Go ahead. Say it. The Mavs know what you've been whispering: Unless they beat themselves.
The skepticism is a byproduct of the 2006 NBA Finals, when Dallas, having assembled a 2-0 series advantage over the Miami Heat, blew a 13-point lead with 6:34 left in Game 3. It was a stunning collapse, heightened by the team's inability to win another game in the Finals.
While Heat guard Dwyane Wade reveled in his status as the shiny, new clutch performer, and Miami coach Pat Riley basked in his rejuvenated image as the resident genius, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and 41-year-old coach Avery Johnson staggered back to Texas fixated on determining what went awry, and more importantly, how to prevent it from happening again.
No wonder Dallas players huddle before each game, place their hands in a circle, and issue their new mantra: Finish.
"There's no point in denying the fact we kind of botched a championship last year," said veteran Jerry Stackhouse. "We're not hiding from that. In fact, we're trying to be accountable for it."
And so the Mavericks navigate through a season in which they do not want to forget their shortcomings of the previous June, yet would prefer not to be reminded of it every 10 minutes.
Old wounds Nowitzki, who missed a free throw with three seconds left in Game 3 of the Finals that would have tied the score, has grown accustomed to the queries. He is having an MVP season, and appeared to be the front-runner until Dallas lost a thrilling, double-overtime game to the Phoenix Suns March 14. The other MVP candidate, Steve Nash, made spectacular plays, including a fallaway 3-pointer to send it to overtime and a clutch steal in double OT that appears to have tipped the MVP scale in his direction, and trigger anew questions about whether Dallas can win the big one.
The scab, nearly healed, has been opened again. Nowitzki, addressing thirsty New York reporters earlier this week, told them exactly what they were hankering to hear. (The Mavericks blew out the Knicks in New York, 92-77, Tuesday.)
