The Dallas Mavericks have been dethroned. Eliminated. They’re finished. Whatever term you wish to use to describe it—and sorry, Mavs fans, there’s no euphemism great enough to lessen the blow—the Mavs’ 2012 season is over.
Yes, the defending champs didn’t do much defending in the 2012 NBA playoffs, getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in four straight games. However, with the exception of Game 3, the Mavs hung tough with the Thunder, losing by less than six points in the other three. But they failed to show the same dominance that made them champions in 2011, ultimately resulting in a 103-97 loss Saturday night in Dallas that led to their demise.
With another win for both of them last night, the Thunder and the Heat are but one win away from sweeping their first round playoff series. If you look at the Thunder and Mavericks it’s confusing because the Mavericks should be able to do something with the Thunder. However, the Knicks, they’re just a mess. There was so much promise, but now there’s not. Why is that?
The first week of the hectic 2012 NBA Playoffs are in the books and already there are plenty of story lines and drama that will likely ensure to become a very entertaining 40 nights to decide a champion. From the match ups to the injuries and records being broken, every game this weekend had worth watching and plenty of things to discuss: The Magic and Clippers are up 1-0, Derrick Rose is out and the Spurs and Heat look like the best teams in the postseason. Highlights from Weekend 1 include:
Everyone says this about their superstar. So, I agree with the Thunder dismissing Rick Carlisle’s complaints about how Dirk Nowitztki is defended. But, just listen to the way Rick Carlisle says it:
“They’re going to do things to try to disrupt his rhythm. They’re going to grab and hold. To me, a typical example is the play before the first half ends. He’s getting grabbed and held, and they call a foul on Dirk because he’s just reacting to all the contact. You know, that turns into a possession for them and they hit a 3. It’s a big momentum play.”
If you’re the almighty Thunder and you are in need of a late jumper to beat the VERY up and down Mavs, are you rusty or have you met your match?
Well, I think the Thunder probably assumed that a much older team that had had such a terrible season, like the Mavs, would have been easy to deal with. They were proven wrong. And, it doesn’t even matter what happened to get the game to that point. I mean, the Thunder should be able to easily dispose of the Mavs this time around. Because they can’t, we have to assume that it’s a mental thing.
His most recent tirade stems from the controversy created by Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen with their comments about pay for Olympians, which inevitably led to cries from critics about a lack of patriotism.
Well, if they thought Wade and Allen were unpatriotic, wait till they get a load of Cuban.
“Maybe that’ll be my next business. F— up the Olympics.’’
There’s the Cuban we all know and love. Apparently, the Dallas Mavericks owner feels that he too should be compensated for turning over his star players this summer at the London Olympics.
You read that headline right. And in case you don’t believe it, the game tape doesn’t lie.
Delonte West has been fined $25,000 for sticking his finger in Gordon Hayward’s ear during Monday’s triple-overtime Dallas-Utah game.
As you could imagine, Hayward wasn’t to thrilled with West’s school-yard antics.
“I wanted to fight right there, but you can’t do that…It wouldn’t have been the smart idea. I’d risk getting a technical foul, getting suspended for the season, whatever. There’s more important things than fighting someone out on the court.”
You knew it was only a matter of time before Charles Barkley let the world know how he feels about Lamar Odom and his situation in Dallas. The TNT analyst and longtime NBA player let loose on Odom Wednesday during a radio interview on KESN-FM 103.3 in Dallas. When asked, Barkley tried to explain why Odom was ineffective after his trade from the Lakers.
Lamar Odom and the Dallas Mavericks each have come to an agreement on Monday to let Odom off the roster of the reigning champions for the last remaining couple of games.
The Mavericks who currently sit as the seventh seed of the ever changing landscape in the Western Conference, didn’t get what they thought they were adding when they received the reigning Sixth Man of the Year forward from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Close games are bad luck for the Blazers this year. Last night’s game in Dallas had all the makings of another Portland fourth quarter collapse. The Blazer turnover at the end of regulation gave Dallas a chance to win but Jason Terry missed the rushed three pointer and the Blazers had to prove themselves in overtime. The Blazers proved to their fans and the NBA that they aren’t dead yet and they haven’t given up on the playoffs. The Blazers have rallied around Coach Canales and they’ve showed the hustle and dedication they’re going to need to make one final push in the last ten games of this year.
The Dallas Mavericks have been dethroned. Eliminated. They’re finished. Whatever term you wish to use to describe it—and sorry, Mavs fans, there’s no euphemism great enough to lessen the blow—the Mavs’ 2012 season is over.
