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Learning experience Cuban's get-rich-quick scheme doesn't pan outPosted: Tuesday May 14, 2002 1:15 AMUpdated: Tuesday May 14, 2002 2:01 AM
For Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, it has to be worse than a Blizzard brain freeze. After watching his $56 million team get eliminated by the Kings in five games in the Western Conference semifinals -– including Monday night’s 114-101 clincher -- the boisterous billionaire must be feeling as low as one of his old dot-com stocks. Now we know why he’s been wearing sunglasses. The Kings did more than beat the Mavs in this series. They exposed them. They took Cuban and Don Nelson’s blueprint of "How to Gun Your Way to a Title" and shot it full of holes. Even without All-Star Peja Stojakovic, the Kings ran roughshod over the Mavs’ matadors. Chris Webber and Vlade Divac pounded it inside, turning the lane into an E-Z pass zone. For the series, the Kings averaged a whopping 112.8 points, many from inside the paint. It wasn’t just "Irk" Nowitzki (that’s right, no "D"), either. Nick Van Exel and Steve Nash couldn’t contain Mike Bibby, forcing Nelson to use Michael Finley on him for stretches. Raef LaFrentz couldn’t block shots because he was out covering Webber or Divac, usually on pick-and-rolls, and was often too late on rotations to cover for his teammates. The Mavs also showed a surprising lack of toughness, particularly at home in Games 3 and 4. They came out passive in Game 3, as if expecting Sacramento to cave in to the clanging cowbells, and fell behind 13-2 in the opening 3:40. They fought back to make it a game, but they couldn’t pull it out, even with Stojakovic and Doug Christie missing stretches with injury. In Game 4, they coughed up a 12-point lead with just over 10 minutes to go, then failed to capitalize when first Webber and then Divac fouled out. Down three starters, the Kings nonetheless kept moving their feet on D and crawling on the offensive glass. Meanwhile, the Mavs, the NBA’s all-time best team at taking care of the ball during the regular season, kept fumbling it away. "It surprised me that we lost those two games at home, that we got kicked in the teeth," Nelson admitted. Dallas was supposed to have a Big Three in this series, but in reality it was more like a Big One. Only Finley, the guy who didn’t make the All-Star team, played like a true star while Nowitzki and Nash struggled. Van Exel, expected to be a wild card off the bench, might as well have stayed in Denver. It is ironic, then, that Finley is the one mentioned as possible trade bait this summer. While Cuban isn’t dumb enough to make that rumored deal with the Bulls for Jalen Rose and the draft rights to Yao Ming, it is possible he would deal Finley somewhere for a proven two-way frontcourt player. More likely, the Mavs will move Van Exel. The Mavs enjoyed a terrific regular season. They won 57 games, a franchise record. They played a wide-open style that was fun to watch. Thanks to Cuban’s largesse, NBA hoops became a big event in Big D. But in his haste to get rich quick, Cuban forgot about defense. Cowbells are nice, but they don’t keep opponents from waltzing through the lane for easy layups. Cuban can chalk up this series as a learning experience for his young team, but he’s really the one who got taught a lesson.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
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