Dirk Nowitzki gets a little too excited after an alley-oop dunk by one of his teammates.

It appears that Dirk Nowitzki has not been able to shake off the hangover from the Dallas Mavericks’ 2011 championship party because the way he reacted after an alley-oop dunk by teammate Brandan Wright against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 25, Dirk sounded like a college student partying at Oktoberfest.

On a night when the Mavericks got their 2011 championship rings, Nowitzki was helping with TV commentary when Jason Terry picked up a loose ball and dished it off to Wright for a spectacular slam. That play not only got Dirk off his seat, but he started screaming “Shut it down! … Let’s go home!” His teammates were probably listening because the Mavericks did shut it down, and the Timberwolves went on to spoil the Dallas party with a 105-90 victory. Watch and listen:

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Heat star LeBron James (right) punish Vince Carter and the Mavericks for 37 points and 10 rebounds on Christmas Day. (REUTERS)

The Dallas Mavericks celebrated their 2011 NBA title with a spectacular ring ceremony and unveiling of the team’s first championship banner on Christmas Day. Then, they got their bell rung by a Miami Heat squad that looks extremely motivated and primed for a huge run in 2012. Here are five observations from opening day in the NBA:

LEBRON, HEAT LOOK SCARY GOOD

You never kick a man when he’s down and that’s what everyone in the basketball world did when LeBron James melted down in the 2011 NBA Finals. LeBron went into the offseason with one thing in mind: have more fun. It’s a simple approach but it could mean a world of difference for the two-time MVP because he simply didn’t do a good job of playing the role of villain. LeBron admitted he wasn’t himself last season and vowed to return to his old self by . . . smiling and joking more.

Micky Arison and Pat Riley were all smiles on Christmas Day after watching LeBron go for 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Heat’s 105-94 demolition of the Mavericks, spoiling Dallas’ championship banner day. The Heat have all their main parts intact, with some key additions in rookie point guard Norris Cole and reliable forward Shane Battier, and Dwyane Wade and LeBron appear to be in midseason form already. Both promised to post up more this season and they delivered in a big way in the opener, punishing the Mavs in the paint.

MAVERICKS HAVE SOME WORK TO DO

Entering the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season, the Mavs will have a brand new look. Tyson Chandler is off to New York, reliable backup point guard J.J. Barea (who absolutely killed the Lakers) is now in Minnesota, forward Caron Butler is now an L.A. Clipper, and sharp-shooter Peja Stojakovic has retired.

The Mavericks did add Vince Carter and Delonte West, and stole Lamar Odom from the Lakers. But one game into their season as defending champions, Carter was exposed on defense and Odom hasn’t gotten over the fact that he’s no longer a Laker. The Mavericks are a work in progress and will take time adjusting to their new pieces. The biggest difference is in the middle as Brendan Haywood proved he is not Tyson Chandler, especially on the defensive end where Chandler made his money last season.

NEVER COUNT OUT KOBE AND THE LAKERS

We already know about Kobe Bryant’s legendary pain threshold, having endure many, many injuries in the past only to overcome them all and thrive. But he took it a step further in the opener against the Chicago Bulls when he started the game and showed little effects of a torn ligament in his right wrist. Medical experts predicted such an injury required a 3-4 week rest period, but Bryant completely destroyed that recommendation. Just another chapter in the ever growing legend of Kobe Bryant.

Bryant finished with 28 points against the Bulls and his jump shot looked good. OK, so he did have eight turnovers and none bigger than the miscue with 16 seconds left in the game that allowed Derrick Rose to nail the game-winner. But in terms of the wrist and the chronic knee problems he’s had in the past, Kobe looked refreshed and was active on the court, especially on defense where new coach Mike Brown will have his most influence on this team.

The Lakers may have lost in the opener but they came away feeling pretty good considering Kobe was supposed to be out four weeks and starting center Andrew Bynum is serving a four-game suspension. The Bulls had the best record in the East last season and they were extremely lucky to leave Staples Center with a one-point win.

OKLAHOMA CITY IS LOCKED IN AND LOADED

After a disappointing loss in the Western Conference finals last season, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and the rest of the young and lively Thunder have been itching to get back on the court flying across the country and seemingly playing in every exhibition game possible.

The 66-game lockout-shortened season is tail0rmade for a team such as Oklahoma City because the core of the team stayed intact and it’ll get a full season with Kendrick Perkins as the man in the middle. Perkins may be limited offensively but his defense is top notch, as he proved Sunday night against the Orlando Magic when he frustrated Dwight Howard to just three points in the second half and 11 total points.

Durant poured in a game-high 30 points while Harden and Westbrook combined for 35 points. The emergence of Harden as a bonafide producer off the bench will be huge because that affords coach Scott Brooks to sit either Durant or Westbrook without missing a beat. Look for the Thunder to grab the No. 1 seed in the West.

NO QUIT IN THE CELTICS

Put a hold on that 401K plan for Kevin Garnett and Co. because the Boston Celtics are not ready to collect their severance package. Despite a roster full of guys on the other side of 30 years old, the Celtics gave the New York Knicks and their much-publicized frontcourt of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler all they can handle in a 106-104 close win for New York. The Celtics can still defend and have added a little more scoring punch with the addition of Brandon Bass and Marquis Daniels.

Bass had the first 20-point, 10-rebound game of his career and he is an upgrade from “Big Baby” Davis. Daniels gives coach Doc Rivers more flexibility because he can play shooting guard or small forward. Once Paul Pierce returns from his heel injury, the Celtics will have a solid seven-man rotation. If Rajon Rondo, who had 31 points and 13 assists in the opener, can become more of a consistent offensive threat Boston will challenge the Bulls, Knicks and Heat for the best record in the East.

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Mavericks guard Jason Terry is ready for takeoff, especially in the fourth quarter. (GETTY IMAGES)

TNT’s Kenny “The Jet” Smith has said on more than one occasion that Jason Terry got his “Jet” nickname not because of his game, but because it stood for his full name: Jason Eugene Terry.

After Terry’s performance in the 2011 NBA Finals, Smith may have to revisit his little jab at the Mavericks guard. And Terry may have picked up a new nickname as well: The Closer.

When Mavericks franchise player Dirk Nowitzki struggled in the early part of Game 6 in Miami, it was Terry who shouldered the load with 19 points in the first half. Once Nowitzki regained his shooting touch, the Mavericks took off and shot their way to a 105-95 victory to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

It was Dallas’ first championship as an NBA franchise, and although Nowitzki was named MVP of The Finals, it was Terry who complemented Dirk and took some pressure off him when it mattered most – the fourth quarter.

“That’s my job. All season long and every since I’ve been a Maverick I’ve been a guy that in the fourth quarter they’ve depended on either make plays or make shots,” Terry said. “I really relish in that role, and regardless of what’s going on for three quarters of the game in the fourth quarter I know I’m depended on to come through.”

Nowitzki was absolutely magnificent down the stretch in each of the games. He scored 62 points in the fourth quarter in the six games, tying the combined total for Dwyane Wade (44) and LeBron James (18). But right behind Wade in fourth-quarter scoring is Terry with 31.

“He was unbelievable,” Nowitzki said of Terry, who finished with a game-high 27 points in the series-clinching Game 6. “He watched me struggle early and he took it upon himself to really attack and look for his shot, and get going early. Oh man, he kept coming all night long and he was phenomenal.”

Nowitzki added, “On one timeout, he kept pushing me and kept telling me, ‘Remember ’06! Let’s not let it happen again.’ ”

In the games the Mavericks lost in the 2011 Finals, Terry was shutout in the fourth and was ineffective. In the games the Mavs won, Terry was a total play-maker and made big-time shots, especially in the pivotal Game 5 in Dallas.

There was a stretch in the final two minutes of the game in which Terry carried the Mavs. When the Mavs went down 100-97, Terry buried a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100. On the next Mavs possession, he found Nowitzki on the baseline for a dunk to give Dallas the lead. Then, with 1:33 remaining, he drove to the basket, blew past LeBron, drew three defenders and kicked the ball out to Jason Kidd for a 3-pointer to build the lead to five. He delivered the dagger shot when he drilled a three from the American Airlines Center logo right in the face of LeBron to give Dallas a 108-101 lead with 33 seconds left in the game.

“During periods where Dirk was out of the game, we were going to him and he was delivering,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Terry after Game 5. “It’s the total game that we’ve all been preaching to Jet really since the playoffs began.”

When the season began, Terry inked a tattoo of the Larry O’Brien Trophy on his right bicep. It was bold and very brash move for someone who has only been to the NBA Finals once in his career. When Terry was asked what he would do if the Mavs don’t win the NBA title, he said he’d remove the tattoo. Fortunately for Terry and the Mavs, that won’t be necessary.

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LeBron James (middle) can't hide from all the criticism for his poor play in crunch time in the 2011 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

When a reporter called him out after Game 3 for “shrinking” in the fourth quarter and not playing like a true NBA superstar, LeBron James responded by saying he’s a two-way player and you can’t look at the stat sheet as the barometer for his overall game. Then James told the same reporter to ask a better question next time.

Well, if I’m CBS Sports reporter Greg Doyel, I’d ask LeBron the same exact question after Game 4, a game in which the self-proclaimed king and two-time NBA MVP posted the worst offensive performance of his playoff career.

James made just three of 11 shots from the field and scored eight points – the first time he has been held under 10 in 90 postseason games  – and none in the all-important fourth quarter. ZERO points in the final 12 minutes of a game in the NBA Finals from the man who was supposed to claim the basketball throne vacated by Michael Jordan and rented by Kobe Bryant is absolutely unacceptable. Not exactly the way you respond after being challenged by a scribe.

Dirk Nowitzki didn’t have a good shooting night but he found a way to score 21 points, including a huge layup with 14.4 seconds left, despite being slowed by a sinus infection. What’s LeBron’s excuse? Is he afraid to fail? Is the pressure of the NBA Finals too much for him? Does he have what it takes to be a champion? These questions linger as long as LeBron keeps coming up short in the big moments.

One thing is for certain. LeBron’s decision to come to Miami and join forces with Dwyane Wade was a clear admission on LeBron’s part that he can’t lead a team to a championship. He needed someone to hold his hand and lead him through the dark.

And the way he’s been performing in the NBA Finals, forget about wearing Robin’s cape. LeBron is playing more like Alfred the Butler.

Even former NBA players are doubting him.

“I don’t mind zero points, but you have to give more of an effort and I did not like his body language,” former Heat star Steve Smith said about James who looked almost lost and disengaged in the fourth quarter of Game 4 when the Wade and the Heat needed him most, something three-time NBA champion and newly minted Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale noticed as well. “Inexplicably, LeBron was really passive. I mean he was unbelievably passive. He’s too good to have eight points. He took 11 shots and just wasn’t aggressive,” McHale said.

Former NBA player Brent Barry, who now works for NBA TV, said James “wasn’t the reason why the Heat lost [in Game 4], but he was the reason why the Heat didn’t win.”

In four fourth quarters in the NBA Finals against the Mavericks, LeBron has scored a total of nine points. Nine points! He’s getting outplayed by role players Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem late in games, and neither one is near LeBron’s caliber in terms of basketball ability. Since Game 1 when he led the Heat in scoring with 24 points, LeBron’s point total has fallen like the stock market: 20, 17, 8.

Let’s get real. If LeBron James played at Dwyane Wade’s level, this series would be over by now.

Wade scored a game-high 32 points in Game 4, but he got a little sloppy at the end with a missed free throw and dropped the ball on the Heat’s final possession because he was fatigued from having to carry LeBron for four quarters and Chris Bosh for two quarters. With an ineffective James and a very shaky Bosh (who was 1-for-7 in the second half), the Mavericks rallied in the fourth quarter and won, 86-83, tying the series at 2.

“I definitely didn’t play great offensively,” James said during his postgame news conference after Game 4. “I gotta do a better job of being more assertive offensively, and not staying out of rhythm offensively the whole game. One thing I try to concentrate is if I get two guys on me I try to get my teammates better and get them some great looks. But at the same time I gotta keep myself in rhythm while I’m doing that as well.”

When LeBron was asked how he’s going to fix his shooting stroke and bust out of his slump, he gave this excuse: “With these games every other day there’s not much gym time. If I feel like I need to come to gym to get some extra shots I will. Absolutely. I’m confident in my ability. It’s just going out there and knocking them down. When you have an opportunity to gotta knock them down. My teammates give me the confidence. They have given me the confidence all postseason, all year.”

OK, LeBron. Keep telling yourself you’re still confident in your shot. But from the looks of it, you need to find time and make the necessary adjustment to correct your stroke because Wade and Co. need more than just eight points from a guy who averages almost 27 points per game. Find a custodian (and I’m not talking about Brian Cardinal), ask for the keys to the gym and starting shooting jumpers until your arm gets numb. That’s what Jordan will do, that’s what Kobe will do, and that’s what your teammate D-Wade will do. That’s what superstars do.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

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Dwyane Wade is the biggest reason why the Heat are up 2-1 on the Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. (US PRESSWIRE)

Every great team has a pecking order. For the Miami Heat, it goes something like this: it’s Dwyane Wade first, LeBron James second, and Chris Bosh third. Everyone else falls in the back of the line.

That was evident in Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals when Wade decided to take the lead and everyone else should follow him. And they all did, including LeBron and Bosh.

The Heat won Game 3 because of Wade. Not LeBron. Not Bosh. It was Wade. He carried the Heat offensively when things got tense, he grabbed every rebound within his reach, he played aggressive defense, and he motivated his teammates – mainly James and Bosh – by getting in their face and letting them know what is at stake. History has shown that when a series is tied in The Finals the winner of Game 3 usually wins the series. Wade knew the importance of Sunday’s game in Dallas so he sent his message on Saturday by going extra hard in practice. His teammates definitely noticed.

“They can tell I wanted this game,” said Wade, who finished with a team-high 29 points on 12-of-21 field goals and had 11 rebounds. “I’ve been here before so I’m just trying to lead, and my guys did a great job of following that lead.”

With Wade leading the way, the Heat were able to hold off Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks and reclaim home-court advantage in the series. If the Finals MVP was handed out after three games, Wade easily wins it. He has been the Heat’s best player in all three games, and his only competition for MVP is Nowitzki.

“He played spectacular basketball today,” Bosh said of Wade. “He took all good shots, and we kinda rode that wave for a little while. He really set the tone for us.”

There was a point during the game when ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy mentioned that Wade was playing at a different speed than anyone else. He was. After dropping a heart-breaker in Game 2, the Heat needed one of their Big Three to step up and play like a superstar and Wade embraced the moment and took on that challenge.

“We felt this was a must-win and we had to put it upon ourselves to take back home court in a sense, by any means necessary,” said Wade. “I took it upon myself as a leader to try to lead my guys by example.”

When asked about his animated conversations with James and Bosh during the game, Wade said: “Them guys understand. They know me. The things said was all for the better of the team. It’s all about winning. I want it. And LeBron knew that. Things that I was saying to him and saying to Chris was the same they would say to me. We have enough respect for each other, but at the same time I wanted it.”

While Wade was busy putting his entire team on his shoulders and matching Nowitzki shot-for-shot late in the game, LeBron – who only had 17 points and was a nonfactor in the fourth quarter – sort of disappeared. During the postgame conference, a reporter brought up the fact that LeBron hasn’t played like a superstar in each of the fourth quarters in the NBA Finals, even suggesting that the self-proclaimed king is “shrinking” on the game’s biggest stage.

Obviously bothered by the question, LeBron gave a very terse response. “I think you’re concentrating on just one side of the floor, and all you’re looking at are the stat sheet,” James said. “Honestly, I’m a two-way player. Tonight D-Wade had it going offensively so we allow him to handle ball and we allow him to bring us home offensively. You can watch the film again and see what I did defensively. You ask me a better question tomorrow.”

As for getting an getting an earful from his buddy Wade, LeBron said: “We’re teammates. There is no room to hold anything back. Our friendship allows us to don’t care about that moment. In that situation, he had to say what he had to say to me and as a competitor you love when guys challenge you. He challenged me in the locker room at halftime, he challenged me on the court and as a competitor I respect him.”

And what exactly was said? “It’s about winning,” said the captain of the Miami Heat. In case you don’t know who that is, he’s the one introduced last when the starting lineup of the Heat are announced and he’s the one wearing the championship ring.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

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Miami Heat teammates Dwyane Wade (left) and LeBron James celebrate a big play in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah calls the Miami Heat “Hollywood as hell” and he may be right.

With a little over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give the home team an 88-73 lead over the Dallas Mavericks. Game over, right? Well, that’s what the Heat was thinking too because they started acting like they were getting ready to pose for postgame pictures.

After swishing the 3-ball, Wade held his hand up as he walked past the Mavericks bench. He was then met by LeBron James near midcourt and the two BFFs got caught up in the moment and began to celebrate excessively, with James yapping at Wade and punching him in the chest three times as they head to their sideline during a timeout. It was a bit over-the-top but nothing out of the ordinary. Heck, DeShawn Stevenson celebrates EVERY single 3-point shot he makes whether it’s the playoffs or not. However, it is the NBA Finals so every little moment and every little action caught on camera will scrutinized.

From that point on, the Heat stopped playing their usual suffocating defense and settled for long jump shots. Basically, they took their foot off the gas pedal and checked out of the game mentally. Wade and James thought they were flying to Dallas up 2-0 in the series. Instead, the Mavericks took advantage of a relaxed Heat squad and went on a 22-5 run to finish the game, including nine clutch points from Dirk Nowitzki.

“Right at that moment, it was a huge turning point in the game,” Mavericks guard Jason Terry said of the Wade-James early celebration.

With the game tied at 93, Nowitzki made a layup over Chris Bosh with his left hand with 3 seconds left to give the Mavs a stunning 95-93 come-from-behind victory. The Mavericks’ improbably comeback – or a Heat meltdown, depending on how you look at it – knotted the NBA Finals 1-1 with the next three games in Dallas.

Despite what appeared to be an obvious early celebration, LeBron denied it and thought it didn’t impact the outcome.

“There was no celebration at all. I was excited about the fact that he hit a big shot and we went up 15,” said James. “It was the same thing we’ve done over the course of the season. There was no celebration at all. We knew we had seven minutes to go still to close out the game. As far as celebrations, that word has been used with us all year. We knew how much time was left.”

Wade said a celebration involves confetti and champagne bottles, and he too thought it was a non-issue.

“First of all, every team in the league when they do go on a run they do some signal, whether its a chest bump. It’s part of the game of basketball. That was no celebration. If it pumped them up, they won the game. If won’t be the first time and it won’t be the last time that if we do a great play we’ll come to our teammates and do something. It had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.”

Despite what Wade and James said, the fact of the matter is they did celebrate a little too much and they compounded it by losing their edge in the final seven minutes of the game. And the Mavs were definitely irked by what will be known as “The Celebration,” and they used the Heat’s cocksure attitude as motivation.

When the Heat went up by 15 points, the Mavs’ defense got tighter and their ball movement on offense got sharper. Meanwhile, Heat kept jacking up 3-pointers and got real stagnant on offense, almost looking like they were just shaving time off the clock and trying to hit that home-run ball.

The Mavs made nine of their final 10 field goals, while the Heat missed 10 of their last 11 shots. LeBron had just two points in the fourth quarter and missed all four of his field goal attempts (two of them were 3-point field goal attempts with the shot clock winding down). Wade had a game-high 36 points, but he also settled for jumpers instead of attacking the basket.

The Heat can’t blame anyone but themselves in losing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and now face a rejuvinated Mavericks team that seem to have all the momentum heading into Game 3. Winning a championship is hard enough on its own, now the Heat made it more difficult on themselves because of their arrogance.

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Dirk Nowitzki is four victories away from finally winning that elusive NBA championship ring. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

For the majority of Dirk Nowitzki’s career, he’s been labeled soft. Why? Just look at his body of work. There’s nothing about him that looks imposing or intimidating.

He is a 7-footer who prefers to play away from the basket and settle for jump shots rather than drive in for power dunks. He goes down faster than Michael Spinks on the first sign of physical contact, and he doesn’t seem interested in pushing back. And when Nowitzki goes to his patented fadeaway jumpers, he looks like a baby horse trying to walk for the first time and is about as graceful as Master P in “Dancing With the Stars.”

What compounds matters is the fact that Nowitzki experienced two epic failures in the NBA playoffs: blowing a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals and getting knocked out by eighth-seeded Golden State in the first round of the 2007 Western Conference playoffs. It wasn’t because he lost in the postseason, it was the way he lost. Both times Nowitzki and Mavs were bullied physically and they folded like tents. Those two major collapses, more than anything else, have defined Nowitzki’s career so far, and the only way he can erase them is to win an NBA title.

“The year after went to The Finals, we won 70 games and then we ran into a hot team that was a bad matchup for us. Next thing you know, you’re a first-round exit,” Nowitzki said. “In this league, you never know. It took a long five years to finally get back to this stage. It’s good to be back and hopefully we can make the most out of it.”

Nowitzki added: “A lot has been made about my legacy. I’m not worried about all that. I’m trying to be on the best team; I trying to win for this organization, for the owner, for myself and for the team. That’s really all I’m worried about. I’m not worried about my legacy without a ring, or with the ring. I live in the moment.”

Dirk may say he’s not worried about his basketball legacy, but let’sget real here. Any NBA player who strives to be the best is absolutely concerned about his legacy. It’s all about the ring, and that’s the reason why Dirk is still pushing himself because he’s still chasing that elusive ring. It’s the very reason why he has elevated his game to new heights this season – his 13^th in the NBA – and has gotten better as a vocal leader and playoff performer.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade, the MVP of the 2006 Finals, has been impressed with Nowitzki’s evolution as a player during the past five years especially the way the Mavericks star has risen to the occasion when it matters most.

“I thought he was good then. Now he’s phenomenal,” Wade said of Nowitzki, who is 10-0 against the Heat in the regular season since the 2006 Finals.

“Obviously, his shot-making ability, it’s one of the best this league has seen. What he has gotten better at is taking over games in the fourth quarter,” Wade said. “What’s phenomenal is he’s very efficient. You’ll see a game with Dirk when he’s 8-for-14, but it seems like he’s taking more shots. He just makes big shots. I think he’s a smarter player, I think he’s a hungrier player and even more efficient player than he was in ’06.”

Nowitzki has carried the Mavs back to the NBA Finals with a postseason comparable to the game’s greats. In 15 playoff games in 2011, Nowitzki averaged 28 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 51% percent from the field and from 3-point range. Nothing “soft” about those numbers.

His two 40-point games in the conference finals against the Thunder was stuff of legends. He saved his best in the fourth quarter of Game 4 in Oklahoma City when his team was down by 15 with under three minutes left. He swished 3-pointers, dropped off-balance fadeaway jumpers even with Nick Collison draped all over him and buried crucial free throws. Simply, he refused to lose that game and he willed his team to victory.

Nowitzki is a man on a mission and now standing in his way are Wade and the Miami Heat, the team that basically slapped the “soft” label on his face. What better way to conquer demons than face the devilishly good and red-hot Heat.

“We have another chance and I’m going for it,” Nowitzki said. “Everything after that will fall into place. Next couple of years we can talk about my legacy when my career is over. But I’m really just focusing on winning and being on the best team.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

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Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant looks dejected after his team was eliminated in Game 5 of the 2011 Western Conference finals by the Mavericks. (GETTY IMAGES)

For the first time in his young NBA career, Kevin Durant is sick to his stomach. Never before has the 22-year-old superstar been subjected to this kind of cruel fate.

Last season, Durant and the young and exciting Oklahoma City Thunder squad became an instant hit when they stretched the defending world champion L.A. Lakers to six games in the first round of the playoffs. With higher expectations this season, Durant and the Thunder went two steps further by reaching the 2011 Western Conference finals.

But this is where the fairytale ends, with the Dallas Mavericks serving as reality checkers. The Mavs eliminated the Thunder with a 100-96 victory in Game 5 in Dallas, taking the series 4-1 and advancing to the NBA Finals. OKC was game and resilient, but it was obvious the stinging loss from the previous game still lingered. And the way they executed (or how they didn’t execute) down the stretch in Game 5 reminded them of their epic meltdown in Game 4.

The overtime loss in Game 4 in Oklahoma City left a huge scar on Durant, something he’ll probably carry around all offseason until he gets another opportunity to play in the conference finals.

Even though the Thunder, as a team, blew a 15-point lead with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Durant felt responsible because he knows the fate of the franchise begins and ends with him.

“I feel upset because I let [the Oklahoma City fans] down. Let the city down,” Durant said after getting outscored by Dallas, 28-6, in the final five minutes of regulation and in overtime that deflated not only the Thunder but their loyal supporters who thought they had locked up the series at 2 midway through the fourth quarter.

When someone brought up the “inexperience” issue during Durant’s postgame news conference, Durant scoffed at that notion and delivered a terse reply. “This is basketball, man. Our youth had nothing to do with what we do on the floor. We showed we can play at this level.”

Durant added, “I was trying to play with so much force, played so hard. Early on they were playing straight up defense. Later on, I see three, four guys around me. Late in the game, that was my time. But a few of those times the lane was too clogged up and I didn’t want to force a shot, so I passed the ball to my teammates. I believe in my teammates. I have trust in them.”

The end of regulation came down to Durant, who had the ball near midcourt with under 10 seconds left on the clock. Normally, he would calmly dribble to his left and pull up for his signature jump shot. But Shawn Marion blocked his path, and Jason Kidd was also playing free safety in case Marion gets beat. So Durant really had nowhere to go.

“I didn’t have anything else to do,” said the normally unflappable Durant. “I saw three Mavericks in front of me, three seconds on the clock, I didn’t know what else to do. I tried to get a shot, but I didn’t want run into their defense. I didn’t know what else to do. They played good D.”

Sorry, KD. When you say “I didn’t know what else to do” is basically admitting that your inexperience played a part in your indecision. But that happens to all young stars. Durant will learn from this and be a better player because he failed. Based on how he attacks each offseason and always strives to be better each year, I predict KD won’t fail too many times when he’s placed in the same predicament in the future.

Joel Huerto is the publisher and editor of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

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Oklahoma City All-Star forward Kevin Durant sent shock waves around the basketball world with his in-your-face, jaw-dropping slam dunk over Mavericks center Brendan Haywood in Game 2 of the 2011 Western Conference playoff series, a game in which the Thunder won 106-100 to tie the series at 1 apiece.

It was an emphatic statement by the 22-year-old, two-time NBA scoring champion. With one filthy move, Durant sent a resounding message that the Thunder may be young and inexperienced and probably in virgin territory at this stage of the game, but they are coming hard and fast, and the rest of the league better recognize their burgeoning greatness.

Durant took a pass from Eric Maynor at the top of the arc, dribbled right past Peja Stojakovic like he wasn’t even there, met Haywood at the rim, jumped higher than he has ever jumped before, and threw down a one-handed slam that got everyone jumping out of their seats.

It was one of those powerful moments that will be played over and over again for years to come, similar to Michael Jordan dunking over Patrick Ewing, or Kevin Johnson’s throw-down over Hakeem Olajuwon, or LeBron James (when he was still the King of Cleveland) seemingly taking on the entire Celtics team for a vicious dunk, prompting TNT commentator Kevin Harlan to utter the famous line of “LeBron James! With no regard for human life!”

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Forward Dirk Nowitzki remains the focal point of the Dallas Mavericks. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Don’t let that 12-game winning streak and the inflated overall record fool you. The 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks are not that much better than the 2002-03 Mavericks, or the 2006-07 Mavericks, or the 2009-10 Mavericks. The coaches and players may have changed, but the same problems persist: a soft interior defense and a predictable offense.

A few nights ago, the Mavericks were rolling and blitzing the league en route to 12 consecutive victories. That winning streak was snapped recently by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks for crying out loud! And, to make matters worse, the Mavericks lost at home, where they should never lose to an average Eastern Conference team, which the Bucks are at this point.

The Mavs have never developed that killer instinct to be considered a legitimate contender for the NBA title. They didn’t have it in 2006 when they blew a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, and they certainly never had it when they got thrashed by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2007 playoffs.

Killer instinct starts with defense, and as long as Dirk Nowitzki is the face of the franchise, the perception (whether it is reality or not) is that the Mavs will always be a soft team. No matter who the Mavs insert at center to pair with Dirk, their defense remains suspect. The scouting report on Dallas: rough them up and they will collapse like the Metrodome roof.

For all the wonderful things Nowitzki does on offense, he is a liability on defense. He’s your typical European big man (Pau Gasol is the exception) who prefers to shoot fadeaway jumpers. In an ideal situation, Nowitzki would greatly benefit from becoming the No. 2 star – much like Gasol when he left Memphis to join Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. Nowitzki is more Kevin McHale than Larry Bird, which is not a knock on Dirk. He’s a very good player, but he’s not a No. 1 guy.

Acquiring Tyson Chandler during the offseason puts a Band-Aid on Dallas’ soft-as-tissue persona, but Chandler alone can’t cure the team’s deficiencies. Chandler is a tremendous help defender but he’s not a good one-on-one post defender. He gets pushed around at times and picks up too many silly fouls, which reduces his aggressiveness. Brendan Haywood is an upgrade from Erick Dampier, but Haywood is a backup center at best.

Another major problem that could resurface in the playoffs is Dallas’ vanilla offense. I love Jason Kidd as a point guard, but he is a liability on offense. No matter how many threes he makes during the regular season, I would still dare J-Kidd to make jump shots from beyond the 3-point line. That was the game plan the Spurs implemented during last year’s playoffs and it worked to perfection. When you have J-Kidd on the court, basically the Mavs are playing 4-on-5 on offense.

Caron Butler was a nice addition, but he is injury prone. Essentially, he replaced Josh Howard in the lineup so Butler is not a true upgrade. The other major acquisition, Shawn Marion, has seen his better days. The Matrix relied on his athleticism for much of his career, and now that he’s a shell of himself he doesn’t impact the game like he once did.

And what about Jason Terry you say? All you need to know about Jet is when the Mavs are out in front, he’ll light it up. But when the Mavs are behind, he’ll disappear. I’d rather roll the dice with Roddy Beaubois than go all in with Jason Terry.

Right now the Mavericks are rolling, but don’t get your hopes up.

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