PLAYOFF PREVIEW

OK, here we go again. For third straight year, the Dallas Mavericks are on the brink of an NBA championship. They're within striking distance of the Larry O'Brien Trophy. They are 16 games away from literally making me the happiest man on the face of the Earth.

But, alas, as close as it seems, the title is still a world away. To end the year with a win, Dallas must get past a pesky Golden State team in the first round (a team coached by former Mav Coach Don Nelson, the guy who turned the worst pro team of the 90s into a perennial power).

After the first round, Dallas will play the winner of the Utah/Houston series. Both of those teams are gritty, hard-nosed teams which will be tough for the Mavs to match up with. Clearly, Dallas is better than either of those teams, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the Mavs lost.

After the second round, the Conference Finals' opponent will more than likely be the Suns or Spurs. The Mavericks have played in three Conference Finals in their history: they've played the Lakers, Spurs and Suns.

I think Dallas finally broke its mental hurdle against San Antonio when Dirk made that lay-up/3-point play to tie Game 7 of last year's conference semis. We'll beat the Spurs.

It's the Suns that scare the bejeebers out of me. They're a matchup nightmare, and are the underdogs this year.

My prediction is that hopefully Steve Nash will finally break down and get hurt in the post-season. I've thought that would happen ever since he left Dallas. But he's a wiry one, tough as they come. Hate to say it, but I love the guy. Sometimes I just wish he would blow out every ligament in his knee going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

I truly believe Dallas can win the NBA championship. If they don't, we have maybe one or two more seasons with this group to go for it.

One thing to note: We went 6-4 in the last 10 games of the season. Obviously the worst 10 game stretch of the year. But as I wrote in a blog about a year ago - "Last season (2004-2005) the Mavs won 19 of their last 21 games and nine in a row to close out the season...they lost in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semis (2nd round). The year before that? Dallas went 10-2 in the last 12, a good finish, but lost in Game 5 of the 1ST ROUND! So where does the positive come in? Right here.In 2002-2003, arguably the greatest single season in Mavericks history, Dallas went 9-6 down the stretch but advanced to Game 6 of the Conference Finals. The only other time the Mavs have made it further? Game 7 of the 1987-88 Conference Finals, but that year they didn't win 60 games."
Dallas goes deeper in the post-season when they close out the season on a downward spiral. Just something to keep in mind.

The first game is tomorrow night. Dallas vs. Golden State. Today is April 21st, 2007. Hopefully, sometime in June, I'll be writing a "What this Championship Means to Me" blog.

Hears to some good memories...go Mavs.