Dear Dallas Mavericks,From the very first game I attended with my father back in 1987, I have been a lifelong Mavericks fan. Aside from my freshman year in college, when Mavericks’ games were not carried by the local TV station, I have spent the best years of my life being devoted to you, my beloved Mavericks. I eat, sleep, and breathe Mavericks basketball; my blood runs blue and white and I live and die with my team, just as I have for almost a quarter of a century now. And barring some crazy panicky move – like shipping Dirk Nowitzki to the Lakers in exchange for the amazingly talented but ethically challenged Kobe Bryant – I will remain a Mavericks fan until the day I die.
I remember what it was like in the ‘90s, when no one cared about basketball here in Dallas, including the players. (Does anyone remember how long it actually took to get Jim Jackson in a Mavs uniform?) I remember the days of owners who didn’t care about the team or its fans (the few of us who remained loyal), just the real estate development opportunities (thanks so much, Ross Perot Jr.). I recall the likes of Donald Hodge, Randy White, Jim Cleamons and Quinn Buckner. Through it all, no matter how bad things got, I never lost hope and never gave up on my Mavericks. And I don’t intend to now, either.
Although thinking about what could have – and should have – been during the Mavs’ 2006 title run still brings a tear to my eye, I’m not the kind of fan who takes 10 straight winning seasons for granted. True, Dallas still doesn’t have an NBA championship under its belt, but then again, neither do a lot of teams. Every year since 2000, Dallas has been relevant, not only in the regular season but in the playoff picture as well. Like everyone involved with this group of guys, I have thoroughly enjoyed the ride; however, unlike many of the “fair weather fans” who have quietly jumped off the Mavericks’ bandwagon, I’m still here. Hell, I’m the one driving the bus!
For the past three weeks and change, it has been uncomfortable, even painful at some points, to watch my Mavericks, the great guys I know and love, get outhustled, outwitted, and ultimately outplayed nearly every night. I keep watching, waiting, and hoping that you will snap out of it and remember who you are, both individually and as a team, and how you got off to such a great start this year. Yes, you have stumbled of late, but given the circumstances – playing without your best player for more games than he’s probably missed in his entire career, then losing your second best player for the remainder of the season 24 hours later – anyone would have difficulty continuing to win. Rather than make excuses, however, you guys continue to battle and lay it all out on the hardwoods every night, and I applaud your effort and unwillingness to throw in the towel.
While it’s difficult for me to grasp the extent to which this team has fallen, all hope is not lost for you guys, by any means. The way I see it, there have been two different and distinct entities who have donned the blue and white jerseys so far this season. The first group, the guys who Chuck (Barkley) himself referred to as “the best team in Texas,” even though the Spurs held a better record at the time, was unstoppable. They had the league’s best road record and pulled off an amazing feat, winning four games in five nights in convincing fashion. That team beat “The Chosen Ones,” aka the Miami Heat, not once but TWICE, sweeping the season series. When they played together as a team, there was nothing those guys couldn’t handle.
The second group, whom we’ll call the post-M*A*S*H unit, has been the exact opposite. Battling without their leader, this same group of guys has struggled just to put points on the board. Their offensive flow has disappeared, along with their confidence and swagger. It no longer seems fun for them to play together, but more like a grind, something that is surely as unenjoyable to participate in as it is to watch.
In my mind, I cannot reconcile the fact that these two starkly different teams are actually ONE AND THE SAME: my beloved Dallas Mavericks. Which leaves just one question: Which team ARE you guys, in actuality?
In my heart, there is only one answer…
YOU ARE THE DALLAS MAVERICKS!
Now get out there and play like it.
Sincerely yours,
Mandi Smith
Your #1 Fan,
Today, Tomorrow and Always
