Quote:
Originally Posted by madape
I remember Don Nelson saying that the rest they got when they swept Minny 4 years ago was a big disadvantage. There were even some conspiracy theories about them letting off the gas in the first round series against Portland the next year after building a 3-0 lead. That was the year they went on to FINALLY beat Sacramento on their way to the Western Conference Finals.
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Nelson was probably correct at that point. The mavs really were not ready to compete for a title until little nicky/raef had been there for a year. Heck they weren't even ready to compete after that until NVE said to F the kings. That was a willful turning point imo.
That's why the blowout against minnesota wasn't beneficial, it was because they weren't mentally ready to compete at that level imo. A contested engagement would have been better, they sort of got the big head.