Two views on Mavs-Warriors

There are at least two ways to see this series:

1. Several writers have drawn the parallel between last year's Lakers-Suns series. The California-based underdog goes up 3-1, the media goes crazy, the favorites are in disarray, and then everything snaps back into place. Watching Dirk hit those 3s last night felt a little bit like the Tim Thomas shot of 2006; you knew the Lakers could never fully recover from that. Not next game, not the game after that, maybe never.
   
2. Less common is the connection to last year's Pistons-Heat series. Miami went up 3-1, but every just knew the Pistons would win (they did, after all, have the best record by far, just like this year's Mavericks). In game 5, the Pistons hung tough and the for-the-ages Ben Wallace rejection on Shaq seemed to exemplify the Pistons' ability to never fully break. Of course, Miami turned around and won the next game handily and went on to win the championship.
   

My conclusion: Point 1 seems a lot more likely to me. The Mavs have been capable of winning 8-12 in a row easily; is beating Golden State 3 straight (2 at home) out of the question? Hardly. And that was a really crushing, hands-around-the-throat loss last night for the Warriors; I don't think anyone can just get on a plane and play an amazing game tomorrow.

Still, I'm pulling for the Warriors for the obvious reasons: they're fun to watch, and they inject some variety into the usual Texas-based monotony of the Western postseason.