Reeling Rockets Making Our Apologies Seem Misguided

Four years ago on Memorial Day I remember sitting poolside, ingesting some celebratory cocktails and dissecting how exactly the Mavericks could possibly defend LeBron James in the looming NBA Finals.

Today? Dodging more rain drops and being nauseous that the Mavs have stooped to apologize to a team about to lose the Western Conference Finals.

Ah, the good ol’ days. Back when the Mavs were preparing to lift a trophy instead of issuing a sorry to a team that just quit and was blown out by 35 points in an embarrassing home playoff loss.

The Rockets handily beat the Mavs in the first round. I think it would have been a much more competitive series – if not a different results – had Dallas had a healthy Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris and an interested Rajon Rondo. But, granted, Houston won and deserves credit.

The Rockets also impressed and surprised us with their comeback from down 3-1 to the Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Tweeted Mavs owner Mark Cuban after Houston’s Game 7 win over L.A.: Gotta admit, I was wrong.

But then against the Warriors, that heart has melted. Houston media is calling Saturday’s Game 3 blowout the worst performance in a home playoff game by a Houston team … ever.

Before the Mavs-Rockets I predicted it would go seven games. And Cuban, likewise, professed that he wasn’t scared of Houston because “that’s not a very good team over there.”

Cuban was wrong. So was I.

But with the Warriors now on the verge of sweeping their way into the NBA Finals, our apologies down south are given grudgingly.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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