NBA Playoffs

Forgetting About Last Night and Entering Must-Win Mode: Texas Rangers-St. Louis Cardinals World Series Game 4 Preview and Open Thread

St. Louis CardinalsAlbert Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series game. He also became the third player to have six RBI and the second player to have five hits in a World Series game. Oh, and he set a record for total bases as well with ... More >>

The 2011 Mavs Vs. the '88 Version, In a Battle of Smooth Vs. Smothering

The Mavs are NBA champions, but are they the best team in franchise history?

Ed-die's Bet-ter ... Clap-Clap-CLAPCLAPCLAP!

We've seen the Rangers in the World Series and the Mavs win the NBA Finals, and on Tuesday I was reminded just how great a Stanley Cup run can be when former Stars' goalie Ed Belfour and current GM Joe Nieuwendyk were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. They'll officially be in ... More >>

The Mavericks Finally Fought Back, and They Have the Title to Prove It

Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs shed labels and the Miami Heat on the way to their first NBA championship.

2011 Dallas Mavericks' NBA Playoffs: My Top 10 Observer-ational Moments

​10. It was a simple offensive rebound and putback layup off the glass, but when Shawn Marion produced it at the end of the third quarter on April 25 it gave the Mavericks a 14-point lead over the Blazers in crucial Game 5 of the first round, and it restored confidence in the Mavs two days af ... More >>

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry: Validation with a Vengeance

​As I watched Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki try to keep an eye and arm on their new NBA Finals and NBA Finals MVP trophies, all the while swigging from a bottle of bubbly as big as a small pony, it struck me just how perfect this night was. The Mavericks -- those soft lil' Mav-wrecks -- were he ... More >>

Don't Look Now, But Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Won a Championship the Right Way

​Mark Cuban was fuming. His team had just blown a 23-point lead in a Game 4 loss to Portland in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Mavericks were two losses from another early-round exit, the likely firing of head coach Rick Carlisle and yet another in a seemingly endless re-shuffling of ... More >>

You Can Watch Game 6 Inside the American Airlines Center. Just Not Outside the AAC.

The vibe, inside and outside the AAC, during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 2​Happened to be down in Victory Park for drinksa meeting during Game 2 of The Finals. Got there well before tip-off, and a small line was already beginning to snake around the American Airlines Center; folks were also s ... More >>

Whitt's End: 6.10.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *In 31 years of basketball, the Dallas Mavericks have won a combined (regular season and playoffs) 1,349 games. One more in Miami either Sunday or Tuesday and they are NBA Champions. *Histor ... More >>

Mavs Fans Deserve a Title, and Have the Scars to Prove It

The Mavericks have too many noble causes to not produce one last comeback

If This Doesn't Get You Fired Up for Tonight's Game 5, Please Stay Home

They've been showing this video at American Airlines Center during The NBA Finals and it's awesomely badass. Says Mavs' general manager Donnie Nelson, "I'm sitting in a suite and by the time that thing ends everybody in there is standing up and cheering and they've got that look in their eye. It's ... More >>

2011 NBA FINALS GAME 5: Feels Like Game 7 Don't it LeGone James?

​In four NBA Finals' fourth quarters, LeBron James has three baskets. He's been outscored in the final quarters of this series by Dirk Nowitzki, 44-9. In Game 4 he not only scored a playoff career-low 8 points -- first time in 433 games he's been held below 10 -- he let Jason Terry ... More >>

Dirk's Fever > Miami's Heat

​Fittingly, sitting courtside at American Airlines Center last night: Emmitt Smith. What he witnessed was perhaps Dallas-Fort Worth's gutsiest individual performance since, well, his own masterpiece 17 years ago. Yep, on a night when he fought a 101-degree fever, Dirk Nowitzki will ... More >>

The Top 10 Wins in the History of Your Dallas Mavericks

​With any luck we'll be re-writing this list in the coming week. But for now, last night's pulsating win at American Airlines Center certainly is among the best in Dallas Mavericks franchise history: 10.  6.2.88 -- Mavs 105, Lakers 103: Led by Sixth Man of the Year Roy Tarpley's 20-point ... More >>

2011 NBA FINALS GAME 4: Better Bench. Or Else.

​Simple. If their reserve players don't perform better, the Mavericks will lose the NBA Finals. And that starts tonight in Game 4 at the American Airlines Center. Jason Terry has to be more productive than the player who has shot only 38 percent and failed to produce a 20-point game. But who ... More >>

Mavs are Down 2-1 in The NBA Finals Because They're Playing 1 vs. 3

​For the Miami Heat, Chris Bosh hit a clutch jumper in Game 3. Dwyane Wade scored 39 points in Game 2. And LeBron James made the big-time 3-pointers in Game 1. For the Mavericks in the NBA Finals, it's Dirk ... or defeat. In last night's kick-to-the-crotch, 88-86 loss in American Airli ... More >>

2011 NBA FINALS GAME 2 -- Mavericks Adjustments

​I know he and the Mavericks and even LeBron James are downplaying it, but I'm worried about Dirk Nowitzki's finger entering tonight's Game 2 of the NBA Finals here in Miami. Just because it'll be different. "I'll be fine," Dirk says. "It'll be okay." But he loves to dribble left. He needs tw ... More >>

Final Destinations: 2

Mavericks revenge is a dish best served with Heat.

What Went Wrong for the Mavericks in Game 1? Let's Start With the Non-Starters

​On Mother's Day, the Mavericks' reserves combined to score 86 points. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Mavs' entire team managed only 84. Granted the Miami Heat are a bitch defensively. They are quick and fast and long and they did a fantastic job of chasing the Mavericks off the 3-point li ... More >>

The Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat: Game-Watching Parties

​The Mavericks will face the Miami Heat tonight at Miami's American Airlines Arena in game 1 of the NBA Finals. While some Mavs fans will be there sporting their Dallas pride, those who didn't make the trek down to the Sunshine State will be able to catch the game at bars around town. Special game ... More >>

Chokelahoma!

The Thunder's performance reminiscent of yesterday's Mavs.

2011 NBA WEST FINALS GAME 5 -- Mavericks 100, Thunder 96: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. Much as I'm giddy over the victory and the Mavs' second berth in the NBA Finals, I'm almost as happy for the way they handled the win. No confetti on the floor. No champagne in the locker room. Not even a drop of celebratory Ginger Ale. Says Dirk Nowitzki, "It's a great moment. But we've ... More >>

Mavericks 4, Thunder 1: A Review of My Preview

​After last night's Game 5 door slammer against the OKC Thunder, your Mavericks are now 12-3 in the playoffs and awaiting an opponent in the NBA Finals. Not bad for a team that about 50 percent of prognosticators picked would lose to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. I picke ... More >>

Mavs Miracle: Red River Rally vs. Moody Madness

​As the Mavs prepare for tonight's Game 5 clincher at American Airlines Center, a cardiac comparison: Down 15 with 5:06 to play. On the road. Game 4 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals. Or down 6, 1:47 to play. At home (sorta). Game 5 in the first round of the 1984 NBA Playoffs. The Red R ... More >>

2011 NBA WEST FINALS GAME 4 -- Mavericks 112, Thunder 107: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. Battle scars. The Mavericks are fueled by them. As of last night, the Thunder now have one of their own. Who feels worse about their closing confidence this morning: Harold Camping and his May 21 oops or Chokelahoma and its 15-point implosion? 9. Whether it was an epic meltdown or ... More >>

The Greatest Individual Playoff Performance in the History of Dallas-Fort Worth Sports. Is Dirk's Dominant?

​The Mavs can play better than they did in Game 1 of the NBA's Western Conference Finals. For the first time in the playoffs they allowed 100 points, 112 to be exact. The Thunder grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and, according to Mavs' coach Rick Carlisle, corralled 13 of the game's 20 loose bal ... More >>

2011 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEW -- Mavericks in 7

​Execution vs. Explosion. Savvy vs. Speed. Aptitude vs. Athleticism. You get the picture. Mavs vs. Thunder. While -- yeah, I know -- I shoulda took my Mavs-over-Blazers first-round pick and quit while I was ahead, I predicted a Lakers' win the West semis and, happily, sheepishly, here we a ... More >>

Mavs in the West Finals: We've Done This Before

​The Mavericks haven't lost an NBA Western Conference Finals series in five years. Of course we all know what happened Dallas advanced this far -- in the 2006 NBA Finals. The come-from-ahead loss to the Heat sent the franchise into a pyschological spiral from which it is just n ... More >>

Whitt's End: 5.13.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Went and watched the American professional debut of Cuban defector/Rangers' prospect Leonys Martin last night in Frisco. In a word, wow! With his father and agent in the stands at Dr Pepper ... More >>

Beat L.A.? The Mavs Might Replace Them on the Mountaintop.

Sharp shooting and shoddy predictions on the Mavs' road to the NBA Finals.

Dirk Nowitzki a Top 10 NBA Player of All-Time? Yes, But Only Among Players Without a Ring

​You know me, the biggest Dirk Nowitzki homer in town. But Rick Carlisle even made me cringe earlier this week by tabbing the Mavs' star as a top 10 NBA player "of all time."Carlisle has been great in these NBA Playoffs. Keeping his Mavericks mentally together after the Game 4 Portland Pratfal ... More >>

Erykah Badu to DJ Dallas Mavericks Playoff Pep Rally at South Side Music Hall on Saturday

Drew WilliamsDJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, aka Erykah Badu.​The Little Mavericks sure have local basketball fans in a tizzy now that they're up two games to none on the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Playoff's Western Conference Semifinals. And even one Erykah Badu is getting in on the fun -- just mome ... More >>

Mavs-Lakers Game 2 Preview From the Puerto Rican Point Guard and the Old Coach

​I asked Mavericks backup point guard J.J. Barea what he was thinking as the ball left Kobe Bryant's hand on the potential game-winning 3-pointer in Monday's Game 1 at Staples Center. "I wasn't thinking," Barea said. "I was praying." Despite playing 44 minutes of superb basketball -- the ... More >>

Whitt's End: 4.29.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Most surprising thing about Cowboys first-round draft pick Tyron Smith? According to scout Walter Juliff, he's related to a former Cowboy with the same last name. Goes by the nam ... More >>

Those Same Old Mav-Wrecks

Another humiliating collapse has even the most loyal Mavs fans bailing before the inevitable crash and burn.

Blazers' Anger at Brian Cardinal is Silly ... and Good for the Mavs

You know it's a series when the towel-wavers are going at it. Mavs-Blazers has been relatively friendly. Portland coach Nate McMillan snapped at the refs after Game 1. Mavs owner Mark Cuban was hit in the face by a plastic straw during Game 3 and Brandon Roy pissed off all of Dallas with his ... More >>

Game 5 -- Mavericks 93, Blazers 82: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. There was a time when the Mavs going 3 of 17 on 3-pointers in a playoff game meant certain doom. Last night, Dallas didn't shoot particularly well, but it defended and rebounded. Wow did it rebound, to the tune of  12, 11 at the offensive end. 9. Turns out Brandon Roy's fourth ... More >>

Blazers 97, Mavericks 92: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. As we suspected, Portland's team is pretty salty. But their fans suck. Booing Mark Cuban is cool. Throwing shit at him is lame. 9. The Mavs are the NBA's best road team the last two regular seasons, but they're now 2-14 in their last 16 playoffs games away from the American Airlines Cen ... More >>

Mavericks 101, Blazers 89: My Top 10 Observer-ations

The Game 2 Hero: Peja​10. When the Mavs play with emotion and efficiency, they are tough to beat. Last night the intensity was there courtesy of Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and the spunky J.J. Barea. And so was the execution, to the tune of a franchise-record low six turnovers -- including ... More >>

Tyson Chandler, Take a Bow. Mavericks, Take a 2-0 Lead.

​Weird game at American Airlines Center last Saturday night. In Game 1 of the Mavs-Blazers first-round series, Jason Kidd made six 3-pointers, Marcus Camby had more assists than Dallas' point guard and the Mavs shot 19 fourth-quarter free throws to Portland's two. The Mavs survived an ugly g ... More >>

Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​Game 1   at Dallas       Sat.                    8:30 (ESPN) Game 2   at Dallas       Tue.    &nb ... More >>

2010 World Series - Rangers vs. Giants: Game 2 Preview

Given my druthers, I'd rather get blown out than lose a heart-breaker. We could digest and regurgitate and over-analyze the Texas Rangers' 11-7 World Series Game 1 loss to the San Francisco Giants here Wednesday night, or we could simply say that - for the first time in his ... More >>

Whitt's End: 10.22.10

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:*Roger Staubach to Tony Hill to beat the Redskins in '79. Alvin Harper running free against the 49ers to clinch the NFC Championship Game in '92. Dirk Nowitzki's long 3-pointer to secure Game 2 of ... More >>

Do-or-Die in Dallas: How Our Teams Fare in Elimination Games

​To the Texas Rangers, tonight's do-or-die game is unprecedented, uncharted territory. But as metroplex sports fans, we're accustomed to these elimination scenarios. And, you know what? We're pretty damn good at them. While the Rangers take their pathetic 3-11 playoff pedigree into toni ... More >>

Oct. 1, 1996: Where Were You When the Rangers Won Their Playoff Game? Their Only One.

​The defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys were 2-3 under Barry Switzer and on their way to a playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Dallas Mavericks were embarking on a season that started with head coach Jim Cleamons and the Three Js -- Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn ... More >>

Mavs Star Dirk Nowitzki Will Never Change Some Minds Until He Changes The Color Of His Skin

Mavs vs. Spurs: Let's Get This Party Started

Wednesday night's Dallas Mavericks' victory over the San Antonio Spurs wasn't exactly reason to plan a parade. But definitely reason to throw a party. After the game, players such as Shawn Marion and Caron Butler attended Chris Arnold's party at Deux Lounge in Mockingbird Station. The atmosphere was ... More >>

The Dallas Mavericks Go for Broke, But Where Is it Getting Them?

Heat Don't Fail Them Now

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