And we were done after G4 in Portland..
I'm not going to sit here and say I thought we'd be where we are right now 4 weeks ago. I didn't.
BUT.
About a month ago, I thought to myself, hell, this is our last chance.
When the match-ups were set, I was like... Man, if we get past Portland, I can't wait to see how we play in LA. If we could take one in LA, we have a chance. Now we're up 2-0, more than I'd ever imagined.
This isn't over. We have a TON of work to do.
If we do beat LA, again, we're not done, we have a lot of work to do.
The hardest test will be the WCF. Whoever advances and faces Dallas if we make it, that's our test. Both teams will be big and physical. They would have been working just as hard as Dallas has.
But this is it for Dallas. We've been struggling for years, and I've been thinking recently, the hunger is there for us. Dirk is hungry. Kidd is hungry. Marion and Tyson are hungry. Are young guys are healthy and energetic.
If we don't do it here, we're pretty much done. I don't see us going through another season and playing this well.
This season has been different. Our defense has been off-and-on, but Tyson really has changed the culture here in Dallas this year.
If we make it to the Finals? Unless we face the Bulls, I feel completely comfortable with whoever we play.
All of this said, it's far too early to say Mavericks are going to win it all.
A game at a time, that's how I view it, and I'm sure that's how they view it. I hope we can pull it off..
If at the end of this year, I see Dirk and Kidd put on their rings, I'm a happy man, that's enough for me. It helps cement both of their legacies, but there are so many great players in this league that don't get that ring. I'll of course HOPE for another ring, but I'll always feel like Dirk's career wasn't fulfilled if he didn't win a ring in Dallas. Here's his last best chance.
And he's hungry.