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And my obligatory kicking when y’all are down… ;)

The Mav’s absolute chokage when playing at LA isn’t helping their cause either. I watched most of the last DAL-LA game, and I was struck by the complete mindfuck the Lakers seem to be able to give the Mavs every game.

Still, my bet’s on the Kings this year. They seem to have conquered their playoff demons from last year. Webber will finally get his ring.

Like I would agree with that ;)

I do agree I was so disgusted with the last game with LA, I went to sleep after the third - It was just painful to watch. I am not sure about the Kings, though. The Spurs have dominated them in the regular season so far and they seem to be peaking at the right time, just before the play-offs.

It will be interesting to see how it goes, especially since some SA fans I spoke to in the beginning of the season would have been just happy for SA to get into the play-offs, leave alone the top seed. They were happy just drooling over the coming of Jason Kidd to SA (if).

The problem is that the Mavs lack intimidation. Compare Stojakovich-Bibby-Christie to Nowitzki-Nash-Van Exel … the latter trio, though talented, are far less intimidating than the former.

Meanwhile, my money’s on our Stars! Can’t wait for the eventual Dallas-Detroit showdown… no chance for ties this time!

You are absolutely right, Gokul - and when we compare ourselves with the Lakers, who would you be more scared of? Shaq or Bradley :) I also think it is time we developed a real killer instinct (the glimmer of which we saw in Nash in the last Sacto game).

As for the Stars, bring it on! :)

Shanti,
What does your title say..

Dancing with Dogs (or those ??? ???????)

Font aint clear.. Can you help..

Sorry for being offtopic! :)

That’s cool, Swami - the second part says “Or Those Crazy Asians” :)

The whole intimidation thing is kind of a vicious/virtuous circle. Shaq…is a special case, but moving on. _ Kobe is intimidating because he has shown that he can just dominate and take over a game, but that makes it easier for him to dominate and take over a game. Moreover he feels that he can take over a game and has proven to himself that he can. The same with Bibby, who validated himself last year in the playoffs (irregardless of the fact that they finally failed). Dallas really needs someone to step up in a game (*cough*at LA*cough*) and declare “We aren’t gonna get pasted today!” then go out and do it. Until they do that, their worst nightmare is LA first-round in the playoffs.

I just looked at the season splits for Dallas and its not like Nowitzki, Finley, and Nash disappear in LAL games…y’all just lose. Someone (*cough*Nowitzki*cough*) really needs to step up and drop 50 and dare Kobe or Shaq to beat him.

I see your point, Chris - I sometimes wonder if the problem is the lack of a real star in the team. Dallas prides itself on team-ball, but it can hurt in the important games if everybody is held as responsible for the loss as others. I think it might work out as an advantage to the team if Nowitzki or Nash (preferably Nowitzki) decide the team is theirs and take the wins and losses personally instead of “sacrificing” for the team. I think that will give them the incentive and the motivation to try to take over games and to try to win them single-handedly like a Jordan, Kobe, Bibby, or Tim Duncan (man, that guy rocks!)

Yep, the cliche of lacking a “go-to guy” at the end of the game does have some merit. The team needs to be able to play as a team, but it also needs to know that there is a guy that wants the ball at the end and can deliver when they need it. I think Nowitzki has the best chance of doing it, because he causes the most mismatches and Finley will tend to be the least likely, since he gets stuck guarding the Kobe/TMac/etc. I just have this funny feeling that if Nowitzki tries to take over a game, Shaq will reprise Chamberlain’s 100. ;)

You suck - just kidding ;) How dare you dash all my hopes of a championship from my Mavs this season, you ruthless, heartless man!

I do agree that what we need is a go-to guy - The T’Wolves had a problem all along in that respect, but KG is getting more and more better at being that guy for them, which is resulting in their improved record this season. Now if only we can trade Raef and Shawn for Yao and KG, all will be fine in my world :D

I’m starting to feel bad about piling on like this but…

With 3 minutes to go as of this writing, LaFrentz has outplayed Shaq (Raef has 26!!!), Kobe is 4-15…and the Mavs are down by 15.

Big 3, man! the Big 3 - unless they have super-duoer games, Dallas has absolutely no chance of going anywhere - I think we need a near-perfect game from everybody to beat SA, LA or Sac. Oh well, I guess atleast LaFrentz proved that he can play for the $70mil once in a while when he feels like it :(

I think you just got as close as you’re gonna get to a perfect game from everyone. Finley was out, but Raef blew Shaq out of the water and someone contained Kobe. Nowitzki had 26/9r, Nash had 19/10a. Everything collapsed in the 4th (well, and Fox, Horry, Fisher, & George scored 15+). Back to the cliche, it was time for someone to step up and no one did.

Either that or y’all are just cursed.

I know it is the lack of the go-to guy, but will settle for the “cursed” :) Griffin, our Kobe-killer!

LOL, isn’t it funny that on a night when Shaq and Kobe have been contained, we still lose thanks to the role players?

Heh, that’s why they have the three rings and you…don’t :) How many teams have died at the end because Horry decided “Hey, I can shoot that three right…now!”

Oh, don’t even remind me of that - especially that 3-pointer Horry made against Sacramento - I think Sac literally lost their championship in those 2 or 3 seconds that it took Horry to take and make that shot.