Final Thoughts on Mavs Win

WE DID IT! Dirk looks like an old-school Little League Coach w/ that hat though.

Thank you to the Dallas Mavericks for saving the NBA (minus that whole lockout thing). Besides some of those fans in Miami (can we really call them fans), no one wanted to see Wade, LeBron and Bosh team-up and win it in year 1. Before the season, everyone said, "The Heat might win 3 or 4 Championships down the road, but they can't win it THIS year." And then as the playoffs wore on, and the Heat took care of the Celtics and the Bulls, we were frightened. It was going to happen. LeBron, Wade and Bosh were going to walk around saying, "We told you....that celebration back in July, just a sign of things to come."

What would that have done to the professional sports landscape? What example would that have set for young athletes? If you want to win, there is a shortcut. Team up with the best, and that will make everything easier. That whole "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" would have been truer than ever. But instead, justice prevailed. A team with a couple of aging future Hall of Famers taking possibly one last crack at their shot to get a championship, along with a few cast-offs from other teams, and a coach that was forced out of a few other jobs for no good reason. The Mavericks were confident, not cocky. They played as a team, and got contributions from almost everyone on their active roster throughout the Playoffs and in tonight's clincher. They showed that there are no shortcuts. They showed that just because you don't get the job done once (Dirk) or twice (Kidd) in the Finals, you keep working to get better for when you make it back. They showed that it takes more than 3 players to win a championship. They showed that superstars step up when the game is on the line, want the ball in the hands, put the team on their back, and get the job done.

Thank you, Dallas Mavericks. You made 99.9% of sports fans proud tonight.