Royal decision

Time to put the D back in Dallas

Boy, those Dallas Mavericks were fun while they lasted, eh?

I took a lot of heat for the Sports Illustrated cover story I wrote a few weeks ago, some readers believing I had proclaimed the Mavs eventual NBA champions because of the enthusiasm I showed for their run-and-gun ways.

Look, just because you write something positive about a team doesn't mean you believe in it completely. I never thought Dallas would win it all, didn't believe, in fact, that it would get by Sacramento, even considering the Kings' tepid first-round performance against Utah. I'm on record as saying so.

Hey, the Mavs took a shot. They said: We'll load up on offense, not worry about defense, not milk the shot clock, not play the kind of grind-it-out basketball that's supposed to win championships, and see where it takes us. Well, where it took them was exactly the same place as last season -- the second round -- with a lot more noise.

Dallas now finds itself in an interesting position. Try it again next year? Or find an Anthony Mason-type who will knock bodies around in the trenches? I've never liked teams with thugs who routinely take out anyone who drives to the basket, but the Mavs went to the other extreme: They gave Sacramento point guard Mike Bibby an E-Z Pass sticker and invited him to ease on down the road without paying any toll. That's simply not the way to do it in the playoffs.

Scott needs to tone it down

As I write this, the New Jersey Nets need one more victory over the Charlotte Hornets to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. If that happens, Nets coach Byron Scott must learn to chill.

It's OK for the Nets to proclaim that Jason Kidd should have been the MVP. They're wrong about that -- San Antonio's Tim Duncan was the correct choice -- but their sentiments are well placed and understandable. But Scott's me-me-me breast-beating about how he should've been Coach of the Year is off-putting.

His egotism has taken a Gore-like turn; next thing you know, Scott will claim he invented the Internet.

Spurs can't catch a break

Give the San Antonio Spurs credit for the gutsy Game 5 they played against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. I was in San Antonio for Games 3 and 4, and rarely have I seen two more brutal, soul-shaking losses.

Still, have you ever seen three consecutive games come off in such a discernible pattern? L.A. lets Duncan get his for three quarters, then throws the clamps on him in the fourth as his teammates shoot bricks. On the other end, Kobe Bryant bides his time for three quarters then takes over in the fourth, and San Antonio is hopeless to stop him.

One supposes there was little that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich could have done about it, but he might think about finding Duncan a few different spots on the floor next season to get the ball, in order to vary his setup position.

At any rate, it seems the Spurs' lot is to be completely overwhelmed by the purple and gold. Sitting in a San Antonio hotel room last weekend, I must have seen Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal shilling for Sprite and Burger King about two dozen times, while Duncan appeared on a couple of occasions on behalf of Gunn Auto, a local auto dealer.

Lakers guard Derek Fisher made a good point: "It has to be extremely frustrating for the Spurs. It's almost like people don't remember them winning the championship in 1999."

It's true. Unlike Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, etc., superstar Duncan already has his ring. But what impact did that championship have? It came in the lockout-shortened season and is accompanied by a giant asterisk.

Prime-time players

My 12-man playoff All-Star roster to this point would include three players from teams eliminated in the first round -- Stockton, Indiana's Reggie Miller, and Orlando's Tracy McGrady -- and two others from teams ousted in the second round -- Duncan (a no-brainer) and Dallas' Michael Finley (more consistent than teammate Dirk Nowitzki).

In no particular order, here are the seven who round out the squad (as of Tuesday): Kidd, Bryant (gee, you think?), Charlotte's Baron Davis, Boston's Paul Pierce and Sacramento's Bibby, Chris Webber and Doug Christie. The toughest leave-offs were the Kings' Bobby Jackson and the Celtics' Antoine Walker. As for O'Neal, the big fella is biding his time -- he'll be on the list come June.

Around the Rim

Here's a good late choice for Executive of the Year: Boston Celtics general manager Chris Wallace. He had the guts to give up a promising young scorer in Joe Johnson to land two players who have helped the Shamrocks get to the Eastern finals: Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. ...

My favorite quote of the past few weeks comes from the Spurs' Malik Rose, who, in keeping with his team's low profile, is the NBA's greatest undiscovered talker and all-around good guy. When I asked him why he was wearing braces, he said: "Because my teeth are all disconfigured." Disconfigured is how his entire team must feel after four could've-won-all-of-'em losses in the Lakers series. ...

You know what topic I have not heard discussed along the playoff trail? Whether Michael Jordan is coming back. For the record, I don't know. And, as of yet, I don't care. ...

So, here's what you all want to know: Can the Kings beat the Lakers?

Yes.

Will they?

My opinion is the same as a few weeks ago: I don't think so.

But remember the immortal words of Webber from a month ago: "We need home-court advantage to beat the Lakers. If we don't get it, then we don't have a shot. You can quote me on that."

Well, Chris, you got it. Now let's see what you do with it.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send a question to his NBA Mailbag.

 

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