Whoa, Nellie

Don Nelson's revenge continues. This has to be the craziest series -- at least the most unexpected -- I can remember. The one thing I don't get, though, is why all the analysts keep piling on Dirk Nowitzki. Yes, he's the probable MVP this year, but everyone knows he's not going to take over a game by putting it on the floor and shooting crazy fade-aways like Kobe or T-Mac -- or, hell, like Baron Davis.

Check out all the missed shots by Dirk's teammates in this sequence when the Mavs went from being in control to on their heels:



On at least three of those bricks Dirk made the right play and set up his teammates for wide open looks. Normally, Stack knocks down those shots. Devean George is just worthless. Later mistakes by Mavs not named Dirk cost them more than anything he did. And at the end of the night, no one seemed to noticed Dirk's gaudy line — 23 and 15, with 4 steals — despite the Warriors keying their entire defense to stopping him. It was far from a perfect game, but that line fits the formula the Mavs used all year. What's different is that all of his formerly reliable role players suddenly seem rattled.

The one other thing that none of the talking heads have looked ahead to is how Golden State, if it pulls this thing off, would match up against either Houston or Utah, two incredibly slow and plodding teams. If the Warriors bring this same energy, shooting, and defense to the next round ... I don't think the Rockets or Jazz have a flying chance. Can you imagine the damage Baron Davis and crew would do to the Rockets guards? Like everything in Houston, it wouldn't be a pretty sight.