More recently, after every difficult playoff defeat, I vowed myself to not emotionally invest myself completely in the Mavs. That façade lasts perhaps a month or two, usually around the end of July. But come November, I just can't maintain it. I'm such a sucker.

After losing to the Nuggets back in April, I wasn't terribly upset. Disappointed, hell yes, considering that series maybe could've kept on going if the refs had called the foul on Melo, or if he'd missed that shot. But the truth was, I wasn't expecting all that much out of the 08-09 crew, who were pretty erratic all season, couldn't take the opportunities to beat the top teams and leaked points out of their asses.

I followed the draft with a little more interest than previous years, with the draft being less top-heavy and having strong role-player depth. But on draft night, I slowly became more and more crushed as each "possible future solid starting PG" came off the board: Lawson, Maynor, Collison. I nearly died of a heart attack when they picked Mullens only to thankfully rectify it by trading for Roddy. Nevertheless, I swore that this time, I would pay less attention to the offseason as well.

And then the offseason did come of course, and the Mavs promptly went out and made a move which I really didn't anticipate them making, in picking up Shawn Marion. Everyone's read what this means by now: giving the team a helluva finisher and an above-average defender, blah blah blah. Back in mid-2007, I wouldn't have believed it happening but things change fast. Along with Marion came a swag of other solid additions: Gooden, Ross, Humphries, Tim Thomas (shiver). Sure, losing Gortat along with Bass burned but the bad always comes with the good in this league.

Nevertheless, this team's offseason has me ready to watch them again, most likely at the expense of my studies (real important year, with Australian university entrance exams and the SAT.) Gaaaaaaah. I fell for Carlisle's preach to "run an up-tempo system suited to Kidd's strengths" before the start of last season, and here I am again, in deep anticipation.

It's not like it's a three-year coincidence. Right back from the start of the Dirk era (let's say, 1999-2000), hopes have been sky-high right on through. The 2000 offseason was simply waiting in anticipation for the season to start, and the kids, led by Mike Finley perform. Sorta like the 1991 Cowboys (wasn't born then but I've heard it being thrown around) or the Rangers today. In 2001, the move to the AAC and the entire "organisational image facelift", backed up by the emergence of "The Big Three". 2002, the preach for better D to follow an incredible offense.

For me, the 2003 offseason was really where things hit a peak of hype for me. That Game 6 collapse to the Spurs was soul-crushing, but after the two or so weeks it took for me to get over it (note: get over it, not erase mental scars. They're permanent.), it was replaced by an insane fervour for the new season, especially after seeing the Spurs knock around the Nets and thinking "we could've been there". At the time, I was really iffy on both the Walker and Jamison deals, since I sorta liked both NVE and Raef, but I understood that it gave the roster an insane level of talent, trotting out what looked like five legit to borderline All-Star calibre players. Of course, that team flared out and by the time the smoke cleared at the end of the 2003-2004 season, my hopes had dropped faster than Wall Street in reaction to a bank collapse. Nash left, Jamison was dealt for what looked like a bag of parts, and Walker was traded for Jason Terry, a guy who I hadn't seen much of and didn't take to because...well, he was not Steve Nash.

Of course, that team quickly showed me that they weren't all that bad, and each season-end after, I anticipated the new one beginning. It was self-explanatory: after 2006, it was waiting to get ready and go do it all again. Following 2007, it was to see if they could prove people wrong and show that the upset was only an upset. And so that cycle's going to continue. I've always realised that being a sports fan isn't just watching a team play whenever you feel like it, but seems like only now I've realised that idea applies to me as well.

Fuck, let's go beat the Wizards. Go Mavs.

Also, Weezer sucked me in as well. I have this giant feeling their new album's going to be worse than their last two, yet I'm probably still going to buy it early. Fuck you, Rivers and your moustache.

Well, uh, post away. Let's crowd together all there potential trade ideas/lineup ideas/FA signings in one post rather than spreading it out in a giant wave of shit. Of course the things that actually happen deem their own fanposts, but posting ideas in a fanpost just crowds the place with junk.

Fan posts shouldn't be dedicated to hypotheticals such as "Let's get this guy" or "What do you think of this trade?" or "Fucking hell, Donnie, do something."

I know, it's the offseason and we don't have much to talk about. But it's been pretty fugly so far.

Since there seems to be a lot out there about us getting a second late first-rounder, I think it would be interesting to start some discussion on that.

A lot is being said about teams like Memphis and Minnesota open to dealing their picks at #27 and #28, but I wonder what it's going to take to get there. Sure, Washington might be shopping #5 but seriously, this draft isn't very top-heavy but deep in solid role players and picking #5 would probably cost us Howard or Terry and take Etan Thomas to get more of a "sure-thing contributor" rather than a real future star. I guess that's not entirely true, since the 2006 Draft looked rather weak but it hasn't been that bad with what it produced at the top.

To what extent would the Grizz and Wolves want for those late picks? I imagine mainly cap relief, but in what form? A shitty contract? Cash considerations? I wouldn't want the Mavs to take on an albatross to get one of those picks, but take on a fairly burden of a contract and provide cash considerations and I think they can get a pick. Or they might be idle once more just like last year...

And if they do get the pick, what becomes their strategy? Do they draft a swingman (most likely Terrence Williams now but I dunno, maybe Sam Young or someone) at #22 and hope a college PG falls to their later pick? (Collison may still be there, even Lawson, Patty Mills or Toney Douglas should both still be on the board at the end of the first round.)

Or rather, they just pick a point guard (Lawson, Collison, someone like Maynor or Teague could drop) and then use that later pick to get a swingman (more options here without picks being considered as reaches: Williams might hang around, Young, DaJuan Summers, Marcus Thornton, Dionte Christmas.)

I've been pondering on this for a while. The Mavs have never had so much viability in the draft since 2004. Any other thoughts?

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From HoopsHype, the current list of Mavs' free agents and the amount going off the payroll stand at:

Jason Kidd (21.3 mil)

Devean George (1.6 mil)

Ryan Hollins (970k)

Brandon Bass (820k)

Gerald Green (820k)

James Singleton (800k)

Erick Dampier (option likely not to be exercised: 9.5 mil)

I'd like to hear some opinions on who we bring back. I'm thinking right now, that TDG's probably gone. I think the Mavs use their MLE on Bass (might get him for less), and look to get Hollins, Singleton and Green back on cheap money deals.

Which leaves Kidd and Damp. Of course, I'd like to see us resign Kidd, maybe go hard at him early for around 10mil. If he gets a similar offer from a team like Cleveland or a big one from a team looking for a veteran to mentor young guards, I think we don't have much of a chance. And Damp? There's some replacements at center on the market, but I dunno...

I'm just throwing it out there, but any chance the Mavs can go for Andre Miller over Kidd? Hell, maybe even Mike Bibby (but then again, he's fired too many daggers into the Mavs). I don't think so, it might be screwing our 2010 plans if we give them a multi-year deal.

Right now, the list of intriguing potential FA's I'm looking at. There's some guys I left out, (say, someone like Shawn Marion or a very cheap guy such as Ramon Sessions) because I doubt the Mavs want to, or have the pull or payload to go for them:

Chris Wilcox

Anthony Parker

Radoslav Nesterovic

Ron Artest (throwing it out there)

Drew Gooden

Raef LaFrentz (okay, just sentimental value. I think he's done unfortunately.)

Okay, that's a short list, but I was being kinda exclusive in terms of what I think we're looking to get. Of course, perhaps a need can be filled in the draft, which this year is stocked with nice role players in the mid and lower first rounds. But this team has a lot more to cover up, and it's good to get discussion up early and get over this playoff loss as soon as possible.

Any thoughts? Who do we keep out of that list? Who do we explore getting?

Let's forget all the refs for a second. Let's forget that non-call and what Dwyade did in 2006. We wouldn't be having such troubles, feeling such gut-wrenching agony with every Mavs' playoff loss if it weren't for one thing.

That's the home playoff loss. One of the big reasons why the Mavs have no NBA championships is that they've lost critical playoff games at the American Airlines Center, which in all regards, should be a fortress. The best homecourt in the league, filled to the brim come playoffs time with a chunk of the city's over 1 million people population.

When the Mavs moved to the AAC from Reunion Arena, they were coming off a 53-29 season and a trip to the second round of the playoffs as a result of knocking off a strong, veteran-savvy Utah Jazz team. They were loaded with young talent, most namely a 23-year-old German 7-footer who could score from all over the court.

The move to the AAC brought an entirely new image to the Mavs. New uniforms, new logos, new colours, a much more modern facility. The fans responded and the new arena was packed full, game-after-game.

Come playoffs time, the anticipation for the Mavs was at its peak. In a three-game sweep over the Timberwolves, every three sunk by Dirk Nowitzki, Nick Van Exel or Steve Nash, every thunderous dunk ripped down by Michael Finley, even every block by Shawn Bradley was met with a roar. It was a clinical offensive display by the Mavs, polished off in Minneapolis. Hope was high as the Mavs readied for a showdown with top-seeded Kings.

They earned a split in Sacramento and considering what had happened previously, there were high hopes of heading back to Sactown for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead. But that came to a halt as the Kings offence worked mercilessly over two games: 115 layups over the entire series. The Mavs lost Game 3 after struggling to get their stops, handing homecourt back to the Kings. Then, they blew a 14-point lead in Game 4, even after both Vlade Divac and Chris Webber fouled out, with Mike Bibby sealing the game with a jumper over Dirk. A Game 5 in Sacramento was just not a task they could handle after two demoralising defeats.

It was a setback, but at the time, it was still early for the Mavs. Dirk was only 24. Nash and Finley were at their peaks. Bradley, LaFrentz, Van Exel, Najera formed a solid rotation behind the Big Three.

That blossomed in the 2002-2003 as the Mavs started 14-0, flashing their typical sparkling offence and showing new commitment on the defensive end. Eventually, they ended tied for the best record in the league: 60-22, and were headed to the playoffs again.

Both the Portland and Sacramento playoff series were epics in their own rights, but let's head straight to the WCF against the Spurs.

In a tremendous FT-shooting performance in Game 1, the Mavs fired 49-of-50 from the line after a first-up miss by Eddie Najera, stealing the game and homecourt advantage with a 113-110 win. A blowout loss in Game 2 ensued, but the Mavs had gotten what they wanted.

But things turned in Games 3 and 4 as the Spurs quickly found ways to exploit the Mavs and their weak front-court defence. In the most important storyline of the series, Dirk's season ended when he stepped on the foot of Manu Ginobili at a critical point in Game 3. With San Antonio holding a 3-1 lead like Sacramento did in 2002, the Mavs look buried once more. Then the Spurs shot out of the gates in Game 5 and led 44-25 and then later 70-53 in the third, and the Mavs seem pretty much done. Enter Michael Finley, who fuels an incredible comeback: he scores prolifically in the third quarter, with a three-pointer pushing the lead back to 72-64. The Mavs enter the fourth quarter down 74-81, but brings it down to 1 with a 6-0 run: Walt Williams scores on an up-and-under, Nash produces an incredible shot-clock beating floater and Van Exel makes a difficult layup. Then Nash ties it up with a three and gives Dallas the lead for good by assisting Raef LaFrentz on the go-ahead dunk. Finley buries the dagger.

Having fought back to 3-2, the Mavs found themselves with the momentum: a Game 6 win in front of a big crowd would send the series back to the SBC Center for a Game 7, and with rumbles of Dirk Nowitzki making a comeback for a possible Game 7, they had a good chance.

The Mavs took the initiative upon themselves and built a lead: the Spurs generally struggled after a tough collapse at home and Nick Van Exel knocked down a shot early in the fourth, the Mavs led 71-58.

And then came the collapse. Words cannot describe what I felt at the end of it: all I can remember from that was Stephen Jackson, Manu Ginobili and Steve Kerr, all taking times to nail three after three: [cliche]with each dagger feeling like a nail in the coffin[/cliche]. Total collapse: a 23-0 run allowed, the Mavs had no way of getting back even at home. And that was the first painful defeat: being eliminated in such a way, at home to end what had been a terrific and promising season.

2003-2004 came. Over the summer, the Mavs brought in more scoring: Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. The regular season was no biggie: everyone knew the Mavs had the talent and general make-up to make them, and it was all about getting deep into them and winning the championship. A third straight year playing against the Kings.

And another loss at home. Down 3-1 once again, after having been unable to win the first two at Arco, the Mavs went back to Sacramento, fought hard but got generally shredded by Mike Bibby, and a potential Dirk game-winner bounced off the rim, sealing a 119-118 win for the Kings and a first-round exit for the retooled Mavs.

2004-2005 was a complete change in personnel and a transition from offensive-orientated to balanced. The first-round series against Houston was another epic with its fair share of controversy: after Games 1 and 2 at home, the Mavs levelled it up in H-Town, and then won Game 5 after a contentious call on a play involving Michael Finley. A 40-point blowout win ensued in Game 7, and the Mavs were moving on.

And there was the Nash series. Everyone remembers his game-tying three over Jason Terry to send Game 6 into overtime. Another killer blow, the Mavs went on to lose: again, eliminated at home.

The road to the 2006 FInals was hardly smooth either: only an amazing, stunning, brilliant Game 7 road win in San Antonio avoided what would've been another big collapse as the Mavs lost Game 6 at the AAC. But they steadied up against the Suns, winning Game 5 on the back of Dirk's 50-point gem, and then giving the Suns a taste of their own medicine.

That trend continued in the playoffs: after a pretty close Game 1, the Mavs turned Game 2 into a blowout and went to Miami with a 2-0 lead and a great chance of winning one of the three back there, having swept the season series. Games 3 and 5 were among the biggest gut-punches of the all the Mavs' playoff defeats this decade, riddled by officiating fail. But Dallas had homecourt advantage and Big D should've been geared up for the biggest sporting events in the city's history (think about it: Brett Hull scored that goal in the third overtime in Buffalo, and the Cowboys win their Superbowls away from Texas Stadium). There would have been nothing like a Game 7 in Dallas, in that arena.

Only that Game 7 never happened. No matter how long a leash Wade got from the refs, no matter how bad both calls at the end of Game 5 were, no matter how inexplicable that Game 3 loss was, there was no way the Mavs should've lost the elimination Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals on their own homecourt. Wade led the way again for Miami with 36 points, but that was moreso his skill than the home cooking and the phantom fouls he drew back in Miami. The Mavs lost the game by two points, and that was by shooting cold, hard bricks for most of the game. Shooting bricks in an elimination situation, in front of a packed house filled with your own fans, is inexcusable. But it happened: the home playoff loss, the most devastating out of all of them.

I'll make the last two quick: the Game 1 loss to the Warriors gave them the belief ("We Believe" and such) to complete the upset with their homecourt advantage and their athleticism. The Game 4 loss to the Hornets was just a surrender, destroyed by Avery's poor coaching, Josh's marijuana revelation and a flurry of missed jumpshots.

And that brings us to tonight. Every time we look back at why the early 21st-century Mavs have never won a championship, look at the fact that they lost critical playoff game after critical playoff game in that fortress of theirs. Sure, hypothetically they mightn't have won those 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008 series even if they hadn't lost those home games, but each defeat was a killer.

Go Mavs...seven-point gap to make up

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