It’s been great to have the Dallas Mavericks in post-season for a long time. They have a good crowd and one of the best young players in the league. But regardless of whether it’s Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley or Luka Dončić leading the team on the ring, since the turn of the millennium, the constant guiding force for the Mavericks on the sidelines has been Mark Cuban.
He was not cut out of the Jerry Reindsrf and Mickey Arison fabric of the team owners. Cuban has opened up a new group that is more visible and isn’t afraid to show you their enthusiasm for their group on the sidelines or when talking about them.
Cuba has become more known in recent years because Shark tank compared to his Mavericks being a longtime NBA contender, but that all changed this season. This team was expected after consecutive losses in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers. The season got off to a rough start, but they won more than 50 games for the first time since 2015, and made it to the Western Conference Finals after failing to make it past the first round of the knockout stages since 2011. when they won the NBA championship.
Not only are the Mavericks players and coaches in post-season form, but so are the Cubans. His team has been fined, and unlike in 2005, he can hop on social media and speak directly to those who aren’t happy. He did so after the team was penalized for a third bench decoration after this season. He tweeted a video about the Brooklyn Nets – from three years ago – with just one word, “genealogy”. He then sent a video of Draymond Green going on a rampage and sarcastically writing, “our bench lost control.”
For all the things I don’t like about Cuban, I like my anti-tournament attitude. He yells at the umpires and digs up David Stern which is sometimes more enjoyable than watching his longtime opponent play basketball games. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this particular billionaire has somehow put the elite to work. It was fun to watch him piss off Stern and those with old NBA sensibilities.
The Mavericks players on the sidelines are always standing, which is against the rules. Players are allowed to be human and react to the big plays, but this is not football or baseball. In basketball, players are extremely close to the action. Simply standing while playing can create a distraction for opposing players, or worst of all they can actually do something distracting. That’s what really marks the NBA, according to to Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today.
In Game 2, Stephen Curry committed a turnover – not unusually high – but this is not his failure to pretend to be his best Pete Maravich pistol. He tossed a pass towards the touchline, but according to the Mavericks’ Pinson, who was not only standing but also wearing a white and blue sweater. The warriors wore their white uniforms with blue in that game.
The Mavericks were last hit with a $100,000 fine, and I personally wouldn’t have a problem with the NBA fining them $1 million and banning Pinson from the sidelines for the rest of the series. Anything can stop teams from wearing white at home – in a way that they should instead of replacing the number 7 jersey with colors that aren’t even on the team’s logo – will result in maximum penalty for affecting my viewing experience. No more rush color playoff games.
Teams have been playing better at holding onto their home turf in this post-season, especially in this second round. So I support Cuban’s response both on and off the field as he believes his team has been mishandled – and is happy to see them again in the knockout stages – you all need to sit. down. Because if I see Game 6 in this series with Warriors in black and Mavericks in green, I lose it.
