The Aftermath of The Oddest Season Ever

Sometimes, you must return to normal to realize just how amazing a time that you had.

And, over the weekend, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the normal, painful, and gutting feeling of being easily dismissed in the NBA Playoffs. This time, it was the young and energetic legs of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And this time, it was a 4-game sweep that started with question of who the better team was with 2 very close games up north of the Red River. But, by the end of the 4th game, with hat in hand, the Mavericks nodded and shook hands with their captors, as they had been soundly defeated. It was a 4-game sweep, something that is not normal at all in the Nowitzki-era. But, the sudden end of playoff basketball all to early in the playoffs often has been recently. Except the year it wasn't.

It is normal because in 2007, Golden State had a laugh at the Mavericks and pounded them with ease. In 2008, the same went for New Orleans and the 1st round bouncing that taught us that Josh Howard has a late April birthday and likes birthday parties. It also got his coach, Avery Johnson fired.

In 2009, the Mavericks won a round in the playoffs for the first time since the 2006 Western Finals by beating up a beaten up Spurs team, and then were bullied and dismantled by the Denver Nuggets in 5 games. Dirk, who had the newspapers enjoying his personal life issues, played valiantly, and pretty much alone. In 2010, those same Spurs had their revenge - ending yet another season in 6 quick games.

A quick point of context for this lesson, of course, is that in a 30 team league, there will be 29 teams that end the year in some level of disappointment. If the goal is to win the trophy at the end of the road, then odds are very much stacked against a single team ever winning it all in a single year or in many cases, even during a generation.

But, the Mavericks, who have been very successful for years in the regular season and flirted with major playoff success on a number of occasions, used the prime of Dirk Nowitzki after the 2006 NBA Finals to win 10 of 27 (37%) playoff games over the next 4 seasons. All seemed lost.

And then, the spring of 2011 happened. When it was happening, so many Mavericks fans and observers didn't anticipate it continuing. There was very little belief at the start of the run, and during the entire 60 days or so, there was a feeling amongst more than a few that nobody better move lest the perfect alignment of humanity be thrown off and cause this good fortune to expire. But, it never did. It just kept rolling. The further they advanced, the more they believed. The more they believed, the better they played. And so on they went. All of the way they advanced through teams that were considered better (Lakers), younger (Thunder), and then the best team on the planet, a team that was better and younger, the Miami Heat.

It was altogether magical and unpredictable. A team doing something that will likely never be matched. A team - as I wrote in my book about the championship, THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT -

"with 109 years of service time, all of it ring-less: Kidd, Nowitzki, Stojakovic, Terry, Marion, Cardinal, Stevenson, Chandler, Haywood, Barea, Brewer, Mahinmi. Combined the 12 players that made up the 2011 NBA Finals roster had accumulated 109 previous seasons of experience (not to mention 362 years of age) that had ended without a championship.

No other NBA Championship winner of the past 50 years comes remotely close to that statistic. The runner-up was the 1989 Detroit Pistons, whose cast had combined for 67 seasons of title-less basketball before winning the first rings. The 1991 Chicago Bulls could claim 52 seasons and the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers had 45 seasons before their titles. The Mavs' aggregate 109 ringless seasons is just off the charts.

"We had no champions on this team," Chandler said. "And we walked away with a team full of champions."

Think about that. Consider that the no team had ever won it all with a veteran team without any championship accomplishments before the summer of 2011. That unlikely Dallas Mavericks squad gave us a show that was unique and singular and fairy tale-like from start to finish.

So, when I tweeted on Saturday night the following: In watching the exits of 2010 and 2012, I am reminded that the miracle of 2011 was, in fact, a miracle. I was certainly not expecting that to be offensive. But, perhaps because the sweep had just happened or perhaps because everyone was dealing with that Spurs' fan that we all know that was able to crow again, the term "miracle" caused many to recoil in their chairs when reading.

Any sporting title requires a lot of things to fall just right. Perfect health, the inch of good fortune going your way, and a call here or there from the officials that works out. Momentum, belief, inexperience on the other side are all there, too. Then, match-ups that smile upon you as you avoid match-ups that might not be as pleasant. It requires, in effect, everything to bounce correctly for you to be the one team out of 30 to remain standing.

Miracle is a term I suppose I have attached to sports since my favorite sporting event of my lifetime, "the Miracle on Ice" of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid as our team of school boys took down the men from the Soviet Union to win a very unlikely gold. On February 9, 1980, 3 days before the 1st game of the Olympics, the USA and USSR met in New York for a final exhibition game. And when Russia won 10-3, we thought we knew the margin between the two teams. So, when they met again on February 22, and the USA won before beating Finland 2 days later for the gold, you had your miracle.

I would never compare the two stories in terms of their miraculous accomplishment. But, I would tell this story: After Game 2 of the 2011 Finals, I talked to several members of the Mavericks basketball operations staff. This was the game of the Mavericks insane comeback in the final 7 minutes to steal a game in Miami and a most improbable victory. At 1-1, the team had its chance to compete now in the playoffs. Which is why I will never forget the odd admission by more than one Mavericks' operative that those first two games had depressed them. They fully now realized what a massive hill the Mavericks had to climb. Yes, the series was tied. But, now, after being manhandled for 7 1/2 of the 8 quarters in Games 1 and 2, the realized the mismatch that Miami had on them all over the floor. Was there any way they could figure out a way to beat that team 3 more times? They had their doubts.

I remember Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Dwyane Wade all missing shots at the buzzer that would have won games for their teams. Shots that they had made dozens of times in their careers. But, in each case, they missed those shots off the rim. An inch here and an inch there.

This isn't to say that the Mavericks 2011 was a fluke. It wasn't. They went 16-5 and never lost a Game 5 or 6 in the playoffs. And they never needed to play a Game 7. They won the title with such precision and execution that nobody can make that case.

But, it was miraculous in that nobody saw it coming. And nobody saw it leaving. They were the best team in that tournament, but if those players played another series the next month, most people would again make Miami a big favorite. The players force people to play the odds. And the odds didn't agree with the result.

They might have only been the best team in the world for that moment in time. This year, for reasons that have been well documented, the Mavericks moved on from that team. Perhaps, even they knew what they had done and that it was highly unlikely that everything would align again like that.

As the sweep reached completion on Saturday Night, it was an odd feeling. They were taken down by a team that had their top 4 leading scorers in the series born in 1988 (Kevin Durant), 1988 (Russell Westbrook), 1989 (James Harden), and 1988 (Serge Ibaka). By their years of birth, Jason Kidd was already choosing which college he would play for. Their 5th leading scorer, Derek Fisher, had won 5 titles with Los Angeles (he is the former Laker that could teach Lamar Odom a thing or two about competing and being a pro) and a major contributor to their cause. The Thunder hope this is the year that they catch everything right for the next 3 rounds. And who is to say if they will capture that tailwind?

The end for Dallas was familiar pain and extreme disappointment. And yet, it made many of us reflect on 2011 all of the more. Maybe Spurs or Lakers fans will giggle at knowing many fans told me they pulled out their copies of the 2011 Finals to watch them again. They wanted to see Tyson Chandler back in a Mavericks uniform and everything making sense all over again. They wanted to make sure that last summer was not just all a dream.

This year was a major disappointment on pretty much every level. It would be difficult to assign blame and the sooner this team can move out of this "temporary" situation and into a phase the fans can buy into long-term, the better.

But, more than anything, maybe it is that slap of reality that makes one appreciate the fantasy ride that we had left behind. And in my mind, it might be the greatest sports story this city has ever experienced. And, to me, after seeing a familiar end to another seasons, it qualifies as a sports miracle all of the more.

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The Morning After: Game 3 - OKC 95, Dallas 79 (3-0)

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The Morning After: Game 2 - OKC 102, Mavericks 99 (2-0)

One more play.

The NBA game is a curious one. One that presents us with almost 3 hours of theater in which their can be hundreds of events that lead to victory. And yet, many observers often walk away wondering why they watch the 1st 75-90% of the game. Because, often, it seems that only the final few minutes - often referred to as "crunch time" - is all that truly matters.

One team gets out to a huge lead. The other team fights back. Then, they take a lead. Then the first team gets going again. Back and forth we go. Runs on both sides. But, seldom, especially in the playoffs, is anything decided before the final few minutes.

And in that portion of the game, each team will get the ball about 5 times. During those 5 possessions, the game will be decided. If you can get 3 baskets, you usually will win the game. And in this phase of the NBA playoff game, the Dallas Mavericks have gone from the team that can always figure out how to win to the team that is coming up one play short.

And that is why rash conclusions are dangerous in a situation like this. Again, in Game 2, the Oklahoma City won a game on their home court to the delight of their capacity crowd. They are over the moon with this performance and are full of confidence. And yet, their win was largely a result of two plays late in the game that they had almost no role in.

Play #1 was with 1:15 to play in the game with the Mavericks leading by a point, 97-96. Jason Terry was sliding off Dirk Nowitzki on a pick and roll on the left wing and both Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins went with Terry. This left the kick back to Dirk wide open right in front of the Thunder bench. Perkins as standing in the paint. Westbrook was 12 feet away. Dirk sized up his open shot and in the background you can see a few Thunder fans holding their heads in agony because they have seen this too many times. Dirk has an unguarded look at a clutch shot that will give the Mavericks a multiple possession lead with a minute to play. He makes this shot. He did in Miami. He did in Los Angeles. He doesn't miss when it counts when you dare him to hit it wide open. But even though he held the follow-thru in his patented way, he caught the front rim as his shot was a few inches short. He missed the shot and kept the Thunder in a comfortable spot. And Oklahoma City had nothing to do with this play.

Play #2 was a mere 25 seconds later. After a great possession defensively which included Shawn Marion and Dirk both defending shots in the paint, the Thunder had an inbounds play with :02 left on the shot clock. The Thunder sent Derek Fisher over to Kevin Durant to pick Durant's man (Marion) and make him switch with Fisher's man (Jason Terry). This, of course, is the type of basic strategy that happens hundreds of times a game, to find a match-up that suits the offense. In retrospect, you wonder if the Mavericks should have been more prepared for this with Marion fighting through it a little harder or Kidd switching over to Durant, but Terry tried to take Durant in those fateful 2 seconds that might have cost Dallas Game 2. As the ball is inbounded, Terry tries to jump the route of Durant and goes for the ball. He really isn't close to his goal and instead offers the Thunder a lifeline when they did not earn one. Terry's decision should have been to play strong defense and make Durant hit a difficult shot falling out of bounds (which he might). But, instead, Terry's bump is rightly called a foul and Durant gives the Thunder a lead they never lose by hitting 2 free throws on a possession that was doomed. And Oklahoma City had very little to do with this play.

From there, Dirk missed a contested post move that bounced on the rim 3 times and we are left feeling rather similar to how we might have felt on Saturday night after Game 1. The Mavericks played well enough to win, but did not make enough plays in the final moments to achieve their victory. Instead, we are rationalizing and breaking down the final few plays and the Thunder are riding high on their way to Dallas for Game 3.

In the words of Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki, we should not dig too deep when analyzing these games. It is simply a matter of Oklahoma City "making one more play".

And, I think they are right.

But, then again, that is this NBA. That is what separates the winners from the losers every year. That is what made Jordan's Bulls better than Ewing's Knicks. It wasn't 40 point margins. It was 88-87 here, and 103-102 there. The very nature of the NBA game is one more play. Especially in the playoffs. A quick review of last year's championship run will tell the truth. It wasn't an avalanche of Mavericks' domination. It was a single play here and a single play there. And like a hot run in blackjack or your best round of golf ever, when it is over and you no longer have the hot hand, you wonder what has changed. How do you get that advantage back?

Are they too old? Are they too tired? Is it Oklahoma City's time? Did Mark Cuban mess this all up with his decisions before Christmas? Can we still blame Khloe?

Without knowing where the truth fully lies, the Mavericks are left feeling like they played 2 pretty strong and gutty road games and still find themselves in must-win territory on Thursday in Dallas. There is plenty left to improve, but there is also that sinking feeling that last year, they would have won one or both of these games by making that one more play. Last spring, Dirk hits that shot. And then every other talking point and detail does not seem nearly as important.

On the other hand, if Kobe hits that shot at the end of Game 1 last May, maybe the entire narrative of that dream playoff run turns out differently.

Tough to bite the hand of fate, when that hand has fed you so well.

Dust off and keep grinding.

Other thoughts about Game 2 in Oklahoma City:

* Dirk's effort should not be remembered for missing an open 3 late in the game. The fact is that his performance last night was one of his finest efforts. Playing with great determination and defiance. Hitting shots and not taking any garbage from the opposition. It is amazing to know that the NBA once employed the tactics of bullying Dirk and making him shy away from contact. That was a lifetime ago. This Dirk is not backing down from anyone. He isn't impressed by your muscles or scowl or the noise that comes out of your mouth. This Dirk is a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. To appreciate how tough he is now is only possible if you know what 20-year old Dirk played like. The evolution of the player is what makes his story so enjoyable. He has really grown up before our eyes and is now the man that many wondered if it were ever possible. You just love his mentality and wish the results were always as storybook as last spring.

* Which brings us to the moment in Game 2 that will be rerun the most. With 6 minutes to go in the opening quarter, Dirk hit a shot where Serge Ibaka looked to poke him in the eye inadvertently. The referees called nothing and this served to fire up Dirk even more. Next time down, Kendrick Perkins levels Marion with a pick and there is no call. Down on the other end, Dirk hits another shot in Ibaka's face and is looking as angry as ever. On Defense, Dirk is on the post with Perkins, and Perkins starts with the sharp elbow routine on his post move, then barrels in on a rebound attempt on a Durant shot that is more a chance to take a run at Dirk from behind. Dirk is waiting on him, and answers with a sharp elbow of his own and it explodes. Perkins does the normal tough-guy routine where he tries to get away from everyone holding him back while barking at Dirk from behind 5 guys. Dirk stand there and barks back. Rick Carlisle charges across the court and makes it clear to Oklahoma City that he has had it with the goon approach that started last spring with Perkins and Tyson Chandler. Perkins was simply doing his only contributing skill of getting physical and Dirk was answering the bell by showing it wasn't going to change him. In the end, it elongated the 1st Quarter, but the game went on rather peacefully. But, it does show how far the game gets out of hand when the refs completely swallow their whistles.

* And from that point on, there would be no more "prison rules". 54 fouls would be called, up a dozen from game 1, and the constant trips to the free throw line did nothing to help the flow of the game. However, these are two teams that know how to convert the freebies. When the worst-shooting performance from either team was 28-32 (Dallas, 88%), then you see that those points will be converted. Oklahoma City hit 37-39, 95%, and in a tight game like last night we certainly cannot underestimate such a thing.

* Those that refuse to want to revisit the Tyson Chandler decision may want to skip this point. Every time we look for culprits or reasons this team is not as good as last year's edition of the Mavericks, you keep coming back to letting one of your best players leave at the age of 29 for a contract that did not seem excessive (by NBA standards) in both salary and term. And yet, the Mavericks drew a curious line in the sand with Chandler and sent the real leader of this team away with the implied promise of future signings. In the meantime, a title defense and a wasted year of Nowitzki's remaining prime seems to make the decision a poor one. Further, a buyout of the disappointing Brendan Haywood (who gave the Mavericks very, very little) would have made it possible to keep Chandler, defend your title, and still be in the mix for Deron Williams in the summer. Yes, that is all water under the bridge and we should just move on, but when watching your core who worked so hard to get the trophy fighting their tails off, but being exposed because there is a giant piece missing from the puzzle, I keep coming back to it. And I think so do a lot of people who follow this team. It just doesn't make sense that the Mavericks made that decision. I feel like Mark Cuban gets most of his decisions right. But, wow, I have to believe he would privately concede that he screwed that one up. Every time someone tries to get tough with the Mavericks, every time a player drives right down the paint, and every time the Mavericks cannot secure a rebound, it is tough to forget about the greatest center in team history was here and seemed like he wanted to stay. OK. Got that out of my system. Sorry.

* Derek Fisher may be irritating and annoying, but some guys just know how to step up and do things when you need them most. Very impressive. When the Lakers sent him away, I wondered if he would contribute much in OKC. He clearly has, if last night is all he does. That was worth it. Like Peja in Game 2 against Portland last year, if a veteran gives you one playoff win contribution, he is worth the signing. I feel Delonte West may be a similar player before this series is over. He was good in Game 2, but there should be even better soon to come.

* Both teams missed enough open shots from guys who normally knock them down that whoever lost was going to point at that. Just as Dirk did, Kevin Durant missed some looks where he was not guarded by anyone. If the Thunder have a reason to feel great, it is that they are up 2-0, with Durant really struggling to find his offensive efficiency. Dallas knows how to guard him, but he didn't win 3 straight scoring titles without having nights where he cannot be guarded by anyone. If that arrives in Dallas, this could be a really quick series.

In total, Dallas still has a fine chance in this series, but their mulligans are gone. They cannot afford to lose any games in Dallas. Oklahoma City feels an ability to out-last the Mavericks at crunch time. Time is short. The playoff run is already in peril.

They have but one objective on Thursday: One more play.

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The Morning After: Game 1 - OKC 99, Dallas 98 (1-0)

If he is going to make that shot at that moment... Well, sometimes, you might just have to tip your cap and go on to Game 2.

There are many talking points about the Mavericks' first night of playoff basketball since that glorious night in Miami 10 1/2 months ago, but really, like so many games between these teams in this city come down to, there is going to be a shot made at the end of the game - and you just hope there is no time left for the other team to respond.

And last night, the Thunder, like games earlier in the year on this same court between these same teams, survived an effort from Dallas where the Mavericks appeared to have a lead that would get them a victory. Only to be shown a defeat in an excruciating manner.

Kevin Durant did the deed. His shot that caught the left side of the rim, worked its way off the glass, before ultimately falling through was the final blow in a Game 1 win for the Thunder in very dramatic fashion. Shawn Marion was in his face contesting the shot as well as possible, but the NBA's leading scorer three-years-running just hit an exceptional shot with :01.5 seconds left. Dallas was caught with no timeouts and Dirk Nowitzki on the bench, so time expired before a desperation heave could even be attempted.

After the game, Nowitzki said something that seemed to summarize this 2011-12 Mavericks campaign: "I feel like all season long, for some reason, teams are making one more play, one more bounce." And that best captures Game 1.

The Mavericks did so many things well that should have led them to snag Game 1. Jason Terry was on fire and hitting his famous cold-blooded shots all night long. Jason Kidd was back to his playoff form of a season ago with steals and assists and important shots at important times. And Dirk, despite being held in check for large swaths of the evening, delivered 11 points in the 4th Quarter and gave Dallas a lead with :09 to go. Yet, the Thunder made one more play.

Dallas, a team that won a title last year with the notable ability to make opponent leads disappear with great ease, showed unbecoming generosity in the late stages of this opener in OKC. Dirk hit a shot from 17 feet with 2:30 to go to give the Mavericks a 94-87 advantage. Running down the floor he flashed his sneer at the home crowd and all seemed to point to a gigantic opening game win on the road.

However, the Thunder went on a 12-4 run that included 2 Durant free throws, a Serge Ibaka basket and a foul, a Durant dunk, another Ibaka basketball and a foul, and finally the dagger with less than 2 seconds to play. Meanwhile, the Mavericks possessions were far less efficient. A contested 3-pointer from Dirk that seemed unnecessary, a Dirk turnover, a chaotic possession that somehow ended up in Ian Mahinmi being fouled and hitting 2 free throws, another Dirk turnover, and finally Nowitzki giving the Mavericks the lead with :09 to go.

That particular possession is worth discussing a bit. Nowitzki rebounded a Durant miss and the Mavericks used their final timeout with :24 to play, down 97-96. They would get one possession to win Game 1. Knowing they had no timeouts left, it was imperative that they try to take the clock as far down as possible before going. If they are playing to preserve a plan even if they miss, that is even less likely given the lack of timeouts. They must make this final possession count. And that is why it seemed curious that Dirk would begin his move with about :12 left on Kendrick Perkins. We have seen Dirk on so many occasions wait about five seconds longer, but for whatever reason, he went earlier and drew a foul to give the Mavericks the lead. And honestly, there is no reason to believe that Durant wouldn't have still hit a shot even if the Thunder had the ball at half-court with :03 left instead of :09. But, I wondered about Rick Carlisle's use of his timeouts in this game and Nowitzki's decision to go so early when the Mavericks could have made their possession the final shot of the game.

And that, maybe, is the margin in these playoff games. Dallas did many things correctly, but somehow managed to lose. They are matched up against a team that suits their style about as well as any potential opponent. The Thunder are not a team that will physically dominate them on the glass, and that was demonstrated in Game 1 where Dallas held a rebounding advantage and a rare free throw advantage, as well. They held the NBA's 3-time leading scorer to 25 points on 27 shots. But, he still hit that shot at that moment to get that win.

Certainly, there is no reason for the Mavericks to leave without encouragement. Both teams know that Dallas is not a typical 7-seed and they do have a style that troubles the Thunder. But, as any seasoned NBA viewer knows, these games are exhausting and difficult to win. You cannot play well enough to win too many times without victory and not have an early summer to show for it.

Other notes and thoughts about Game 1:

* The continuing adventures of Rodrigue Beaubois are always notable. Last season, the Mavericks were more likely to use Brad Davis or Derek Harper in a game before they would consider Beaubois. But, there was some belief that he would have to play an important role this season if the Mavericks are to advance a round. And yet, in Game 1, there was another "DNP-CD" for Beaubois as the coach who always prefers the proven veterans, once again preferred the proven veterans.

* Serge Ibaka was sensational in Game 1. 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocked shots, and countless other altered shots. Ibaka plays high above the rim, and seems to have a vertical lift that troubles Dallas in the paint. He blocked 10 Mavericks' shots back in February, and now 21 in the last 3 games against Dallas. He certainly doesn't provide the points of Durant, Westbrook, or Harden, but the 22-year old from Congo is that perfect role player who doesn't need shots to contribute. He can know his role, receive passes under the hoop and then finish with ferocity. The Mavericks' simply must foul him harder so that he is not turning those easy dunks into 3 point plays. And speaking of 3-point plays, how about that shot before the half after the questionable foul on Dirk? Critical and pivotal, to say the least.

* And, speaking of questionable fouls, Carlisle did what coaches who lose in the playoffs always do. He took on the officials' handling of defense on Dirk: “I’ve seen this for four years. Dirk Nowitzki’s the hardest guy in the league to guard because at 22 feet, if you back up and take your hands off him, he’s going to make the shot. So people grab and hold him all the time. I mean, all the time. He shows incredible restraint in those areas.” We shall see what effect this has on Game 2, but in the playoffs, fouls don't get called much. Is he getting defended illegally? Maybe, but it looks like Marion is trying to get physical with Durant, too. I think it is nearly impossible to build the case against officiating this time of year. It seems like they switch to "prison rules" mode quite a bit.

* Scott Brooks is generally critiqued for his tactics, and in this series, it often revolves around his plans to defend Dirk. Ibaka took some turns and I think Nick Collison is always useful in this match-up. But, down the stretch, it was plenty of Kendrick Perkins on Dirk tight with Ibaka lurking as support help on drives. Not an idea that I would have thought would be effective, but given that Dirk was well under his 32-point average from last year's Western Conference Finals, I imagine Brooks and Perkins are feeling pretty good about the outcome. I am interested in the Mavericks counters on Monday.

* I have mixed emotions about the shot distribution in the 4th Quarter last night for Dallas. Jason Terry was having a wonderful performance through 3 quarters, and yet, only got the ball for 1 shot in the final quarter, despite playing 11:42 of it. Meanwhile, Vince Carter, in just under 7 minutes in the final quarter had 5 shots which made him the only Maverick besides Dirk with more than 2 shot attempts. But, before we get annoyed with Vince, we need to look at how his shots were taken. He was taking the ball hard at the rim and offering the squad some alternatives to the jump shots that normally characterize the offense. If he is going to go hard to the paint and finish inside (could have used one or two more conversions), then that might prove useful in this series. However, I still cannot allow the Thunder to keep Terry from putting his stamp on things. Dirk was determined last night, but I wonder if at times, he was actually too determined - playing his way into some turnovers that might have been avoided late.

* Russell Westbrook, one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, is full of talking points on a nightly basis. But his explosive and decisive play cannot be undersold. And his pull-up jumper with his odd body shape at release, seems pretty reliable. The Thunder as a whole are going to figure this all out at some point soon, and I wonder how close they are to that.

* Beyond all else, to see Kidd, Terry, Dirk, and Shawn Marion doing what they normally do in these playoff games, I have to confess that there was some level of therapeutic healing last night for what must be considered one of the oddest times of Mavericks basketball that I can remember. The nature of this season, full of title defense talk, player chaos, ownership decisions, and the feeling that the priorities for this franchise are far too focused on the future than the present has put many of us into some level of fog about what to think about this current crew. Many of the warriors of this team have in some ways been discarded in the fans' minds already even though they still fight for the team every night. Meanwhile, ideas of what future players might arrive in July has been given too much attention. But, to watch those 4 players in particular, the spine of the championship team that made dreams come true in 2011, fight again together in playoff basketball last night was enjoyable. This current crew might be making their last stand, but you can still see why they are special. They have turned up their game a notch and will most certainly not go quietly into the night. They have, as many in their spot have had before them, the heart of champions. And despite the fact that they may be scattered soon to other franchises, I think last night there was some "Mavericks healing" from watching familiar warriors doing familiar things again. This season isn't about Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Lamar Odom, or even Mark Cuban. This season, to me, is about those 4 guys, a few muskets, a small reserve of ammo, and enemy forces surrounding them. They know it likely won't end well, but they are going to empty their guns either way.

Can't wait to see them push Oklahoma City hard on Monday Night.

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How the Mavericks Made Me Think of U2

Watching the Dallas Mavericks crash and burn over the weekend in a 3-game road trip against teams that are more than beatable was not an easy thing to do for most fans of the defending NBA Champion. The fact that in the 4th Quarter of Friday's loss in Sacramento and Saturday's loss at Golden State there wasn't a single moment where the Mavericks trailed by less than double digits pretty much said all that needed to be said about such a horrid stretch. They were having trouble just staying competitive on the road again.

Heading into this stretch of 9 games in 12 nights coming out of the All-Star break, nobody had high hopes for the oldest team in the league. The idea was to do everything possible to remember that this is not vital and that minutes need to continue to be monitored. Stay the course and try to get through it with 4 or 5 wins and be happy. The one saving grace of the schedule is that they were going to play all of the bottom feeders in the Western Conference, so at least the schedule seemed to go easy on them. Unless, they would go to New Orleans, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Golden State and lose every single one of them (and at Memphis and Oklahoma City as well).

For good measure, they lost to New Jersey at home, too, leaving just home wins against Utah and New York to grab 2 wins in 9 games and to leave this stretch badly beaten and perhaps coming apart at the seams.

The Mavericks sit at 23-20 after only a few weeks back being a 21-12 team that had a measure of belief that they were on their way again. Now, they cling to the bottom of the playoff picture wondering if they can hold off the young and hungry teams nipping at their heels for the final playoff spots.

And it was during this weekend of watching the Mavs that I did what nobody else watching this team likely did; I thought about U2. That's right, my favorite band popped in my head as I watched a team that was everybody's favorite squad go through a very tough stretch. Could that possibly make any sense?

Recently, I watched a great U2 documentary, "From the Sky Down" about the band's reinvention after Rattle and Hum in the early 1990's that resulted in the album, "Achtung, Baby" and what has followed for the last two decades. For reasons of creativity and perceived staleness, the band wanted to "reinvent" everything they did and try to remain a top group by throwing out what made them successful and in their words, "go away for a while and dream it up all over again".

How could U2 and the Dallas Mavericks be categorized together in my head while watching a blow-out in Golden State? I recalled a quote from the documentary that seemed to fit. It was Bono talking about being in the middle of the old band and the new band and feeling like they were neither fish nor fowl: "You have to reject one expression of the band first before you can get to the next expression, and in between, you have nothing. You have to risk it all."

The premise was simple, if they were going to truly transform from what they were to what they were to become, they had to reject the old group and embrace what was ahead. But, in between was scary and unpleasant to say the least.

Now, here is where the comparison breaks down. The band members bought into the transformation, because they knew that if there was going to be a U2 moving forward, all 4 members of the band were invited to be part of the next phase.

With the Mavericks, the next phase of this basketball franchise will include only a small few of the group that earned a spot in basketball immortality in June of 2011. Which takes us back to last December.

Mark Cuban had a decision to make. A major, major decision. Would he keep his defending champions together now that the new collective bargain agreement was going to complicate that financially with a much stiffer luxury tax, or would he make the very difficult short-term decision to allow Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea to walk, thus allowing him to compete in the summer of 2012 for that next franchise player(s) and that next evolution of Dallas Mavericks basketball.

They were an old team that won the title. So old that people thought the age was their biggest enemy, as the young legs in Oklahoma City or Miami could wear them down in a series. But, it didn't happen. Now, Cuban could double-down and keep everything intact, or he could play the percentages and take his winnings and now try to turn the roster over for the start of 2012-13.

But, what would that mean for 2011-12? And more importantly, what would that make the next 6 months like for all of those warriors who battled for the prize last season, but knew all along that they were not part of the master plan moving forward? Surely, they would feel like the dumped girlfriend, but unlike the poor girl, you have to work with Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Brendan Haywood, and maybe even Shawn Marion, every day until the summer. They would be pros, but deep down inside they knew that you choose to turn the page instead of letting them properly defend what they earned until someone on the court took them down.

That is the natural order of these things. Bands seldom realize before it is too late that they are getting stale. They keep playing the same songs until nobody shows up at their concerts. They shrink the venues and the tours and embrace that all good things come to an end.

But, in sports, you know it is over when you are defeated. Only, the Mavericks weren't defeated. The 2011 Mavericks were champions, and then their owner decided that they would not defend their title in the name of the big picture. Only, the big picture would not include many of the players on the court - just the people making the decisions and a few select players would be invited to stay.

This is the difference between fantasy sports and real sports; In fantasy sports, when you make a move, you don't have to factor in how the locker-room will feel. But, in real sports, the locker-room knows that you are asking them to play a season while packing up their belongings to move wherever the league takes them when they are free in 2012. Play a season, play hard for each other, but Terry knows that he is looking for work when free agency opens this summer. Say nothing about the new guys, like, Vince Carter, Delonte West, and Lamar Odom, who are all likely playing in Dallas for what amounts to 4 or 5 months before they continue their careers at another locale. Sometimes, you would never know that there could be 12 different agendas in the room. They are paid to play hard and for each other and they should do what they are paid handsomely to do.

But, other times, they are the rejected girlfriend. They will simply go through the motions because they know you don't care to keep them around, and just like JJ, Chandler, and the championship team, you are going to replace them if you have your way in the summer when you can court a newer, younger model named Deron or Dwight (or both!).

Bono said, "in between, you have nothing. You have to risk it all." It appears this shortened 66-game season is the "in between". And it seems when watching this stretch of 7 consecutive road losses (the worst stretch since 1999) that the Mavericks are experiencing that feeling of nothing. They also seem to have risked it all to play in free agency in the summer.

Now, I have been wrong before. The Mavericks won the title in a year where I thought Portland would take them down. They can still get out of this mess by kicking their season in to high gear. But, last year they were playing for each other. This year, when you look at their faces, you wonder if they have a cause worth fighting for. Many know they are being discarded with full wallets and a ring on their finger.

But, aside from Dirk Nowitzki, who really knows they are being invited back?

Cuban was willing to risk it all. He obviously believes in his vision of where this franchise will be in 3 years. Only time will tell if he got this gamble right. In between, it is tough to watch.

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Dirk's Demise Greatly Exaggerated

It has been the greatest year in the man's life, but probably the longest, too. Think about the last 12 months for Dirk Nowitzki. How many people can put together 52 weeks like he just did?

365 days ago, he was at another all-star game, going through those All-Star Game motions in Los Angeles and gearing up for what would be the most memorable stretch run to a season in his entire life.

Nobody knew what last spring would hold for Nowitzki (especially those of us who predicted with great confidence a one-and-done playoff campaign), but when things were all said and done on that magical Sunday Night in Miami last June, Nowitzki had taken his spot in basketball immortality among the legends. After 13 seasons, he had finally put together that 2 month run that required him to dig deeper than he ever had before. The bumps, bruises, and even injuries had taken their toll, but with the NBA Title that he had likely thought he may never see finally in his grasp, he had arrived at the top of the rarest of mountains.

And then the summer happened.

The events of the summer were partially well-documented. There was the parade and rally in Dallas - a place where we had never seen Nowitzki so happy and so ready to share his joy with all of his adoring fans. There was the rally in Germany, where he was met with thousands of his countrymen and celebrated for his miraculous performance. There were other moments; late-night tv appearances, quite a few Texas Rangers games, and being seen at various night spots around Dallas.

There was also a summer that included Dirk loading up and playing again for Germany in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. That did not go nearly as well as the Mavericks run to the NBA Title, by the way.

But, somewhere during the summer and fall, between the night in Miami and the Christmas Day rematch against Miami, Dirk's body changed. Some suggest it had plenty to do with a long summer of partying and a departure from his normal routine where he does 2-a-days with Holger and refines and develops his game in most years. Others, especially those of us who don't mind admitting that we root for arguably the greatest athlete in Dallas history, wonder about the wear and tear that his body sustained during the playoff run had caught up with him a bit. That he needed a prolonged rest to get his body right, but in doing so, his aches and pains had rendered Dirk less-than-prepared when it was time to reassemble the champions in December.

This seems a distinction worth making, whether he was ill prepared to start the season because of basketball reasons or party reasons, but either way, he certainly did not look himself for the first 5 weeks of the season. From December 25 through the first game in February showed us statistics that were well down (16.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game) from his career numbers (23 points per game, 8 rebounds) that were as consistent as the sunrise. His shooting was horribly off, 43% from the field (last year 52%) and 17% from 3-point range (last year 39%), and he looked bad physically, as if he was running with rocks in his shoes. The discomfort was difficult to watch.

And for that, the Mavericks decided to shut him down once, and even upon his return, many of us were calling for it to happen again.

He had recently passed 1,000 games and 37,000 minutes. It is easy to see where most stars drop off in their careers around those same milestones. And Nowitzki was not a typical NBA player. He was a 7-footer who had put a different type of wear and tear on his body in those 1,000 battles in the regular season and 124 more playoff games (say nothing about his regular appearances for Germany in the "offseason).

On February 1st, the Mavericks faded down the stretch of a home game against Oklahoma City because they kept going to Dirk and Dirk didn't have it again. He shot 2-15 and looked way out of form again. After the game, it certainly occurred to me that shutting him down for several weeks and getting his body completely right was a reasonable idea. He just wasn't himself.

The next day, Charles Barkley made some public comments on Dallas Radio to Randy Galloway on the topic:

Dirk's getting old bro. Father Time is undefeated. You know, Dirk's been a great great player for a long time and he's been in the playoffs pretty much every year. Father Time is catching up with him.

That's the way it happens, you drop off the face of the earth. His days of being the man are over. I hate to break it to you. I lived it. When you're a great player it hits you quicker, too, more than anybody because you have further to fall. You can be a guy like who's a good solid player and you can hide it for a couple years, but when you're a great player you have further to fall.

The timing of it all is interesting. However, I highly doubt that Dirk was waiting to be called out like that. I imagine being in form for a professional basketball player is a difficult thing to track with linear measurements and time. It is simply feeling confident and fit and knocking down the open shot when it comes to you. Taking over the game when the moment is right is a feel, and if your body is not willing to cooperate, then you will be in trouble.

But since that moment in time, Dirk is back. The Mavericks are winning with great routine and despite the late issues in New York yesterday, it appears that they can ride their big German again for long, key moments of games. His production for the last 3 weeks is right back where it has always been: 25.3 points per game, 7 rebounds a game, 51% from the field, and deadly from 3-point range. Dirk looks like Dirk again. The guy who has the opponents shaking their heads and the fans in visiting arenas gasping in despair when he is left open for a split second. He has that swagger and that confidence back and he simply looks the part of the talisman of this entire operation.

He is 33 and on his way to 34 in mid-June. At some point, he will have to move aside and not be a superstar anymore. But, for the time being, it appears Barkley jumped the gun. But he is right about one thing - Father Time is undefeated.

Next weekend, the NBA All-Star Game happens again, and Dirk will be there again. Funny thing is, the idea that he doesn't belong there will be brought up by bored media types looking for something to prattle on about. If we judge this sort of thing on 5 weeks, I suppose there is a point to be made for the start of the season. But, if the question is whether Dirk is still among the best in the game or has he fallen off the face of the basketball planet, then let's put that silliness to bed.

Nowitzki has had the craziest year of his career, but any reports that this year has included his inevitable decline is crazy. On the contrary, anyone who watched knows that this year has contained his masterpiece; a 21-game performance last summer that silenced critics and put a ring on his finger. The recovery time for that accomplishment was prolonged, but now he appears back to being who he has always been: Dirk.

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Wondering About Beaubois

I really enjoy the sports debates that require note-taking so you can remember your own personal feelings at points in time. In 2009, you felt this way, but in 2010, you changed your mind and went the other direction. Then, last year, you realized you were right back in 2009 and went wayward in 2010. Sorry about that. But, now in 2012, you wonder if you were right back in 2010, after you were wrong in 2009 and before you were wrong again in 2011.

It all makes perfect sense, right? That is why very few of us should ever consider ourselves candidates for GM jobs.

There aren't many debates that change this often, but when they happen, you quickly realize that there are just some teams and athletes that we don't know enough about. And neither do the experts in the business that should know way more than media types.

Such is the case with Rodrigue Beaubois. Now, almost 24 years old, we are still trying to get a handle on the athletic wonder from Guadeloupe. Just 6'2 and well under 190 pounds, he is simply a player that is too electric to ignore and too inexperienced to fully trust with the ball in his hands. And yet, as a follower of Mavericks basketball, he is a perfect example of wanting to be extremely careful with a developmental player so that you don't do all the hard work so that his next employer can reap the benefits.

He is going through another one of those stretches recently that make you wonder if the sky is the limit. Since Jan 19th, he has been filling in for various absences from Jason Kidd and Delonte West and has been thrown into the teeth of some pretty competitive contests. During that 6 game stretch, he is averaging 24 minutes per game, with 12.5 points and an assist-to-turnover ratio of over 3 to 1. Most importantly, he is looking like he knows his place so much more since last spring, when the Mavericks threw him into the fire to see if he was "ready" to play a key role and hopefully replace much of the scoring lost when Caron Butler blew out his knee.

During that stretch he was lost. Offensively he did not see the game well and the drop off from a Jason Kidd-decision to a Beaubois-decision was too much for anyone to stomach. Further, when he had the ball, he did not often understand the difference between a shot and a good shot. He would try to split double teams on the pick and roll - a cardinal sin in the NBA - and find his way back to the bench. Defensively, he could dazzle with his ability to get steals and block shots, but he would often get switches wrong and frustrate his coaches.

By April, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki met with Coach Rick Carlisle and asked him to pull the plug on the Beaubois experiment for now so that the team could round into shape for the playoff run and reinsert DeShawn Stevenson into the proceedings. It worked like a charm and a parade was planned about 60 days later. Beaubois never played a second in the playoffs last year, and the project that had so much upside that he had scored 40 in a night would have to be put on ice. During the summer, it was revealed that the foot-injury late in the summer of 2010 had ultimately slowed him down the entire 2010-11 season, long after he was cleared as "healthy". Screws in a player's foot can do that to a speedster.

So, following that stretch, many followers on the team lamented the fact that his trade value had dropped to point where it barely existed. This, just 12 months after people around the organization claimed that every call they received had been from the rest of the league trying to pry the young prospect out of the Mavericks organization. On draft night 2009, it appeared the rest of the league didn't know he existed and then within a few months, they all wanted him? And now his trade value went from through the roof to through the floor and the kid was still just 2 seasons into his career.

Is it possible all of this knee-jerking has been this severe? Did he go from anonymous to untouchable to refuse in 18 months? And if he did, at what point should anyone be ready to call out his ultimate path? I am the first to admit that I have offered contradicting opinions of his game. At times, he seems fearless and ready for the big stage, pulling the veterans around him through a tough patch and making plays on each end of the court that save a game. Other nights, he looks like a player who hasn't been playing basketball very long, lacking instincts and simple decision making skills that only arrive upon playing the game for years and year.

In another life, it would have been incredibly fascinating what a few years of college basketball would have done for a player like Beaubois and his development. Short of that, one wonders if he had been snagged by a lottery team, where winning is not realistic or fully expected, if he would have developed these skills quite quickly playing 35 minutes a night in Milwaukee or Detroit.

But, again, last night, you saw that he is improving. Those days in the gym with Kidd, one of the great decision makers in history, have had an effect. He is on a team where winning is imperative and the time and patience to allow a kid to learn on the job is limited and heavily critiqued. But, seeing his difference-making plays on either end of the court make you fully appreciate what Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban see. They see a player who has youth and physical tools that cannot be easily acquired, and if they ever move him along in the NBA player exchange, they want to be certain that they aren't sending away a future star.

Because when they make that decision, unlike those of us who simply observe and critique, they will not be able to change their opinion in a few months when they realize they are wrong.

There is nothing linear about his development and his play. Up and down, down and up. Dick Vitale used to describe his type as "Dow Jonesers", the type who bounce around like the stock market. Frustrating for a week, phenomenal for another week.

But, this latest stretch allows one to squint and see the possible future of the Mavericks, once the backcourt pillars, Kidd and Terry leave massive vacancies. And that is something that could happen before Beaubois turns 25.

So, Regis, before I give my final answer, I would like to keep watching.

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Time to Start Anew

It was properly pointed out to me yesterday that the Rangers and Mavericks, while both having the most successful years in their franchise's history, look at the upcoming "Opening Days" in their respective sports with entirely different viewpoints.

From a Rangers' viewpoint, they aspire to get 2012 going as soon as possible in an effort to go get what they feel is rightfully theirs. However large the odds are, you can understand the premise of thinking 2010 and 2011 need to be avenged and the only way to do that is to actually WIN the World Series this summer. Pretty high bar, but I already know baseball fans who are chomping at the bit to get after it. That is what finishing 2nd for 2 consecutive years will do to a fan.

But, the Mavericks view seems a bit different. At least from a fan perspective on the radio airwaves, it seems that the new season is not wildly anticipated. You wonder, in the minds of those fans who so badly wanted the NBA title last season, if given a choice Mavericks fans might vote to have the offseason go even longer before having to put that heavyweight title belt back in play.

It is fun being champion, but while the defense of that cherished crown officially begins on Sunday, many can't help but grimace at the thought of the title being somewhat conceded when the Mavericks brass decided to pass on the Tyson Chandler sweepstakes.

I know, I know. Lamar Odom is here. Vince Carter (gulp) is here. Heck, even Delonte West is here (you cannot write this stuff). But, if I am going to trumpet the title being largely due to dynamic attributes that Chandler brought to the table and his undeniable fingerprints on the Larry O'Brien trophy, then I think it would be beyond foolish to then argue that his exit will not be felt at the very core of what made this team special.

And that is why statistics cannot fully be trusted when you try to articulate what he meant to the Mavericks title. 10 points and 9 rebounds? Nice, but hardly irreplaceable. And yet, as the Mavericks enter the new year, I am convinced that the team is trying to find a plug for a irreplaceable hole. He was that important.

Protecting the rim. Attacking the rim. Calling a team meeting. Picking up a teammate. Sticking up for another. Giving everyone in his team's jersey muscles they didn't have when he wasn't around. Maybe the best example of how great he was here was on full display in the NBA Finals. Brendan Haywood left the finals in Game 2 with an injured hip. He did not play in Game 3, 5, or 6, and played just 3 minutes in Game 4. This put the team in an enormous pickle, especially given the number of times that Wade and Lebron attack the rim. No backup center? Chandler had to remain aggressive in his defense of the paint, but he also had to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor. That was a very tall order as guys who are trying to avoid foul trouble seldom can maintain their aggressive style. Tyson did it on the biggest stage and did it very, very well. Certainly he did not get the headlines from that series that some of his mates did, but his impact was clear to all around the series.

I don't believe Mark Cuban or Donnie Nelson would debate Chandler's impact to the title. Everyone knows what he meant to the squad, especially them. But, when it came time to marry their 2011 championship roster through 2015 or "keep the powder dry" under the new collective bargaining agreement, they opted for the latter. We will only know if they made the right call in a few years. Actually, maybe we will never truly know, because we can only guess what the 2011 Mavericks would have been able to do in defense of their own crown. Instead, Chandler is in New York. JJ Barea is in Minnesota (also not offered a long-term deal). And DeShawn Stevenson is off to New Jersey.

But, they are banking on having all of the cap space in the world available and thus will be able to go shopping at the finest stores in free agency this summer. One can only hope that the stores aren't all sold out of franchise players when the Mavericks arrive with a full wallet on July 1st. That is the gamble they are willing to take, so it is certainly a reasonable plan to let them prove they were correct to follow their guts. They certainly did not take the easy path at this fork in the road. I can't imagine anyone would have questioned them for bringing Chandler and Barea back. But, not bringing them back sets them up for 2nd guessing for at least 7 months and possibly years and years.

Meanwhile, the franchise embarks on one of the remaining years of Dirk Nowitzki's prime with a team that can be anywhere between pretty good and really good. Anyone who can project what losing Chandler, Stevenson, and Barea and adding Carter, Odom, and West can look like before we see it on Sunday is smarter than I am. I wonder if there is enough defense, rebounding, rim protecting, leadership, and of course, with Carter, are there even enough basketballs to go around?

The team certainly looks versatile and exciting. But, last year when the squad needed a stop, they could put a very impressive defensive 5 on the floor at the same time. Now, they are missing that last, and most vital piece of the mix. The guy who can protect the paint. Haywood will no doubt be sold as a suitable stand-in, and only time will tell. To this juncture of his Mavericks career, one might suggest that those flashes of paint domination have been rare and without regularity.

One of the other notes of interest is how the Mavericks squad that certainly has experience and age in abundant amounts can deal with the very unique circumstances of 2011-12. Usually, a champion must deal with the "short summer" and tired legs because of all of the playoff miles. That is completely taken off the table here with well over 2 months added to the summer vacation due to the lockout.

A 66 game schedule should help an aging team. But, compacting those games in a much tighter window should hurt. 20 back-to-backs will test depth and health, and that is why one should be pleased with how much depth they have assembled.

So, how good will the Mavericks be? Great question. The West is as competitive as ever, but the top end might be a bit lighter than usual. The Lakers and Spurs both appear to be flawed as well. The Clippers have to show their quality on the court, and that leaves upstarts like Memphis and Oklahoma City to prove that they can take that next step. All of these facts may argue that maybe the band should have been kept together, but as they used to say, "there is no point crying over spilled milk".

The Mavericks are ready to bravely defend their title with an all-new group. What makes it particularly odd is that this group may all just be passing through before the new, new group assembles for 2012-13. This is the new NBA, and we should all get used to it. Shorter contracts and less roster continuity seems to be one of the effects of the new CBA.

Whatever. The banner goes up on Sunday. And an irate Wade and LeBron will be watching and preparing to try to make a bold statement with the basketball world watching.

How good will the Mavericks be?

As someone who said "Portland in 6", my predicting rights have been revoked.

We shall all find out together on Sunday.

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How I spent my summer vacation

This Year Is Different is a new ebook about the 2011 Dallas Mavericks World Championship from Diversion Books. A free sample of the book is available at their website, and the ebook can be downloaded on any e-reader instantly. The book is currently #1 on Amazon.com for basketball books.

The last year has been a truly memorable 12 months for many of us in the sports world. And for me, it was absolutely highlighted by the NBA title won by the Dallas Mavericks in June. The story itself was more than any one team winning a championship, as there are many teams who have won titles and several who have won many titles. Winning it all is special, but it certainly doesn't make it rare.

What made it rare was the way they won it. Against all odds. Against any logic from the experts. They figured out a way to win the trophy while ignoring any available templates. They really did it their way.

That is why the idea occurred to me on the airplane returning from Miami in June to write a book about the Mavericks championship. I had never written anything close to that length (the book spans roughly 100,000 words) and the idea to write the book may demonstrate my general naivety about how books are supposed to be written. Accomplished authors are no doubt supposed to take on these gigantic projects, not newbies like me. Nevertheless, this idea in my head kept talking to me, and therefore, a few days after the title was won, I started writing.

Before long, I reached out to Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban about his interest in such an idea. I did this partly because I knew he could appreciate the idea of making sure there was some sort of historical record and partly because I had no idea how to get a book published. He has a knack for getting things done, so I thought he was the one unique guy in the world to make it all happen. He told me, "Go for it. And do it fast." Without fully knowing what "fast" meant for a book, I did just that. Popped open my laptop at the kitchen table and attempted to document what I thought was one of the best sports seasons a fan could ever hope to enjoy.

Without knowing for sure how much time it took to write this book, I feel rather confident to say that it required every waking hour from the time the parade ended until early August, I was writing and writing and reading and watching and doing everything to write this record of an amazing year with an outstanding team that we may never see again. I knew that every day we removed ourselves from June 2011, that memories were going to become weaker.

The motivation was simply this - I wanted to try to preserve that feeling of elation on the page as well as humanly possible. To a sports fan, when you are in the moment of a championship that you never thought you would actually enjoy, you go out of your mind with happiness, but you slowly lose perspective. You lose the idea of what is normal and what is rare. You buy your championship t-shirt and you take pictures at the parade, but some setting in your head instantly moves to whether or not you can repeat as champions and what it would take to re-sign this guy (Tyson Chandler) or acquire this free agent (Dwight Howard) or that one (Chris Paul). As rare as the moment was, it then vanishes into thin air and sports continues on whether we are ready or not.

Years later, the details fade from your memory and the specialness of it all sometimes escapes your mind. Maybe Tyson Chandler signs in New York and suddenly your mind attempts to rationalize that losing him won't be so bad. Before long, you have talked yourself into forgetting how important Chandler was to the entire operation. It doesn't matter how true it is. The fact is that as fans we all have a coping mechanism when we lose players that we really loved to watch.

That is why I wanted to take on this massive project. One could make the case that surely someone else, who has written a book before and was embedded with the team all season, would be far more qualified to write this record. But, I wasn't going to wait around and hope that they wrote it. I also wasn't going to hope that they would remember it like i did. I had to do it myself.

So, the process for my project was likely different from others. I talked to everyone that I could think of on the team and around the team as soon as possible. Some of the members of the story literally spent hours with me. Their generosity with their precious free time made it possible to capture in the book the perspective from the inside. Trainers, equipment guys, P.R. staff, coaches, broadcasters, and of course, the players.

Now, the player-interview process was a bit complex because of the NBA lockout that started at midnight on July 1. This meant that any communication with players after that date would not be assisted by the team. Usually, when you wish to visit with a player, a member of the media relations team with the Mavericks will coordinate the conversation according to the insane schedule of the player in question. For instance, I visited with Jason Kidd while he was grocery shopping in Phoenix. He had an hour to talk as he stocked up on food and pushed a shopping cart.

But, by July 1st, I had not been able to get with the main character of the book, Dirk Nowitzki, to find an opening in his schedule. If you recall, his late June schedule was nothing short of fast and furious, as he celebrated on late night television, parades (on 2 continents), and just living his "life achievement" as you hoped he would. Selfishly, I hoped he would work me in before the lockout, but it didn't happen. I then pondered the prospect of writing a book without visiting with the main character. I didn't like that reality, but, I was too far down the road with the book to stop now. I would have to figure something out perhaps without talking to Dirk.

And then, I was hit with a stroke of good fortune as someone close to me found Holger Geschwindner's email address. Holger, of course, is Dirk's personal coach and agent and is headquartered back in Germany. I took a shot, and he advised me that Dirk would be back in town before heading to the ESPY awards around July 10. He even offered me Dirk's email, and before long I was able to spend 90 minutes with Nowitzki that pushed the book from strong to quite strong. He is the reason why this story is so phenomenal. It is a story about a lot of people, but in the end, if there was no Dirk in this story, it would be just another title.

The reason I wanted to write this book was because it proved that sometimes the boyhood sports dream can come true. He showed up as just a boy, and those of us who have followed his career in Dallas know that we saw him grow up over the course of the last 13 years into a grizzled veteran who learned that all of the points and dollars would not take away his burning desire to be a champion. That day in July he told stories of every step along the way that I asked him about. I tried to put every last morsel in the book in some way shape or form. He put himself out there for all to see on the road to victory which took him through prolonged trips in agony and defeat. And now that he stood atop the mountain, if only for a short time, I wanted to make sure that those who want to would always remember that moment in time as he saw it.

I have no idea if I will ever write another book. It seems a lot like running a marathon in the "bucket list" category of life. When you are done, you are proud of what you showed yourself you could do, but you also realize how many hundreds of hours you just spent doing it. I suspect, if I do, that I will need my editor, Ken Daley, right next to me. For it was Ken that helped a blogger look like an actual author. His work was phenomenal and now I see how vital the right guy in that spot can truly be.

Right now, the book is only available in "E-book" form. That means anyone with a Kindle, Nook, IPad, PC, or Mac can read it, but those who desire a physical copy will have to wait a bit longer. But, my dream is that it becomes a keepsake or memento for those who lived one of their happiest sports moments last spring with Dirk and the boys. The links above will even take you to a free sample where you may read the first few chapters at no obligation.

But regardless of which medium you use to read it, if you loved the story, I really hope you will have a chance to read it. This season is here, and it will bring its own excitement and headaches, victories and defeats, but I am willing to bet you will never see another season like the Mavericks year in 2011. A year that was truly different.

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