In the “Dear Abby” vein . . .
Ryan Arkin (via Twitter): I find myself rooting for the Mavs this postseason, mostly due to Peja and Tyson, but part of me just doesn’t feel right cheering for a division foe. What should I do? I fear that the confidence that comes with winning a title will make the Mavericks tougher to beat when we play them in the immediate future. Help me @Hornets247!
42: Ryan, let me preface this by saying that I hate Dallas. As a result, you may want to petition your Hornets247 comrades for answers.
The Short: Screw the Mavericks, but do what you want.
The Long: You bring up a few points in this: part vs. whole, identity, sources of power, and choice / free will. I will have fun and address each.
Part vs. Whole
I understand the love for the former / forever New Orleans Hornets, Tyson and Peja. I really do.
I, however, draw a huge distinction between a team and its members. I see the guys in the uniform, but teams, to me, have an essence beyond that of the aggregation of those of the constituent members.
There is an ancient discussion, the start of which is attributed to Plutarch, along these lines that parallels this situation. It is known as The Ship of Theseus. Theseus was a Greek hero that was a mythological predecessor of Heracles, known to Romans as Hercules. At any rate, the question can basically be framed as such:
Consider Theseus’ ship. Replace a board. Is it still Theseus’ ship? If not, why? If so, replace another. Is it still Theseus’ ship? And so on . . .
There are some wonderful extensions of this, and I’d encourage reading up on them (like what if you built a boat with the leftover pieces, bit by bit). Smart guys have tried to answer this question, and the basic idea of all the non-solutions is that it’s a matter of semantics (a language problem), ontology (a question about what actually exists), epistemology (an issue with the nature of knowledge), etc., and the failed solutions are just bad.
But the point is made: The idea of the whole is apart from that of the object, regardless of the answer of the question. Even if the `truth’ about the issue contracticts this distinction, it’s open at this point.
Therefore me and and army of smart guys for the last 2,500 years says it’s not contradictory to hate the Mavericks while liking a Maverick, maybe a couple Mavericks, and maybe each of them. Same goes for rooting instead of liking, etc.
The same goes for the Heat and their players (Mass nouns for team nicknames are horrid . . . that is my knock against the Krewe for a replacement name for the Hornets in that ongoing faux-debate).
If someone wants to reject this dunk, then you gotta mess with the original Aristotle, even if the Big Aristotle has retired.
Identity
If the Mavericks win a title this year, there is no guarantee the individuals that make up the team will return en masse next season, even more so if that is over a year from now, especially with a new CBA. So if this team wins a title, that team, or at least those individuals, won’t be the guys we are playing when they come around.
Sources of Power
As far as a title helping the Mavs confidence next year generally, and specifically when facing the Hornets, I hear that sort of idea often, but I confess that I don’t understand it. For one, consider the identity issues above. Also, there is no defense of a title. No one can take it (NCAA, NBA, etc. can, I suppose, right USC (football)?), so there is no threat, so there is no defense.
Furthermore, there is nowhere to go but down. You can’t improve. Talk about pressure. Could the team `respond’ to pressure? Sure. I do not live in fear of teams responding emotionally for 82 games, however. I was in the Dome when it reopened against the Falcons, and that game made me a believe in the power of passion in terms of winning games. This passion came from representing a devastated (and charming) people. I was at the Super Bowl, and that one convinced me that health, talent, a plan, and a personality are required to win a title. There was no pressure. There was greatness.
If the Mavericks have those things this year, they may win. If they have them next year, they may win. The winning of a title itself, I think, has no bearing.
Choice / Free Will
If you do not root for the Maverick, that leaves 2 possible alternatives: Root for the Heat and root for no one over the other. Mavs vs. Heat is the matchup, but that is a false choice with regard to allegiance.
Do what you want, or what you are left with. Me, I can’t help but root for the Heat. I don’t want to want the Heat to win (Cheap Trick nod), but I do want it, because I hate Dallas. I don’t have the choice.
I totally understand if you don’t want to root for them, but Mr. McNamara makes a rational case for you to root for them.
One could also argue that it helps the Hornets by the Mavercks winning since the title will be in the division, adding to the “toughest division” discussion, and we beat them twice, though we split each series, regardless.
So who knows?
Conclusion
I hope this addresses the points you raised. I really can’t stand this series. I must say that I buy Mike’s argument about it setting the table in the best possible way to get a CBA that helps the Hornets long-term, the New Orleans Hornets, that is. Also, there is something to be said for the player revolution . . . comfort food for the inner-anarchist. On the other hand, you have players in your heart to root for across the table.
My option is to boo furiously that the world gave you this choice in the last basketball games that count for at least 5 months while hoping for some abstract advantage to ooze from this wound in our psyches, like pus from the subduing of this disease that is allegedly afflicting the NBA, while hoping this is all consistent with the Mavericks experiencing the worst possible defeats to the organization on every level, given the constraints.
Hornets > Complaining > Heat > Mavericks
Screw the Mavericks.
Dunk That Sh!t is series exclusive to Hornets247.com. Click here to browse through the series.
43 responses to “Dunk That Sh!t: Rooting for the Mavericks?!?!”
My heart threw in its lot. When the Mavs made their comeback, I pumped my fist. I hate what the Heat did to come together more than I hate the Mavs and their ballsack of an owner Cuban in this one instance. Plus…I want TC and Peja to get a ring.
Completely agree!!
Agreed. I never liked the Mavs, but compared to the Heat? I’m rooting for the Mavs. Dirk and J Kidd deserve a title, and they deserve it much more than the Cheat. This is their last/best chance to win it, and after the comeback win last night, I pumped my fists as well.
The Heat will have more chances to win in the future, and unfortunately, they’ll be even better in the coming years. So I don’t feel sorry for Lebron at all and never will. Any title the Heat win with the Big 3 should have an asterisk next to it, saying “This is almost like 2 Michael Jordans playing together”
Dirk, J Kidd, and Tyson deserve the title and yes, I’m actually rooting for them this time.
This is one of my favorite articles ever- well done.
And yes, I did write that the Heat winning would bring the other 29 owners together in a way that no other team winning could, but for some reason I was actively cheering for Dallas and could not do otherwise no matter how hard I tried.
As a Hornets fan, it is good to know that our team didn’t lose the season series to either of the Finalists.
High praise . . . thanks.
Note to self – Michael thinks my other pieces are too long!
i hate dallas as well. but really i root for the team i bet on. i put money on miami for game 1 and dallas for game 2
Not cheering for anyone in this Finals. Hate the Heat for obvious reasons. Hate the Dallas for obvious reasons.
Why do you HaTe the HeaT?
….because of the LeBron thing that happened months ago?
Are you from Cleveland?
I actually like watching them play … I don’t understand why people continue to force themselves to HaTe the HeaT!
L_REAZY
because they’re cheaters and they know it. and then act like they’ve been through so much animosity and hardship and that they’re noble for coming “so far”
How do you not see how people hate the Heat?
People hate the Heat because having players calibrate to join some kind of super team is not how to play the sport. It’s never happened like this before, every other team (unless you count the Celtics “Big 3”) built championships behind teamwork and thrived on trying to beat good players not team up with them. Where’s the competition in that?
I’m not saying I agree per say but I think the argument for hating the Heat is pretty clear
They’re not the Hornets = obvious reason.
I too found myself wanting to root for Peja and Tyson but having this sick feeling that I was doing something very wrong by even wanting parts of the Mavericks team win a title. I really couldn’t put my finger on why, other than a blind hatred for the Mavs built by years of beef between them and the Hornets. Plus, rooting for the HEAT!?!? come on!?!
Well then I read this article By Tom Ziller, the editor for the Sactown Royalty. (I am finding myself (like a growing number of Hornets fans) a closet Kings fan; as I feel a kindred spirit within their fanbase having watching what they have had to go through over the past year right and how the fanbase has reacted. (plus Marcus) Annnywho- My point is, the below article crystallizes why we all should root against the Mavs, especially small market teams who have been struggling for survival under the current CBA.
I thought I would hip you guys to the amazing article.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/5/31/2198689/dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-nba-finals-2011-mark-cuban
P.S. 42, nice work. Plutarch references in a basketball blog always get my attention. haha
Thanks for the article and kind words.
Glad you like . . . I’ll keep that in mind when we have TopherPrice Day here . . .
Thanks for the link to that very enlightening article. Maybe we can all pull for a series that comes down to a game 7 that goes into 20 overtimes. Maybe they’ll have a Pat Riley vs Mark Cuban game of h-o-r-s-e to break the tie. 😉
h-o-r-s-e! I get it!
I’m a sucker for puns. Absolute sucker.
There was no pun intended. Perhaps it was a Freudian slip (or a Freudian slide as depicted in one of my favorite Far Side cartoons).
I made you think it with my subtly placed, discreet horse-dunking-a-mini-basketball picture.
I’m familiar with that Far Side. Kudos.
I have never seen so much arrogant, self-righteous drivel in my life. You did not give one valid point to root for or against the Mavericks. Maybe that was your point, that a fan should make their own decisions based on the attachments they have to the team/parts of the team. But, why the reference to Theseus? I mean, if I wanted to recall classics just to sound smart without making a real point, I would compare the plight of the Mavericks (and their individual players) to Dante’s Inferno. There are as many reasons to root for the Mavericks as there are to root against the Heat (I do agree with the nickname part). Good vs. Evil, Underdog vs. Favorite. Skill vs. Talent.
Just like Aristotle, you just can’t make up your damn mind so you ask others to do it for you. Although, this decision is a little simpler than the idea of forms.
Hey, Matt. How’s it going, man?
I’m sorry you didn’t like the article.
I’d like to address some of your points, as you took the time to make them. I will give your points at least the attention you gave mine.
Firstly, I answered the question asked . . . do what you want . . . while clearly stating my one and only reason for rooting against them: I hate them. I was not asked to justify that position, just as you have not asked me to do so. As you know, I’m sure, this is an irrational thing, so there is no real explanation anyway.
Then, I addressed the conflicts that seemed to create the cognitive dissonance Ryan, and others like him that I know, especially the ones he clearly stated, the most central one for him being the conflict between his feeling for the team as it related to the Hornets and the players as they relate to the Hornets. “People with these conflicts” was the essential quality I was targeting, if that’s a Platonic form. The reference to Theseus is because I’m adequately citing my sources while trying to do so in an edifying and entertaining way. I’m not sure if you are an avid reader here, but I do like to cite my references more than most . . . it’s a habit stemming from the academic side of my life . . . the publishing one, and I don’t mean clicking publish on wordpress. I don’t want to pass of someone else’s ideas as my own.
Next, Dante’s Inferno is a about many things, but largely about sin and Dante’s conflict with his own sins, not about conflict between forces. Even Satan is presented as totally subdued, even if his persistent, rebellious wing-flapping to show he doesn’t show sorrow is precisely what is trapping him at the center of the earth. Later, In Paradisio, the third book in that trilogy, which I’m sure you have read, he places God and Satan at opposing ends of a 3-sphere, treating them as an embedded 0-sphere, 2 discrete points. Alexander Duality tells us that the world apart from them is topologically equivalent in many important ways to a sphere, just like the surface of Earth, the middleground / battleground for their forces, both spiritual and military. It’s a beautiful trilogy, but, I don’t see it as applicable here, as the question is about for whom to root, not who is culpable for something or a model of spiritual excellence, or a collision of ways of `doing business’, for instance.
Also, I made up my mind and stated it clearly . . . “My option is to boo furiously” and following, stated there near the end.
That brings me to self-righteous: convinced of one’s own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic . . . righteous: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin etc.
I’d hate to assume that this is bombast on your part, but I was very much not moralistic and not convinced of my own correctness in this case. In fact, I said, again, “do what you want.”
If my references are seen as a means to just `name-drop’ and `sound smart’, I can’t do much about that, though I’m glad you think it sounds smart I guess. That does sound complimentary. My goal in citing, however, as stated above, was to not claim ideas that were not my own. I wanted THEM to sound smart. I just organized the parts and made this argument for Ryan to help him decide what he wants to do. I made a new whole from the parts available to me. I’m, as the wise men say, am on a boat.
As an aside, if you’ve read Plato, Dante, Plutarch, and more, I’m sure, and I am the most arrogant writer you’ve come across . . . thanks. I don’t think of myself that way, but I must’ve gotten up pretty early in the morning for that. It’s tough to be truly a supremum. I’m glad to have achieved that. To be the best at anything is an accomplishment.
Perhaps you mistook the point of piece as to persuade. Rather, I considered it to be to inform and entertain, as the question was posed to us without direct solicitation. I am not here to persuade. I get no satisfaction from others telling me their opinion equals mine. I get satisfaction from people making me think, and as a result, I find this conversation we are having mildly satisfying.
I urge to to write your own piece here in the comments or in a journal. If you do the latter, I will gladly link to it from this article for your trouble. I’d love to get an idea of what you think the ideal answer to Ryan’s question is.
Oh, I think you mean Plato / Socrates as the one who asked others to make up their minds. It’s called the Socratic Method, after all. It’s why we have an Academy today (Plato’s school) and not a Lyceum (Aristotle’s school), at least in terms of popular usage. Plato wrote in a dialectical style, while Aristotle was more of an expositor. I won’t hold this against you, however. Just being a charitable reader.
Thanks.
Good day.
I hate to put racial-spins on sports related issues, but watch how the “Finals’” headlines play out if the Mavs win it all ….
… it’ll indirectly emphasize how the “Great White Hope” Dirk Nowitzki beat the three “Showboating Brothers” Wade, James, & Bosh!
The story already started after the Mavs won Game 2 … “Wade’s and James’ celebration with 7 minutes to go fuels Dirk.” Come on man, all players celebrate like that to get each other hype, but it’s a problem when the “Threetles” do it?
All I keep hearing is that was the greatest comeback ever. “Hell No!”
QUESTION: If there were three white NBA basketball players who were considered apart of the top 10 players in the league, would anyone hate them for joining forces the same way Wade, James, & Bosh did? I’ll answer ….”Hell No!”
L_REAZY
Dirk is the only white NBA Basketball Player who is a top 10 player!
We all agree right?
L_REAZY
Is Blake Griffin white?
He’s bi racial…
He’s a ginger. LOL
My problem with the Heat doesn’t have anything to do with them coming together. I didn’t have a problem with The Big 3 in Boston coming together to win a ring. They were all free agents and free to do what they pleased. But there’s a difference between being confident and being cocky. The Heat were over the top with their grandstanding and showboating before they even played a single game. I think thats the reason why people hate them so much and LeBron’s showboating in front of Dallas’ bench (and yes I place that on LeBron because Wade seemed like he wanted no part of it knowing that it wasn’t over be Bron was all in his face, watch tape and see) didn’t help matters.
For me its not a racial aspect because I’m black myself. They are very talented and no doubt have a chance to win but I’m not going to feel sorry or cheer for a cocky team that crown themselves before they even get a ring together. The only person on that team that has that right is Wade because he has one.
And yeah every team does the posing and chest bumps after big plays. But the Heat have to stop crying when the media blows it up because they CHOSE to come together and have this bad boy, us against the world persona. So don’t act like babies and be defiant when this is what you wanted in the first place. U wanted the limelight so don’t get mad when it all falls apart.
But this is what the new era of NBA is. Nobody talks about Dirk and how he’s really carrying this team and has evolved into a HOF caliber player until the playoffs. They’d rather talk about the highlights from the Heat. Its turned into just being about the exciting dunks and 3pts instead of fundementals and just great all around plays. I would gladly take a fundementally sound lay up with a injured left hand than a highlighted dunk if it meant a W. Them highlights and showboating don’t mean nothing if you don’t have a W to go with it.
Miami lost focus and Dallas took advantage like a team trying to EARN a championship should do. Now the momentum is with them and if they win game 3 at home I can see the Heat possibly falling apart. Especially if its a blowout in front of a frenzied Dallas crowd.
I think you are letting your feelings on race cloud your judgement. If Dallas wins I do think we will see articles praising Dirk as proof that sticking with one team and not jumping ship to join forces with other like minded superstars will be around. However, even though I don’t see a racial angle to that line of thought, I still think that kind of writing is drivel.
To your question: yes, if in a pure hypothetical Lebron, Bosh, and Wade were white and everything else was the same, yes I think people would have the same feelings towards Miami. It is more about perceptions of them as people (and more about Lebron than Bosh or Wade) vs. perceptions of them as “black” people. It would be ignorant to think there wasn’t some contingent of the Miami haters out there who are partially, if not significantly, racially motivated. However, I don’t think the mass (or even the credible blogging) media have race behind their dislike for the Heat.
L_REAZY: I don’t see the world that way, and I’m sure you know at least most folks here aren’t going to do that.
If that occurs, I urge you to write some journals on it and point us to stories. If there is a legit concern, I’ll work with you on it, compile the stories, point viciously, all that.
Until then, let’s not speculate on what some idiots are going to say. Rather, find some pieces out now that are along the lines of what you say.
Don’t forget: The NBA players are a population where a majority is of African decent (they aren’t all African-American… Some are just African or African-other-demonym). If you pick a random player to hate, he’s likely in that group. He’s also likely not German. Such sample sizes make things like this harder to pin down.
I do some pro bono work with lawyers who deal with such matters, and I’ve analyzed arrest records in several Louisiana communites. In most of the cases, there was statistical evidence of racial bias in arrests (other side, could be racial bias in committing crime . . . arrests counts by race don’t tell it all!), but the times it failed were the communities labeled, in the words of the study, black majority. It’s just harder to get a ‘signal’ in those cases.
At any rate, I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to speak your mind here.
L_Reazy,
I find your answer to your own question completely racist, and the only racist thing in this thread. It’s one thing to state facts, it’s another to project your racist view of the Heat situation onto others.
I for one can tell you my feelings about the Finals have nothing to do with race. I bet this is true of others, too.
I would also prefer you check your racist speculation at the door when you contribute to this site.
First off, I’m not in a position to be a racist from a ‘power’ standpoint. I think you know what I mean.
Secondly, just because an individual makes a comment about race doesn’t mean that they are a racist or have issues about race. Sometimes you have to see the truth for what it is and what it’s not. For example, I keep hearing that ‘racism’ and the ‘black-struggle’ are over since Obama got elected … “(lol), Let’s move on.” Once again, ‘what-is’ and ‘what’s-not’!
Third, the NBA has been trying to find a Great White Hope since the Great Larry Bird retired. It hasn’t happened. They tried to annoit Steve Nash by giving him 2-MVP titles when, at best, he should’ve only been granted with 1. He has more than Kobe?
America has never liked Blacks who celebrate or in other words (or there words) “Showboat”. As long as I can remember it has always been Blacks=Showboating Whites=Passionate Celebration. Combine that with the LeBron decision, and most people can’t wait for Dirk to take down the three brothaz who some how felt like they had won the title before the season started? What many people call ‘Over Confidence’ I just call it ‘confidence’!
Let’s not forget that the Heat has stated countless times how much respect they have for other teams in the league, but thenevermind that … they’re ‘Overconfident Showboaters” … remember?
When Game 2 ended abruptly for the Heat the loss was attributed to Wade and James ‘Showboating’, but I beg to differ. Really it was a matter of coaching, and the fact that Rick Carlisle called a timeout at the right time; and was also able to get through to his players better than Spoelstra could with his players who were up by 15 points.
It wasn’t ‘Showboating’ or ‘Over Confidence’ that had anything to do with it. However, the media couldn’t wait to ‘indirectly’ put that kind of spin on the story.
Everyone wants these brothers to lose. That’s a little odd to me. When you think about it, its really the BIG 2 in Miami, with Chris Bosh being anywhere from the 3rd option to the 5th option on most nights. So, if I told you that there isn’t a such thing as a “BIG 3” in Miami would that make a difference? No, because the NBA still has an objective, and have no problem with Wade and James looking like the bad guys, if, perhaps, Dirk can look like the undisputed Good Guy.
What would it mean if the NBA finally had a white Superstar lead his team to a championship versus another black Superstar? Wouldn’t it be reminicist of Larry Legend? That’s really what this league wants being that most ticket holders are White Americans.
That’s always the conflict right? A sport dominated by Blacks, but funded by Whites … sort of like Rap Music!
Wouldn’t it be more impressive if that white Superstar beat the Wade, James, and Bosh trio? Well, Dirk may come out of this series looking like Superman if that were to happen.
L_REAZY
Don’t make this racial. This is all about basketball
You guys are making me think too much!
I’m the queen of Maverick haters and I’m rooting for The Mavericks. I had to shut the game off cause those Heat Players were just too damn cocky. So I was pretty darned pleased when I woke up to see The Mavericks had won the game.
One of my sayings comes true here. “Its going to be what its going to be.”
Go Mavs.
Here we go again … “Too Damn Cocky”!
Come on … we’re Men … we all are COCKY!!!
Why get on the Heat’s case for being what we are?
L_REAZY
REAZY has a valid point. Even though most of us on this site see things in more pure basketball terms, the 2010 US census has America’s population being 72% white, and it would be naive to think that a lot of casual fans aren’t influenced by race to some degree. I think a small part of America’s visceral reaction to LeBron has to do with him being a black guy that has come along and is exercising power that is beyond the establishment’s control. The closest sports example I can think of is Brett Farve, who screwed his former team but, unlike LeBron, still remained extremely popular with casual fans outside of Wisconsin. All that being said, I think hardcore NBA fans are influenced by race very little, and LeBron’s jersey sales for 2011 are evidence to that fact.
Personally, I love Dwayne Wade, but find LeBron lacking in some way. The epic tank against the Celtics last year followed by The Decision made me realize that LeBron is a little bit of a head case, and he comes up short in leadership qualities.
I don’t have a massive fear of superteams if players are willing to take less money and work within the confines of salary caps, because New Orleans’ uniqueness gives us a leg up over other small market cities, and I think players would like living/playing here.
Finally, I’m rooting for the Mavericks, because I think a champion coming from our division validates what we Hornets fans already know: the Southwest division is the toughest in the NBA.
Excellent Points ….
… however, I gotta root for the Heat.
My favorite players : (1) CP3 & (2) D-Wade!
But if the Mavs do win it does show how good the Hornets really are!
L_REAZY
Have we ever thought of just not watching the game?
No good can come from this Finals series… Even if Peja and Tyson win a ring, it’ll just make me sad because they should’ve tried to do that in New Orleans…
That’s where I’d be if this were Heat-Lakers, for instance.
Good stuff from Swarm & Sting lately, by the way.
What game?
I like Bosh. Seems very cool and ube smart when talking to anybody at all.
I like Wade. Seems very warm and cares about his team and fans.
I do not seem to care at all for The EGO. What he did with the behind the scenes manipulation and public statements all for deception was wrong.
I think players combining for Uber markets will eventually ruin all smaller markets opportunities.
I also feel that these players who think they ARE the sport, they ARE the reason millions watch TV every night are as arrogant as the movie stars that think THEY made to movie.
I got a clue for these mirror, mirror on the wall egos…it isn’t.
It a part of the reason.
It’s a very visual and easy to touch thing for fans, but it ain’t the whole story.
I remember when Randy Travis once was interviewd and asked about his success. You know who he said made him?
The song writer(s).
If it wasn’t for these folks, he would be nothing.
He knows singers are like weeds.
However, it’s the storey that makes the whole thing come to life.
Same with the movies. It’s the story. It’s the whole army behond the film.
So same here with basketball. It might be the players that are the most up front visual for us to latch onto, but there are millions working behind the scenes to make the whole production seem like it is a smooth running simple basketball game.
It ain’t, MrEGO. It’s a whole lot of accountants and little people making sure YOUR playground exists. It’s a trail of fallen players and owners who broke trails and made the entire world you play in possible.
So I don’t care about thebunch over in Dallas, but I must stand against theEGO and his simple minded veiw of self importance.
Lebron is not doing surgery.
He ain’t designing the next oil free car.
He ain’t solving world madness.
He is playing a kids game as an adult and acting like he is more important than the problem of world population explosion or global warming.
Get over yourselves and play the goddamned game.
Stop listening to your posse and managers.
Go out for a drink or two after a ball game and visit with fans.
Go Mavericks!!!!
agree with James. do as I do. Don’t watch the NBA finals. It will just make you sad. Instead focus on the hornets, and Demps/Monty’s efforts to bring re-inforcements to NOLA. Get me to the offseason so that we can have some nice Hornets discussions here.
I’ve watched at total of 2 quarters in the series. We’re trying with the offseason…
http://www.hornets247.com/news/2011/06/04/starting-to-feel-the-weight/
Fifteen Reasons to Cheer for the Mavs
1. Love tyson chandler (ps he is black and doesn’t showboat, just has lots of intensity, kinda like bosh but nothing like james/wade)
2. Love peja even if he doesnt get in the game
3. Dwayne wade is the only person on the heat that deserves a title…and he already has one!
4. Spolestra does NOT deserve a title!!!!
5. Lebron needs to get an ego check.
6. Wade/Lebron get some (I said some, not tons) star treatment from the refs.
7. I don’t want the other stars (especially CP3) to use Miami as an example for winning a championship.
8. Lebron flops. A lot. A whole lot.
9. Dirk deserves it. Even if I don’t like him, I respect his game. (ps. Someone should post the clip of dwest giving him a lil slap 🙂 )
10. I love cheering for the underdogs!!! I hate that so many bandwagon fans and the media are on cloud 9 with the heat.
11. If the mavs win, it helps prove the hornets play in the toughest division in the NBA.
12. My in-laws like the heat.
13,14, and 15. If for nothing else, I would root for the mavs just because cuban has finally kept his mouth shut!!!!! 😀
I see where all of you are coming from when It comes to hating the Mavericks. As division foes there is no real reason for you to like or especially root for the Mavericks. I have been rooting for the Mavericks since I was little due to the fact I was born and raised here but I will also root for former Mavericks to do well [Besides Erick Dampier] I think as NOLA fans you should look at what is better for yall. If the Mavs win, they get there one title for the eleven fifty+ win seasons and probably wont make much noise in the years to come with the young guns coming up in the league like the OKCs and the Bulls. If you are rooting for the Heat then you are rooting for star players to come up in Mid Market cities [Ex. Chris Paul] to eventually pack up for the easiest championship they can find. You have to respect Dirk for giving back to the organization that found him by staying put through the good and especially through the bad. The worst thing the Mavs have ever done to the Hornets is lose to them in the playoffs and actually give yall a great sense of happiness. You should be thanking the Mavs….SOUTHWEST PRIDE
Welcome. With posts like that, please stick around.
I must beg to differ on a couple of points:
They didn’t give the sense of pride, we created it. The Colts didn’t give the Saints a sense of pride, as another sports-horse example. We took it and drove it down their equine throats. I may just be semantics, but I think it’s an important difference. As I said, my dislike is irrational. I like the Spurs . . . doesn’t make sense, and I won’t try to make it do so.
Also, I don’t think Chris Paul’s decision will rest on the outcome of this series. If the Heat win, then he needs a big 3 to beat them (when one of them isn’t injured). If they lose, then he’ll assume his big 3 will be better. I do think the owners will look at that situation, regardless, and take the control back. The Heat winning will put a greater empahsis on forcing parity from their end . . . what end up happening . . . who knows . . . Same for Mr. Howard, Mr. Williams, etc.
Again, thanks for the comments.