It's Over

Well, the Mavericks 2003-2004 season came to an abrupt halt last night at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. I wasn't mad when the game ended. I didn't throw anything. I didn't even cuss. I just turned the channel and began getting ready for next year.

What a crazy series. The Kings in the first round. We lost in five. BUT, if you go back and change three plays in the series, THREE, the Mavs win in five.

In a series that lasted nearly 250 minutes, a few seconds could have changed the outcome.

In Game 5 if Dirk hits the last shot? Mavs win 120-119. In Game 2, if Marquis Daniels hits the lay-up after the offensive board with just seconds to go. Mavs win 82-80. And in Game 4, if Stevie Nash comes away with a 3-pointer instead of a crazy fadeaway (which he is perfectly capable of hitting), Mavs win 95-94 and win the series.

Three plays. Three plays will haunt the Mavs all summer. Three plays will make the "experts" say the Mavs were horrible. They were "blown away" by the Kings. They need to make big changes. Well, all the "experts" will be wrong.

Charles Barkley said after the season-ending game that the Mavs can't rebound. They were the #1 offensive rebounding team in the league this year and were right up there in defensive rebounds, too.

This season reminds me a lot of the 2001-2002 season when we acquired Raef LaFrentz and Nick VanExel about halfway through the season. We lost to the Kings in five in the Western Semis. The Mavs hadn't had a chance to gel. The chemistry wasn't there.

What happened the next year? They won 60 games and took the Spurs to Game 6 in the Conference Finals.

Don't worry Mavs fans. We'll keep the core we have, become a better defensive team (as we have done every year) and make a deep run in the playoffs next year.

All is well. The Mavs will be back.