6 Minutes

Four in a row. The Mavs lost four in a row. And it can all be traced back to game 3, when there was six minutes left and the Mavs held a 10 point lead. Three games and six minutes later, the Heat are champions. I have been sports crying ever since. On the flip side of that I kinda feel relieved, now that they have lost. It's a strange feeling. I think it must be how the players feel. I mean, they would trade anything to have that game 7, but the loss means this emotional and physical roller coaster is over. Think about it. The Mavs and the Heat have played almost an additional 1/4th of a season since the regular season ended. That's amazing. What if we did this in all sports? What if after a marathon runner won a 10k, he and the other top eight guys had to run another 2.5k? That would be absurd. You really have to appreciate the grind these guys go through.

The emotional aspect is tough on both the players and the fans. Going from being up on the Spurs, to having to win Game 7 on a last second foul. Then going up on PHX and then having to win on the road. This whole playoff experience is full of highs and lows and it takes its toll on you, and at least one part of me is glad its over--even though we lost.

That said, I have a few issues to take up. The Mavs blew this finals. No question. But they were also screwed over by the refs. Before you label me as making excuses, hear me out. We all know that Wade got an absurd amount of calls, but stars will get those calls and the Mavs still could have won despite the fact that there were a bunch of phantom calls. Let's just focus on the final seconds of games 5 and 6. Wade was given fouls that put him on the line after Dallas had either tied it or pulled with in one point. Neither of these fouls was worthy of calling. That's not my opinion, that’s the truth. In game 5 Wade wasn't touched. In game 6, Wade actually elbowed Dirk in the face. But again, that's Dirk's fault, if you hit someone in the elbow with your face its a foul; much like how if your name is Keith Van Horn and you stand with in five feet of Tim Duncan its also a foul. I'm pretty sure those are in the rule book. The point that I am trying to make is that in the most important part of the most important games, the refs made calls that were not only borderline, but they were flat wrong. Being a ref myself, sometimes at the end of a game you have to swallow your whistle, or you better be damn sure that it’s a foul. This kinda put the Mavs in a position where it is very hard to bounce back from two games in a row. Add to this their soft playing, cold shooting, and unforced errors (i.e. the timeout debacle in game 5) and you are not only playing against the Heat, but yourselves too.

My buddy, Adam, called me after the game to say that he felt the Heat had the better team and made better moves in the off-season. Despite being beaten like they did, the Mavs had a far superior team. The Heat just had the best player. When you have a player of Wade's quality, and you play tough and go to the hole, you will win. Period.

I have to wonder what the Mavs are thinking about right now. I don't think they would ever say anything to take this win away from the Heat, but you have to wonder if they know what they've just done. Like Herb Brooks said to Team USA after beating the Soviets, "If you lose this game you will take this to your fucking grave." That must be resonating in their heads. You have to wonder what kind of mental damage this might have on the team because, you know, deep down, they are asking themselves, "How in the world, did we lose this series?"

Random Quick Hits:
--While watching the game on Tuesday night, my buddy RT and I were discussing whether Mark Cuban was detrimental to the team with his outbursts and what not. I said that the team would not be where it is without him, but I'm sure he's not helping by running his mouth so much. We then got to the subject of his mansion where he lived with Dennis Rodman for a while and how there was nothing in it but a TV, a couch, a bed, and a place for his beer. RT summed this up by saying:

Dude, love him or hate him, Cuban is straight up "dude."

You can't argue with that. The guy is the man of all men. He went to a Mavs game and bought the team because he thought the atmosphere was boring. Just like that! He turned the team into his personal amusement park and hasn't changed one bit. He's still just a dude, but with billions. For example, all guys want to look their best in an interview, and most would agree that they look best while working out. Cuban just had the balls to go ahead and jump on a treadmill before a game interview. Twice! He may be a bit crazy, and have bad hair, but Mark Cuban, as RT said, is straight up "dude."

--Isaiah is now the COACH of the Knicks! Look here! It goes from bad to worse. Sometimes you need news like this to remember that your team was just in the Finals, while the Knicks are doomed for years. My day is already better.

--I am number 2 on google when you search the title of this site! I am now gunning for number one. Next stop the world!