By David Lord -- DallasBasketball.com
      It's late February. In the NBA, the All-Star game is over. The trade deadline has also come and gone. The crucial home-stretch to the season has arrived. And in Mavs-land, rather than being a time for tension and worry, it's "fun time" again.
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      Take Saturday, which brought a Rockets team to Dallas that had been on a roll of late, and after a horrendous start, the Mavs came roaring back to earn an improbable yet decisive victory. The rollercoaster win brought a euphoria of positive energy to players and fans alike.
      Tuesday night, a much-improved Clippers squad that had been undefeated against the Mavs this season swept into town and was blown out in the most one-sided Mavs win of 2004.
      And then came Thursday night, which saw the Mavs hang with the Spurs for a half and then gradually pull away for a convincing win.
      But not only did the Mavs earn some needed wins in this stretch, it was fun again, just like last season.
      When I take a step back and think about it, the most annoying facet about this season so far has been the sense that it just hasn't been as fun as last year. Last year's team had flaws that we all recognized, but dangit they were fun to cheer for! They were "The Little Mavs" – local radio station ‘The Ticket’s’ nod to their inept past – and they featured the weak rebounding and not enough defense or athleticism. But in spite of their flaws the 2002-03 Mavs would regularly get on a roll and suddenly start raining 3's from everywhere, find a way to win game after game, and it was electric. Junk defenses, outside shots, whatever it took - they found ways to overcome their glaring weaknesses, and became the most successful team in Mavs history.
      This year it has been a struggle all the way. No lead has seemed safe. The team has seemed to coast through quarters and even entire games. There have been questions about how all the pieces fit together, and constant trade speculation has swirled. Every player has been put under a constant microscope, as fans and writers have criticized every hiccup, and the resulting tension on every front has been regular and palpable.
      It has been a grind.
      But whoosh, just like that, the tedium all evaporated for me, in a flurry of events the last few days. And the reminder here actually originated from events off the court.
      My two sons are away at college in Arkansas, and are roommates. Out of the blue, this past weekend they came roaring into town unexpectedly with one of those college-type adventures in mind: we are going to see the Mavs play the Rockets, and be the goofballs that get in for free. In tow was a dormmate, and a gal friend from school came by to join them. A former high school compadre was recruited for the gang. And the adventure began.
      A trip to the store yielded the needed supplies: posterboard, blue poster paint, white poster paint, and cheap rubber basketballs. The preparations began. The guys ditched their shirts, and the white paint became numbers of selected Mavs players. The gal wore a sleeveless blouse and her arms were soon sporting white numbers. To frame the white numbers, the blue paint turned into paint-on blue basketball jerseys for the guys and blue "sleeves" for the gal. The cheap basketballs were cut in half and became basketball "helmets" to wear. With the posterboard, a couple of attention-grabbing messages were created. And off went the gang in blue to watch the Mavs do battle with the Rockets.
      Once they got there, they were selected for the special free admission that Mark Cuban generously awards to those daring enough to make a spectacle of themselves, and in they went. Sporting the numbers 44 (Shawn Bradley), 21 (Danny Fortson), 42 (Scott Williams), 33 (Antawn Jamison), and 14 (Eddie Najera), they proudly displayed their two posters as they vocally made a ruckus. The mesaages on the posters were designed to honor the players whose numbers they sported, and they read ‘Bench Players Need Fans Too’ and "Love the Pine."
      They had fun. They even got enough attention to be shown on TV at least twice.
      And the story doesn't end there. After the game, my younger son called and said, "Hey Dad, guess where we are." It seems that Shawn Bradley had seen their antics and had been so amused that he sent them passes via a security guard to come downstairs after the game. They got to meet Bradley and talk to him at length: all were amazed at (a) his size, and (b) his niceness. They got autographs from a slew of players and conversed with several, and their unanimous observation was that the Mavs have lots of guys who are just flat-out likeable. They made special note of Steve Nash, who came by later than most but made a concerted effort to see that everyone who wanted his autograph got one.
      The unanimous verdict of the whole crew: We had a blast! That was great!
      Tuesday's game against the Clippers brought an echo of the same idea. Nope, my boys weren't there again - they are back at school, where (supposedly) they are again studying their young brains out. But the Mavs were back at American Airlines Center again, and fun again was in vogue. Lots of hustle, lots of points, effective results, and a win.
      Thursday's game against the Spurs resonated the theme again. The contest was tight for a half. There were good plays here and mistakes there. But throughout, the Mavs were having fun, giving full effort and never letting up, and the electricity was back.
      Does this team have flaws? Yep you betcha. They aren't great defensive players by nature, and they rely quite heavily on the jump shot. And in spite of their offensive prowess, this is not the offensive team of last year: the 2004 model does not overwhelm by raining 3's in bunches.
      But this team has other advantages that were not here last year. They are more athletic, and can rebound with anybody. They have much more depth. Instead of overwhelming by 3's, they can attack with wave after wave of uptempo players. When they give relentless effort on both ends of the court, as they did for the last 3 quarters against the Rockets and for 4 quarters against both LA and SA, their numbers and style can just wear out an opponent and leave them gasping.
      And lo and behold, it is fun to watch.
      Now that the trade deadline is past and everyone can settle in for the stretch, here's a personal vote for more "fun" from the Mavs. I love the relentless athleticism that just aggressively doesn't let up on either end. I love seeing opponents overwhelmed and gasping to try to keep up. The 3's in bunches last year were fun, and so was the "pretty basketball" of last year - but wow, this is breathtaking in its own way.
      This is fun. Give me more.