While we won't be tuning in to Game 1 until after "Lost" tonight, you can bet the rest of the series will be must see TV here at the CIT Compound. This series is, to me, every bit as compelling as Mavs-Spurs was, and should provide enormous entertainment.
There appears to be a feeling of no-big-deal-ness around the old D/FW Metroplex regarding this series. I get the impression that Mavs fans think the title is already won. The Spurs are conquered, and everyone left is an also-ran. This is unsettling.
While it's certainly true the Spurs have been the arch-nemesis around here for some time, and they were the Champs, and the series was one of the all-time greats, it's important to remember the Mavs have won nothing yet. They are merely half-way to the Promised Land. Much work remains.
It starts with Phoenix. Oh sure, the Suns have a bunch of strikes against them going in: No Amare, Nash looked beaten down in Game 6 against LAC, they only play 7 guys, they've barely survived two consecutive seven game series, they don't play defense, etc, etc, etc.
Don't fall prey to these thoughts, Mavs fans!
The Suns are THE most explosive team in the NBA. They have an offense that can kill you in multiple ways - they can shoot from outside, they can take it into the paint, they can kick it out, they can kick it in, and they can run your ass off. No one, including the Spurs and the Mavs, has been able to consistently slow them down all year. This is a team that can score 20 points in the blink of an eye and, if you give them the chance, they'll blow your doors right off.
I firmly believe this is a very different Mavs team than the one that got knocked out in six by Phoenix last year. I think the Mavs can, and will, impose their will on the Suns, can slow them down, and can score any way they want to against the nearly non-existent Phoenix defense.
I think the Mavs will win.
But I sure don't think it's going to be quick, or easy.
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