First, I'd like to congratulate the Spurs and their fans on winning this series. You were the better team and deserved to win. Good luck in the later rounds. I know you will enjoy having the bragging rights back after getting the revenge that you've sought for so long. Your team is better and wanted it more. There's a lot of good-natured -talking, so I'll say a few good things about the Spurs for once. I wish we had a two-guard that has Manu's willingness to attack the basket, along with his fearlessness and heart. The only thing I dislike about Manu Ginobili is the uniform he wears. His game is a joy to watch and he is a warrior and a winner. I wish we had a coach like Pop that knows how to get the best out of his players and always takes the long view instead of the short view. I think Mark Cuban is a fantastic owner, but as a fan, he's a jackass. I cringe at his antics and think he has instilled too much of an excuses-making mentality. Winning 50 games every year and making the playoffs is nice, since I remember the nineties, but I think the Mavericks organization as a whole needs to adopt a more humble persona, and that should start with Cuban.
Also, props to monosylab1k for calling this series and having a better read on how this team would perform in the playoffs than I did. Mono, you were right that the Spurs would take this in 6, but you were wrong to question the character and heart of our boys in blue. I just wish that they had played four quarters tonight instead of not showing up until six minutes before halftime.
The only other thing I'll say when people make fun of being a Mavericks fan, the empty trophy case, "choking" this and "soft" that, is that I've bled blue and green since I was a 9-year-old boy in 1988, and I'll always stick by them thick and thin. Basketball is one of the outlets that I have to cling on to. Playing basketball, watching basketball, eating, drinking, sleeping and breathing basketball has gotten me through a lot. Aside from not getting to see my team win a le, it really sucks to not have a game to look forward to after a long day of work, or taking my mind off other more serious things. I can deal with the jokes and the trash talking when I know there's games to look forward to starting in November.
As part of my bet with mono, I'll refrain from posting until the Spurs are eliminated from the playoffs or the end of the Finals, whichever comes first. Take Care Spurstalk.