Panicked, I raced to the hat rack behind the front door and placed them on my head. One, two, three different Mavs hats. Trystan threw her Dirk jersey on over her clothes, and I tossed Merenda one of my other Mavs' hats to wear.
"You really should put your shoes on," Merenda said, referring to my special edition Mavericks adidas sneakers I bought for just over $100 two years ago. (It pained me to spend that kind of money on one pair of shoes; I'm a Wal-Mart shopper at heart). “They worked the last time,” she added.
I shrugged and flopped back down on the couch, unpaused the DVR, and held tight to the Dirty 41 necklace around my neck as I prayed my Mavs would complete yet another amazing comeback from a double digit deficit. But every time they shaved a few points off the 20 point lead the Spurs had amassed, the Spurs would counter with a few baskets of their own. Just when it seemed like the Mavs had closed the gap, San Antonio would tear it wide open again. Close, but no cigar, I thought grimly.
“Did we win?” my favorite wide-eyed MFFL-to-be asked excitedly as I flipped the TV off, unable (or unwilling) to watch the postgame comments.
“No, baby, it was too little, too late,” I sighed as I headed dejectedly to the bedroom, knowing my dear loving (although misguided) husband Rickey, a lifelong Spurs fan, would be much happier with the final outcome: Spurs 102, Mavs 88. Maybe Merenda was right, I thought. I should have worn my shoes!
Not that I would be the least bit superstitious or anything.
In the end, nothing I could have done, whether at home on the couch or live at the AAC, could have won Game 2 for the Mavs. After losing the series opener in what they felt was an unfair matchup (notice how Popovich drew attention to the officiating, particularly when it came to Dirk, without actually criticizing the refs?), the Spurs came out with their foot on the gas pedal from the opening tip on Wednesday night and never let up. Unfortunately, the Mavs fell victim to yet another slow start at home, and try as they might, they never could fully recover.
It was a real shame, too. Not only did the victory give the Spurs some much needed momentum headed back to their house for a pair of all-important games, but just imagine how crushing it would have been had the Mavericks been able to pull off the comeback upset. The Spurs would be forced to take a good look at themselves and ask many questions – the same ones the Mavericks are no doubt asking themselves right now.
As the Mavs pack up and head down I-35 for the next few days, one phrase keeps echoing through my mind: it’s not really a series until one team wins on the road. That’s when the excitement begins.
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