thanks wes for all your hard work with the blog...i recently found the blog and love it...hopefully we can turn this BS around next year

and an A's fan who's seen a lot of playoff disappointment, I feel for you. Your players and your fans showed a lot of class in the closing minutes of the series. You guys rock.

Wes I stumbled on the site after I read about it Dime.  I absolutely love and appreciate your hard work.  I think your latest entry hit the nail right on the head.  LOOOOOOONG offseason.  Can't wait until November.

I had a blast watching the Mavs play this year. We looked great and racked up 69 wins. Wait, did they do that on purpose just to be funny. Sorry if this was just a lame excuse to drop a "69 joke."

Anyways, I really hope that this feeling of dissapointment sinks in with the Mavs players and will give them some motivation for next year. How did everything unravel so fast? What would have happened if the Mavs didn't play Golden State in the first round? Why does it seem that the teams that play like dogshit in the regular season and just barely make it in find so much success (see 2005-2006 Miami Heat)?

Oddly enough I find myself not really respecting the Golden State Warriors very much. I can't really place it, but maybe seeing them respond to this like they just won some sort of one-time-only-intergalactic-basketball-championship and have confetti and streamers drop from the ceiling makes me all the more upset that they don't really deserve it because they coasted through the regular season. I hope they have to play Yao Ming because that might be pretty funny to watch.

Oh, and to Baron "Boom-Dizzle" Davis - if you're so hurt and you have to walk around the court and grimace in pain all the time - just retire.

37 threes.  are you serious?

I was touched by the class shown by the Mavs players at the end of the game. Avery was very classy in the postgame interview, and even Cuban surprised me by saying some nice things like we will bring everyone back and try to win again (I am paraphrasing). They did not blame anyone, and took responsibility for themselves. Very classy. I feel bad for the players, but the Warriors earned it.

The Mavs had an awesome regular season. They can be very proud of it. Very few teams have won 67 games and three double digit winning streaks.

Pretty disapointed with the end of the season.

But you have to give Golden State credit. They played really well. As a team, I don't mind Golden State at all (except for Stephen Jackson). So, I hope they give a good showing in the second round.

I really look forward to seeing what moves Dallas will make in the off-season. I don't expect major changes, but I think they need to add some more athleticism.

With that being said, Dallas had a great season. I feel bad for Dirk. He played great in the playoffs last year, and a lot of people seem to forget that.

Oh well, looking forward to next season.

After last year's choke in the Finals, I thought this team would come out with a vengeance and prove everyone that it was a fluke, but they came out 0-4.  Then they get things rolling and I thought they'd breeze through to the conference finals, but they lost in the first round.  This team can be so great when they want it.  It's just unfortunate, they don't seem to want as much as their fans do.

Derek

They compared the 2006-2007 Dallas Mavericks with the 1994 Seattle Supersonics. WTF.

I do apologize, I shouldn't rub it in. I feel for Mavericks fans today, I really do. The only reason this feeling is out there is because of how lauded the Mavericks were (and rightfully so after winning 67 games) and all the MVP talk (which was not appropriate given how Dirk shrinked against the Suns, and in general late in the season).

It was a choke, though. You won 67 games and lost to a team that only made the playoffs because the Clippers fell to pieces. The Warriors played their hearts out, but come on. It's still an 8 seed. And while no team is impervious to all matchups, and these matchups were considerably worse for the Mavs than any other, playoff experience and poise should have won out, along with coaching. Put this way. I can't see the Spurs losing to the Warriors (and I hate the Spurs).

Finally, Dirk was terrible. He took only 2 shots in the third quarter of his best game. He's the MVP and he has 8 points? 8? Yeah, the Warriors did a great job of bringing the double team, but name a great playoff performance by an MVP candidate, not even winner, just candidate, and I'll bet you they were double teamed. If he's getting doubled when he has the ball and he can't break it, he needs to work the offensive glass (which they completely surrendered last night). There are ways to score and contribute even when you're double teamed (how about Nash's 21 assists in game 4 this year?).

I do feel for the Mavs fans, but you've got a great nucleus and will be back stronger than ever next year.

This and other SBNation blogs keep me happy throughout the year.  I never go to the Dallas/FW news outlet sites anymore unless you link them.

Chin up Mavs fans.  We've experienced pain before...we're Mavs fans.

Next season I pray we don't own the other teams (save Golden State and the Suns) throughout the regular season like we did this year.  Steve Kerr said something last night about how each team came into the playoffs -- GState fighting, Mavs playing meaningless games.  I think there's something to that.

We need a true Point.  Love Jet and DHarris, but neither is good at distributing the ball.  Jet looks to shoot, D drives then can't see over any of the other players to dish the ball.

Hate to say this, but we may need another big time star.  Dirk obviously is not comfortable in the role of #1.  But who?  What's Baron Davis's contract like?

Lastly, we forgot Avery is still a young coach.  But he's a "fool-me-once" kinda coach.  He got out-coached, but he learned from it.

But you definitely have the pieces to get Jason Kidd.

I read half the comments and skipped the rest so sorry if it's been said, but...the past two years have shown me overall that Dirk is one of the biggest chokers in history. If GS doesn't win it all or come close, this will destroy the Mavs' mentality. Oh and, please God no Jason Kidd ever again.

Sure, we're accustomed to our boys not finishing in the post season.  At least they give us a great regular season, and usually exciting playoffs.  However, deep down, we all knew they wouldn't/couldn't take this Warriors team.  At least I did.  Props to GSW, they outplayed the Mavs in every aspect.  Had they had this core team and been healthy all year, they would've been at least in the top 4 seeds (in my opinion).  They deserved to win this series and I hope they win the next series and then whip up on PHX if the Suns can get past SA.  If SA beats PHX, the Dubs can't beat the Spurs.  If it's not going to be the Dubs in the Finals, I hope Chicago takes it.  Great end of the season Warriors and great Round 1.  You guys gave the Mavs hell.  Warrior fans, it was GREAT to watch/listen to you...you deserve this.  

LET'S GO WARRIORS!

Farewell Mavs fans. As a Warrior fan, I see some class acts out there in Big D. Good job not killing your superstar like the boneheads in the media. After I clear my head, two things stick out about this series.

1. The Dubs were unrealistically hot from the three point line. No way they are that good that they can make off-balance contested threes for 6 games. No one in the NBA can do that. Their best season averages are nowhere that good. Baron is streaky fron three at best. You can't win against a team swishing 30 footers all series. Won't happen.

2. Dallas needs a pure point guard in the worst way. Terry and Harris are ok, but both are shoot-first. After wathing this series, it's a wonder Nowitzki scored 15 points per ganme this season. He really gets no easy set-ups from his teammates. He passes and never gets it back in position to score. Make a trade -- do something.

Also, avoiding your old coach in the first round would help too.

See you next year!

warriors dont get the respect they deserve.
they're going to make it into the finals

but whatever.  I enjoy reading your blog, Wes.  I haven't found nearly enough good basketball talk online(82 games, truehoop, hollinger...that's about it), so checking in here has been a pleasure this past season.  So...yeah...

I have no idea what to do with myself, now.

i love it how some mavs fans on here think yall won 69 games

As a diehard MAV fan and reader of your blog I would like to thank you Wes for the wonderful site and the tremendous amount of work you have put in so MAV faithful have a place to congregate and talk "shop".

Like many of the members, I have been a MAV fan since their inception into the league. Been around for the highs and the lows and without question this one hurts deeply ( more so than last years finals strangely). I never bought into characterizing the Warriors as just the "lowly" 8 seed that was happy just to be in the playoffs. They played tough basketball the last quarter of the season and played at their peak performance and should be lauded for their accomplishment.

The biggest dissapointment hasn't been being beaten by a team that out performed us physically. They have talented players that would have given any team they played a handful playing as they did. Being overmatched on the mental front is far and away the biggest disappointment of this series. I never would have thought that the MAVS would have played so timidly.

When the dust settles I would expect that we will see some new faces comprising the squad next year. I am not one of those that thinks that we need a major overhaul but do feel that we are in need of a low post presence that could provide us a legitimate scoring option (8-12 per game) that would be honored by opponents.

As bad as it seems now, I think that this year will not have been for nothing. There were accomplishments, albeit secondary, that showed that this team is capable of fine basketball. Keep the chins MAV fans...