Quote:
Originally posted by: The Buddha
Although Nellie's absolute fear of the Lakers is hard to stomach, I don't blame him for the players general inferiority complex. The Mavs players are some of the best athletes in the world and should not need the encouragement of a guy sitting on the bench to believe in their ability to play hard-ass basketball and take it to any other player on any given day. VanEx never doubted his game, but this was not something Nellie or another coach cultivated for him, it is something that came from within. The Mavs players need to look within for the answer to the Laker domination of their psyche. Lastly, I would add that Nash seems to be the one who needs to do the most soul searching. The reason he seemingly played so well last night was because the game was already out of hand and he had nothing to lose. Compare this to the beginning of any Mavs-Lakers game when he runs out of control, throwing the ball away in his scared frenzy. You can see in his eyes the fear. Until Nash gets this straightened out on his own, the Mavs aren't going to contend with the Lakers...because ultimately the ball goes through Nash's hands before it gets to any other player, and he just might be passing along the fear and defeatism as that ball shakily flies from his unsteady hand.
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Our bigger players need to stand up; Nash is tiny compared to Shaq. He had a great game as a matter of fact; he did show incredible toughness coming back after the cheap shot. He went through the lane several times after that, fearlessly. You need to consider the WHOLE game, not just a few instances.