I like Dirk. Admittedly a big reason for that is because my wife is German and Dirk looks a lot like her brother, so she roots for him just on that basis. That said, he seems like a harmless goofball off the court and he's an all-time great offensive player. (I still want to kick the crap out of Bill Simmons for even suggesting that Dirk, a guy who was only ever adequate at best at defense or rebounding, may have surpassed Hakeem as the all-time greatest foreign-born NBA player. That's just pure idiocy.) Carlisle's a good coach. I'm hoping that him kicking Rondo off the team doesn't result in addition-by-subtraction, because that'll be less of a distraction for the rest of the team now. Beyond that, I have nothing for Dallas. I hope they go down hard in this series and never win anything ever again.
I love that both of the Texas teams proved that team ball can beat big talent ball. The Spurs get a lot of the love for it but the Mavs did it in 2011 when the the big 3, free agency thing, became a "thing".
I don't get that sense at all. You have bandwagon hoppers everywhere. But teams have become almost synonymous with cities at this point across the various sports leagues. I can tell you for certain, you move the Rockets out of Houston, and I'll root against them...the same way I did when the Oilers moved out. I don't root for the Texans because they were a new NFL team...I root for them because they rep Houston. Being in the community where your team plays is fantastic..particularly this time of year when a town can buzz. Totally different experience living here in the summer of 1994 and 1995 both during and immediately after those seasons than had I been elsewhere. And that's why you see fans of teams tearing up each other's cities online and in social media. It's a sense of civic pride that's a big part of it.
This so much. Local teams are a big source of pride and cohesion for the local community. After the Rockets won the title the first time, I feel like the walls around the different communities in Houston came down for a little while. There was a universal synergy everywhere as we all shared in the celebration. Sports can do that. But it's also part of the fun to rag on the other team, their fans, and their city, not because we think people there aren't good people in Dallas so to speak, but more because it's us as a community rallying around ourselves. Sure there are fans of the sport for the sake of sport, or cop-out fans who just want to be associated with a winning organization, but the heart of what makes major sports leagues work are the community backbones and civic pride.
Then, move over to East Texas to keep those Saints fans away too! Too many here in H-Town after Katrina.
Ummmm they play in a city that's nearby and in our timezone, and ... hmmm their owner convinced them they only had one player to beat and was proven wrong, so now they're doubling anyone in the paint leaving weak side baskets aplenty because they don't know who t he other contributors are likely to be from one play to the next?
I appreciate the Mavericks for giving us a tune up series while Dwight returns to health and he and Josh can get more adjusted to playing together. I also thank the Mavericks for allowing Capela to ease into the NBA and particularly a playoff atmosphere since this is his first playoffs. I am also grateful for allowing us to get Prigioni and Terry used to playing 24 minutes in place of Beverly.
Their fans saying some nice things about our team: http://mavericks.scout.com/forums/2...an-we-simply-give-credit-where-it-s-due?s=268
This will probably sound weird, but I actually wish more team owners (NBA, NFL, MLB, etc.) were like Mark Cuban. I appreciate what he adds to the sport from an entertainment/emotion standpoint. Don't get it twisted, though. I seethed over the comments he made last summer and fall about the Rockets, Morey, everything. And I am absolutely loving how he's got a pile of 10-foot tall pile of crow and a bucket full of bleep to eat. But if I take my Rockets fan hat off for a brief moment and take a step back, I appreciate Cuban for being an interesting and outspoken character in an industry (professional athletics) that desperately needs more of them. I mean, the dude walked in front of the commissioner and gave him the stink eye during Game 3! That's something straight out of WWE. Funny as hell.
They still have a top 2 NBA coach in Carlisle. They still have a solid player in Parsons. ...and that's about it. Rondo is probably on his way out. They traded away a solid young 5 in Brendan Wright. Ellis might also be on his way out to be paid elsewhere even though he have it all. And Dirk is old. If Dirk was 5-7 years younger, I'd say they would be competitive for the next 5-7 years, but Dirk is old. I think Dirk should talk to Duncan on how to stay great, even at an old age.
Lol I just read a fan on the Dallas Mavericks forum accusing the Rockets of "having the refs in their back pocket"!
I heard Mark Cuban on Howard Stern a few months ago (before season started) and he actually came off as a likeable guy. Totally not what I expected. It changed my view of him. He's more down to earth and normal than his fellow flithy rich peers.
