or the Lakers, or San Antonio in seven. The Mavs managed to lose to the Spurs yesterday despite Tim and Tony shooting a combined 7 for 329.

4. History

Here’s a brief lesson/reminder as to why the modern era Mavericks have been dubbed playoff underachievers by anyone with half a brain and an interest in basketball:

2003 – The third-seeded Mavs, fresh off of a 60-win season, go up 3-0 on the Portland Jailblazers, only to have them rally to force game seven, lead through three quarters, then collapse and allow Dallas to take the series.

2006 – The Mavs sweep the first two games of their only trip to the NBA Finals against the underdog Miami Heat, only to succumb to the Dwyane Wade show and lose four straight games, along with their dignity.

2007 – Having 67 reminders that they were still among the league’s best teams, Dallas strides into the playoffs with a #1 seed and are promptly dispatched by Golden State, marking the first 1/8 upset since the birth of the seven-game first round.

Case in point: When the Mavs have truly needed to win games, they either haven’t or have struggled mightily. This has been their burden for years, even when their poise and swagger has kept the conference on edge. With hardly anybody fearing them now, is anybody betting on them either?

When Mark Cuban bought the Mavs damn near a decade ago, he brought with him a revolution: a winning culture to a team that had sucked for years and bored its fans. He imported a legendary coach, threw millions at talented players and made a point of publicizing how well they were treated. His logic was simple: build a solid team, coach them well, keep them happy and they’ll win championships and sell tickets. Sell tickets? They’ve been one of the more entertaining teams in the league this millennium. Win championships? Still working on that one. What Cuban might need to consider this year when his team’s season inevitably ends sooner than he’d hoped or expected is that their future’s never looked so bleak. Unless his team can work some late miracles, they’ll become the first team to fall from a #1 seed to the lottery this quickly in who the fuck knows how long; a casualty of a conference filled with teams that at present look better and younger than the Mavs. They’ve always been fringe contenders; regular-season winners who have proven very little in the playoffs, and if Mr. Cuban wants to restore that winning environment to a team that’s disappointed time and time again, another revolution might have to be in store.

[The Mavs shoulda traded Dirk after his MVP season a la Moses Malone -Ed.]