A Mavs fan with a broken heart

Dear friends,

Please, I need a shoulder to cry on.  Someone hug me.  I need someone to wrap their arms around me and whisper into my ear that everything will be okay.  I need someone to wipe my tears away.  There are no reasons for me to smile.  My umbrella blew away and a rain cloud is perpetually following me around.  Depression has set in.

Unhappily,

Joshua F.

**NOTE: I'm not suicidal; I'm simply a Dallas Mavericks fans.  And tonight, I'm hurting.

I realize that a seven-game series does not really get started until a road team wins, and I've subscribed to that theory for years.  But by that logic this year, the first round playoff series between the Mavericks and Hornets appears to be over before it ever really gets started.

The Mavericks 103-127 loss in New Orleans tonight hurt to watch.  I love the Mavericks.  I've been going to games and cheering for this team when they won 11 and 13 games in consecutive seasons.  But these aren't the 1990s Dallas Mavericks.  There are expectations - not even championship expectations at this point - that are not only not being met, but the team isn't coming close to them.  

As I said, I love the Mavericks; I'll be at Game 3 wearing my blue and cheering my ass off for this team until the final buzzer.  But watching the game tonight, I couldn't help but think back to the 2006 NBA Finals and wonder if that was it.  Was that the window of opportunity for the Dallas Mavericks?  Has it officially closed?  Will they ever get back?

A trip to the finals is not guaranteed for any franchise in any sport, and it's impossible to tell whenever a team will get back.

Since the 2006 Finals, I've tried to be positive.  I haven't thought Avery Johnson needed to be replaced as head coach.  I haven't gone around and said Dirk isn't the answer.  And it's only now - now that the Mavericks are down 0-2 after a pair of very discouraging and disappointing games in New Orleans - that the doubt has crept in.

There are no more officials to blame for mystery fouls of Dwayne Wade (which, by the way, two of the more crucial calls in the 2006 Finals were made by former NBA referee Tim Donoghy, who is now in trouble for fixing games).  There is no more excuse of "they were tired after a 67-win season."  There are no more excuses.

Tonight the Mavs lost to a better team who wanted it more.  A lot more.  The Hornets seemed to care.  The Mavericks didn't.

When Devean George put of a crap 3-pointer after checking into the game just moments before, I think I died a little bit inside.

Now all of this might be irrelevant after two quick Mavericks wins at the American Airlines Center, once again proving the theory that a seven-game series is not officially underway until a road team wins a game.  But the frustration and negative emotion I'm feeling tonight is a direct result of the disappointing performances Dallas has shown in the first two games of the 2008 post season.

I hope they turn it around.  I want them to turn it around.  And part of me will be shocked if they do turn it around.  But as a fan, there is always hope.  Sadly, however, hope is just not a strategy that typically works in the playoffs.

Friday night is Game 3 in Dallas.  The Mavs can put all this negativity behind them with a win at home in three days.  It's easy to do.  Just win at home.  Protect the American Airlines Center.  Defend the home court.  If Dallas does that, they can steal moment have a chance to win this series.

The Mavs are the lower-seeded team.  The Hornets earned home-court and the right to open at home.  They have taken full advantage of home court.  If Dallas can do the same, then this series will not be the beginning of the end of the Mavericks as we know them today.  That's all it takes.  Win at home.

Win at home.

Please, please, Dallas Mavericks, just please win at home.

Response to criticism for Dirk/West incident

It's been a few days since Game 1 of the Mavs/Hornets first round playoff series, and I'm sick of the so-called sports experts on TNT, ESPN, etc saying that Dirk demonstrated a lack of toughness when he "just stood there" and let David West slap him in the face.

To the moron's claiming Dirk demonstrated a lack of toughness by not "doing something about it" and just "taking it" (I'm taking to you, Kenny Smith, Jim Rome, Charles Barkley, and countless others), I wonder what exactly Dirk was supposed to do?

THIS VIDEO demonstrates just how ridiculous some of these NBA analysts are.  If Dirk did "pimp slap him witta backhand" as this WANNABE GHETTO-FABULOUS TAG-ALONG from the Showtime Lakers says Dirk should have, it would have been a suspension, which this dumbass even eludes to!  Michael Cooper - the commentator - says Dirk should have "pimp-slapped him and pimp-slapped him hard" despite the fact that it would have probably caused, as he points out, "a game mob."  How does Dirk starting a fight between these two teams help the Mavs?  How is that showing toughness at all?  Michael Cooper, you are a moron.  I hope someone "pimp-slaps you witta backhand" in the hopes they knock some sense into you!

Quick question: Who is more valuable to their team: Dirk Nowitzki or David West?
Answer: Dirk Nowitzki -- by a long shot

So if Dirk "gets tough" and shoves West back, or swats his hand out of the way, or punches him in the face, or spits on him, or whatever else these bone-headed pundits think he should have done, Dirk would have been suspended for at least the second game of the series - perhaps even more.  Do yall remember what Dallas looked like when Dirk was injured for a few games?  It wasn't pretty.  What about when he was suspended for one game earlier in the year for a hard foul on Utah's Andre Kirilenko?  Dallas got stomped the next night by the Houston Rockets.

Without Dirk, the Mavs are not in the playoffs.  And if he's suspended, Dallas might as well not even take the court because they won't win, and it won't be close.

So if Dirk had gone Kermit Washington on David West and flattened him to the deck -- which would have been pretty cool -- then he would have been easily tossed, definitely costing Dallas game 2, and most likely costing them the series.

In the 2006 conference semi-finals, Jason Terry received a one-game suspension for punching Michael Finley during game 5 in San Antonio.  The result: Terry missed game 6, and San Antonio beat the Mavericks in Dallas to force game 7 at AT&T Center (if not for Ginobili's foul on Dirk to force game 7 into overtime, Terry is the goat for taking a stupid suspension and blowing Dallas' chance to win the series at home in game 6).

But if Dirk did stand up for himself and demonstrate this so-called toughness by turning West into Rudy Tomjanovich, people wouldn't be calling him tough.  They'd call him a cheap-shot punching goon who should be suspended for not only the rest of the (what would become a very short) post-season, but probably a few games into the 2008-09 campaign.

Dirk not slugging West was the smart thing to do.  Keep your cool.  Keep your composure.  Keep yourself eligible to play in the series.  The Mavs lost a game to the Lakers this year when Josh Howard took a stupid technical foul by throwing off his headband.  The Lakers won by four, and the technical foul shot cost Dallas a chance for a tying 3-point attempt at the game's end.  Why would Dirk want to make a similar mistake now when the playoffs are underway?  It makes no sense.

If anything, the referees blew it by not giving West a technical foul for tapping Dirk's face.  West needs to realize that Dirk is currently one of the game's greatest players.  West is a footnote next to an MVP-candidate.  Let's not confuse the two.  Dirk is the reigning NBA MVP.  West isn't the best player on his own team.

We'll find out in game two with Dirk's performance if he truly is "responding" to the incident by how tough he plays.  Until that time, get off this kick that he should have done something about it.  By walking away, he is giving his team the best chance to win -- as a true leader should do.

Duck Season over: Stars advance to Round 2

The Stars are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2003, and oh, does it feel so good! While losing game five hurt, being able to close out the series on home ice became a rewarding bonus for the team and its fans.

courtesy of dallasnews.com

A few thoughts on the game:

+ Interesting stat the Dallas Morning News had: this is the first time the Stars closed out a series on home ice since beating the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals at Reunion Arena. This was the first ever series clinched by the Stars at the AAC (which opened in 2001, *cough* *cough*).

+ Stephane Robidas = good. Stephane Robidas + broken nose = great. Has anyone else almost forgotten about Zubov and Boucher? Okay, okay, not forgotten, but the way the defensemen have been playing, the future of the franchise looks brighter with each game. If Zubov and Boucher - or perhaps even if just one of them - can make it back for any part of this postseason, the emotional boost and the talent boost could prove a deadly combination for any Stars opponent.

+ Marty Turco : clutch. Dallas trailed 1-0 until finally getting on the board in the third period. Turco not only limited the Ducks offense to one goal one several quality scoring chances early in the game, but when the Stars snatched two quick goals on the other end, Turco dug in and held the one-goal lead when it mattered most. Turco out-dueled JS Giguere in this series - which is not something many goalies can say. If he keeps this up, the Stars have potential to continue advancing.

+ In playoff hockey, the best team doesn't always win; the hottest team does (see Anaheim then-Mighty Ducks, 2003). The Stars are hot.

+ Third period scoring for Dallas has been amazing this series. The Stars scored 12 3rd-period goals this series compared to only four from the Ducks. In fact, the Stars 3rd-period goals was nearly as many goals the Ducks had for the entire series (13).

+ Dallas averaged 3.33 goals/game this series, scoring three or more goals in all but two games. Early this season, there were concerns this team couldn't score enough to compete. If you average more than three goals per game, and if Turco continues to play how he has so far in the playoffs, we could be in for more than just two more weeks of hockey.

Mavs/Hornets Game 1 thoughts

Some quick thoughts on the Mavericks/Hornets Game 1 of their first round playoff series:

Very frustrating Mavs loss, especially after such a nice first half. Did Dallas think that just because they beat the Hornets Wednesday when New Orleans had relatively little to play for that they could just take the second half off?

I don't think it's time to be calling for Avery's head (yet), and the concept of trading Dirk is idiotic (because you never get equal value when trading a superstar). But the supporting cast has to show up. Period.

This Hornets team struggles when they get in foul trouble because of their lack of depth, thus the Mavs should be driving the ball every chance they get. Just look at the damage the Mavs did Wednesday when the Hornets got in foul trouble. It's tough to draw fouls when you're shooting (and missing) 18-20 ft jump shots.

More aggressive in Game 2, and Dallas can split in N.O. - which is really all that's necessary.

For the Mavericks to win this series, they cannot do it on talent alone. They are going to have to play smarter than the Hornets (and all the Mavs fans mumbled collectively "CRAP!"). That means a few things:

1. No technical fouls (that means you, Josh Howard).  Tempers will get hot throughout a seven game series, but the team that wins will not let their emotions overtake them in crucial points of the game.

2. No dumb turnovers (ie, shot clock expiring as if out of nowhere).  If Jason Kidd makes an aggressive pass into the lane for a waiting Dampier and David West reaches in to break it up, that's fine.  But if the buzzer sounds on the shot clock, please don't look surprised.

3. Put pressure on the Hornets bench.  Drive to the basket to get the New Orleans bigs in early foul trouble.  The Mavs made their comeback run in Wednesday's regular-season finale when a lot of the New Orleans starters were on the bench in foul trouble.  The easiest way to make that happen again is by driving to the basket.  No one gets fouled shooting a fall-away three pointer.

4. Take high-percentage shots.  You'd think this would be obvious, but the Mavs made only nine - NINE! - field goals in the second half.  They shot 33.3% from the field on the night.  Perhaps some credit is due to the Hornets' defense, but a lot of the troubles stem from extremely poor shot selection.

A lot of this falls on Avery to reinforce, but some of it should not have to be reinforced.  Avery isn't the one not watching the shot clock or drawing up plays for bad shots.  The responsibility falls on the men on the court.  They need to play smarter the rest of this series.

PODCAST: Stars return home for Game 6

Dallas Stars returning home for Game 6

Great Barkley quote on Gasol

The following is from Barry Horn's column in today's Dallas Morning News:

The final word goes to TNT's Charles Barkley, who pontificated on the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies: "Remember when we stole everything from the Indians? That's what it was like when the Lakers got Gasol for nobody."

I love Charles Barkley's analysis. He truly tells it like it is and doesn't care what others think. He is by far the most entertaining broadcaster, and he does a great job of breaking things down to the lower common denominator so even the most casual basketball fan can relate to the action. Barkley is the one of the reasons I'm excited for the Mavericks to have several games on TNT in the first round.

Game 5 post-game notes

A few quick thoughts on Game 5, and then I need some sleep (stupid late-starting West Coast games).

• Can't blame Marty Turco for this loss.  He was solid in net despite a 5-2 score.  One of those goals was an empty-netter, one found the net during a 5-on-3, and another snuck through more traffic than a motorcycle on The 5 in Anaheim.  In the other net, Giguere played his best game of the series when he needed to the most.  The Ducks had their backs against the wall, and they put plent of shots on goal, pushing Turco to his limits.  If I'm a Stars fan, I'm not thrilled with Turco's performance, but I'm not bothered by it either.


• The lower-seeded teams in a seven-game series typically win it in Game 6, when they are back at their home arena.  The idea that the Stars would win this series in 5 was out there - to say the least - going into this series.  Dallas has a chance to close out the series at the AAC Sunday night at 8pm, a much friendlier environment than Honda Center.


• Where'd the power-play go?In the first three games of the series, Dallas scored eight power-play goals in 20 chances.  Since then, the power-play became a sour-play, with the Stars going 0-for-11 in game 4 & 5.  Dallas found ways to score in the last two games, but they need to take advantage of having an extra man.


• Desperation settled in for Anaheim.  The defending Stanley Cup champions know how to deal with urgency (see: 2007 playoffs and the resulting title), so it's not a total shocker they came out strong with their backs against the wall.  Dallas still holds a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close things out at home.  Despite the Duck-desperation, if you're a lower-seeded team in the playoffs, all you really want is a 3-2 series lead going into Game 6 on your home floor.  If you get to that point, you have more than solid chance to advance to the next round.
  

Stars/Ducks series highlights

Game 1
Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks - April 10, 2008
Stars win, 4-0



Game 2
Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks - April 12, 2008
Stars win, 5-2



Game 3
Anaheim Ducks @ Dallas Stars - April 15, 2008
Ducks win, 4-2



Game 4
Anaheim Ducks @ Dallas Stars - April 17, 2008
Stars win, 3-1

Mavs/Hornets Picks

The Mavs open the post season in New Orleans tomorrow night as the clear-cut underdog in a series for the first time in several years. Or at least, that's what I thought.

But looking over some of the experts picks from some national outlets, perhaps these "experts" forgot which team was seeded where. The Hornets are the 2-seed, and they've been at or near the top of the Western Conference for the majority of the season. The Mavericks have struggled during the 2008 campaign, spending time in both first place and flirting with missing the playoffs. Dallas locked into the 7-seed when they beat the Hornets on Wednesday night.

Perhaps that win led to a lot of the expert picks for this series, or maybe it's the lack of post-season experience of the Hornets, or maybe this whole Jason Kidd thing is finally clicking. Whatever it is, here are some of the national picks for this series:

ESPN.com Expert Picks:

• J.A. Adande ... MAVERICKS (in 6)
  
• Chris Broussard ... MAVERICKS (in 7)
  
• Chad Ford ... HORNETS (in 7)
  
• John Hollinger ... HORNETS (in 7)
  
• Marc Stein ... MAVERICKS (in 6)
  
• David Thorpe ... MAVERICKS (in 7)
  

Two-thirds of the ESPN.com experts are picking the Mavericks, and two are saying they'll win in a Game 7 which would take place in New Orleans. It's no easy task to win Game 7 on someone else's home court. So I went to another source to see what their experts thought.

cbssportsline.com Expert Picks

• Greg Bromberg ... HORNETS (in 6)
  
• Lyle Crouse ... HORNETS (in 7)
  
• Sergio Gonzalez ... HORNETS (in 6)
  
• Jamey Elsenberg ... MAVERICKS (in 7)
  
• Aaron Weisberg ... HORNETS (in 7)
  

This seemed a little more like what the national perspective of this first-round series should be. The Mavericks aren't a top-seed. They aren't even a mid-level seed. They are essentially second-to-last in the Western Conference playoffs. That being said, Dallas finished only five games behind New Orleans for the season. Usually there is a much greater discrepancy of team records in a 2-7 series. Not in this year's West. Not be a long shot.

yahoo.com Sports

• Kenny Smith ... HORNETS (# of games not picked)
  

USA Today

• Zack Albert, Chris Colston and Bob Velin ... MAVERICKS (in 7)
  

Fox Sports

• Mike Kahn ... MAVERICKS (in 7)
  

AOL Sports

• Randy Kim ... MAVERICKS (in 6 or 7)
  

So while the Mavericks might be underdogs going into this series, there is a strong feeling that Dallas' experience and their overall desire to redeem themselves for last season's debacle will get them over the hump in this series.  A frightening number of experts are picking Dallas to win the series in seven games.  The Mavs' most recent Game 7 win on an opponent's floor came in the 2006 conference semi-finals in San Antonio.  Manu Ginobili fouled Dirk Nowitzki with mere seconds to go, sending Dirk to the line to sink a free throw to send the game into overtime.  Dallas stole the momentum and the series.

Of these national experts that I've been able to find, seven are picking New Orleans while eight are picking Dallas.  Despite having an MVP-candidate and a very strong team, the Hornets' lack of post-season experience is the reason some say they won't make a strong playoff run.  Others say it won't be a problem.  And while experience can be overrated, Dallas has a dearth of it that can't be counted out.

Only one thing is certain: when this series tips off tomorrow night, it'll be fun to watch.

NO JOSHIN' PICK: MAVERICKS in 6

Power to overcome

The Dallas Stars are one game away from the second round of the playoffs.  Up 3-1 on the defending Stanley Cup champions, the series returns to Anaheim tomorrow night for Game 5.  After a fart-and-fall-down performance in the first two periods of Game 3, Dallas picked up right where they left off in their strong third period.

Dallas defeated the Ducks tonight 3-1, with Anaheim's only goal coming with a meaningless 7.6 seconds left in the game.  The Ducks hit the Stars early and often, and the Stars simply seemed to shrug them off, accept the punishment, then rebound to burry the puck.

I do worry that the very physical play of the Ducks could hurt the Stars in the long run; the long-run being the rest of this opening-round series, or the rest of their playoff run - however long it may be.  It's a good thing Dallas is up 3-1 in this series, because they are being dealt so much punishment along the boards, I'm concerned about their ability to continue to shrug off these hits.

As long as the Stars are willing to absorb these hits and pass the puck up to neutralize the Ducks' forecheck, Dallas will continue to find the success they've had all series long.  In the next rounds, providing they finish this series off, it will be interesting to see how much pain they can absorb.  The Stars don't have the type of "enforcers" that patrolled the rink when they won the Cup in '99.  The Hatcher-Matvichuck type of defensemen no longer reside in Dallas.  The Stars are succeeding with younger, faster defensemen (more because they've had to as a result of injuries) instead of big bruisers.

If Dallas continues to fight through the big hits, they can enjoy a long playoff run.  If not, they could find themselves at home sooner than expected.

Mavs wrap regular season

Great win tonight by the Mavericks.  Great, great win.  They faced a tough opponent and were down by double-digits on multiple occasions.  Each time the Mavs rushed back to capture the lead and eventually the W over their will-be playoff opponent, the New Orleans Hornets.

The energy at the AAC tonight reached levels last seen during the 2006 playoffs when Dallas made its NBA Finals run.  I've been going to several Mavs games this season, and the fans did a great job of supporting the team tonight.  Too often do the Johnny-come-lately Dallas Mavs take the heat for not making the AAC a tough place to play, but tonight the sixth man came through.

Actually, it was the eighth man into the game for Dallas that fueled the fire...

• Jason Terry came off the bench after Eddie Jones and Brandon Bass entered the game.  JET wasted little time getting going.  Mavs fans say, "JET is on the runway."  After tonight, JET is soaring.  He dropped 30 points (one shy of his season high) on the Hornets, connecting on 50% of his 3-pointers, and energizing the fans with timely buckets.  Terry has been up and down during the 2007-08 season, but if he's at one of these peaks (instead of one of his valley's), the Mavericks are a dangerous team.  Dirk has to be respected as a great shooter.  If Terry is also on, an opposing defense gets stretched mighty thin.
  

But if a hot-shooting Terry will stretch the floor, Dirk needs to get back to his top-tier form...

• With three minutes and change left in tonight's game, Dirk had nine (not nineteen, not twenty-nine - just nine) points.  He finished 4-for-16 with 12 points.  That's 25% shooting.  Either Dirk is still is a great deal of pain from the ankle injury he suffered a few weeks back against San Antonio on Easter, or he had an off night.  Mavs fans should pray it's the latter.  If Dirk is still recovering - which I believe to some extent he is - then time is up on how long he has to get back to 100%.  The playoffs begin now.  NOW!  Readysetgo!  So while he's still a little sore, Nowitzki has to fight through it now.  No more waiting.  The positive aspect of tonight's game: the Mavs won - and won BIG - without a big performance from the Big German.  If Dirk hadn't been injured and was at 100% going into this series, I'd pick the Mavs in 6. No question.  With Dirk hurt, it's going to be a much playoff first-round match-up for Dallas.

Speaking of recovering from injuries, it was good to see Jerry Stackhouse get back into things...

• Stack had been out for a few weeks, and while he only played 16 minutes scoring 4 points, his return still gives Dallas a boost heading into the first round of the playoffs.  While he didn't pour in the points, when Terry goes for 30, Stack doesn't need to.  Getting some early court-time gave Stack a chance to get his legs back under him and see some game action.  Now he's not going into the first round of the playoffs cold.  Good to see him back.  He's by far the best singer of the Star Spangled Banner on the entire Mavericks roster.

Jason Kidd gave the fans a reason to sing his name when he grabbed rebound number 10 on the night... 

• Kidd recorded his 100th career triple-double tonight with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.  It's his first trip-dub since returning to the Mavericks in February.  The surprising stat from Kidd tonight has to be the 27 points.  Yes, Dirk was off so J-Kidd needed to step up, but if Kidd is scoring more than 20 points, the Mavericks are going to win.  It's that simple.  He is not the go-to shooter for the Mavs.  He's not their second option (Josh Howard) or their third option (JET/Stack).  But Kidd was there there behind the arc knocking down triples and driving to the basket for lay-ups.  When Kidd gets his, he rallies the Mavs because he signifies the "win-now" attitude this team grew into.  The trade for #2 meant Dallas wanted to charge hard for a shot at getting back to the finals, and they wanted to do it now.  Kidd scoring, dishing, boarding, stealing... when he's on, it validates the trade and give Dallas life.

It also didn't hurt tonight that MVP-candidate Chris Paul picked up his fifth foul right before Dallas went on their monstrous second-half run to take the lead for good...

• Chris Paul, or CP3, or C3PO is a great player.  He made some amazing shots tonight and put the Hornets in a position to win.  At least, until he got in foul trouble.  Mavs fans shouldn't count on him being on the bench during some crucial minutes because he's picked up some careless fouls when the playoffs come around.  It was a nice bonus tonight for Dallas, but Paul will be on the court down the stretch over the next two weeks.  It's clear why he's an MVP candidate.  

Speaking of MVP candidates, things could have been much worse for the Mavs had they dropped tonight's game...

• The Los Angels Lakers, and their other-worldly assassin of a shooter Kobe Bryant, locked up the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.  Avoiding LA as long as possible is the best chance for Western Conference teams to advance.  I don't know if LA will get out of the West and into the finals (perhaps an old-school LAL-BOS final?  Anyone?), but Dallas is fortunate they open in New Orleans instead of at Staples Center.  Plain and simple: Kobe kills Dallas.  He has for years.  He has post-Shaq.  If Dirk isn't 100%, Dallas's odd versus LAL aren't nearly what they need to be to pull the upset.  Kobe will be the 2008 MVP, and his team will be playing well into May.  Best advice for Dallas: stay out of their way as long as possible.
  

In the meantime, Dallas and Mavs fans can relax and get ready for the playoffs.  The team needs to prepare for a young and gritty New Orleans Hornets team that what they lack in post-season experience, they make up for with spunk (sort of like the 2001 Mavericks).  The MFFL must mentally prepare themselves for the fact that Dallas is not the "top dog" of the West this year.  Actually, they're second-to-last among playoff teams.  As the seventh seed, in order to pull the upset, the crowd will need to make American Airlines Center a difficult place to play for the Hornets.  New Orleans has never won at the Double-A C (which opened in 2001).  If that trend continues, the Mavs task can be simplified into two words: steal one.  Steal one.  If Dallas steals one game at New Orleans, they can win this series and advance.

Considering some local sports pundits were looking for a lottery pick mere weeks ago, advancing to the second round (regardless of what happens after that) would be a huge boost to the Mavs team for next season.  They are built to win soon, not long-term.  Getting the seventh seed is already a "win" for this team compared to how they played early on in the Kidd 2.0 era.  Now it's time to prove to the rest of the league - and in all honesty to themselves - that the Mavericks belong in the conversation as a championship-caliber team.

Let the (playoff) games begin!

3rd period may have saved series

Tonight's loss could have stung a lot worse for the Stars.  While a two-goal third period could not salvage Game 3, it may have just saved the series.

When Brenden Morrow scored his second goal of the third period to bring the score to the eventual final of 4-2, the Dallas crowd powered up.  The Stars became more aggressive along with their more realistic chance to complete a comeback.  While the four-goal comeback fell short, the surge sent a message to the Anaheim Ducks:

The Stars will not be rolling over.

Dallas still holds a 2-1 series lead.  A loss tonight is not a catastrophe thanks to sweeping the opening two games at Honda Center.  But had tonight's loss been by the demoralizing score of 4-0, I think the mentality of the team would be at a much lower point going into Game 4.  Because the Stars made a late charge to bring the deficit to two, the Stars should gain some confident and momentum that will carry over from tonight's final period into the opening moment of Thursday's game.

When the puck drops in 45 hours, the Stars should come out strong.  The Ducks still have some momentum from winning Game 3, but when Anaheim called their timeout after Dallas pulled within two, it sent a message to not only the Stars but the crowd at the Double-A C.  The Ducks needed to find a band-aid to stop the third-period bleeding.  They found it when they killed a four-minute penalty late in the game, but the panicky timeout represented the fear Anaheim had of letting things get more out of control.

Come Thursday, we'll see who takes control by winning the game and going on to win this opening-round series.  The Game 4 winner will go on to take this series.  If the Ducks win, it's 2-2, and all the good work Dallas did by winning twice in Anaheim is ancient history.  A win for Dallas, and the Stars go up 3-1 with three chances to put away the Stanley Cup champions.

Go Stars!

Goodbye Gumbel

Bryant Gumbel's tenure in the booth at the NFL Network is over.  It's about time. It's so hard to listen to Gumbel calling NFL games the past two seasons.  It's bad enough he can't get players names right, and he doesn't have a strong concept of the game of football.

Gumbel no longer calling games for NFL Network is a good first step in improving the actual live game broadcast that NFL Network airs. This is truly a cause for celebration for football fans nationwide. I don't know of too many Cowboys fans who will miss hearing about our amazing young QB "Rick Romo."

Past posts about Gumbel's play-by-play for NFLN:

• Moe Larry Curly (Dec. 29, 2007)
• Triple-Gumbel not good for anyone (Dec. 29, 2007)
• Play-by-play problems (Dec. 21, 2006)

Duck Hunt

After two games in Anaheim to open their first-round playoff series between the Dallas Stars and the Ducks, I'm not surprised to see a 2-0 series. I just had no idea it would be the Ducks now chasing the series.

Dallas has looked liked a team of Stars with goalie Marty Turco allowing only two goals in two games, including a shut out in Game 1 (his fourth in his last seven playoff games). The powerplay has been disgustingly successful (6-of-13) while the penalty kill has frustrated the Ducks (1-of-9).

While it might be a shock the Stars left Anaheim with a 2-0 series lead, this is a Stars team that has been trying to gel since making the deadline deal to bring Brad Richards to Dallas from Tampa Bay. Now the Stars seem to gellin' like a fellon who just stole two games that on paper they had no business winning.

The series moves to the American Airlines Center in Dallas this Tuesday with Dallas working on putting a big hurt on the Ducks. If Dallas can go up 3-0, they will have two chances (if necessary) to close out the series in Dallas. However, after how they've been playing in the first two games, maybe going for the series win in Anaheim would be better.

Will the Stars go all the way? Eh, there's not really a lot of evidence from the regular season that suggests they can. However if you ask that question and must answer based on what we've seen in two playoff games (an admittedly small sample size), then you have to like Dallas's chances for a deep playoff run.

Mavs losses cause for concern

With the Mavs loss tonight to the Seattle SuperSonics, they have now put themselves in the position where the Mavericks must beat the New Orleans Hornets to secure the seventh seed and avoid the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. And if the Mavs want to enjoy a long (or at least longer than last year) playoff run, avoid LAL in the first round will be key.

The loss to Portland on Saturday was discouraging, but the Seattle game placed the Mavericks in an emotion-filled arena much like the kind they'll find in the playoffs. The SuperSonics were playing what appears to be their final game in Seattle unless courts decide the owners cannot move the team to Oklahoma City just yet. As a result, the Key Arena crowd was juiced. They were pumped. Chants of "SAVE OUR SONICS! SAVE OUR SONICS!" echoed through the building. To honor their city and their fans, the SuperSonics put forth an extraordinary effort.

The Mavericks need to take notice. Those raucous arenas are going to become more of the norm than an abberation over the next few weeks. You think the New Orleans Hornets fans wouldn't have their fans ready to go for their first playoff series since the team moved to New Orleans from Charlotte? You think the Lakers fans at the Staples Center won't be pumped? Any chance the defending champion Spurs and their fans will be yawning over the opportunity to send home the Mavericks in the first round? Don't count on it.

The one positive to take away from the loss in Seattle:

• I did like how Avery Johnson called a timeout with 1.4 seconds left after the Sonics hit a free throw to put the game out of reach. Despite being down four, Avery was drawing up a game-winning type of play the Mavericks will probably need for the post-season. While the timeout drew boos from a packed Key Arena and extended a game that was already decided, the timeout gave the Mavs a chance to get ready for high-pressure playoff scenarios. The last-second shot by Dirk hit the rim and missed, but he did get the shot off and wasn't too far off the mark. That's encouraging.

So now Dallas has one game left in the regular season, a regular season that only seven months ago people were calling insignificant. Remember the days of October/November when all the talk was about, "Well, once the Mavs get back to the playoffs, that's where we'll really be able to rate their season." I submit to you this season's ratings can be separated: regular and post seasons. I may not have made that argument back in the fall of 2007, but it's spring 2008, so all bets are off.

Dallas has a chance to upset a top-tier team in the playoffs. Actually, anyone in the Western Conference who registers a series win will have knocked off a top-tier team, a 50-win team at that. So while the Mavericks playoff success will - I believe - largely depend on who they face in the first round, their regular season success has come in spurts and therefore is difficult to measure.

If the Mavs get hot in the post-season, they are going to be a very difficult team to stop. Remember, Dirk and Co. are just two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance. On the other hand, when Dallas has been off this season, they have been way off. The playoffs will depend not only on which team shows up to face Dallas, but also on which Dallas team shows up to play. This team has been so up and down, they are difficult to truly guage. Before back-to-back loses in the Pacific Northwest, I thought this team was capable of advancing to the conference finals. After losing to the likes of Portland and Seattle, all that confidence evaporated as quickly as a 13-point lead with six minutes to play in the third game of an NBA Finals (not that I have a specific example in mind).

So as the Mavs close out their regular season Wednesday in what could be a playoff preview against the New Orleans Hornets, look for which Mavericks team is showing up. Are they going for the W in order to end the regular season on a high - something they failed to do last year before exiting in the first round? Or are the Mavericks on cruise control, going through the motions and waiting until it matters. I suggest it already matters. How will the Mavericks respond?

Great team (of cheaters) ever

It was only September when the Patriots were accused of cheating. That's not all that long ago. Belichick paid a $500,000 fine! New England was docked a first round draft pick. Yet all anyone can talk about is how this Patriots team might be the greatest team ever.

I'm not trying to say the Pats don't have a talented team, but if you cheated the very first week of the season, what's to say they still haven't been doing something against the NFL rules. And even if they haven't been, who is to say they paid the price yet?

What they did I think is right up there with baseball players using steroids or even an NBA ref shaving points. They tainted the game. They tarnished the integrity of football. How does a team like that get a pass just because they won a lot.

OF COURSE THEY WON A LOT! They've probably been gathering film on other teams league-wide for years. So even though they got caught the first game of the season (which was not the first time the Pats got in trouble for doing something like this), Belichick may very well still have a full library of tapes on all other teams.

The Pats offense was prolific this year. No kidding! They had the defensive signals for other teams. If the offense knows the coverage the defense is in, it's not hard to expose them.

I'm under the belief that the Patriots did not need to cheat to win this season. In fact, they may have very well gone undefeated regardless. They have a very talented team. But maybe they've been just a little too good. Example: There's no way they would have lost to the Dolphins regardless of any spying or scandal or anything like that. But what about the Colts? What about the Chargers? What about the Eagles? Hell, what about the Eagles in the Super Bowl a few years ago???

And that's the key. The Patriots success and their cheating scandal are not mutually exclusive. They are instead very much intertwind. You can't separate them. So before you declare this the greatest team ever, make sure they aren't also the greatest cheaters ever too.

Raider unrest

I can't imagine why anyone would want to coach the Oakland Raiders while Al Davis is still in charge.  He is reportedly pushing for the resignation of head coach Lane Kiffin after going 4-12 in Kiffin's first season at the helm.  I understand that 4-12 is not something to be proud of, but after one season???

I can understand Cam Cameron being fired in Miami after going a dismal 1-15.  The biggest reason he was let go is the fact that Bill Parcells took over that franchise and wanted to bring in his own coach.  But Kiffin was brought in by Davis last season.  Kiffin isn't facing the front office going through changes like the Dolphins franchise down in Miami.  Kiffin still has the same boss that every Raider coach has had since the 1960s.

The biggest problem for anyone who coaches Oakland is that they must coach in the shadow of the man who hired them.  Al Davis went 10-4 in his first season as head coach of the Raiders, and now he expects that from every other coach he brings in.  Anything else will result in the immediate termination of the man in charge.

Just look at recent history.  After John Gruden left the Raiders to set sail on a pirate ship in Tampa, four men have captained this sinking vessel of a franchise: Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell and Lane Kiffin.

Callahan was fired after going from Super Bowl to Super-Bust.  One year after losing to Gruden and the Bucs in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Silver and Black went 4-12.  Callahan was relieved of his command.  Enter Norv Turner.  The Raiders went 5-11 and 4-12 the next two seasons.  Exit Norv Turner.  Raiders retread Art Shell assumed head coaching responsibilities only to guide this so-called Commitment to Excellence to an NFL-worst 2-14 record.  Davis made sure to let Shell know not to let the door hit him where the lord split him on his way out.

So now Kiffin faces the same problem as his predecessors.  And while I am not a huge Kiffin fan (I wish Reggie Bush had at least been on the field on 4th & 2 in the Rose Bowl against Texas), I respect his refusal to sign any letter of resignation.  A head coach in the NFL must be given some time to build a franchise.

What if Jimmy Johnson had been fired after going 1-15 in his first season?  What if Tom Landry had been fired after the Cowboys began 0-11-1.  What if Bill Belichick hadn't been brought in by the Patriots because of his track record in Cleveland?  What if Bill Parcells had been fired after going 3-12-1 in his first season with the Giants in 1983?  What if Bill Walsh had been fired after going 2-14 in his first season as 49ers head coach?

All of those are great coaches with multiple Super Bowl titles.  All of them were given time to build great teams.  It takes time to do.  Unfortunately that is the one thing Raiders owner Al Davis won't grant any of his head coaches.

COY: Cheater of the Year

This week, New England Patriot's head coach Bill Belichick was named NFL Coach of the Year.  The only appropriate word to describe this is disgusting.  Actually, it's an outright disgrace to the game.

Last season, I remember Miami Dolphin defensive end Jason Taylor saying that San Diego's Shawn Meriman shouldn't be eligible for NFL Defensive Player of the Year because he had been suspended four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.  Meriman was reportedly taking performance-enhancing drugs.  So he was cheating.

The plain and simple translation of what Taylor was saying: If you cheat, you shouldn't be able to win these coveted awards.

So much for that.  Belichick, the 2007 Coach of the Year, is the same man who received the largest individual fine in NFL history ($500,000) while getting his franchise fined a quarter-million dollars and losing their first-round draft pick.  Just look at how much those fines are.  And taking away a pick?  That never happens.  

The gravity of these punishments tell you just how detrimental the acts were.  Stealing defensive signals compromises the integrity of the game.  I think those penalties are much harsher than a four-game suspension for one player.  

And it's not like there weren't other coaches who had success this season.  Green Bay's Mike McCarthy.  Cleveland's Romeo Crennell.  Dallas's Wade Phillips.  Heck, even Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville had a great year.

I realize that the Patriots did the unthinkable and ran the table for the perfect 16-0 regular season, but don't think that it isn't tainted by the Spygate scandal.  And as a result, Belichick should not have won the COY award.  By Belichick winning, it's the NFL that loses.

High-step hijinx

Perhaps I've fallen ill to the "good ol' days" syndrome, and I'm representing a sec of unsportsmanlike sore losers and bad winners.  Or maybe - just maybe - college football is getting a little too sensitive.

I sure think so.

In the first quarter of tonight's FedEx Orange Bowl, a Kansas defensive back intercepted a Virginia Tech pass and had nothing in front of him but yards of open field and end zone.

The DB took off, crossed midfield, started to pull away from the nearest Hokie, and as he got within the 10 yard line kicked his legs up a la Deion Sanders.  He high stepped in for six points.  Touchdown Kansas!

I guess that is disrespectful to Virginia Tech to high-step into the end zone, but I can't see that being such a flagrant display of poor sportsmanship that it merits a 15-yard penalty - which ended up being the result.  The same thing happened on a more flamboyant play in the Rose Bowl when USC's Desmond Reed flipped into the end zone.

I don't think the flip should have been a 15 yard penalty, but I can see how if perhaps a player flipping around got hit in midair, or perhaps missed the landing an twisted an ankle, it could be a problem.  But to that I would say, "Dont showboat into the end zone if someone is close enough to you where you might not score!"

But if you're got nothing but wide open spaces between you and the nearest defender and want to high-step into the end zone, there's no reason that merits a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

If anyone should be penalized, it should be the Virginia Tech QB who threw a ball that was destined for nothing but six Jayhawk points.  I think the "powers that be" of college football are getting too sensitive to these sort of things.

In the NFL, if a player spikes a ball after a non-scoring play, I understand a penalty in that situation because that does in fact slow down the game because someone must then go retrieve the ball before the next play is run.  But we are talking about a scoring play!

What's next?  Will referees be required to determine if players are in fact running full speed the entire time they have the ball en route to the end zone.  If a player slows up and jogs into the end zone after a long kick return or reception with no opposing player in sight, perhaps he deserves a 15-yard penalty.  Although, then officials must determine if he slowed down while approaching the end zone because he was tired or because he wanted to showboat.

What if a player dunks the football over the uprights?  Now he's not only mocking the football players but also basketball players!  EGREGIOUS! OUTRAGEOUS!    Or maybe it's just fun.

So why not let the players play.  Let them enjoy their highlight reel moments.  Even let them *gasp* high-step into the end zone.  In looking at the biggest problems in sports these days (referees gambling, performance-enhancing drugs, accepting money from boosters or agents, or even spying on other teams), high-stepping into the end zone shouldn't be the biggest problem.

Flutie not head-over-heels for flips

During the Rose Bowl halftime show, ABC/ESPN analyst Doug Flutie made a comment that perplexed me (not that that's a tough thing to do, but nevertheless--).

He said - and I'm paraphrasing - that Desmond Reed's flip into the end zone after a perfectly executed wide receiver pass was completely and totally uncalled for and that, if he were the USC coach, he'd sit Reed down for the rest of the game to teach him a lesson.

Hey, Doug, ease up man. Seriously, this is not an egregiously vicious helmet to helmet hit on a quarterback. Reed didn't take the ball and perform an elaborate two-minute skit a la the Bengal's Chad Johnson. He flipped into the end zone. Something that plenty of college football players have been doing all season.

Was it a little much? Eh, I don't think so. It's the Rose Bowl. As a player, you're fired up and when you get a chance to score a touchdown you should embrace it. Reed what excited to score. He was head-over-heels as we all saw. But to claim that Reed should be benched in the second half is ridiculous.