Just like old times, the San Antonio Spurs are back to winning ways in the play-offs, beating the Dallas Mavericks in six games.
It’s not the first time the Mavericks have lost in the first round of the play-offs, they lost to the New Orleans Hornets 4-1 in 2008, and the year before that they lost to the Golden State Warriors 4-2, in what was one of the greatest upsets in NBA history.
Despite Dirk Nowitzki scoring 33 points and getting 25 from Caron Butler, the Mavs got a combined 11 points from their other three starters, a number which against the Spurs spells trouble.
The Spurs on the other hand had three main starters combine for 64 points with Manu Ginobili leading the way with 26 points and five assists.
That type of production has eluded the Mavs in the play-offs and for Nowitzki it was his third first-round exit with the Mavs in four years, and it’s got the German thinking about his future with the team.
“I wanted to obviously have a long playoff run and go for my dream again, now it's obviously too shocking and too disappointing.
“I haven't really thought about anything about my future yet. I guess I've got some time now to think about some stuff and think about my options,” Nowitzki said
"We'll just have to wait and see. Like I said, everything is too fresh now."
The 31-year-old German stands to make $21.5 million dollars next year, but does have to option of opting out of his contract, something Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is all too aware of and has tried to build a team around his nine-time all-star.
But things haven’t worked out for the Mavs the way they wanted and since losing to the Miami Heat in the 2006 finals, where they were 2-0 up, the Mavs have failed to establish themselves as legitimate championship contenders despite winning 50 games a season since then.
"As much as I'm disappointed for the team and for Mark [Cuban] and for myself, I'm even more disappointed for Dirk, because a lot of this was about trying to get him to a point where he could realise the dream," coach Rick Carlisle said.
"The window is still open, but this is a tough blow.”
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