<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The mental hangover lasted about a month. Losing the last four games of the NBA Finals after being up 2-0 isn't something one rebounds from over the weekend. Avery Johnson won't ever completely get over it. Not as long as basketballs bound off the hardwood. But, as the summer wound down, the Mavericks coach moved on. An eye-opening two-week tour of Africa began the healing process. The anticipation of what lies ahead, and the work involved, finished the job. A week from training camp, the defending Western Conference champions appear stronger than they were three months ago. So does Johnson. "You're always going to think about it," Johnson said recently about the loss to Miami. "The way you manage last season or manage a loss of a game is the key. Look at the way we managed losing against Phoenix [in the 2005 playoffs]. "What did we learn from it? How can we improve ourselves in the short term and the long term? It sticks with you, but you have to move forward." The first steps for Johnson were overseas. His trip began in late July in Senegal, home of DeSagana Diop and his family. With his cellphone quiet -- no signal -- he left the U.S. behind, decompressed and absorbed Africa. Diop, an always jovial 7-footer, played tour guide, and Johnson, despite the depressing conditions that plague the West African country, found joy. "Everybody in his family is in great shape," Johnson said of the Diop clan. "They walk everywhere. His dad isn't used to getting on buses and cars. He walks everywhere. "They are people that live in a place that can be very depressing to live in, but they're so happy. They just are fun people." The spirit of the Senegalese people moved Johnson. "They do more with a little than we do with a lot," he said. Johnson's trip to Goree Island, an isle off the coast of Senegal that served as a depot for slaves before their transfer to North America, and his visit to the site of Nelson Mandela's imprisonment on Robben Island in South Africa further touched the New Orleans native before his return to Texas on Aug. 8. "Just to see the struggle people had, especially to make my life a little easier in 2006, is emotional," Johnson said. "For me, reconnecting with where it all began gave me a greater sense of appreciation for who I am, what I do, my family and this country. We obviously aren't perfect, but it's a great country."</div> Source
If Nowitzki has another career year (which I think he will) and everyone stays healthy theres no reason why they can't take it this year. They havn't lost too many important players but they've added some key ones like Buckner, George and Johnson. Also with both Harris and Howard improving and Terry looking for a title they'll be a feared team in the league.
I dont think last year, the Mavs actually thought they were capable of making it to the Finals. Now that they do, they should get the trophy!
Call me crazy but I don't think they will win the title much less make it to the WCF. I can't really explain it other than a gut feeling.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting samoan-maverick:</div><div class="quote_post">You gotta bold gut partner.</div> And a big one as well. I'm not hating on the Mavs it's just I don't think they will make it to the WCF. Like I said, just a gut feeling. I'm not going to argue that their depth isn't deep, or the team isn't good because they are good if not great in both aspects.
