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Overall
Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 41-41,
fourth place Southwest Division
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18
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At
Season’s End:
19
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Team
Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)
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Individual
Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)
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Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .
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SDH Player of the Year:
Vince Carter 
Just a couple short years ago, it looked as if it would be the end for this one time superstar who had electrified fans with his high flying acrobatic to the basket. After two rather disappointing seasons in Orlando and Phoenix, it seemed that Vince Carter would be headed to career oblivion being shipped to an already crumbling Dallas Mavericks squad to finish his one time impressive career. Many expected, and even hoped that Carter would simply just fade away on a team riding towards to sunset, but surprisingly instead of disappearing, Carter reemerged to put forth possibly the most heroic performance of his career. Coming of the bench, Carter played harder with more heart and determination than possibly any point of his career earning the respect of those who had since lost it. It is only fortune that he had not played with that same fire earlier in his career because he would have been certainly portrayed in a more positive light.
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Analysis:
The writing was already on the wall for the Dallas Mavericks: after following their 2011 Championship run with a less than stellar performance in 2012 barely managing to make the playoffs and were quickly eliminated in the first round, many saw this as the beginning of the end for this once mighty NBA powerhouse. The same team that was once the NBA's cream of the crop for more than a decade looked old, tired, and worn out and it was only a matter of time until everything came falling down. Everyone who followed and were involved in the operations of the Mavericks--the fans, the players, coaching staff, and the front office--knew that there good times have finally come to a close it was just a matter of time until this once proud franchise would heading for a quick and devastating fall to oblivion. Even Mark Cuban, the team's owner and most loyal and vocal fan, knew that the writing was on the wall and he did not even try to deny it or give false hope to the contrary; instead, he chose to step out of the limelight and focus on other projects as the team he helped build into a contender now looked as if it were on the verge of completely falling apart. In the 2013 NBA regular season, everyone witnessed the end of a once dominant force in the league that was built from next to nothing finally tip over and fall straight back to the bottom where it had once began and the reaction to it would be bittersweet to say the least. Along with sporting an old and battle weary roster, It was a rather rough off season to say the least as Dallas was completely unable to attract any of the marquee free agent name and were forced to settle with lesser quality options. They had failed to entice Deron Williams away from the Brooklyn Nets despite offering the max money available and were left scrambling to find a starting point guard after having shown last season's starter Jason Kidd the door. The were forced to settle with Darren Collison acquiring both him and swingman Dahntay Jones in a trade to the Indiana Pacers in return for center Ian Mahinimi--quite the downgrade compared to capturing Williams. To round out the roster, Dallas which sported a team of over the hill has-beens added two more over the hill players on their already worn out and tired roster 31 year old Chris Kaman and 34 year old Elton Brand. Once a former All Star who had plenty of promise, Kaman saw both his numbers and performance slip over the past two or three years due to injuries failing to live up to expectation while Brand, whose production had dropped dramatically since he left the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency had all but been given up for dead by many observers and analysts. The best that Dallas could do in free agency was acquiring shooting guard OJ Mayo, a player whose former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, did not even bother to try to match the deal that Dallas offered him. At just 25 years of age, OJ Mayo had been given up for a loss after putting up rather poor performances over his last couple of years in Memphis while Dallas was propping him up in front of their fans and the media as the team's shooting guard of the future which was quite the hard sell to say the least. To make matters worse, the team would start the season without its face, heart, and soul of the franchise--11 time NBA All Star and all time leading scorer in Mavericks history--Dirk Nowitzki, as he missed opening tip off along with more than a third of the regular season. Once he returned to the court, it was blatantly apparent that this was not the same Dirk Nowitzki who led Dallas to its first ever NBA Championship Title in 2011 nor was even a close facsimile as he showed the ravages of father time. His scoring dropped to under 20 points per game for the first time since his second year in 2000 as it became quite apparent that he would no longer be the same player that he once was as he struggled with his shoot along with his inabilty to take control of a game as he once did.
With this team looking down the end of a rifle barill going into the season, not many expected much out of the Dallas Mavericks as it was all but a forgone conclusion that the Mavs were not heading to the playoffs this season. Father time had ravaged the team to a point that it no was longer viewed as competitive enough to even survive in the rough and tumble Western Conference as the regular season reared its ugly head. Mavs fans, the team, coaching staff, front office even the team's most vocal and unrelenting fan, owner Mark Cuban had essentially accepted the fact of Dallas' ensuing downfall and greeted it upcoming demise with open arms and a heavy heart. They would enter the season nobly with heads held high and bravely faced their inevitable fate head on with poise and professionalism as they headed into a battle they knew that they were going to lose. And what resulted by season's end was probably the most unexpectedly memorable, inspiring, and valiant team performances in the 2013 NBA regular season.
Instead of falling apart at the seems as most troubled teams do, Dallas remained a firm cohesive unit that held together despite knowing full well that they were entering a losing fight. Sure they were one of the worst teams in the league when it came to points allowed in a game, but they were also one of the best teams when it came to scoring their own points and the point margin at which they lost for the season was surprising high for a losing team at 0.6. Although their fate had already been sealed from the opening tip off, the Mavericks never allowed themselves to simply roll over and let their opponents have their way with them; instead, they battled to the very end using every bit of energy and diminished ability left in their roster. That effort and determination may have not earned them a playoff spot, but it certainly earned the respect and admiration of not only the fans, but their opponents and the media as the Mavericks finished the season with a surprisingly respectable 41-41 record which continues their streak of not having a losing season to thirteen years. Now it is on to another season as the Mavericks will have to look forward to another long season as they continue to fight against father time; however, if they continue to fight as valiantly as they had last season, this Dallas Mavs team, whether it makes the playoffs or not, with still continue the respect of their fans and that of their opponents in the league. |
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Thursday, June 20, 2013
SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 19. Dallas Mavericks
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