By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com
      I have trust issues. And as convenient as it would be to blame them on all my ex-wives, the threesome truly at fault is Mr. Bush, Mr. Kerry and your Dallas Mavericks.
      With the President, there is that Weapons of Mass Destruction thing. Leading experts are now coming forward to whisper that the “nuclear waste trucks’’ we spotting in Iraq were really just fire trucks and that the “nuclear aluminum tubes’’ were really just aluminum tubes and that we knew the innocuous nature of our WMD proof and pretended Iraq posed a nuclear threat.
      Just a notch down on my To-Mistrust-List is the senator and his Weapons of Face Construction thing. You no doubt have heard rumors that the Democrats’ probable presidential choice has re-made himself with some Botox injections, that the Kerry face that a year ago could’ve been mistaken for Joan Rivers’ wrinkly ass now comes across as smooth Marvin Gaye in concert.
      Kerry’s denial wouldn’t be so bad if not for the fact that in the very first interview he did regarding the Botox issue, he pretended to not even know what Botox is -- a dubious claim inasmuch as a few months ago, Mrs. K talked at length in a magazine story about how delighted she is with the Botox effect on her face!
      I mean, I know the campaign trail is demanding. … but is it so demanding that you don’t even notice your own wife has morphed from looking like a bulldog to looking like a bongo drum?
      So Mr. Bush might be a fibber. And Mr. Kerry might be a fibber. And son of a gun, maybe the Mavs – winners of back-to-back games this week -- are trying to pull the wool over America’s eyes, too.
      This is a team, America says, that lacks the chest hair to come back from deficits. But consider this week’s wins over Golden State and New Orleans. Dallas scored just 17 points in the first quarter against the Warriors and was down by as many as nine. Against the Hornets, the Mavs again faced a nine-point deficit after starting with just 21 first-quarter points.
      This is a team, America says, that cannot play defense. Something tells me I’m destined to lose this argument because in the end, the Mavs’ effort might fail me (and them). But a rather astounding thing happened in the second half of the Hornets game: Dirk Nowitzki friggin’ took over – and did so on the defensive end.
      There were a couple of moments in the game when Nellie seemed so displeased by Dirk’s work that the All-Star got pulled to the bench. The UberMan responded, though. Yes, with the 28 points. But he was everywhere on defense, intercepting or deflecting passes (three steals), cutting off passing lanes, denying entry passes, blocking shots (credited with just one, deserving of at least three), playing help defense better than he’s done all year.
      “I wasn't happy about it, but I guess it helped," Nowitzki said.
      This is a team, America says, that cannot rebound. The Hornets’ starting front line features All-Star Jamaal Magliore, Jamal Mashburn and P.J. Brown. It’s a physical trio. Dallas came away with a 43-36 rebounding edge (Dirk has 11, 10 of them on defense), the numbers once again conflicting with the rep.
      This is a team, America says, that cannot hold leads. While the 20-point lead lost to Denver on Saturday is haunting, the truth is, it should be offset in our minds by what happened in the two ensuing games, at home against Golden State and Wednesday at New Orleans. Dallas’ offensive style does lead to runs by both teams (thought that doesn’t mean Dallas’ offensive attitude has to also contribute). Still, there is a bottom-line issue here: Against Golden State, the Mavs’ largest lead was 17, and they won by 14, 107-93. Against New Orleans, the Mavs’ largest lead was 10 and they won by nine, 113-104.
      If you are holding the lead at the end of a game, you’ve done something right, right?
      In summary, my fellow Americans, I’m hesitant to say something against Kerry; after all, he was a war hero. And I’m hesitant to say something against Bush; after all, I live in Texas and I don’t want y’all spray-painting “Go Home Commie’’ on my front door.
      And I’m hesitant to say anything bad about the Mavs’ week, too. I’m working out some trust issues, you know, and I need to start somewhere.