Nuggets End Mavericks Sideshow

Say what you will about the personalities that suit up for the Denver Nuggets, but they tend to operate like a beehive – a lot of buzz and threatening to look at, but generally won’t attack unless provoked.

Enter the Dallas Mavericks – a team that has gained a reputation for being chronic complainers. In recent seasons, many of their playoff flame-outs have been accompanied by gripes that their ouster was helped by less than helpful officiating. It’s a refrain that has worn thin to many fans.

And in a classic case of Follow The Leader, the central figure in the Mavericks Moan March is none other than team owner Mark Cuban. At one time, this Boy Wonder Billionaire was heralded as a much-needed breath of fresh air for the league. Now, it’s more like a foul wind.

Cuban has always behaved like a fan who just happened to own his favorite team. Instead of staying up in a luxury suite, he donned a jersey and sat in the stands next to the fans. He followed the team on all of its road trips and has been the franchise’s biggest cheerleader. Cuban throughout his tenure has drawn the ire of the league for his criticism of league management and its officiating. But with each fine, Cuban usually found a way to turn it into positive publicity. 

Yet in the last few years, Cuban’s antics have become less novel and more of a distraction. Yelling at officials from behind the bench, engaging in verbal disputes with opposing players and coming onto the floor during an altercation during a game. Most recently, Cuban had words with the mother of Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin.

All of these things became a nasty sidelight to the series. Cuban stomped and pouted like a petulant preschooler while Mavericks fans followed suit. The attitude even trickled down to the players who constantly feigned persecution at every whistle. Instead of preparing for the expected physicality of playoff basketball against a team known for its aggressive style of defense, the Mavericks cried (lack of) foul.

By no means is Denver completely blameless in the equation. Several Nuggets have earned a reputation for dirty play on the court and have run afoul of the law off of it. In fact, Martin’s expletive-laden tirade directed at Dallas fans after Game 3 had a lot to do with Cuban’s subsequent confrontation with Martin’s mom. 

But through it all, the Nuggets continued to PLAY THE GAME. The disagreements with the refs, the technical fouls, the sideshow away from the court – they pushed it off to the side and dealt with the task at hand.

So Dallas has been put out of its misery. Again. Mark Cuban will go back to his blog until next fall. Again. And hopefully the world will be safe for basketball. Again. Thank you, Denver.