This Team Knows How to Win . . . But Can't

[NewMexiMav]

Hard times are upon this Maverick franchise again, and I'm reminded of the blighted days of yore: the days when Richie Adubato, Jim Cleamons or Quinn Buckner roamed the bench. Us "Day One" Mavs fans have seen plenty of hard times, so we are ready to hunker down again for what could be another nuclear winter in the history of our lovable little Mavericks.

So I look for silver linings and I think back to what made me stay loyal to the Mavs in all those lean years. I try to find a reason to get inspired for the game tonight against Superman and the Orlando Magic, a team with upside the Mavericks can only dream about right now. While nothing will come close to the Mavs' storied run to the Finals in 2006, I think my most memorable times as a Mav fan have been watching young impressionable teams learn how to win. The early days of Mark and Ro come to mind. The promise (however quickly derailed) of the Three J's. And of course more recently, watching Nash and Dirk blossom into great players.

The current incarnation of the Mavericks has none of that promise. Just a bunch of mostly older players whose best years are behind them. Players who have scaled great heights only to fall short of the summit and are now in a free fall down the hill. Even the younger players on this team, while talented, all exhibit flaws either mentally (JHo and Green) or physically (Bass and Barea).

In the leanest years when the Mavs' cupboard was all but bare, I remember taking satisfaction in even the smallest victories and thinking, "these guys are starting to get it" or "I'm actually seeing improvement"! There will be no such wishful thinking for the current group of Mavericks. We know this core group knows how to win. They know how to go toe to toe in a seven game series against the best the league has to offer. The problem is, they either can't or won't do it any more. They're done, either physically, mentally, or in some combination of the two.

It is time to dismantle, time for fresh legs and attitudes, time to learn how to win again.

[alexamenos]

well said.

[chumdawg]

I hope you're wrong...but you're probably right.

[Dirkenstien]

Great post NewMexiMav,

Very publish worthy material there.

This Mavericks franchise is becoming more and more like the great movie with a sad ending. You've invested your emotions, energy and time into it and don't want to believe it has all come down to something that just doesn't make sense. You don't want to accept that there isn't any way around it and you wonder why it has to end this way but the reality of the matter is it's beyond our control and all we can really do is sit, watch, and hope that someone will eventually write a sequel to this story that will give us that cherished happy ending.

[NewMexiMav]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

I hope you're wrong...but you're probably right.

Believe me Chum, I want to be wrong. I am a Mavs' homer with every fiber of my being and it pains me to have this opinion of the franchise, but that's how it looks to me, even through my Mavs' colored glasses.

If I'm wrong, I'll be the first one to revive this thread and skewer myself!

[mqywaaah]

This Team Used TO Know How IT FEELS to Win, but can't.

[Abhi]

actually i hope they all go（i really like them).i just don't want to see them struggling.And we still have good memories.We ever ran to the Finals.

[croco]

That's the best I have heard someone sum up the frustration so far.

[Murphy3]

some issues down the stretch offensively

1. too many jumpshooters.. not enough taking the ball to the rim
2. too many turnovers
3. it's mental at this point..and has been for awhile

It's always something offensively. Whether it's just settling for too many jumpers one game.. or whether it's untimely TO's... or whether it's just not hitting the big shots.. It's always something. But it's always something really, really HARD. When they screw up an area down the stretch, they usually screw it up big time. I'm talking about bending at the waist and taking it up the you know what. Heck, sometimes they manage to screw up multiple aspects of the game offensively down the stretch.

I don't know.. I suppose part of it is just not having a clear idea as to what they want to do offensively down the stretch. In the past, they had consistently ran the ball through Dirk. But, once teams started doubling Dirk hard as soon as he got the ball late in games, that kinda stopped working when the Mavs failed to make them pay for that double. Now, it just seems as if whoever ends up with the ball takes the shot.. no clear plan in most cases. I suppose that wouldn't be such a bad thing if it didn't turn out that half the time, a jumpshooter was throwing up a well contested jumpshot.

Hell, last night was a good example. Terry had quite a few 'bad' looks down the stretch that didn't go in. He forced things quite a bit in my opinion. Obviously, Josh had the brain dead turnover.. But, no one has ever accused him of being a smart player. Then you have guys like Brandon Bass on the court at times during the 4th.. the guy looks completely lost out there. Right now, he looks as if he should be in the D-League.