It's so weird. Lakes Fans (definitely including myself) HATED the Dallas Mavericks earlier in the season. Kobe dropped 62 on these cats and they talked a lot of sh!t back saying he's a one-man show, etc. Not to mention Josh Howard's cheap shot at Kobe. Yet, I found myself kinda liking this dude too. They showed heart to me (despite what people wanna say about them losing in the Finals). I could never see this happening with the Phoenix Suns or Raja Bell, but the Mavericks were different. They were indeed Kobe haters. Come the playoffs, HELL, I love this team. They were playing great ball, and despite the Kobe beef, I found myself rooting for them. I was so excited when they knocked out the damn Spurs (slowly they started becoming a dynasty, always finding their way to the finals) but when they loss to the Heat, I felt really bad for them. It got me wondering if Kobe started to maybe sway towards liking the Mavericks, especially considering they faced the two teams KOBE and Laker Fans hated: Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat. I know for DAMN sure, Kobe wanted Mavs to kill the Heat. Not only so SHAQ wouldn't get his 4th ring, but the fact that Kobe dropped 62 in 3 quarters against the Championship team, meaning his 81 pt outburst against the Raptors wasn't because of their shitty team. I also went from hating Mark Cuban to admiring this guy. What's wrong with a man who sold a dot com and is now a Billionaire and owns a successful basketball team, that he gives a lot of benefits to the fans, players, and staff. Has so much heart and keeps it real. Yeah, he has childish outbursts from here to there, but to me it proves he's just like one of us (except with a billion more dollars) LOL. I remember hearing a story that Cuban was a Dallas fan and was upset at how bad the team was playing and how he was unhappy with the Mavericks, and someone told him, well why don't you do something about if you think you can do better. And that's exactly what he did. Cuban is good for the league, I love how he gives David J Stern a hard time about the shitty officiating in the game and is saying what a lot of us fans would love to say to the commisioner. Well going a little off topic now about Cuban, what do you guys think about what I said, have you guys noticed Mavericks going from enemies to....allies?? EDIT: If you haven't read this article by Bill Simmons, I definitely suggest reading it: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...=simmons/060620
I wanted Dallas to win the series even though I'm not a big fan of the Mavericks, and I'm a big DWade fan. However, after watching Game 3 I lost a lot of respect for the series. The last 6 minutes of the game was some of the worst officiating ever. They blatantly favored the Heat in that game and it tainted the NBA Finals. After that I was mainly rooting for what ever team I had money on. And after watching how the officials handled the series it was easy to cash in on Game 4, 5, and 6. I agree with you on Mark Cuban. I couldn't stand him when he first took over as the Mavs owner. I hate owners who try to micro manage a roster and are constantly tinkering with it. However, once Cuban became hands off I took the time to learn more about him. What I like about Cuban is he is a fan of the game. The guys is the average fanatic out there cheering his team and living and dying on every play. I love that about Cuban, because he genuinely cares about winning. I see the same passion in him that I used to see in Dr. Buss when he first took over the Lakers. More owners should be like Cuban, IMO.
I think it's awesome that a NBA team owner has his own blog (www.blogmaverick.com) I like it a lot, and the fact that Cuban is a fan of the game, makes him that much better than some of the other snobby owners. Dr. Buss needs to stop playing so much Poker and start worrying about his damn Laker team if you ask me.
Buss needs to shake up the management side of the organization. Everyone who speaks for the organization is vague and doesn't seem to have a clear understanding of what direction to take the team. It's like a constant struggle within the organization one side wants to win now with Kobe, and one side wants to continue rebuiding. It makes it hard to get anything done when people aren't on the same page.
Cuban is good for this league and he is someone that we can all relate to...minus the money of course...he is a rags to riches story and not only that..he hasnt lost sight of who he is when he got the riches, instead he keeps it real and is like anyone of us...I bet if he was a Laker owner we'd love the man...(not saying we dont now)...because all the things he would do for the team and stand up for the team..are exactly things each and everyone of us want to do if we had the chance....truly amazing and respectable guy...also I liked the Mavs during the playoffs and season..mainly cause they played great D...but I agree with Shape...the officials should hoist that trophy...not Miami..
