But, that having been said, the referees screwed the Mavericks in a critical playoff game. Again.

And no one should be surprised it was Bennett Salvatore and his crew. Again.

I even put up a concerned status on Facebook (or I commented on someone’s status, I don’t remember) worried about Salvatore. But, honestly, his crew was fine for 59 minutes, 58 seconds. It was just those final two seconds.

Before we look at tonight, though, let’s flash back in time to the 2006 NBA Finals, game 5. In that game, the criticism of Salvatore was that he decided to take the game into his own hands and call a touch foul (if you can even call it that) when Dirk Nowitizki happened to stand too near to Dwyane Wade with 2 seconds left in the game. The general rule of thumb in refereeing is that in the last minute of the game, you call hard fouls, obvious fouls — you don’t want to take the game into your own hands and bail a player out. You let them sort it out

One could argue that a foul is a foul is a foul, no matter what time of game — a valid argument. But given that line of thinking, if every time a player touched another player (which is all that Dirk did, if that), no basketball would get played between whistles. So, given any perspective, that foul was a bad call; I’ve never read any writer, national or local, that disputes that.

And now, today. The exact opposite of 2006’s call happened. Salvatore and his crew had an EXTREMELY active set of whistles. They called 61 total fouls. They sent players to the line for 89 free throws. For the entire game, they were in complete control — even fouling out Chris Andersen in barely over 10 minutes of playing time. I remember being pleasantly surprised during the fourth quarter, saying to myself, “they’ve blown a lot of whistles… but they’ve been good calls. The calls are even against both teams, and they’re getting the calls right.”

I spoke too soon.

With 6 seconds left in the game, Denver called a timeout. The Mavericks had a foul to give, so Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told his players to intentionally foul the Denver player with the ball before he goes into his shooting motion, to take some time off the clock. It’s a common strategy at the end of NBA games — so much so that referees are made aware of it, and look for the intentional foul and call it quickly, so that no players get hurt. The player has to go for the ball and not use excessive force, or else they’ll get tagged with a flagrant foul, which means 2 shots and the ball.

Time and time again, this happens at the end of games. But not tonight. As the Associated Press described it:

Antoine Wright had a simple objective. In a game with 61 fouls already called, he was trying to commit another. Wright bumped Carmelo Anthony once, hard enough to knock him off stride. But not enough for a foul call. So he jostled Anthony again. Still no call — and now Wright was out of position, leaving Anthony a clear look at the basket. His 3-pointer went right through with a second left, giving the Denver Nuggets a 106-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, and a 3-0 series lead that has been insurmountable in NBA history.

And so, again, the Mavericks lost. After the game, the NBA admitted the officials blew the call. Empty consolation for the players and fans once again on the losing end of referee mistakes. Two years ago, it was a foul that never happened getting called. Tonight, it’s a foul that clearly happened not getting called.

Again, the Mavericks should have won that game regardless of bad officiating. They had their chances, and blew it. That shouldn’t mask the problem the NBA has with their officials. It’s plain and simple: players and fans never know what constitutes a foul and what doesn’t. One trip down the court, a player gets mugged driving the lane, and the referees say nothing. The next trip down, a player grazes some forearm swiping for the ball, and it’s a foul. There’s no consistency between plays in a game, let alone from game to game, crew to crew.

The NBA is hurting their game by not fixing this problem. I absolutely refuse to believe that on a planet of 6 billion people, the NBA referees are the finest referees available. Not with the number of mistakes and bad calls they make. Not with the showboating they exhibit, thinking they’re part of the entertainment show.

Thanks for the apology, NBA. Now go do something about it: fix the system.

.

Jason Kidd needs to step it back up — he needs to be the floor general he’s capable of being.

The Mavericks also desperately need Josh Howard to pick up the pace, injured ankle or not.  He keeps Dirk from having to score 45 to win.  This series proves Dirk doesn’t back down to playoff pressure — he’s averaging 31/game in this series — but also proves the Maverick bench is as important as the superstar.

I don’t think Dirk will be distracted in the game, despite all the news surrounding his personal life.  The game will take over, and as long as he got some rest last night (and he’s been staying with a Mavs executive, so let’s assume he did), he’ll be fine.

Fewer turnovers.

If Mavs turn it over a reasonable number in Game 1 (instead of 8 from their point guard, who’s here for his brain more than his body), I have little doubt they win the game.

Play game 2 like game 1 — solid defense, decent shot selection — and cut out the ridiculous turnovers, and I feel good about this one.

P.S. To the TNT guys.  Dirk is confident.  He’s just giving the guys that defend him some credit.  Relax.

(Sidenote: I suddenly couldn’t remember if Barea had one “r” or two.  So I Googled “Barea.”  And JJ is the first entry.  Google juice for the little guy.)

His quickness needs to bother Parker — make him work for his points (which he’ll get).  And make Parker run around expending energy on defense.

And, most of all, he’s a spark.  He brings energy, takes charges, and makes good decisions for a young player.

If he can do the same things he did in game 1, the Mavericks will be in solid shape.

• Swimming was the most popular sport in the world, and Michael Phelps was running for supreme dictator of the planet — he gets interviewed more than the U.S. presidential candidates;
• Gymnastics was the second most popular sport in the world, even though it appears to be dominated by female children (arguably true in China’s case, apparently) and bulky, stocky men;
• Beach volleyball was the third most popular sport in the world.  By the way, can anyone explain to me that women wear next to nothing to play the sport, but men wear loose shorts and shirts?  Is it mandated by some volleyball governing body that the women competitors have to show off their caboose on national TV, while the guys can cover it all up?
• Bela Karolyi is some sort of international superspy, lagging behind only Michael Phelps (and his “flat behind” as described by NBC as giving him a swimming advantage) in camera time.  I think Bob Costas is getting jealous.

I’ll be the first to admit that hockey is not my favorite of the major sports.  I’m not sure which is, it varies depending on my mood.  But it’s not hockey.

But that having been said, dang, playoff overtime hockey is amazing.

It’s so, so tense.  Knowing that the next goal could come in 5 seconds, or it could come in 20 minutes.  It’s up and down, fast-paced.  It’s a real battle, and every possession is a hold-your-breath-nail-biter.  One little odd skip of the puck on an uneven piece of ice, and the game (and possibly the season) is over.  One misplay.

NBA overtime is tense.  NFL overtime is tense.  But in the NBA, it’s a full quarter — so each possession is huge but you can give up a couple of baskets and bounce back.  And in the NFL, the game rarely ends on a deep pass or long run.  It’s usually a slow, methodical drive to the 25 yard line that results in a field goal.

NHL?  Sudden death, and the goalies take their game up a notch.  Amazing stops on huge scoring opportunities.  Up and down, and anything can happen.

Too much typing.  I’ve got to get back to focusing on the game.

Go Stars!

But, rules are made to be broken.  And I have to share this important NCAA basketball update:

I won my office pool, picking not just the final two but the champion, Kansas.

It was quickly pointed out to me that this wasn’t such an impressive feat, since I picked the top two ranked teams to finish one and two, in that order.  And that the office pool had a total of five people in it.

While those minor details may be true, I still have finally broken my tradition of losing heartily in NCAA bracket office pools, dating back to an internship with Micrografx in 2001.

So, I’ve decided to go ahead and brag to every soul I can find.  Didn’t play in the office pool?  Don’t care.  Don’t even work with me?  Don’t care.  Don’t even know the difference between NCAA and NBA basketball?  Don’t care.  If I run into you, I’m going to brag about this for a little while.

I think I earned this one.  And if not, fine.  I’ve never claimed to not have a hypocritical side.

Feel free to consult with me for my opinion on the NBA playoffs, 2008 NFL football season, and eventual World Series Champion.  My crystal ball is nice and polished.

He went ahead and proved that he is as tough as they come — and, as John Hollinger of ESPN Insider wrote, “a freak of nature” by bouncing back from a high ankle sprain after an unheard of 5 games off.  That type of injury can take months to heal, not days.

Dirk wasn’t 100% against Golden State, but the way he made the surprise start really woke the Dallas basketball world up.  The crowd was more electric than it’s been since the 2006 Finals run.  And most importantly, the players had a swagger I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Dirk’s inspiration was the MVP of the game.  Jason Terry played with hustle and energy we haven’t seen from him, and Josh Howard was being a good garbage collector inside.  The Mavericks were just getting to more loose balls.

This season will come down to how well Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry will play.  Against Los Angeles tonight, Dirk was spectacular — but Howard, Kidd, and Terry all disappeared down the stretch.  The Lakers were able to double and triple team Dirk, and Howard and Terry missed badly on some open shots.  And Kidd wasn’t able to get out in the open court and orchestrate in space like he’s so adept at doing.

Dirk’s defense is better than it’s been: he’s getting a lot of key blocks coming helpside and he’s rebounding well.  And Dirk’s toughness can’t be questioned.  And he’s playing efficient, spirited basketball.  But the team keeps losing close games.  They need to figure out how to win these close games — when the open court game shuts down and things tighten up at the end, the Mavericks tighten up and take bad shots.

They’ve failed at getting to the free throw line late, and I think that will help them.  Of course, referees are more reluctant to call that foul late in the game, but you’ve still got to drive the lane and try to draw that content to have a chance late.

I feel like this team is close to figuring it out.  But they’re running out of time this season to get it figured out.  The playoffs are around the corner — and if the Mavericks aren’t careful, it could happen without them.  I don’t think that will be the case, but it’s possible.

I think Dirk will be able to get this thing on his back and carry them into the playoffs.  He’s shown he’s tough enough.

I understand that when two celebrities date, the paparazzi will show up and everything the couple does is “news.”  Fine, whatever.  I think the coverage is overblown, but people are eating it up, so it will continue being covered.  I can understand that.

Tony Romo made his choices, and it’s his right to do what he pleases in his free time.  I don’t think the city of Dallas, or the rest of the country, should criticize what he does in his free time.  I know that if it were me, I wouldn’t appreciate the media and every Joe on the street telling me what they think I should do with my free time.

Which brings us to the Tony Romo / Jason Witten / Simpson family weekend in Mexico.  Yes, Tony’s job is to be prepared for the Giants — and it’s his coach’s job to help him get prepared.   That coach told the entire Cowboy team, including Tony Romo, to take a couple of days off and re-energize.  Tony works hard to prepare, and every teammate that’s gone on the record about the subject has said as much.   He earned the break.So, what he did on the break doesn’t matter.  No one is criticizing Jason Witten for going to Mexico, so why criticize Romo?

The city will blame Jessica Simpson and Romo’s relationship if the Cowboys lose vs. the Giants, no matter how irrelevant the subject is.  In a way, I feel for them — I know I wouldn’t want that scrutiny on my relationships.  And I know I’d feel awful if my girlfriend was blamed for any shortcomings I might have.Which means Tony has put a lot of pressure on himself to win this game.  If anyone can handle that pressure, it’s Tony Romo.  He is who he is, and has confidence in his abilities and his team’s strengths.  I wouldn’t be comfortable with that pressure, but that’s reason #18931 I’m not an NFL player.  (Reasons #1 – #18930 have a lot to do with my athletic ability).

The only solution to this situation?  The Cowboys winning the Super Bowl.  Go Cowboys! 

I had always visualized the Mavericks winning, even as Jason Terry’s final 3 pointer of the year was in the air.

It never crossed my mind that I might have to have the image of Dwayne Wade triumphantly launching the basketball into the air as the clock expired burned into my memory forever.

But that’s the way it happened, and we can’t go back and change it. The refs were atricious, again — the Heat were grabbing Mavericks at will and the refs just watched, while again they gave Dwayne Wade every call. But the Mavericks still could have won. They just couldn’t hit their shots.

It’s frustrating, since the Mavericks could have had Game 3, should have had Game 5, and could have had Game 6. But they couldn’t hold big leads. They never figured out Dwayne Wade, and when the Heat went to a zone and challenged the Mavericks to hit jump shots, they couldn’t.

The American Airlines Center was electric and as loud as I’ve heard it during the first quarter as the Mavericks came out strong and took an early lead. But that energy evaporated as the Mavericks started missing jump shots at an incredible rate and the Heat started getting more and more calls go their way as they became the aggressor.

When David Stern was shown on the Jumobtron during the first half, the arena showered with boos at a volume that’s usually reserved for the most antagonizing of opponents.

Hey, David Stern: does Paul Tagliabue get booed at football games he’s at? Maybe 20,000 furious at you and your league have a point. Are you telling me in all honesty that the guys running your officiating are the most capable in the world? That Stu Jackson is doling out fair penalties? That these referees that regularly blow call after call after call and regularly have lopsided results are the best in the world?

You claim your product is the best basketball product in the world. Maybe you’re right, but it sure isn’t officiated that way.

But despite the shooting woes, the bad calls, and a stagnant offense, the Mavericks were still in this game. Even when the Mavericks desperately fouled Dwayne Wade with seconds left on the clock, there was hope.

The American Airlines Center had fallen quiet as Wade stepped to the free throw line for the 21st time (meanwhile, the Mavericks as a team shot 23) with the Heat leading 95-92.

I was in the tunnel, not able to watch — but decided it wasn’t time to give up. I fought my way back to the endzone (where the Hoop Troop sets up camp, to lead free throw distraction), pushing ABC crew members out of my way (they were in the tunnel with the trophy and the set for the trophy presentation).

I got to the endzone, saw the quiet crowd, faced them and yelled as loud as I could, “WE’RE NOT GIVING UP YET! HE MISSES THESE, THE MAVS CAN STILL TIE IT! LET’S MAKE THE MAVS PROUD!”

I hear a couple of people go “YEAH!” and the endzone comes to life with noise, and the arena follows — even Dirk raised his arms in a “louder, louder!” motion.

And Dwayne Wade missed both the free throws.

There was hope… maybe fate was about to smile on the Mavericks…

Jason Terry escaped Gary Payton’s grabbing (he had done it all game, so why not on the final shot of the game?), jumped to his side, shot the three… it was on line…

And it just didn’t fall.

And so ended the Mavericks’ magical season.

I’m sad and disappointed, but the Mavericks came a long way this year. They finally made it to the NBA Finals. And I feel like I made strides, personally — I’ve battled crippling panic attacks and anxiety my entire life, and if you’d have told me when I was 17 that in 10 years, I’d be performing not just at every Mavericks home game but at the NBA Finals, I’d have said your crystal ball was clearly broken.

It was a wonderful basketball season for the Mavericks and for me personally, and I’m so grateful to have gotten to be a part of such a great team. And, even more importantly, to have gotten to be a part of such a great community like the Dallas Mavericks fans.

I’m exhausted from the stress and the fun and excitement of the playoffs. But that having been said…

I can’t wait until next year.

It’s time to talk about what will (hopefully) go right for Mavericks in Game 6.

It’s times like this when you’re glad to have the home court. Each team has won its home games in this series — if that trend follows, the Mavericks will win.

Miami had a spectacular night from Dwayne Wade, a great night from Shaquille O’Neal, was playing at home, had no Jerry Stackhouse to worry about, and had the referees on their side. Despite all of that, they won only by one point. Assuming Wade misses some midrange jump shots on Tuesday, it’ll be a whole other game. And you can’t assume he’ll shoot 25 free throws again.

The Mavericks are as angry as I’ve seen them. Dirk punted the ball into the stands and accosted exercise equipment. I think they’ll channel that anger and the home-town crowd energy into a steamroller attack on the Heat.

The Mavericks’ backs are against the wall. They played well in bigtime crunch situations against Phoenix and especially San Antonio, and came through. In those games, their defense stepped up. And I see no reason why it can’t, again.

In Game 5, I feel that the Mavericks need to stick to single-teaming Shaquille O’Neal and taking their chances with him. Try to keep him outside the paint, and if he gets in, take the foul. Bring DJ MBenga in early to eat some fouls and send Shaq to the line to deal with one of the noisiest, most boisterous endzone backdrops in the NBA.

I thought Marquis Daniels did the best job defensive against Wade. I’d give him some more time. Having Stackhouse to play tough-nosed defense on Wade will help, too. And keep sending Devin Harris out there to try ball denial. Once Wade does get the ball, I’d bring in the double team, unless Posey is on the court. Posey’s three point shooting has hurt the Mavericks — he worries me far more than Udonis Haslem. If Posey’s out there, I’d have everyone stay home and hope one of the Dallas defenders can challenge him enough to at least make his shots difficult. And if necessary, to take fouls — but if you take the foul, hammer him. No and ones, no weak fouls. Either foul the crap out of him, or hands off. No inbetween.

And on offense, I want to see more guys going to the rim. Devin Harris and Jason Terry went to the rim, but I think Dirk has been a little skittish about Shaq’s uncontrolled elbow rage and Posey and Haslem getting tangled in his legs. It’s time for Dirk to brush that aside and try to get to the rim and, subsequently, the free throw line. He’s shown he can do it, and I’m sure he still can.

The Mavericks are disappointed in themselves, but still have life. That’s a good combination. I think they’ll come out fighting and have a good chance of beating the Heat in Game 6. And with a Game 6 win, the momentum and home crowd will be on the Mavericks’ side in a Game 7.

Now to focus on that Game 6 win.

• …to start talking about parade routes, plans, and activities.
• … for owner Mark Cuban to not only go on the David Letterman show and declare that the Mavericks win will, but doing so not in a Dirk, JET, or Howard jersey but in a Pittsburgh Steelers football jersey.  Yes, the Ben Roethlisberger jersey he was sporting was relevant, given that he was born in Pittsburgh and Big Ben had just smashed up his face in a motorcycle accident.  And yes, you have to give props to your roots.  But the Mavericks put him on Letterman, so you gotta wear a Mavericks jersey, if any, you know?
• … for everyone in Dallas to be talking sweep and talking about how below average the Miami Heat were.
• … for many Dallas fans to hope for some losses, so that they could clinch at home.  I doubt they wanted the Mavericks to lose while looking so feeble.

I felt going in that as long as the Mavericks won one out of three games in Miami, they would be in good shape coming back to Dallas.  That still stands — but they’ve made it difficult by losing a solid lead in the last 6 minutes of Game 3 and getting blown out of Game 4.  And the NBA has added another level of difficulty by continuing with their sudden trend of doling out penalties to the Mavericks that are more harsh than historically and logically warranted:

• Reggie Evans, knowing exactly what he was doing, reaches up at Chris Kaman and takes a generous grab and squeeze at his most personal of regions.  He is fined by the NBA.  Jason Terry, during a scrum where he felt he was being gang-tackled, punches upward, which is in the generous region of Michael Finley’s most personal of regions.  He is suspended by the NBA for a game.
• The NBA suspends DJ Mbenga for going into the crowds to make sure Avery Johnson’s wife was OK.  He was not in uniform for the game.  He is suspended for 6 games.
• Jerry Stackhouse is hit by Shaquille O’Neal, his nose requiring stitches.  Shaquille O’Neal has elbowed Dirk Nowitzki multiple times in the face in this series.  Shaquille O’Neal swings his elbows when crowded.  Jerry Stackhouse takes a hard foul on Shaquille O’Neal, where Shaq is unharmed and most parties admit after the game it was a good, hard, NBA foul.  O’Neal hasn’t even been called for personal fouls on each instance.  Stackhouse is suspended for a game.

The Mavericks are stlil in position to bounce back strongly and take control of the series back.  They had a tough loss against Phoenix and was able to bounce back.  The Mavericks’ confidence is bruised, but not irreperably so.  The Mavericks need to be agressive, take the ball to the rim and not settle for jump shots (the Mavericks were 3-22 from behind the line).  Take advantage of the Heat’s lack of depth by getting their players in foul trouble.

The Mavericks were able to win the San Antonio series despite Jason Terry losing a game to suspension.  They can do the same here.

A Dallas fan working a barbershop on NBC’s news just said it well (dispensing that well-known barbershop wisdom): “I don’t believe in jinxes.  I believe in the Mavericks.”

• It’s kind of weird to be watching a game on a Jumbotron with 12,000 Mavericks fans — but it’s kind of fun.  It’s hard to catch the commentary, but I think at this point we can all predict what Hubie Brown and Mike Breen are going to say before they say it — so it’s all good.
• From the second I stepped out on the court before the game, I could tell it was going to be a different sort of night.  Before games, we often go out on the court with what we call “the backpack” — one of the guys puts on a backpack with a basketball hoop on it, and we toss a small ball into the crowd which the crowd then tries to toss into the hoop.  It’s a rather mundane activity, if you ask me, but it helps kids pass the time.  Normally at games, a few people will make some noise wanting the ball — smatterings of yells from here and there.  When we bring out the tshirt sling before games, we get more of a response, but still not the all-out noise we hear during games.  But during the watch party, the crowd was going absolutely bonkers over this little game of miniature basketball.  Entire sections were screaming, begging for the ball.  It was quite the surprise, honestly — it’s supposed to be more of a time-pass crowd-interaction-activity for kids than an all out crowd-pumping up activity.  But I enjoyed the change.
• The in-game tshirt sling during one of the commercials was way intense — people were going nuts for tshirts.  And later in the game, I had to deliver a few ballcaps to some guys that participated in one of our skits — and when I entered the crowd I nearly got mauled by people trying to get the hats.  It was pretty hardcore.
• As we all know, it was a close game.  The floor director at the watching party started out the game pretty laid back, relaxed, doing a lot of stuff from the comfort of a seat.  But as the game got more tense, he took his usual spot on the stairs near the tunnel, barking out instructions and treating it more and more like a real game (I personally got yelled at when I messed something up).  The crowd was intense and really into it — when we brought out the flags, they were as loud as any regular-season crowd (not quite as loud as a playoff crowd, but the building wasn’t full, either).
• I thoroughly enjoyed the different crowd atmosphere — it was almost all younger people (14-30 range) that can’t normally pony up the thousands of dollars to get good seats at the NBA Finals.  They were there to party, and party they did.  They were loud, enthusiastic, and loved the Mavs.  It was great to see.
• And not only did they love the Mavs, they loved the Hoop Troop — a section of guys started a Hoop Troop chant.  They probably just wanted tshirts, but I dug it anyway!
• On another note, I once again had to play the role of heartbreaker.  I brought a couple of girls down from the stands for a skit, where they met my fellow Hoop Troop member Charlie.  After the skit, one pointed out that Charlie was “really cute.”  She looked really disappointed when I pointed out that he was getting married in about a week.  (Good luck, Charlie!)
• The big downside of the evening was the game itself — it ended in disappointment.  The Mavericks blew a 12-point 4th quarter lead and fell to the Heat, bringing the series to 2-1.  On the one hand, I was looking forward to a sweep, but this is probably mroe realistic.  The Heat won by 2 points after Shaq and Udonis Haslem hit their free throws (a rarity), Gary Payton hit a clutch jumper with the shot clock running out (a rarity at this stage of his career), and Dirk missing a big free throw (yet another true rarity).  Dwayne Wade went nuts and scored 40+ points, and Shaq looked the best he did in the series.  The stars aligned right for the Heat.  But despite all that, the Mavericks still nearly pulled out the game.  Had they not had several dud offensive posessions in a row where they waited too far into the shot clock to start their offense, forcing them into bad shots, they probably would have been able to pull out the win.  But that having been said, it’s not a given that the Mavericks will win game 4 — they need to get their focus back and really take it to the Heat.  The Mavericks have put together several good quarters, against the Heat, but have yet to be really stellar for an extended stretch.  They need to really bring out their best games and close the series out.
• I think I’ve said this before, but the Heat PA announcer is really, really annoying.  I’m glad he was usually drowned out by the din of the American Airlines Center watching party.
• Of course, many would argue that the Mavericks were bound to lose after the city-wide jinx that was inadvertently applied.  After the Mavericks went up 2-0, the stories across the papers and the news was information about the parade being planned.  Come on, people!  Everyone knows talking about the parade before the championship is won is a jinx.  Of course, I participated in the parade talk… my bad.

• From the Department of Shows Looking for a Story: NBA TV sent correspondent and NBA player Jalen Rose to the Finals.  They were taping a bit where they comment on the crazy scene at the Finals.  I find him and his camera crew in taping in line behind me at the event staff / media cafeteria.  I was immediately faced with a difficult situation — there are cameras filming but I’m not on court “performing.”  Do I stand in line like a normal, sane person, and patiently wait for food while Jalen Rose acts silly for the cameras?  Or do I act difficult?  I decide that I’m too hungry to bother with anything clever.  When in doubt, take the path of least resistance — that’s my motto.
• The pregame spread was amazing.  Some sort of steak-like meat with mashed potatoes and well-seasoned green beans, along with some stellar chocolate cake.  Vegetarians, don’t worry — there was a salad spread too, but the steak smelled too good to pass up.  The cafeteria staff has definitely taken it up a notch for the Finals.  My compliments to the chef.
• On court before the game was amazing.  A basketball from the honorary ball kids bounced my way, and I took a shot (and missed) on the court of an NBA Finals game.  No, it wasn’t during the game, but it was before the game.  I’ll take it.
• It was hard to avoid media members on the court before the game — every news outlet on the planet seemed like it was there filming.  I kept bumping into people, like Stephen A. Smith and Scoop Jackson.  I refrained from telling Stephen A. Smith that I find him amazingly asinine — and am proud of myself for taking the high road to his face.  But here on the blog?  Stephen A Smith, I think you’re an awful sports reporter.
• And speaking of media on court before the game, there was Jalen Rose again.  This time, the cameras were following him as he was goofing off with the honorary ballkids.  He was pretending to try to block their shots and dribble around them.  I wandered over and asked him if he wanted to go one on one with someone a little (but not much) taller than the kids.  He declined.  Wise choice.  I was about to unleash my mad game on him.
• And speaking of reporters on court — this anecdote is actually from the Western Conference Finals, but I’m reminded of it and didn’t report it earlier, so now is as good as any time.  TNT sideline reporter Cheryl Miller (Reggie’s sister) jumped in with us when we were using our three-man slingshot to sling tshirts into the crowd.  She got off a few slings, much to the crowd’s delight, and to her delight.  She seemed to be having a great time reporting.  I give her props.
• The guy that sang the national anthem, the third place winner (term used loosely) on American Idol, butchered the anthem, if you ask me.  The crowd seemed to dig it, but I thought Jack Ingram did a far better job in Game 1.  He’s also not very tall — I ran into him in the tunnel right before the anthem and he’s about my height.  My main problem with his rendition is that he came up with his own melody.  Apparently Francis Scott Key’s melody wasn’t good enough, so he did his own melody interpretation.  Thumbs down.  Give me the national anthem, as it was written, and with feeling.  You don’t need to cmoe up with your own version.
• My favorite celebrity run-in so far — the guy that plays Henry Gale on Lost.  I realized he was at the game as I came off the court after a flag run — he was sitting right by the entrance we use to the court.  As I ran by, I remember thinking to myself, “Whoa!  That’s Henry Gale from Lost!”  I nearly stopped in my tracks to ask him, “WHO ARE YOU REALLY ON THE SHOW?  WHO IS ‘HENRY GALE’?”  I was going to ask him if I bumped into him in the tunnels, but I didn’t.  He’s not as creepy in person as he is on the show, but you could see the creepiness in him begging to get out.  It was pretty awesome.
• The Mavericks won the game by 15 after Miami trimmed off some of the Mavericks’ 20+ point lead in the fourth quarter.  Still a magnificently satisfying win that takes the Mavericks to 2-0 in the Finals.  Just two more wins over the course of 5 games, and the Mavericks are NBA Champions!

The downside of this seemingly ideal system is that if you’re kind of slow, you’ll notice that a lot of people beat you to the punch.  In my case, I’m a solid 6 days late in bringing you my thoughts from Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  In my defense, I took a lot more notes than I planned and the Finals and the ole day job are keeping me busy.  On the other hand, they’re not keeping me THAT busy.

At any rate, here’s my Game 1 blog.

• 8:16 1st: We’re coming to you live [Editor's Note: OK, so the notes were taken live, but the posting is almost a week late.  Details] from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.  I’ve been a bit of a seat nomad for the past hour, but I’ll be bringing details of the pre-game festivities during slow moments.  I’m up in section 312, in front of the pressbox.  I’m actually not sitting in my own seat, but near some buddies.  The Miami Heat bought a block of four seats up here, but they’re only using one.  So I’m here with fellow Mavericks Hoop Troop member Nic, his buddy Marvin, Hoop Troop Josh Y’s girlfriend Olivia, and Josh Y’s brother Ty.
• 1:42 1st: Kind of a slow first quarter is punctuated by Shaq going to the line and not just bricking his free throws, but actually hitting glass on one miss.  That’s not easy to do.  He’s clearly distracted by Hoop Troop guys Venu and Kris leading the crowd behind the basket.
• Wait, if there’s two Hoop Troop under the basket far from the tunnel… that leaves only 4 to run the flags!  (You need 5 — Logo plus M A V S.) I’m worried.  This is turning into a Hoop Troop blog, my bad.  I’m not sure anyone on Earth other than me is worried about whether or not there are enough guys to run the flags.
• 0:12 1st: Mavericks are struggling a little on the boards, which is unusual to see.  They’ve won the rebound battle in every game of the playoffs up to this point.
• 0:06 1st: Mavericks turn it over and then Antoine Walker drains a deep three.  On the one hand, you hate to see the points at the end of the quarter.  On the other hand, Walker might think he’s hot and start jacking up bad shots, which is the Mavericks’ best defense — letting Walker shoot at will.
• Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Bill Russell are in the house.  Clyde the Glide was always kind of in Jordan’s shadow, but he was a stud in his day.  Unfortunately, he played before the “shaved head” thing was really in, so everyone could see his receding hairline.  My main memories of Clyde Drexler are him not beating Jordan while in Portland, and being fascinated by his hairline.
• The pregame was pretty cool.  The Mavericks gave every seat a pompom with a flashing glowstick attached, so when the lights went down for the national anthem and the player introductions, the arena was aglow with flashing blue lights.  Kind of as if a swarm of giant blue fireflies had nested inside the American Airlines Center.  It was neat.
• Jack Ingram performed a slow and soulful national anthem.  [Editors note: A much better rendition than Game 2's national anthem, performed by the 3rd place American Idol dude.]  Jack brought out his acoustic guitar and provided himself some very gentle, subtle plucking backup.  It was one of the finest national anthem performances I’ve seen this year, and I’m not a country music fan.
• 10:00 2nd: Back to the game.  The Mavericks are really struggling but are only down by 9.  Walker has hit two three pointers already — I hope that doesn’t keep up.
• 6:30 2nd: After taking a bit of a nap along with the rest of the crowd, we’re all brought to life by a Jason Terry dunk in traffic.  Terry doesn’t dunk often, but when he does, the crowd always takes note with appreciation.  It’s always nice to see the point guard dunk — if Steve Nash introduced a twice-a-year dunk into his repertoire, his popularity would skyrocket even more than when he did those commercials with Ali G.
• 6:25 2nd: The lady sitting next to me is the director of season ticket sales for the Heat.  We’re sharing ideas that we have to improve game presentation for our respective teams.  I told her the Heat are welcome to implement my ideas, as long as I get some sort of credit.  For instance, if American Airlines decides that it doesn’t want arenas all over the country named after it and instead wants to spend its money on, say, pilots, I would like the arena to be named the Andrew Kaufmann Arena.  AKA the AKA.  Pretty clever, eh?  I figure it’s a small price for them to pay, in exchange for my brilliant ideas.
• 5:45 2nd: Hey it’s Jon Arons, the dancing trombone guy!  He was a hit in the Phoenix series.  I don’t know what it is, but something about a guy with a trombone brekaing it down cracks me up.  And I’m not alone — the crowd loves him.  I have a lot of friends that are/were music majors, much like Jon.  I don’t know if they all want a similar career path.
• 5:33 2nd: Dwayne Wade gets his first very generous call from the referees.  I hope this doesn’t become a trend.
• 5:15 2nd: I just realized I didn’t get a rowdy towel when I came in, like many fans around me did.  I am jealous.
• 5:00 2nd: Chris Arnold, courtside emcee for the Mavs (not to be confused with PA guy Billy Hayes), just pointed out his “friends” Mike Modano and Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars sitting in the front row.  The camera pans to them suddenly, and they both look very surprised to be featured on the Jumbotron.  Modano sits and stares.  Hull tries to put on a happy face and waves at the camera half-heartedly.  You can’t script this kind of comedy.
• 4:19 2nd: Walker, growing confident in his three-pointer, bricks one badly.  That’s the Walker I remember.
• 3:56 2nd: I am reminded that I’m sitting there in a Superman t-shirt, because the line to get into the fan shop stretched well into the concourse.  This was not a problem during the regular season.
• 2:48 2nd: Dirk is cold tonight, but luckily Jason Terry is hot.  He’s looking like the JET we haven’t seen in the past couple of playoff series.
• 2:00 2nd: Stackhouse takes it hard to the rim, as he is often determined to do — and slams into the brick wall of Shaq.  His nose is quite bleeding — but he stays in long enough to shoot his free throws.
• 1:34 2nd: A Terry pullup pulls the Mavericks to within 3, and the crowd is back into the game full force.  It’s feeling like the Finals again.
• 0:00 2nd: Dirk drains a buzzer fadeaway — the crowd goes nuts as the Mavs go up 2 going into halftime!
• Halftime: I just paid $5.50 for a Sprite.  And not even that large of a Sprite.
• Halftime: Ran into Dallas Stars play-by-play man Ralph Strangis on the upper deck concourse with his kid.  You know it’s a tough ticket when Ralph Strangis is sitting in the nosebleeds.
• Seen while wandering the lower deck before the game — Reggie Bush, Deion Sanders, and just about every recognizable local and national sports media personality.  And Gloria Campos, too.
• 10:40 3rd: Dampier and Diop are doing a splendid job of boxing out Shaq.  And that’s a lot of man to have to box out.
• 9:41 3rd: Dirk grabs a rebound, hurdles a Heat player and runs the point on a fast break.  And Dirk is 7 feet tall.  Find me another 7 footer like him.
• 7:52 3rd: Insight from Nic: “Nothing goes better with Shiner than Twizzlers!”  I’m not sure I agree, but he makes a compelling argument.
• 5:35 3rd: Stackhouse is back in the game, but put in a headlock fighting for a loose ball.  Rough night for Stack.
• 3:25 3rd: Shaq’s difficult to watch free throws are contagious — Dwayne Wade is missing free throws, too.  Time to start using fouls liberally and put these guys on the line.  Their free throw coach is probably on the verge of getting fired as we speak.
• 1:24 3rd: The big board points out that the Heat are 4 of 13 on free throws so far.  I’m betting that most of you reading this are not in the NBA but could, on any given day, go to the gym and shoot free throws better than 4 of 13.  I’m betting that a lot of people could do better than 4 of 13 with their eyes closed.
• 3rd quarter break: DANCE OFF!  Trombone guy Jon Arons faces off the famed Boogey Bob, Inflatable Champ (played by… Champ inside an inflatable version of himself), and some dude named Marshall.  Boogey Bob is a longtime crowd favorite, Inflatable Champ is a professional, and Jon is the dark horse because he has a trombone as a prop.  I’m going to put my money on Boogey Bob — hard to bet against crowd favorites.
• … but it turns out Marshall wins the dance off.  The non-descript looking dude does some moves, pulls off a decent splits, then rips off his shirt and runs around like a maniac.  Not to be confused with a ManiAAC, though — Marshall is ripped.  The arena lets out a high pitched squeal.  I’m reminded to go to the gym.
• 10:08 4th: Walker dribbles the ball off his foot.  Feed this man the ball.
• 8:59 4th: For those worried that Thunder, the guy that sings/pantomimes along to Thunderstruck, might not have his usual seats for the Finals — worry not.  He’s here and he’s doing his bit.  I’d like to see him change songs.  Maybe to something more sensitive, like some Celine Dion.  Expand his range.
• 7:00 4th: Mavs building a lead and the flags come out!  My favorite part!  I wish I was down there running them with the gang, but it’s cool to see from the upper deck.  The crowd responds well to it.  Then Josh Y goes to center court (he was running the logo) and does a flag wave for a full 3 minutes.  No easy task — it’s a very large and very heavy flag.  Olivia and Ty are very proud.
• 6:50 4th: Huh.  Jason Terry is on his way for a breakaway dunk… or maybe a breakaway layup… or maybe he can’t decide and just fumbles the ball away meekly.  The crowd was about to go completely bonkers.  Dohwell.
• 6:00 4th: Still a close game [Editor's note: I'm not sure how close, though, because apparently I forgot to write that down.] as Walker fires up another brick.  Keep feeding him the ball.  Keep feeding him the ball.  He’s going to get Mavericks defensive stopper of the game.
• 5:12 4th: Doh.  Walker hits a layup.  No one’s perfect, I guess.
• 4:22 4th: Howard pulls down a big board but doesn’t see Wade sneaking up behind him Manu Ginobili-style.  Howard keeps him from a layup on a couple of tries, but the Mavericks don’t get back to give him help, and he can’t get the board.  He eventually fouls Wade, who is still taking free throw tips from Shaq and only hits 1 of 2 at the line.  If Miami hits their free throws, this is an entirely different game.
• 3:56 4th: The offense is struggling.  I say give the big German the ball.
• 3:25 4th: Walker misses a wide open three and jumps up and down in frustration before getting back on defense.  He seems shocked that he missed it.  Keep feeding him the ball, Miami.
• The game blog ends here.  At this point, the Mavericks make a big shot and I stand up and spill my $5.50 Sprite all over my notes, camera, and Olivia.  Not good times.  But in sum, the Mavericks won by 10 and I was witness to the first ever Finals game played and won by the Mavericks.  The Mavericks dropped confetti on the court and had the entertainers have a small celebration when the final buzzer sounded.  Now, let’s do this three more times, shall we?

But the game is only part of the story. The other part of the story is the vibe. The electricity. The excitement.

The talk of the town is the Dallas Mavericks. You can’t go anywhere in Dallas without seeing Maverick jerseys and tshirts everywhere. At work, where everyone knows I’m part of the on court presentation of Maverick games, people are stopping by my cube all the time to talk Mavericks. At “Bring Your Son / Daughter to Work” day, I felt like I was being interviewed by kids. I’m talking basketball everywhere I go. Strangers have recognized me from games and are stopping to talk basketball.

It’s a basketball junkie paradise. And I’ve been extremely fortunate to be have an intimate part in it all. No, I’m not playing basketball for the Mavericks, but I’m pretty close — and the experience has been amazing.

It’s a great feeling — I started watching the Mavericks in the waning days of Derek Harper and Rolando Blackman’s career. I cheered enthusiastically for Mike Iozzolino and Walter Bond. I watched the three Js bring basketball fans hope for the Mavericks, then bring more disappointment.

I remember watching the ping pong balls fall Orlando’s way, getting them Shaq and the Mavericks Jim Jackson, even though Dallas had the worst record.

But everything changed with Mark Cuban, Don Nelson, and Donnie Nelson. (Nelson was hired by the previous regime, but Cuban wisely kept him.) They brought in a point guard with spikey bleach blonde hair named Steve Nash and drafted a skinny German with a bowl haircut named Dirk Nowitzki.

Nash is gone, but Nowitzki is carrying the Mavericks into the NBA Finals. The city loves him. He’s finally getting national credibility. Internationally, he’s huge. Germany idols him.

And I’m sure glad the Mavericks traded Tractor Traylor for him.

Dirk said it well, when he said he was glad to be in the finals but wishes Nash and Michael Finley could be here with him. It was nice to see some sentiment in a business where sentiment is for fans, and money is for players.

But it’s Dirk in the NBA Finals — and the Dallas Mavericks. The city of Dallas just has a little extra buzz to it all the time. It’s great to see, and great to be a part of.

Now, let’s get that NBA championship, shall we?

In Game 5, the Mavericks fell behind by 7 points in the second half, after owning a double-digit lead in the first half.

Apparently, enough was enough for Dirk.

“When we were down seven, I just saw the whole season swimming away,” he said.  And like a great player, he rose up and carried his team the rest of the way home.

Some people are giving Tim Thomas credit for awakening Dirk by calling him a p**** (think cat) and blowing him a kiss.  Dirk’s a competitor and didn’t like it, I’m sure, but I don’t think that was the impetus for Dirk’s 2nd half explosion.  I think it came down to Dirk simply not being ready for the off-season yet.

Stories always float around the AAC about Dirk showing up at the practice court for some extra at all hours of the night.  He can’t sleep after an off night, and hits the gym to shoot his way back into it.  Word is Avery Johnson has fined him not for skipping practices but for refusing to listen to orders instructing him to practice less.

Dirk has matured into a splendid player with an even better attitude and work ethic — much of which can be credited to Holger Geschwindner, whose quiet demeanor and skinny frame has become a staple around the American Airlines Center.

This morning, the morning after Dirk’s 50 point performance, media accolades are abundant, to say the least.

It’s fun to read each and every one — great to see Dirk getting the national attention we locals have felt he’s deserved for quite a while.

Hopefully Dirk can help lead the way to the next round of articles — previews of the Mavericks vs. the Heat in the NBA Finals.

Before Game 1 of the Mavericks vs. Memphis series, I whipped out a fresh green headband to work the game. Don’t want to go into the playoffs with a grimy headband, of course!

NBA fans will already know that the Mavericks won Game 1. I didn’t attribute the win to my headband, but I certainly wasn’t going to change headbands after an important win. I wore the headband for all four games of the Memphis series, and the Mavericks won all four.

During the first game of the San Antonio series, however, I forgot to wear the headband. And what happened? The Mavericks lost. Some people would blame the loss on poor free throw shooting. Me? I blamed it on not wearing the headband.

I brought the headband back for the next three games, all wins for the Mavericks, as they went up 3-1 in the San Antonio series. For those keeping score, this made the green headband 7-0. A pretty impressive stat.

After that 3rd game, a home game, I was feeling great after thinking that the Mavs had that series won for sure. Walking out of the building in plain clothes, a kid recognized me from working the game and asked for a tshirt. I was like, hey, sorry bud, I’m out of stuff — catch me next time. So the kid then asked for the headband I was wearing.

I quickly gave a safe response — “Oh, no way dude, it’s soaking wet and covered in sweat. I’ve worked like 4 games in this thing. It’s gross.”

And much to my surprise — and my chagrin — the kid responsed, “Oh, awesome! It’s game worn! Please let me have it!”

What could I say to that? I told him it was lucky, and that if I gave it to him he’d HAVE to wear it during Mavericks games, and gave it to him.

Historians know what happens next: the Mavericks lose two games in a row. At this point, I’m about to put out an APB for this headband. I’ve got my finger firmly planted on the panic button. Game 7 is coming, and there’s no headband. I had tried a different green headband for game 5, and a blue headband for game 6, with no luck. Do I try a white headband? Maybe a ballcap?

I had to really force myself to give up trying to find something lucky. I got a few inner members of the posse together for a quiet, focused watching party with no headgear. And the Mavericks won.

We declared that group the “lucky” group and I got the 4 guests tickets to Game 1 against Phoenix — which the Mavericks promptly lost. So much for that.

The Mavericks have since won 2 games in a row against Phoenix, and I haven’t done anything in particular special. I think the concept of “luck” is clearly a human construct devised to feel in control of a situation you have no control over — I just forget that sometimes. I think the universe is trying to reinforce that.

Either that, or the kid remembered to wear the headband again.

But before I go into the game itself, quick anecdote from the game:

I was in event level concourse before the game and ran into Craig Sager, the TNT sideline reporter who wears crazy suits. I expressed my disappointment to him that today, he was wearing a black pinstripe blazer with olive pants — a very tame ensemble by his standards. He laughed and replied, “Hey, you ****, I bought this here in town! I’m trying to support your economy!” Fair enough!

Unfortunately, the game’s outcome didn’t have me laughing.

Consecutive bad posessions and the inability to get key stops hurt them. The refs made an abyssmal call against Devin Harris, who was being held as he turned the corner on a drive against Steve Nash. Whistle, foul. Surely it’s on Nash for holding. But it’s actually on Harris for swiping Nash’s arm away. Huh?

A Jerry Stackhouse dribble off the foot later and Phoenix is set up for Boris Diaw on Stackhouse one on one near the Mavericks goal — and Diaw hits (after a blatant travel) for the 1 point lead with .5 to go that held up.

I’m beginning to get concerned about the Mavs blowing leads, but it is the playoffs — and good basketball teams always make a run. I’d just like to see the runs staved off more quickly.

Another concern — Josh Howard sprained his ankle, and they’re calling it a high ankle sprain. Not good — I’m going to bet this will cost him some time. Raja Bell of Phoenix also went out, which hurts the Suns since they already have very little depth off the bench, but I really would rather have both guys in the game. Howard is an important defender for the Mavs against Diaw, Tim Thomas, and Shawn Marion — the Phoenix big men. Mavs centers don’t match up well against them, but Howard does. His loss hurts.

But the glass is still half full!

After an emotional win two nights ago, I’m not surprised the Mavericks came out a little flat. The crowd did, as well — we need to do a better job of pumping the team up.

The Mavericks have some adjustments to make, and I’m confident they can make them — I think Avery Johnson has learned a lot since he lost to Phoenix in last year’s playoffs. And I think he will make the right adjustments, and get the team off to a rousing game 2.

The pick and roll that Phoenix runs really hurt the Mavericks. The Suns repeatedly had Steve Nash one on one with Dirk Nowitzki or Keith Van Horn — not good matchups for Dallas. He’s just too quick for those guys.

I think Dallas also needs to do a better job of clogging the middle. I know that that leaves the outside shooters more open, but Phoenix’s outside shooting didn’t kill Dallas tonight. The drives to the lane and fast break points did. Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop saw very little playing time, with Dirk Nowitzki and Keith Van Horn playing a lot of center. I might try to have them under the basket more, and rotate the other 4 players around the perimeter to slow down the jump shooting. Maybe even try a zone. The big concern I’m sure that Avery has is whether or not those guys can run in the open court with Phoenix — at every turn the Suns were trying to fast break.

The Dallas Morning News had some information from Paul Mokeski, an assistant coach who scouted the Suns. The article said that after a made basket, Phoenix will try to get the points back within 3 seconds on a breakaway. As soon as the ball goes up, players are leaking out. Breakaway layups and dunks hurt the Mavericks.

And then there’s the Steve Nash problem. He had 16 assists and some huge three pointers at the end of the game. He didn’t look tired, as he sometimes does at the end of games — a sign the Mavericks need to bump him around some more.

All in all, the game wasn’t a disaster, with the exception of Josh Howard’s ankle. I think they’ll bounce back strongly in game 2.