Fatal flaws?

After an incredibly disappointing weekend of Dallas Mavericks basketball, I think I've finally figured out why Dallas has seemed like a doomed team since Game Three of the 2006 Finals.

Before Game Three, the world was Dallas' oyster. They were halfway towards a sweep and an NBA championship, Dirk Nowitzki was playing better than any forward since Larry Bird, and all was right with the world.

So what happened? Was it owner Mark Cuban's arrogance, going on late-night television talking about his soon-to-be-championship? Was it the city of Dallas, already planning their parade route?

I have always been a big believer in karma, especially sports karma, but I don't think that's the reason.

The reason is that Dallas is missing two key ingredients—things that every championship team of recent memory has possessed.

Problem No. 1: Lack of a Dominant Big Man

Did you know that last year's Lakers-Celtics Finals was the first Finals since the Jordan years not to feature Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal? Think about that.

The two best big men of this generation have been in a position to win the Finals every year since 1999. You could argue that Kobe Bryant has been the most dominant guard of this generation, and LeBron James has been and will be the most dominant forward of this generation, but, both have missed the Finals multiple years.

Of course, LeBron is much younger—but just for the sake of argument, hear me out.

The two big men have taken their teams to the Finals, most of the time with one other piece. Tim Duncan was able to team with David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. Shaq had Kobe and D-Wade. It could be argued that Wade did more than Shaq, but Shaq was there.

Now, bring this back to the Mavs. They have Dirk, who is a big man in terms of height, but he doesn't play the big man's game. He's a decent rebounder (8.6 per game for his career), but he isn't a dominant low-post player.

He's got a guard's game. He can hit a jumper, a three, and drive to the basket to draw fouls. His skill at the fadeaway shot and the match-up problem his height presents are what have made him the player he is today.

For the past few years, the Mavericks have had Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop anchoring the frontcourt.

Dampier is not the type of center that is going to win you a championship. I like him, but that's the truth.

He makes the money the Mavericks could have given to Steve Nash. Here's Dampier's basic five-game stat line:

• One or one-and-a-half games where he lights the world on fire, especially since Kidd came to Dallas. He will get offensive boards and tip-ins, three blocks, a steal or two, and a 10-and-10.
• Two games where he will be in foul trouble, like Friday night in Denver. Dampier played a total of 13 minutes against a team with Marcus Camby at center. When he could have been out-muscling Camby, he was riding the pine because he was fouling jump shooters away from the basket.
  
• One or one-and-a-half games of absolutely pedestrian numbers. He might get seven to nine boards, with none or maybe one off the offensive glass, and he will get five points on one-for-five from the field and three-for-six from the charity stripe.
  

That's not going to win you a championship—especially over a long playoff run.

Diop is great as a backup center. He provides decent defense (although not much to speak of this year), good rebounding presence, and he can knock down three to five shots a game.

Jamal Magliore had a chance to return to form last year, and I was really hoping he was the last piece of the puzzle. Whether it was former coach Avery Johnson not playing him (3.9 minutes per game) or just general "suckitude" (1.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg), he wasn't the answer.

This year, we have the Damp-Diop combo, except they're two years older than they were during their Finals run, and Diop isn't looking like himself.

So what are the options? The best answer would be Chris Kaman of the LA Clippers. He's friends with Dirk, he hates LA, and he is the most underrated center in the game (possibly because of his bald spot). He plays good defense, he's only 26, plus he's ambidextrous. A Damp-Diop trade for Kaman would be great, especially if the Clips could take Jerry Stackhouse also.

Would I give up Brandon Bass for Kaman? It pains me, but yes. Would I give up Josh Howard for Kaman? Probably not. Would I give up guard Jason Kidd, who's expiring contract might be attractive to the Clips?

Then they could run with Jason Terry at point guard and Gerald Green at shooting guard, which is close to the lineup that took them to the Finals.

Problem No. 2: A Distinct Lack of Clutch

Yeah, I know what you're saying—that's what every one says. But it's true. Besides Dirk, there is no player that can be counted on in the clutch. This leads to double teams on Dirk on key possessions, which in turn lead to one of three things:

• Someone else gets the ball, and turns it over or bricks a shot.
• Dirk is forced to the rack, and gets stripped.
• Dirk gets to the rack, makes the shot, and gets fouled, tying the game with no time left (Game Seven of 2006 Western semifinals only).

There have been way too many possessions late in the game when Dallas is still in it, but they just choke away a golden opportunity.

(If you think Dirk isn't clutch, you don't watch basketball. The aforementioned play in Game Seven in 2006, and the buzzer-beating three-pointer against the Jazz to send the Mavs to the playoffs last year are just two of the most dramatic examples.)

Take the Mavs-Nugs game from Friday night (a liveblog can be found on my blog). The Mavs spent all night clawing their way back into the game—and finally got there, thanks to Green (another article for another day).

With twenty-one seconds left, Kidd gets the and-one off a Brandon Bass block, giving him a chance to tie the game. He bricks the free throw, forcing Dallas to play the foul game.

With seventeen seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Mavs are down two, with the ball and a golden opportunity (since Chauncey Billups missed one of his free throws). For some reason, Bass gets the ball, twenty-five feet from the basket, and immediately has the ball stolen.

It's been the same old thing with these Mavericks, and it's incredibly frustrating. They claw their way back into the game, and it comes down to a few key possessions, which always end up with:

• Someone jacking up a contested three to beat the shot clock.
• A steal, strip, or some other turnover caused my someone who shouldn't have the ball in the first place.
  

People always harp on the Mavs' "lack of toughness," but it's their clutch performance that is lacking.

I don't know if it's that coach Rick Carlisle hasn't drawn up a play for the situation, or if it's the execution, but it is ridiculous. In playoff basketball, wins come down to who can execute down the stretch.

The Spurs and Lakers do that better than anyone else, and that's why they have seven championships in the last nine years.

And when the Mavs have only one clutch shooter in Dirk, he can easily be negated.

But the Lakers had Kobe, Shaq, and Big Shot Robert Horry—none of whom you want to leave open.

The Spurs have Duncan and Ginobili, and to a lesser extent Michael Finley, none of which you want open on a final possession.

How can this be fixed? I don't know. You can't teach clutch, but it's hard to get clutch. Green might be in the running. Terry, not so much. Kidd, as lights out from three-land as he was on Friday night, shouldn't be trusted in a clutch three-ball situation.

Josh Howard remains a viable solution, but I don't see him hitting a three-ball when needed, and often times only a three-ball will do.

What I can see Jo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum doing is driving to the rack, but he doesn't have that Tony Parker or D-Wade skill of the bank shot, where he can make the shot after the foul as he's headed to the floor.

I don't know if this provides viable answers to the questions I've asked. But, those are the two flaws that need to be fixed if the Mavericks are to win a championship in the Dirk years.