Missing the Mavericks: A personal account of the NBA’s suspension

Missing the playoffs

I feel that I’ve aged like a president waiting for basketball to start back up. The playoffs were supposed to start on April 18. For the first time since the days of Deron Williams and Zaza Pachulia, the Mavs were going to be shooting their shot in the west. Dallas was locked into the seventh seed when play stopped giving them a date with the LA Clippers in the first round. Gulp.

I have been robbed of my customary pre-playoff indulgence. I miss not sleeping a wink before game one of a playoff series because I am filled with excitement, dread, and anticipation. I can’t pace back and forth in my apartment waiting for tip-off, knowing that somehow on his way off the bus, Doncic rolled that right ankle again like a 19th-century sailor stumbling down a gangway.

Missing the Mavs

Furthermore, this Mavericks team had been among the most interesting ones to watch in years. Led by two budding foreign megastars and a cast of stud role players, the squad had given their fans a ton of hope after such a dismal four seasons.

But, it was also among the most frustrating campaigns at the same time. The Mavs were historically bad in clutch situations, which was so puzzling for a team with plenty of veteran experience on it. Clanked free throws, unlucky misses, and questionable coaching cost them numerous gut-wrenching losses that robbed them of home-court advantage in the first round, and possibly more.

Next: The good times