The suspension to Jerry Stackhouse is FANTASTIC!

Is it fair? No.

Have similar fouls been committed and not resulted in suspensions? Yes.

But put aside the fairness issue. What’s done is done. Stackhouse, shooting 47% for this series, will join the rest of us in watching tonight’s game on TV.

The effect on the Mavericks of this questionable could, however, be dramatic. By the end of game 4 the Mavericks looked like a beaten team. Unfocused. Fumbling for ways to explain things like non-aggresiveness, terrible shooting, poor defense and very shaky boardwork.

How shaken were the Mavericks? In an attempt to refocus them, Avery Johnson opted for the old “Let’s Change Hotels” strategy.

Then hallelujah the NBA came riding to the rescue. The suspension of Stackhouse has infuriated this club. Thank you NBA.

It’s galvanized this club…Thank you NBA.

It’s helped circle the wagons better than anything the Little General could have dreamed up. Even if the Mavericks lose Game 5, they’ll come home as an angry, underdog team to play in front of a furious, insulted crowd.

Thank you NBA. Had you not suspended Jerry Stackhouse, Lord knows what the Mavericks would have done or could have done to create the kind of fury and emotion that the league ruling accomplished in a matter of seconds.

What is the difference between this year’s Dallas Maverick team and last year’s?

I believe it’s toughness.

And I believe that Avery has been the ultimate key to toughening up this team.

Avery’s no excuse approach has not only been refreshing it has also rubbed off on his team. This team has a no complaining, no excuses, group toughness. This team knows it controls it’s own destiny.

This team does not whine. This team does not complain. This team does not accept losing. This team has the Avery Johnson’s stamp all over it.

The biggest step forward by this roster was to say, “…WE DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF GAMES…”

The Mavs lost a game that they had in their hands last night. They blew a late 13-point lead! What happened?

Turnovers…Bad Shots…No rebounding…

IF not for Miami playing equally as poorly in the first half, I contend that the Mavs should have been down 20 at end of the first half.

The Mavs came back in the 2^nd half. The only reason that they were able to come back is that the Heat kept them in the game in the 1^st half.

But let’s go to the 2^nd half. In the last 6.5 minutes of this game there was only 1 Maverick that scored from the field, Harris.

No Dirk hoops.

No Stack hoops.

No JET hoops.

But the key to this game was rebounding….The Heat grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. SIXTEEN!

The Heat just kicked Dallas’ butt on the boards the entire night last night. 3 members of the Heat had double digit rebound numbers. You cannot allow the Heat to beat you on the boards. You simply have to beat them on the boards.

This was not a good game. The execution just wasn’t there.

Will the Mavs regroup? I think so.

After Game 1 I didn’t think that the serious was coming back to Dallas for games 6 and 7…After Game 2, I think it is very safe for the people at the American Airlines Center to go ahead and pack up the basketball court and lay down the ice for the Stars next year.

This series is not coming back to Dallas…It’s simply not.

What’s happened to Shaq? A man who used to treat the Mavericks like he was a the big dog and they were the hydrant.

Is it the Mavs defense? Yes, that’s a part of it.

But I think a lot of it may be his pitiful performance at the free throw line. Shaq has a tremendous amount of pride. His performance from the charity stripe has been an embarrassment to him. And it is showing in his game.

Shaq seems to be shying away from taking it to the hole. He is waiting for the double team so he can find the open man. It appears that he does not want to force the issue and be aggressive. I am getting the feeling that he simply does not want to get fouled and have to go to the line.

If Shaq continues to play this way, the Mavs will sweep the Heat.

The Heat has just gotten their butts shot off in Dallas. If I were a Miami fan or a Miami talkshow host, what hope can I give you? What’s going to change? What is the Heat going to do to stop the bleeding?

We’re only 1 game deep in the NBA Finals and I’ve already changed my prediction on this series.

Before the series started my prediction was the Mavs in 6 or less…Today I want to underline the word “less”.

From a Miami perspective, the Heat got the exact game they wanted:

1) They led by as many as 10 on the road

2) They got horrible games from Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki

3) They got a Dallas team to commit 7 turnovers in one quarter and Miami doesn’t win the quarter

4) They actually one the rebounding in this game

Miami had everything going for them last night and they still lost! That is not a good sign if you are a fan of the Heat.

Dallas will not play another game in this series as poorly as they played in Game 1. They simply won’t. As a matter of fact, Dallas has played better in many of their losses this year.

Miami may deserve credit for forcing Dallas to play a dud of a game…But, even if we give them the credit for holding Dallas to 90, we also have to face the fact that Miami couldn’t beat a Maverick team that played well below par.

That was a very sloppy basketball game…29 turnovers…18 missed free throws…11 baskets made in the 4^th quarter…It was an ugly game…Ugly…Ugly…Ugly.

Ugly wins are fine…But ugly losses are awful. Miami has to got to be kicking itself for losing game 1. It was there for the taking and they didn’t take it.

He won Coach of the Year. He’s on the verge of winning an NBA Title in his first full year as a coach in this league. And he’s a regular guest on my talkshow.

I’ll admit that I don’t know Avery Johnson as well as I’d like to know him. Hopefully, Avery and I will get to know a lot more about each other as his career advances. But, even without fully knowing the man, I can tell you that he knows what he’s doing.

Obviously, you don’t get to the NBA Finals by accident. But as impressive as that is, it’s the little things that Avery does that really impress me.

It’s the way he carries himself on and off the court.

It’s the incredible amount of focus he has.

It’s his work ethic.

And, most of all it’s the words that come out of his mouth. He speaks like a champion. His words tell me that he will not settle for anything less than a championship.

Here’s an ex He speaks like a champion. His words tell me that he will not settle for anything less than a championship.

Here’s an excerpt from the show he did with me this morning. This is a man that plans on winning a championship.

Norm: Congratulations on getting 12 of the 16 you need.

Avery: Thanks a lot…We’re really excited and like you said, we’ve got 12 and now we need 4 more.

Norm: You’ve won a championship as a player, you are now a head coach…Have you gotten any advice from others that have been in your position?

Avery: Well, I think for me, Norm part of it is that I’ve been here before as a player. 7 years ago is not that long ago and I had a chance to see how Pop handled the media. I had the chance to ask some very pointed questions. So, I saw it firsthand. And with me being a point guard on that team and being an outspoken member on that team I had to do quite a large amount of stuff more than other players on the team. So, I’ve kind of been here before. But, again, obviously I’ve talked to some people that have been here before and gotten a tip or two.

Norm: I’ve thought over my sports career that I’ve watched teams in the semi-finals look like they felt like the job was over…I don’t get the feeling with this team…Do you think this club has refocused pretty quickly after Phoenix

Avery: I think overall, Norm they have. That’s why we’re having more of a simulated gameday today. We had a shoot-a-round this morning and then tonight I’m having our top 9 or 10 come back and play a simulated game…We are doing the best we can to keep them focused.