I'm not usually a fan of players running their mouths and trash talking when it comes to their opponents. As a rabid, avid self-proclaimed superfan, that's my job. But I gotta give Jason Terry some credit. When asked about the upcoming matchup with the Golden State Warriors, he said simply, "We hate those guys," and as the ultimate Mavs fan, I couldn't agree more.
Even before Nellie turned traitor, leaving Dallas for San Francisco, and the Warriors ousted the Mavs in the biggest first round upset in NBA playoff history, I have loathed Golden State. I still vividly remember a game I attended with Dad, Holly and her son Jacob, on December 30, maybe five years or so ago, when Dallas used to own the Warriors in nearly every matchup. The game was all tied up and looked to be heading to overtime when Baron Davis broke free for a midrange jumper with .5 seconds left, sealing the victory for the Warriors. It was the first Mavs game I had been to where the Mavs lost in several years, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. The following spring, Dad and I had tickets to another meeting with Golden State, and again, the Mavs lost the game on a last second turnaround circus shot by Jason Richardson. After watching the sad sack Warriors take my team out not once but TWICE in that fashion, Golden State moved to the top of my enemies list, even surpassing the hated Lakers, where they have pretty much remained ever since.
Watching the Mavs flame out in the first round against the Warriors in 2007 crushed me. After the best season in Mavericks history, to go out the way we did was devastating, and in some way, it made Dirk’s amazing accomplishment of winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award seem tarnished. It was especially hard for me personally that year, as during that playoff series, I lost one of my dear friends, Joella, who was also a huge Mavericks fan. In fact, Joella, Holly, Jacob and I had all attended Game 2 of the series, which the Mavs won, 112-99. And just one week later, Joella was taken unexpectedly, at the age of 29. I know it sounds silly, but at the time, the only thing that I had to hold onto was the hope that the Mavericks could pull out a victory in the series. As we all know, that didn’t happen, and the world as I knew it seemed to stop for a few days, until the announcement of Dirk’s winning the MVP came out. For over two years, I kept two text message reminders of the events on my cell phone. The first was a message from Joella, the night before she passed away, after the Mavs had won Game 5 and appeared to be finding their way back into the series. It simply said, “We did it!” with a smiley face behind it. That was the last time I ever heard from Joella. The second message was from ESPN radio, announcing that Dirk had been named MVP and when the press conference would take place.
My disdain for anything and everything Golden State Warriors has deep roots, and I was thrilled to watch my Mavs pull out the victory against the Golden State Wienies last night. (Two years ago, Dad and I were fortunate enough to receive great tickets for my birthday to watch the Mavs take on the Warriors; we sat right by the tunnel, close enough the players could hear us as they exited the floor and we renamed them the Golden State Wienies, which is how I still think of them to this day. We won that game, by the way, and it was an awesome birthday present!) I think the only team I enjoy seeing Dallas beat more than the Wienies is the Miami Heat, and we all know where that intense hatred stems from…
Even before Nellie turned traitor, leaving Dallas for San Francisco, and the Warriors ousted the Mavs in the biggest first round upset in NBA playoff history, I have loathed Golden State. I still vividly remember a game I attended with Dad, Holly and her son Jacob, on December 30, maybe five years or so ago, when Dallas used to own the Warriors in nearly every matchup. The game was all tied up and looked to be heading to overtime when Baron Davis broke free for a midrange jumper with .5 seconds left, sealing the victory for the Warriors. It was the first Mavs game I had been to where the Mavs lost in several years, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. The following spring, Dad and I had tickets to another meeting with Golden State, and again, the Mavs lost the game on a last second turnaround circus shot by Jason Richardson. After watching the sad sack Warriors take my team out not once but TWICE in that fashion, Golden State moved to the top of my enemies list, even surpassing the hated Lakers, where they have pretty much remained ever since.
Watching the Mavs flame out in the first round against the Warriors in 2007 crushed me. After the best season in Mavericks history, to go out the way we did was devastating, and in some way, it made Dirk’s amazing accomplishment of winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award seem tarnished. It was especially hard for me personally that year, as during that playoff series, I lost one of my dear friends, Joella, who was also a huge Mavericks fan. In fact, Joella, Holly, Jacob and I had all attended Game 2 of the series, which the Mavs won, 112-99. And just one week later, Joella was taken unexpectedly, at the age of 29. I know it sounds silly, but at the time, the only thing that I had to hold onto was the hope that the Mavericks could pull out a victory in the series. As we all know, that didn’t happen, and the world as I knew it seemed to stop for a few days, until the announcement of Dirk’s winning the MVP came out. For over two years, I kept two text message reminders of the events on my cell phone. The first was a message from Joella, the night before she passed away, after the Mavs had won Game 5 and appeared to be finding their way back into the series. It simply said, “We did it!” with a smiley face behind it. That was the last time I ever heard from Joella. The second message was from ESPN radio, announcing that Dirk had been named MVP and when the press conference would take place.
My disdain for anything and everything Golden State Warriors has deep roots, and I was thrilled to watch my Mavs pull out the victory against the Golden State Wienies last night. (Two years ago, Dad and I were fortunate enough to receive great tickets for my birthday to watch the Mavs take on the Warriors; we sat right by the tunnel, close enough the players could hear us as they exited the floor and we renamed them the Golden State Wienies, which is how I still think of them to this day. We won that game, by the way, and it was an awesome birthday present!) I think the only team I enjoy seeing Dallas beat more than the Wienies is the Miami Heat, and we all know where that intense hatred stems from…
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