In a world dominated by testosterone, machismo and ego, in order to succeed, it is sometimes wiser to admit weakness.
Take the case of the Dallas Mavericks. A veritable embarrassment of riches. 2006 Coach of the Year Avery Johnson, perennial All-Star and MVP favourite Dirk Nowitzki, and a 67 win season, tops in the NBA. So dominant were the Mavs in 2006-07, that after opening the season with 4 straight loses, Dallas suffered consecutive loses only once the rest of the way and their 4 win streaks of ten games or more set a new NBA record. Dirty Dirk, Mark Cuban and the boys seemed poised to bring a championship to big D.
The Mavs steamrolled team after team but like a brand new Mercedes making a very subtle but undeniable rattling noise; there was one team that, below the radar of the NBA cognesetti gave the Mavs fits all season. Only die-hard NBA fans would know that the Golden State Warriors thouroughly manhandled the NBA's best team, winning all the three meetings by an average margin of 16 points.
Fast-forward to the NBA's playoff push in mid-April. With the Warriors battling for their playoff lives and preparing to face the Mavericks for the third of their three meetings, in a true show of arrogance the Mavs, facing a team that had proved to by their kryptonite all season long, sat All-Stars Nowitzki and Josh Howard and produced a pitiful starting five consisting of Greg Buckner, Maurice Ager, Devean Geroge, Desagana Diop and Jose Juan Barea. Given the opportunity to all but eliminate the Warriors from any chance at a post-season berth, the Mavericks unwilling to concede any respect to Golden State, instead conceded to the Warriors a much needed win and some bonafide motivation heading into their eventual first-round playoff series.
The rest, as the saying goes is literally history, the Warriors played like the Lakers of the showtime era, becoming the first eight seed to oust a one seed in a best of seven series, and in the process, leaving the Mavericks franchise psyche in shambles.
If Dallas had taken the Warriors challenge throughout the season at all serious, they would've done anything in their power to eliminate this prominent thorn in their side and set themselves up for a first round cake walk over the injury riddled Clippers. Instead, it's the Warriors who have a legitimate shot at playing for the Western Conference Championship, it's the Warriors who find their band-wagon filling up on a daily-basis, and it's the Mavericks who are left once again to ponder what might have been.
Gotta go, ‘The Cosby Show’, is on.
Take the case of the Dallas Mavericks. A veritable embarrassment of riches. 2006 Coach of the Year Avery Johnson, perennial All-Star and MVP favourite Dirk Nowitzki, and a 67 win season, tops in the NBA. So dominant were the Mavs in 2006-07, that after opening the season with 4 straight loses, Dallas suffered consecutive loses only once the rest of the way and their 4 win streaks of ten games or more set a new NBA record. Dirty Dirk, Mark Cuban and the boys seemed poised to bring a championship to big D.
The Mavs steamrolled team after team but like a brand new Mercedes making a very subtle but undeniable rattling noise; there was one team that, below the radar of the NBA cognesetti gave the Mavs fits all season. Only die-hard NBA fans would know that the Golden State Warriors thouroughly manhandled the NBA's best team, winning all the three meetings by an average margin of 16 points.
Fast-forward to the NBA's playoff push in mid-April. With the Warriors battling for their playoff lives and preparing to face the Mavericks for the third of their three meetings, in a true show of arrogance the Mavs, facing a team that had proved to by their kryptonite all season long, sat All-Stars Nowitzki and Josh Howard and produced a pitiful starting five consisting of Greg Buckner, Maurice Ager, Devean Geroge, Desagana Diop and Jose Juan Barea. Given the opportunity to all but eliminate the Warriors from any chance at a post-season berth, the Mavericks unwilling to concede any respect to Golden State, instead conceded to the Warriors a much needed win and some bonafide motivation heading into their eventual first-round playoff series.
The rest, as the saying goes is literally history, the Warriors played like the Lakers of the showtime era, becoming the first eight seed to oust a one seed in a best of seven series, and in the process, leaving the Mavericks franchise psyche in shambles.
If Dallas had taken the Warriors challenge throughout the season at all serious, they would've done anything in their power to eliminate this prominent thorn in their side and set themselves up for a first round cake walk over the injury riddled Clippers. Instead, it's the Warriors who have a legitimate shot at playing for the Western Conference Championship, it's the Warriors who find their band-wagon filling up on a daily-basis, and it's the Mavericks who are left once again to ponder what might have been.
Gotta go, ‘The Cosby Show’, is on.
posted by average john at 9:47 AM
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