In 1994, the Houston Rockets, led by a singular star (Hakeem Olajuwon) and a supporting cast of role players, finally won a championship, after one near-miss (losing to Boston in the 1986 NBA Finals) and a fair amount of disappointing playoff exits. It was a dream season, one that didn’t look likely to repeat itself when the team entered the postseason the next year as a lowly No. 6 seed, despite picking up a still-talented, but largely past his prime Clyde Drexler, now mostly ground-based after a career of high-flying highlights. But they surprised everyone and won a second championship.
In 2011, the Dallas Mavericks, led by a singular star (Dirk Nowitzki) and a supporting cast of role players, finally won a championship, after one near-miss (losing to Miami in the 2006 NBA Finals) and a fair amount of disappointing playoff exits. It was a dream season, one that doesn’t look likely to repeat itself when the team enters the postseason this year as a lowly No. 6 (or maybe No. 7) seed, despite picking up a still-talented, but largely past his prime Vince Carter, now mostly ground-based after a career of high-flying highlights. And then…?
Look, crazier things have happened, is all I’m saying.
