The Mavericks have been driven by the heartbreak of a year ago.
Mission: Redemption
April 20, 2007 -- In many ways, the Dallas Mavericks' 2006-07 season began when their last one ended, with four straight losses to the Miami Heat in The NBA Finals. Everything they've done since has occurred in the shadow of that disappointment.
When the regular season tipped off, however, it looked as if Dallas was still reeling from the pangs of postseason heartbreak. It dropped another four in a row by an average margin of 14.5 points and looked like a team on the brink of catastrophe. That might sound a little strong – after all, the Mavs had 78 games left on their schedule – but it was suddenly gut-check time in Big D.
Then, on Nov. 9, the Mavericks started winning. And they didn't stop for almost a month, rattling off a dozen straight and setting the tone for what has been a near-historic run.
In addition to their 12-game surge, they added subsequent winning streaks of 13 and 17 games and became the first team in NBA history to win at least 12 in a row three times in one season.
"We're not focused on the streaks," Dirk Nowitzki said after victory No. 15 of the 17-game run. "If we go 82-0, it doesn't mean anything if we don't win the championship. We know we have a lot of work to do until then."
Dallas went on to compile a 67-15 record – tied for the sixth-best of all-time – and had us all thinking it could reach the 70-win plateau, right up until an April 6 loss in Denver made the feat mathematically impossible. So instead of becoming the winningest team since MJ's Bulls in 1995-96, the Mavs coasted to the finish line after clinching, with a win on April 9, the NBA's best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Not a bad consolation prize.
"It's not about winning streaks or wins in the regular season," Jason Terry said after Dallas won its franchise-record 61st game. "It's about momentum. So when we get to the playoffs we'll be hitting on all cylinders."
Hitting on all cylinders is something Nowitzki did from his first game to his last. It's hard to believe the 7-footer with the silky shooting stroke and vast array of low-post moves could improve on his career season of a year ago. But he did, despite posting two points less per game this season than last.
Nowitzki, the lead horse in the race to the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, elevated his game by doing what former teammate, current rival, best friend and back-to-back MVP Steve Nash has done in Phoenix: He is transcending his statistics and dominating the game even when he is passing up shots and deferring to teammates. It is a greatness that defies quantification.
"A lot of people don't give him a lot of respect," Josh Howard said following a typically brilliant performance from Nowitzki in a February win over the Bucks. "He should have been MVP the last two years for what he's done for this team. I think he's proven his point."
Howard is, perhaps, the one player who most accurately personifies his team's success. He broke through in last year's Finals, but faded in some big spots, only to break out by posting career highs of 18.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season.
But, like his team, it won't mean anything unless he gets it done with a le on the line.
"We didn't come into the season trying to be No. 1 (seeded), we came into the season trying to finish the year with a win," head coach Avery Johnson said. "There's still another level for us to go."
That has been the force driving the Mavericks since last summer – reaching another level. And, because the taste in their mouths is a bitter one, the significance of their achievements will ultimately be measured in playoff wins and championship rings. Such is the price of greatness.
wow spurs fans are acting like the have won the le....we'll be laughing too when they get bounced out.....
everyone knows that only one team can beat the le....those teams are either: bulls, suns, or warriors
I fully expect if the Spurs get bumped that they'll be at least a month of dueling suckage threads about which team is the bigger choker.
"It's hard to believe the 7-footer with the silky shooting stroke and vast array of low-post moves could improve on his career season of a year ago."
I'm sorry but when did Dirk have a fast array of low-post moves?????
Well, to be honest, this is more enjoyable than seeing the Spurs win a championship, because it's much more rare.
And statistics back me up.
I have already seen the Spurs won 3 championships.
But this is the FIRST time I have seen:
1) Any team with more than 63 wins get kicked out in the first round.
2) Both of the previous year's finalist kicked out of the first round.
3) Any team with more than 64 wins not win a championship without a major injury.
And what do you mean by beat the le?
Those are some ugly ass uniforms!
I've had the experience of seeing my favorite NBA team win the championship three times.
I've never had the experience of seeing a hated rival become the laughingstock of the sports world.
This is the second-best experience, other than seeing them winning a championship, I've ever had as a Spurs fan, behind only the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery.
Haha, yeam, keep telling yourself that, Im sure the SPurs have no chance. Just cause the Warriors beat your pussy teams ass doesnt mean they will beat anyone else, the Spurs beat them twice at the end of the regular season when they were peaking by a combined 50 points.
Haha, yeam, keep telling yourself that, Im sure the SPurs have no chance. Just cause the Warriors beat your pussy teams ass doesnt mean they will beat anyone else, the Spurs beat them twice at the end of the regular season when they were peaking by a combined 50 points.
wow @ MARDI... lol...
but those unis ARE ugly!!! I agree.
8th seed.
Sorry Isly, it wasnt directed at you, I respect the out of you, just these other Mav fans acting like we owe them some respect after all the theyve talked. I actually feel bad for the diehard Mav fans, but all these others just piss me off
They piss me off to @ MARDI... Then Mavfans have the nerve to get mad when Dirk is criticized for his poor performance!?!? WTF?? I dunno. Some ppl should learn to be a fan of a sport before being a fan of a player... I tell ya. *sorry for flyin off topic*
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