Free Darko makes a really good point:

--One final thought on GSW/DAL. The Mavericks (and to a lesser extent, The Suns), I realize now, are the real reason this year's regular season sucked so badly. I mean, they were really the catalyst behind (Simmons'-coined term) Tankapalooza. All these teams were so shook by the sight of 60 wins, they figured, screw it, we don't have a chance in hell. Hand em the title and let's try to rebuild around Jeff Green and Alando Tucker. I hope if nothing more, this series is teaching everyone a lesson. I am being straight up when I say there is an extremely small difference between this year's Grizzlies and this year's Warriors. One of them simply decided that there was something worth fighting for.

Caught the fourth quarter of that Warriors Mavs game last night. Un effin believable. Not ashamed one iota to tell you I'm pullin hard for Golden State. Compatriots in arms of fellow perennial West Coast cellar dwellers unite.

Nellie is just doing a bang up job on every front. He's obviously got them playing extremely well and as a unit and all that, but even moreso is the psychological mindfucking he's employing at every press conference and interview, directed at his own players, at Avery Johnson, at the Mavs players, I mean, wow. If coach of the year was voted on after the playoffs instead of in the dregs of the finale of the regular season, nellie would at least be in the running, right?

and the warriors are a damn fun team to watch. That was the only concession I noticed Charles Barkley would give them, bashing the city, bashing the organization, just overall being a cranky fuck, but he did admit "they're fun to watch." and they are. Maybe he just figured that the current MVP would beat up the warriors in the first round just like the MVP of the league did the last time the Warriors were in the playoffs (and wasn't that Charles himself, playing for Phoenix that year?) Anyway, I wouldn't go so far as to say that Dallas is DONE (although Tim Kawakami is, click his name on the sidebar and go explore, he's in hoops heaven right now, and we're all along for the ride), but it ain't looking good for Dirk, Josh, Avery, Mark and the crew. No, it is indeed looking quite bad, actually.