Mavs take huge strides, but the buck still stops with Lake show

I’ve kept quiet this semester, but privately I’ve rejoiced.

And after Sunday’s sweeping victory, I’ve got to let it out.

The Dallas Mavericks, your Dallas Mavericks, are nothing short of sensational.

What a team – Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz. With two of these guys, you’re a high seed in the Leastern Conference.

With three, you’re playoff-bound in the West. The five of them form quite possibly the toughest five-some in the NBA.

And it is with these five, along with energy men Eduardo Najera, Greg Buckner and Adrian Griffin, that this team will make a long journey in the NBA Playoffs. Even Wang Zhi Zhi has made significant contributions.

If people didn’t think so, they do now after the Mavs dispatched the one-man team known as the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Garnett is phenomenal, but he can’t carry a franchise.

The T-wolves even had help from Wally Szczerbiak, who I hate more than any other Backstreet wannabe, and Chauncey Billups – and it still wasn’t enough. Not even close to being enough.

The Mavs are just too good, and in the second round, whether they face the Sacramento Kings or the Utah Jazz, they will dispose of either. If it’s the Jazz, people may not be surprised if they beat them.

But if the Mavs beat Chris Webber and the Kings handily, as I believe they will, the country will take further notice. Dallas, with an NBA-best 27-14 road record during the regular season, was the only team to beat Sac-town in Arco Arena for nearly four months, and it is the only team to beat C-Webb and Co. twice there.

In short, the Mavs are not rattled by the Arco mystique or the rabid fans who reside within that arena. The series will be great for fans with an incredible offensive feel not usually the norm for the NBA Playoffs.

The team plays at a high-speed chase, with “analyst” Tom Tolbert describing Sunday’s 115-102 win “like watching Indy car racing.” Again, I don’t make this stuff up.

What’s more is that this team doesn’t beat itself. The Mavs committed the fewest turnovers in a season in the history of the NBA while scoring more than 105 points a game to lead the league. They led the league even before the midseason acquisitions of Van Exel and LaFrentz.

That is why the Mavs will win against the Kings – either in five or six games. It’s not blind confidence in this team but rather the knowledge that they are now a superior team to the Kings, who have shown signs of erratic play and playoff breakdown. The Mavs have a superior starting five, a deep bench and the greatest fourth quarter X-man in Nick the Quick.

In addition, the biggest players have come up big when it counts most. Dirk has been phenomenal in the playoffs, averaging 33 points, 15.7 rebounds and three steals. Finley has added a mere 24.3 points and a barrage of shot-clock beating jumpers. Nash has scored 21 a game, dished out nine assists and hit a slew of incredible circus shots.

Dallas will have its hands full in the NBA Finals, I mean the Western Conference Finals, to say the least. If they face either the San Antonio Spurs or the Los Angeles Lakers, they will be challenged to find a big man to contain either Duncan or Shaq, with Raef’s foul-a-minute play not helping low post defensive matters.

But one thing is for sure: either team will be given a run for its money. The Mavs have a shot against either, with a matchup against the Spurs being more winnable. I’d take the Mavs against the Spurs, especially considering David Robinson’s status. After all, there is only so much Tony Parker can do to help Tim Duncan over a long stretch.

The Mavs will beat the Spurs if they face off in six. It’ll be a great matchup, unlike last year. The two teams have played incredible basketball against each other.

My reasoning is simple in giving the Mavs an edge – they could have arguably swept the season series, and the last time the two teams met in San Antonio, Dallas played terrible but almost won with Finley off and Raef on the bench. That says a lot when a team doesn’t play well on the road and only loses by two.

Against the Lakers, it would be more of a challenge. Dallas, like the other 27 teams in the league that play Los Angeles, cannot stop Shaquille O’Neal when Shaq really wants to score. Period. The Mavericks have contained Kobe Bryant, with Griffin proving to be a better “Kobe-container” than Ruben Patterson.

The Lakers get the edge in a series against the Mavs because of O’Neal’s massive presence and the help of his Superfriends – Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and Maverick-killer Rick Fox.

If the two teams meet, it’ll go six or seven, but the Lakers will work hard against the Mavs.

One thing’s for sure, every year teams look to get better and this year the Mavs have gotten better. Much better. As a fan, that is the only thing you can ask for, and Dallas has provided its fans with that much this season.