Dallas Mavericks

Growing up as I did in Houston, I really bought into the whole “Houston vs. Dallas” thing. The 2 cities were, and probably still are, polar opposites. Liberal vs. Conservative; Democratic vs. Republican; blue collar vs. white collar; no zoning vs. strange liquor laws; Oilers vs. Cowboys. I could go on and on.

While I lived in Houston, I had no doubt that it was a much better place than Dallas to live. And of course the few times I visited Dallas always reinforced my beliefs. The only “advantage” that I saw that Dallas had over Houston were with its sports teams. The Astros/Rangers and the Rockets/Mavs were a wash (as all those teams basically sucked), so it was the hapless Oilers vs. the hated Cowboys. I had always wished that the Oilers would somehow win a Super Bowl before the Cowboys, but that was never to be. So it was with GREAT joy that I celebrated when the Rockets went back-to-back as NBA champions. My joy was as much that “we” had won one before Dallas as it was for just winning it. My hope was that the Rockets would be the only Texas team to win the NBA championship – to prove Houston’s dominance.

Then San Antonio wins a couple of championships. That’s okay – at least it wasn’t Dallas. Mark Cuban buys the Mavs and all of a sudden, they start getting good. Getting real good. They make it to the NBA finals last year, and go up 2 games to 0 going to Miami. Things weren’t looking too good for me…then something weird happens. Somehow the plans for the Mavs victory parade get leaked to the press and the Miami players use that as motivation to win 4 straight games and win the title. My dream is still alive! Which brings me to last night….

The Dallas Mavericks, the team with the best record in the NBA this season; the team with one of the all-time greatest regular season in NBA history; the team that the media here in Dallas has almost penciled in as champions as early as mid-season….loses to the 8th seed. The FIRST TIME IN NBA HISTORY that a 1st seed has lost to an 8th seed in a 7-game series in the 1st round!!!! Shock is not a strong enough word to describe the reaction of fans and media here today. You have to live here to understand how the media pumps up ANY and ALL Dallas sports teams. Even the Rangers, who have never done anything, are always hyped up to no end as the baseball season starts, only to wilt away in the summer heat, usually to finish last in their division. The hockey team (the Stars), the arena league football team (I don’t even know what they are called), all of them are always hyped to be one of, if not THE, best team in whatever league.

I think I’m the happiest person in “the metroplex” today. It’s been a great 12 months for me actually…..Mavs lose in 6 games in the NBA finals last year; Stars lose in the first round of the playoffs last year; Cowboys lose in the first round of the playoffs this year, Stars lose in the first round of the playoffs this year; and last night, the BIGGEST CHOKE JOB IN NBA PLAYOFF HISTORY.

I love it….it’s just too bad that after living in Dallas the past 7 years, it’s obvious that Dallas, as a city, is so much better than the hell-hole that is Houston.