Six Years Ago

Six long years ago, I willingly spent my hard-earned money to come to Mavericks' first-round playoff games. Now, I am getting paid to attend the first two games (and more, if necessary) of the Mavericks' first-round series against Portland and I am not exactly thrilled to be here. The Mavs broke my heart in 2006 and then crushed it in 2007. By the time they were choking in the first round again in 2008, I'd moved on. 

This is the first Mavericks game I've been to since Humble Billy's departure. I am not sure if I'll be able to tell how many foul shots anybody has. This is the first time I've seen Jason Kidd in a new-era Mavs jersey, too. I'm not sure if I feel old or young watching Jason Kidd play now. He's one of the only players left (along with Shaq) I watched as a kid. Other than all the new construction that cropped up around the arena since the last time I attended a Mavs game as a fan, I am not sure if there too many substantive differences with this team. Who knows, though. Maybe with everybody predicting another first round disappointment, the Mavericks will surprise everybody again and actually win.