Maybe I was imagining it, but I’m pretty sure I heard at least two callers on WFAN late last night wax pathetic about the glory of the college game vs. the snoozefest they consider to be the National Basketball Association. And while the Tournament provided no shortage of first-class entertainment over the prior 96 hours, let’s spare a thought for the Professionals’ goddamn regular season.
Denver’s win at Toronto was enough to make you wish the Nuggets and Raptors could hook up more than twice a year. Golden State withstood a furious Lakers rally and needed a pair of Stephen Jackson 3’s in the final minute to hang on for a 115-111 victory after blowing a 26 point lead. Earlier in the day, San Antonio overcame their own poor shooting to beat Dallas, 88-81, giving defending champs a modest two-game winning streak after halting a 4 game skid two days earlier against Da Bulls.
Dallas lost the services of His Dirkness in said contest, and while Amanda from You Go Live In Utah is strangely silent on the matter, we’ll turn the floor over to Mark Cuban’s BFF, Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News.
The most pessimistic of MFFLs think that the Mavs’ playoff hopes buckled along with Dirk’s left leg.As the resident sunshine pumper, let me point out that Avery Johnson has a winning record without Dirk. The Mavs are 4-3 in games missed by the big German since Avery took over for Don Nelson.
Dirk has a history of recovering quickly from ankle sprains, but this is his first experience with the dreaded high ankle sprain. The focus for the first 48 hours is minimizing the swelling in the ankle and knee, which is also sprained, with icing and anti-inflammatories.
Dirk will spend plenty of time on the Mavs’ underwater treadmill that T.O. used during his rehab. T.O. also slept in a hyperbaric chamber, and Dirk would do the same if the Mavs’ medical experts think it would help.
“I don’t have any experience in that area, so whatever really I need to do I will do,” said Dirk, who had a protective boot on his left leg while addressing the media on the Mavs’ practice court. “I always have done that, whatever I need to do to get my health back is what I will do. Like I said, I will trust the doctor, our trainer obviously and they will make the correct decisions for me.”