Mom's in the Middle as NBA Owner, Player Trade Shots
Cuban all but promises a Dallas win in Game 5
By FRANK HEINZ
Updated 11:08 AM CST, Wed, May 13, 2009
The NBA playoff series between Denver and Dallas erupted into a verbal free-for-all after Nuggets' star Kenyon Martin unleashed a profanity-filled tirade at Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who had ripped the player before trying to make peace.
Cuban got personal when he told Martin's mom that her son was a thug while leaving the court Saturday following a controversial non-call that resulted in Dallas losing Game 3 and falling to 0-3 in the series. He apologized for the remarks Tuesday, one day after Martin, a Dallas native, lit into him at the conclusion of Dallas' Game 4 win Monday night at the American Airlines Center. In the same game, Carmelo Anthony's girlfriend was escorted from courtside.
While walking off the court, Martin looked in Cuban's direction and said, "You better walk that way. You better walk that way you fa***t motherf****r. You gotta come to Denver bi**h."
Talking with fans last night, Cuban could be seen laughing off the verbal assault. But today he struck a more conciliatory tone.
In an open letter on his blog today, Cuban apologized for ripping Martin to his mother, while all but promising a Game 5 win in Denver Wednesday night.
On his blog, Cuban offered to let Martin's family stay in his suite when the series returns to Dallas for Game 6.
The series will only return to Dallas at this point if the Mavs win Game 5 ... so even in his apology, Cuban was getting in a dig.
Cuban then continued to smooth things over by assuring readers that his family has also played the victim in opposing arenas.
"So if we can put this behind us, I will make sure when the series comes back to Dallas, your family and friends, and that of your teammates are very comfortable at our Arena," Cuban wrote.
While it's true that optimism can take you far in sports, it's not clear if the Big Mo has completely shifted into Dallas' corner. Dallas is now 1-7 against the Nuggets and are heading into extremely hostile territory.
Tip off for Game 5 is Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in Denver. Cuban, who has a previous engagement, will not be there.
First Published: May 12, 2009 10:50 AM CST
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