Dedicating blog to Mavs week

Dallas — As a tribute to the Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA championship, I'm dedicating this week in the Gametime in Arlington blog strictly to Mavs-related posts.

My typical observations about the Texas Rangers will have to take a back seat for now.

So yeah ... what a run. It's never felt this rewarding to put so much of my free time into one of my pro teams. I put 1,000 miles on the Accord in fewer than three days, just to be in Dallas when the Mavs clinched. Crazy? Sure. Worth it? Absolutely.

Everyone I've run into lately has asked about the trip. Friends at the gym. Co-workers. The guy behind the counter at Three Spoons when my co-worker Matt and I bought a celebratory, Mavs-inspired frozen yogurt. The guy who knocked on my door to deliver a package to my roommate (I've had the championship T-shirt on for two days ... it might need the washer by now).

I can honestly say driving in town for the series clincher was one of the most rewarding road trips of my life. Right up there with driving to Arizona with my college buddies for spring training in 2006, or booking it to New Orleans for the Final Four in 2003.

OK, everyone's talking about the poetic justice involved with the team-oriented Mavericks taking down the out-for-their-own Heat. And rightfully so. It's gratifying to know that the team whose superstar stayed loyal to his city and his teammates won an NBA championship over three superstars who thought they could win not one (or two, three, four, five or six) with teammates they found on the South Beach garbage pickup route. It proves basketball, like all of pro sports, rewards team unity over individual accomplishment, regardless of how pretty it looks. One nice dunk doesn't equate to hoisting a trophy. Five guys swinging the ball from side to side until the best shot presents itself proved to be a better formula.

All that said ... I haven't heard enough about the path the Mavs took to win this crown. Talk about one of the most legitimate championships in NBA history. Dallas defeated a rugged Portland squad that defended extremely well and fed off a raucous home crowd in the first round.

The Mavs shopped for brooms at Home Depot while pummeling the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers, all while frustrating the hell out of several of their players (Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum in particular) and sending arguably the greatest NBA coach of all-time, Phil Jackson, into retirement.

Dallas then held off an up-and-coming Oklahoma City squad that should see plenty more appearances in the Western Conference finals, so long as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook play there.

And, finally, the Mavs iced the cake with taking down the prima donna, self-centered Heat.

Now that's what I call earning the ring.

Be back all week for more court-related title observations and what the future might look like for the Mavs after winning it all.

For now, I'm going to continue to enjoy this championship, and it may be a while until I finally hop off cloud nine. Oh, and I've always wanted to do this: