Mav-wrecks to Mavericks to Mav-wrecks

I became an avid fan of the Dallas Mavericks after playing NBA Live 2003. Not much has been expected with them as the Nowitzki-led line-up coached by Don Nelson isn't expected to go deep then because of their almost non-existent defense and the run-and-gun style. Years after, two of the trios namely Nash and Finley had gone out to other Western teams only to find out that they've become solid contributors to their opponents.

Everyone thought it was over for the Mavs, until a surprising seven-game series against the Spurs during the Western Semifinals of the 2006-07 NBA Season proved that they can be a title-contender. Winning the Western Conference finals against the Suns, they faced a fading Shaq and a budding Wade as a heavy favorite to win the NBA title. Unfortunately, when a lot is expected of them, they fail to live up to their expectations.

After their NBA finals meltdown, they proved themselves hungrier than ever for the title the next season with a whopping 67-win record only to be beaten by the Golden State Warriors in a Western Conference first round playoffs biggest upset in the NBA History. Right time and the right place for the Warriors who have seemingly found the right time to gel with one another after their mid-season trade with the Indiana Pacers while on the other hand leaving the Mavs scratching their heads.

In this season, the Mavs haven't found their true identity with a sub-par performance in the first half of the season with what is expected to be a three-way race between them, the Spurs and the Suns for the first place in the Western Conference. However, things got worse when the panic button was pushed by Mark Cuban as they acquired Jason Kidd for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and Maurice Ager with the Lakers getting Gasol and the Suns seeking for the services of Shaq.

Cuban desperately needed the trade and not the players. Traded the future for now. However, the supposed to be "now" still isn't working for the Mavs as they are facing a huge deficit against the Hornets for the first round of the playoffs. Now, with Kidd, everything backfired. I suppose even with Kidd's character, they shouldn't have traded for him. Even with his almost triple-double stats, the kind of leadership he has is not the one that the Mavericks are looking for. They should've gotten someone from the draft like Bynum instead of giving up a lot for a 35-year-old complaining point guard.

Cuban, Kidd, Johnson, Nowitzki, Stackhouse... everyone choking at their own way. And what better way than to choke all at the same time.