Mavs Win, Mavs Win

Wow.

I was a Mavericks fan when being a Mavericks fan wasn't cool.

I (at one point and not for long) was extremely excited about the acquisition of freakin' Shawn Bradley. And the Mavs Lost.

I watched and cheered as Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, and Jim Jackson all came, went and played better elsewhere (Kidd will be a hall of famer someday...) and they lost.

I watched and cheered for such hall of shame coaches as McLeod and freakin' Quinn Buckner. And they lost (badly).

I endured Steve Nash's first injury plagued season and thought, Man he might be good someday. And they started to win. (some)

I always cheered for Michael Finley. He's a class act that carried the Mavericks franchise for years until Dirk developed into a one man Blitzkrieg. (sorry for the obligatory German reference...) It's a shame that a (kind of) joke by Dirk got him booed in Dallas. He deserved better. (Glad he lost since he plays for the other team, but he deserved better.) And they won some more.

I remember watching Dirk in his first season and thinking, what a goofy dorky player. (He's grown on me some.)

I then watched and cheered the Big Three as they lit up the league and outscored almost everyone. I cheered and smiled when they scored. I winced and cried as they gave up layup after layup and were labeled "soft". They won, but they couldn't win the big game. They always started throwing up jumpers and threes and acting like the rim was radioactive.

I've never seen a Mavericks team (granted I didn't watch the Aguirre, Blackmon, Harper and Tarpley Mavs much except for the playoff run of '88) with this type of guts and gumption. They actually have a mean streak. (Not a Detroit, Laimbeer punch you in the face tough...more like a sneaky punch you in the nads tough...but tough nonetheless). I love the Mavs and have for years, but this game tonight is a game that in years past, they would always find a way to lose.

This wasn't for the championship, but it sure felt like it. This was the most fun I've had watching pro basketball in years. Every game (except game 2) felt like a NCAA tourney game. Heartbreak and elation...all wrapped up in this one.

PS. Gana Diop and Eric Dampier = finally putting the ghost of Roy Tarpley to rest.

As of this posting (I'm exhausted) looks like the Suns in the Western Conf finals. Wow.

Wonder how that will turn out. You know there is no D in Phoenix.

Life Keeps on a Changin'

Latest updates from the Borland Household.

1. It's a boy! Yes our newest addition will be a male. No we have not decided on any names yet other than ruling out Zachary. (We have both taught too many Zachs that drove us nuts.) Everything seems to be just fine with the baby and mom. Dad evidently has already begun gaining weight...

2. Zeke is motoring on towards becoming a year old. He's just shy of 10 months and weighs right at 22 pounds. New pics will be posted on the family website (www.theborlands.net) sometime this weekend. He is the master of the commando crawl (on the belly, not sans diaper...) and is pulling himself up on anything close enough (and stable enough) to grab. He wants to walk, but has the balance of a drunk on a ship.

3. I have a two week break from grad school before summer session starts. I did manage to pull an A in my leadership class this past semester. Whoo-hoo! Afraid that the 4.0 is in serious danger with the class load I will be attempting this summer.

4. Jill is studying in earnest for her LPC test. She is planning to take it in mid June. She's not a test taker and as such is EXTREMELY stressed about this test. Please keep her on your prayer lists.

5. Just two weeks of school left to complete my first year as an assistant principal. Woof. The learning curve has been unbelievably steep but I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel (and for the first time this year, I don't think it's a freight train coming the other way...).

6. My campus has kicked off it's Academically Unacceptable label! We are classified as Academically Acceptable for the coming year and with just minor adjustments and another year of hard work like this one, we should be able to move on to Recognized.

7. My swing is just horrible. Got to play in a charity tournament and had a blast, but played like hammered poo. (I did get the day off work though. A bad day golfing will always beat a good day at the office...) I'm hoping to get on the links a bit more this summer, but with Zeke and school...well, I guess we'll just have to see.

Will be posting some other items as I have a bit more time to think and write. Hope all is well and talk to you soon.

Chris