After witnessing the classless play of the Lakers during their season-ending series against the Mavericks, I have determined two immutable things.
The first is that the National Basketball Association must do something serious about the flagrant fouls committed by the Lakers during the series.
It was not just the hard hits by Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum in game four, but also the Ron Artest foul in game three, which he was rightfully suspended for.
While watching game four, I felt the urge to say to my roommates who were watching with me how the NBA should stop games like this because someone will get seriously hurt before the end.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen, but the cheap fouls reminded me more of a game of streetball than anything that should be put on a professional court.
Bynum and Odom both should be hit with multiple game suspensions at the beginning of the year next season and serious fines for what could have turned into another Pacers-Pistons type brawl in “Big D.”
The second thing that I took away from the series is that the Dallas Mavericks are a championship team.
For the first time since I have watched the Mavericks, which amounts to about 15 years, I saw a tough team, and not just from a physical standpoint.
When Dallas needed to buckle down in games one and three, they did it; erasing two fourth quarter deficits to overcome the Lakers at home and on the road.
In 2006 and 2007, the years no Mavs fan likes to hear about, Dallas caved under pressure; say what you want about the officiating leaning toward D-Wade. This time around, however, Tyson Chandler provided the emotion and physicality to make Big D play some big crunch time defense and step up when the situation presents itself.
I get the feeling that the play Dallas showed in the Los Angeles series is enough to put them as both the favorites in the Western Conference as well as in the NBA finals, should they be able to make it there. No matter how much more athletic their opponents may be, if you play with the tough play mentally and physically, you are going to win.
I certainly hope Dallas can get back to the finals and complete what would be the greatest sports year in the history of my life with the Rangers in the World Series, the Packers winning the Super Bowl, and, hopefully, the Mavs as the World Champions of the National Basketball Association.
