Big Trouble In Big D?

Gangsta D:

Are the Mavs done? Is Dirk no longer the best player on that team? Should Cubes have traded Dirk for Kobe?

It just seems odd that the Mavs are wallowing in the bottom 4 with the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets, and Rockets. Did the Warriors crush their spirit? Is Dirk doing a John Starks impersonation, without the lisp?

Waldini:

The championship window has closed on Dallas. They followed up their 2006 meltdown with an embarrassing first round exit in 2007. They are still a playoff team and one of the top 4 teams in the West. But they are mentally done. That loss to the Nuggets was a good illustration. Denver just blew an all world performance against the Lakers the night before AND the Mavs had not played in 2 days. Dallas should have crushed them.

I don't care if it's 2006, 2007, or now, no one in their right mind would rather have Dirk Diggler over Bean Bryant. Kobe is selfish but at least he has heart. Put him on this Dallas team and they become a true title contender.

Cuban is a genius when it comes to making money and putting people in his seats. But basketball knowledge wise, he's a novice.

Gangsta D:

They still have 60 or so games to right the ship, but losing to the Hawks on opening night did not get the year off to a rousing start. Josh Howard no longer think Dirk is the team's MVP:)

Da Realist:

I hadn't seen one Mavericks game this year. But I've said all along that Dirk and the Mavs were soft. I'm not surprised. In fact the only thing I was surprised about was Dallas beating San Antonio a couple years ago. Even with Duncan hurt, that surprised me.

Waldini:

Before that series, I thought the mavs were soft and then they showed me something. Prblm was they believed the hype that they had already won the title and didn't close out. And after Crazy Action Jackson went bonkers on Dirk, I sold my stock. Read more!

C'mon Jake. It's Oakland...

Gangsta D:

OK, I was wrong. I thought the Mavs would take control of the series after almost blowing it in Game 5. I didn't respect the power of the beard. I should've known better. But the Mavs should've played better. How do you get served by 25 in Game 6 by the #8 seed? That MVP press conference is gonna be REAL interesting now. How can Stern say that Dirk is the best in the NBA this year when he scored 8 points in an elimination game? What is Dirk gonna say? If he had any balls, he'd refuse the award. I would have more respect for him.

Of course, you do realize the Warriors are going to the conference finals? Unless B-Diddy stays hurt, I can't see either Houston or Utah beating them. A Warriors/Suns final might break the scoreboard. Absolutely NO defense would be played, and at least 4 players would average 30/game. Crazy....

Da Realist:

i agree with D. (read that again ;-)

i would have more respect for him if he refused it.

Gangsta D:

What if the Warriors got to the Finals? Didn't they win it 30 or so years ago? If they won, would that be the biggest story of the last 5 years?

Da Realist:

no way they're getting to the finals. how? with stephen jackson knocking down 7 threes every game? no way. they'll lose to either the suns or the spurs.

Waldini:

I echo Realist's comments a few days on drinking the Warrior Kool-Aid. First team to ever win 67 games and lose in the first round. First 1 seed in the new 1st rd 7 game format to lose to an 8 seed. Home court advantage throughout the playoffs...Gone. I watched the first half and the only Mavs' players who played with any urgency was Stackhouse and Howard.

Dirk basically pulled a Malone. Although no one was whispering in his ear "the Mailman doesnt deliver on Sundays"

Da Realist:

to compare dirk to karl malone is doing karl a disservice. the mailman wasn't "clutch" but he couldn't have been THIS bad in clutch situations, could he? he didn't do too well against us except for a couple of games, but he couldn't have been this bad. i'll have to review the dvds...

Waldini:

You'll need to review more than just your Bulls tapes amigo. This goes back to the early 90s, while in his prime, his teams routinely flamed out (see '95 1st rd exit vs Hou, 60 win team, lose in 5, Malone chokes BIG time in game 5). It wasnt until the Sonics and Rockets either got older or broken up when the Jazz finally broke through.

Mailman is a great player. So is Dirk. I just wouldnt have them on the floor if the game's on the line.

Da Realist:

i just can't put dirk on karl's level. i just can't.

Waldini:

ok in terms of ability, Mailman is superior. I am only comparing their playoff failures....is that fair?

Gangsta D:

It's more than fair. I still can't believe he only got 8 points. That's crazy...

Da Realist:

it ain't just that he scored only 8 points. his team QUIT last night. you can't say malone quit at any point. Read more!

Anybody Need A Howitzer With a Busted Barrel?

Da Realist:

does the maverick ride end tonight? i'm this close to drinking the warriors kool-aid. as much as i assumed the rowdy dallas fans would light a fire in them, i can't help but remember how miami beat them 4 straight times last year, including game 6 in dallas.

that shows a lack of ability to make adjustments, but more importantly, a lack of heart. i guess we'll see tonight.

Gangsta D:

As far as Dirk is concerned, the series is already over:) Can you imagine if Kobe had said what Dirk said before Game 4? You wanna talk about vilified. For some reason, Dirk gets credit for his "candor." He needs to start dominating the Warriors, cause they have no answer for him. I'm usually on Dirk's side because I think he's a good player, but if they screw the pooch on this one, he'll have a long way to go to get respect.

Da Realist:

dirk is soft. i told you that last year. when the most fearless member of your team is your coach, you have a problem.

Gangsta D:

True. When your coach is the most ride-or-die member of your organization, you might need a transplant of some sort.

I know people are calling out Avery, but this is only his third year as a coach. I'm willing to cut him more slack than Dirk. Dirk is not upper echelon. Everyone wants him to be Larry Bird, but he isn't. If the Warriors get up early, will they wilt? If Dirk doesn't put his big boy pants on, they'll be fishing this weekend.

Da Realist:

also note...i think everyone forgot how good baron davis used to be. i guess he's showing us something now that he's out of the backwoods of charlotte.

there's a real chance the 2 nba finalists from last year will not make it out of the first round. does this say something about the strength of the league, parity or both?

Gangsta D:

I just think every team has players capable of taking over games and winning series. You really didn't have that in the past, but the players today are so much more talented. Maybe not better overall players, but the individual skill levels are off the charts. I don't think it's a bad thing necessarily. It's definitely interesting. if the Warriors win, they'll be the toast of the league. Merch sales will go through the roof, and they will be on nat'l tv several times next year.

Da Realist:

i actually think the opposite. i'm actually quite shocked at how little buzz the golden state/dallas series is creating. compared to 1994 when denver beat seattle, basketball nation is snoozing. dirk will probably win MVP! when was the last time an impending mvp lost in the first round without being hurt? a year after getting to the finals?

i think this should be talked about more, but i don't hear much dallas chatter at the water cooler.

Gangsta D:

If they beat the mavs tonight, trust me NBA nation will be buzzing. Read more!

Who you got Wilbon?!?!?

Da Realist:

scoop jackson's point

The MVP race came down to two games: on April 1, when the Suns beat the Mavs 126-104 (Nash had 23 points and 11 assists) and Sunday (Nash had 25 points and 11 assists, including 11 points in the fourth quarter). And even though the Suns won both games, the contest inside both games was judging Nash against the two players who were in position to "knock the champ out and take his belt," Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant. With Nash outplaying Dirk in that rout (and in Phoenix's classic March 14 double-OT win as well) and the Suns winning in Los Angeles as Kobe failed to have his eighth 40-plus game in a month, Nash locked up the MVP vote and secured his place as one of the greatest players of this generation.

jamele hill's point

Dirk's numbers certainly justify him being MVP. He's shooting 50 percent from the field, averaging 24.7 a game, nine rebounds and a career-high 3.4 assists. These aren't the best numbers of Dirk's career, but Dallas was the most dominant team of the regular season and Dirk contributed greatly to the Mavs' success.

Waldini:

By default I say Dirk. I stick to my guns that I cant continue to award MVP to a person that doesnt even make the Finals. I dont care what Jemele says, you need to have them in the Finals at least once. WHat makes it hard for me to easily dismiss Nash is that this is his best yr in his 2nd go round with the Suns.

On a side note, why isnt anyone saying anything about Duncan Donuts? The Spurs have the best record in the league since the All-Star break and they embarrassed the Suns last week.

Da Realist:

i can't buy the "haven't been to the finals" argument because this is a regular season award. it is completely based on regular season. but even if you go by that, there's still too much ambiguity to it. i guess the nba needs something to "validate" the regular season, so this is it.

you can't have a regular season award that emcompasses 5 different positions. how can you compare steve nash to kobe bryant to tim duncan when they play totally different positions?

the only thing that really matters is championships. the only subjective award i care about is "finals mvp" because it narrows the field and it's for all the marbles.

Waldini:

With all that said, who do you have for MVP :-)?

And I dont believe it's completely based on the entire regular season anymore. I think it's based on a few regular season marquee games. When the Suns beat the Mavs in that "instant classic" a few weeks ago, a few of the media said Nash wrapped up the award. But when the Suns lost to San Antonio last week, it became, well maybe it's Tim Duncan. Fast forward to Sun, the SUns beat LA and now it's back to Steve has sewn up the awards. I agree with you on the subjectivity which is why it's frustrating for me to watch the MVP award. For any sport, it's completely opinion based and what have you done for me lately not what did you do the entire time? Same s*** happened to me in sales school last year :-)

Da Realist:

i'll go with steve nash over dirk and kobe. i can't really argue against dirk, so if you want to go with him i won't stop you. i think he's a little soft, but again, this is a regular season award.

i don't think you have to be the best on the best team to win, so i don't discredit kobe for that. i think as long as your team is competitive, you should get consideration. with that being said, the lakers have lost too many games to scrub teams this year for him to win it.

i know this means 3 straight for steve, but keep in mind this is a different nba. it's a huge accomplishment, but let's hold off comparing him to larry bird.

Waldini:

When did Steve Nash become tough? I dont disagree with Dirk being called soft but does that mean Stevie is gritty. As Stone Cold used to say OH HELL NOOO

Da Realist:

steve's got a little grittiness to him. he's no isiah and he's no john stockton, but he'll come through for the win. Read more!

High Octane

Da Realist:

this was a DAMN good game. steve nash won his 3rd straight mvp tonight.

Gangsta D:

Wait a minute! You WATCHED a regular season game? AND, you say it was a good game? Who are you? What have you done with my friend?

Da Realist:

very funny. ha ha. i'm actually as shocked as you are. i was casually watching when i saw phoenix storm out to a 14 point lead before halftime. i worked on some reports a little bit on my work laptop (thanks sean for helping out with the wireless router). i came back and DALLAS is up 14 in the third! WTF? i thought phoenix must have completely collapsed. worked some more. watched a little tv with athena. came back and now phoenix has somehow tied the game near the end of the 4th.

ok. now i'm hooked. i gotta find out what in the hell is going on. the two overtimes were great. i actually felt like a basketball fan again. i missed that tj...

Waldini:

Realist and I must have swapped minds last night cuz I watched bits and pieces. The last thing I saw was Dallas leading either late in the 3rd or early in the 4th, then I decided this was boring. Flipped over to A&E to watched edited Sopranos. How you like those apples Wil-bon?

Da Realist:

even charlie rosen was impressed.

i have just one request -- home team wears white, road team wears colors. please. i'm glad we didn't have all this gimmick stuff when my boy was playing.

Waldini:

Yea Charlie is hard to impress but he's in love with Nash :-)

I know one thing. Dirk Diggler better have his act 2gether if he wants to avoid be called the new Mailman. I would think that after the person that just took a title from you called out, you'd be fuming and take it out on ALL teams you played. Based on what I heard via sportstalk this morning and read in the paper, Dirk faded again....

Not a good sign if you are a Mavs fan

Gangsta D:

You can't gag at the free throw line at the end of games. Sure it happens to the best of them, but when you're trying to get into that upper echelon there's little room for error. You wanna be considered Top 3, you gotta perform when the heat is on. And shave that beard while you're at it!

Waldini:

And stop listening to David Hasselhoff during pre-game warmups

Da Realist:

and y'all say I'M hard to impress. my man gets called out even though he had 30 16 and 6.

but anytime old ass jerry stackhouse scores more than you in a big game... he has no quickness left at all. i guess that says something about phoenix too, though.

Waldini:

He shoulda had 32 :-)

The overall numbers are indeed impressive but we all know we have to look deeper than that. Shoot look at last year's finals. Dirk had 26 going into the 4th quarter of game 6. You know how many he finished with? Try 28. You scored 2 points as the go-to-guy/unquestioned leader of the team with your season the line.

If that isnt coming up short when it matters, I dont know what else is.... Read more!