I like the Mavs chances in this first round matchup. Hopefully last year was a wake up call.

Mavs in 6

I hope you are right, but after the last 2 years, I'm not an optimist. The Mavericks play well in spurts, but I'm not sure they can hold it together for a series.

I'm thinking the Hornets in 6.

although the Hornets have a great team i think this is the best possible 1st round matchup the Mavs could have hoped for being the #7 seed

The Mavs got the "Warriors' wake-up call" last season. Mavs in seven.

Chris Paul isn't ready to lead a team to the next level. Mavericks in 6.

I want to pick the Mavs, but they choked tonight. Also, it looks like Chris Paul will be made a star in the NBA the same way the NBA made Dwayne Wade a star against the Mavs in the finals from two years ago.

Mavs have to play a LOT better! They can not make mistakes!

Unfortunately, the Mavs are going to have to play a lot better just for my prediction of Hornets in 6 to come true. The way they are playing now, it could go less. I think the Mavs will grab one at home though, for pride sake.

It's true though, the Mavericks do make household names out of Dwayne Wade, Barron Davis, and now Chris Paul. The Mavericks don't seem to have "it", that thing carries you to championships, like other teams like San Antonio do.

After watching the first two games, I change my prediction:

New Orleans 4 Dallas 1

Absolutely NO fire in the belly!

Why is that? They have the talent. It's not that they are choking. They just don't play well when it comes to playoffs. As Polar_Bear wrote: The Mavericks don't seem to have "it," that thing which carries you to championships, like other teams like San Antonio do.

Exactly yao. Like I've been saying all along, the Mavs will NEVER win a championship with their current personnel. In fact, count them out of the Western Conference finals too. Another "one-and-done".

If this is indeed the end of the line for the Mavericks this season, Donnie Nelson and Avery Johnson should be shown the door. Nelson, in my mind, has been incompetent from the getgo and only got the job because of his father when he was coach. Johnson has been outcoached three times in three years (Pat Riley, Don Nelson, and now Byron Scott). I know I said in an earlier thread a month or so ago that he should get a stay of execution, but the lack of results has caused him to lose my support as well. He tried too hard to make the Dallas Mavericks into something they are not. They just don't have it in them to play 1950's basketball. The only thing Avery Johnson has done is take control of a championship caliber team and ruin it. Dirk's best years are now behind him. It's not sad, it's criminal. I frankly wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in a smoke filled room 4 years ago, Popovich sent Johnson on assignment to kill the Dallas Mavericks.

Total bee ess, but still kinda cool conspiracy thought.

Maybe THAT's what Straw means when he says: SPURS cheat!

CNO - Just don't watch. It sounds like it's pretty painful for you....

Spurs need to teach the Mavs how to cheat!

They're too busy whining....

What a great deal kid was!!!

JASON kIDD
OR
sTEVE NASH

Mavs are disgusting! Dirk, Jet, and Bass can stay. Everyone else should go! Dampier...awful! Kidd...disappointing! Josh Howard...absoulutely disgraceful performance! Take 'em all to the chopping block! Throw Avery the deuce while your at it!

THEY ALL MUST GO!!!!

Blood is going to flow like a mighty river in Dallas. Changes - major changes - are on the way.... Cesarsoccer, I don't even like the Mavs, but they are a Texas team. This was embarrassing. I agree with you: they all must go!!

It's time for me personally to face reality. I was just kidding myself thinking the Mavs could've won this series. They have sunk even lower than I wanted to believe. A man's got to face reality ever now and then, and tonight I did.

I agree with ceaser. Keep Dirk, Bass and Jet. The rest of em need to either retire, join the CBA and develope some kind of game, or head to Europe and catch on with some of the Frenchies, Italians or whomever. Avery and Donny Nelson will probably be at the unemployment office also.

the trade for Jason Kidd turned out to be a joke. Paul schooled him the whole series. i think Devin Harris could have defended him a little better. it's time to clean house.

I didnt watch much of this series but what i did see was just awful. Yall are right about needing to clean house. A couple of weeks ago i would say keep howard too but then I saw his episode on espn about his off season pleasures. what a joke

Bass and Jet should stay. Dirk, I like the guy, but I get the feeling we should trade him for some picks and/or players while he still has value. I don't believe the Mavs will win if he is the centerpiece. He would make somebody a great support player.

I would like to see the Mavs develop some more inside presence, Bass actually did some good in there, usually 3 or 4 on 1 against him.

I like Avery and am not sure he deserved to be fired, but I do think it needed to happen. I'm not sure what took him so long to see that Dampier was useless out there. Bass brought energy, strength, and quickness that was compounded when Damp was on the floor.

This was definitely a forgetable series!