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Don Holdridge's avatar

Maybe I’m overly influenced by what we’ve witnessed the last six weeks. But if I were a gambling man, which I’m not, I would find it hard to bet against Luka and the cast in his reality play that has left them waiting to be the stars who take the final curtain call, the maestros who receive the fans adulation, called out again and again as the crowd’s applause demands one more bow.

I am not a basketball expert, even though I played in high school and have watched generations of great college and professional players come and go. I’ve seen more talented teams, including the one the Mavericks will face starting this week. But the 2011 Dallas squad that won the team’s only championship trophy, was not the most talented bunch on the floor most nights of their playoffs. Talent alone is not enough.

The little I’ve seen of the Boston Celtics suggests they are a team that plays down to the level of their competition, a trait that has derailed more than one seemingly inevitable “champion,” in more sports than just basketball. They tend to live by the three-point shot and are very good at it. But the three-pointer can become a double-edged sword. Miss a few shots, and the doubts start creeping in, then spread as a Covid-like plague through the rest of the players. Because they are so talented, these Celtics carry the burden of expectation, a weight exponentially multiplied by the multiple runs of championship teams in their storied history. Can they stand the pressure? Lose one game at home, let the crowd turn on them, and they will have their mettle tested in a way most can only imagine.

These Mavericks, after three rounds of playoffs where they were never favored, do seem like a team of destiny. With arguably the best player in the world and another trusted star, a team full of role players willing to do what it takes to complement their superstars and a defensive mindset that throttles the best team offenses, they possess the ingredients needed to succeed as an underdog again.

Maybe this is all just a mirage. But three Western Conference playoff opponents will tell you these Mavericks are for real. Get ready Boston! Dallas is coming for you!!!

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Jim Adams's avatar

Whatever the outcome, I can not wait for this Finals to begin. I can’t watch any sport on TV right now that has the same flavor as this upcoming series, it’s as if all the others have dimmed in brightness and color and this sentence right here says all their is to say about why:

“When he goes into a hostile setting—and what could be more hostile than Boston waiting for a team with Kyrie?—he cannot wait to turn 20,000 voices against him, only to then systematically silence them with fear and anguish.”

Good grief,Bob! This read and this series has me ready to don the sword and face the Bolton’s head on like Jon Snow!

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