Both alike in dignity

As a Mavericks fan, the Phoenix Suns have always represented a complex set of emotions for me.

I became a Mavs fan while watching Dirk and Nash bloom into the Hall-of-famers they are today.

When the separation happened, I was upset, but I know that the NBA is a business, and I think both sides handled it as well as it could have been handled (besides Dampier getting the money Nash could've gotten, but that's besides the point).

So I started to root for the Suns a little bit. I have always liked Arizona as a state, my parents went to U of A, and my uncle lives outside of Phoenix, so it wasn't exactly a stretch.

I liked watching the Suns, they were never boring, and the tandem of Nash, Marion and Stoudemire never failed to disappoint.

When the Mavs and Suns met in the playoffs, I would of course root for the Mavs, but should the Suns have won, I would have pulled for them.

Then the 2006 NBA Finals came. The series that changed me as a basketball fan forever.

Dirk, who had been the most dominant player in the playoffs, suddenly was overshadowed by D-Wade and the force field that surrounded him.

That's when the bitterness started, and that's when my feelings towards the Suns shifted.

In a way, I take a sick pleasure in their failings, because they echo the Mavs to a T.

Take a look:

• Both teams have an MVP who people say cannot win a championship by themselves.
  
• Both took a major gamble on a trade in late 2008, the Suns filling a need in the middle, Dallas filling a need at point.
  
• Both were ousted after five games in the 2008 playoffs, leading to the firing of their coaches, and the end of their respective eras.
  

Really it's uncanny how these teams are linked.

The Mavs were undone by the calls going against them against the Heat, and the Suns have been undone by so many calls going against them against the Spurs.

The Suns' fatal flaw during their hayday was their lack of commitment on the defensive end.

This led to several things, which eventually led to the end of the seven seconds-or-less era.

When you're team is based around offense and nothing else, players like Amare and Marion get greedy. With a distributor like Nash at the helm, both players wanted to be the person who got the ball from him.

Whether it was Nash feeding it inside to a Stoudemire who was breaking to the rack, or Nash was kicking it out to Marion for a wide open jumper, the system worked.

Except for the two players who always wanted to be the No. 1 option in a high-octane offense.

So they got rid of one of the players, and got Shaq, the antithesis of the running game. After the playoffs, Terry Porter got the job, and he has slowed down the offense, to the point that Nash, usually a great floor general, looks lost for the first time in his career.

Now let's look at the Mavs.

They were never an offensive powerhouse, but they were a complete team. Almost too complete.

You've heard the saying, "A Jack of All Trades is a master of none." That describes the 2005-2007 Dallas Mavericks.

They were good at everything, but not dominant in any aspect of the game.

Jump shots? They could hit them. Getting to the basket? Jet and Stack could do that. Defense? Sure, Terry is quick, and Diop was a good backup center when you needed stops.

But their lack of dominance had a fatal flaw: they couldn't force teams to play their way.

When the Celtics beat a Lakers team that was on paper more talented, it was because they made the Lakers play their game. They made the Lakers play a game where they had to get physical on the boards, devote most of your energy on defense, and the looks on the offensive end would come.

The Spurs are the kings of making people play their way. With Parker, Ginobili and Duncan, they are one of the best halfcourt offenses in the history of the game.

Give Parker the ball, he uses his quickness to get inside. From there, he can kick it out to Manu or Finley, or if the forwards come after him, give it over to Duncan, one of the game's best in the low post. Or, if they keep the point guard on him, Parker would just break to the basket.

And they forced teams to play that way. Teams like the 2007 Cavs, who couldn't play that way, and were swept. Teams like the Suns who thrive on speed to make their offense work.

The Mavericks didn't have a clear identity to shove down teams' throat, so they were forced to adapt. They tried to play small-ball against the Warriors, and look what they got.

They tried to play the iso game in the 2006 Finals, and look what they got.

And now we've come to this. Dallas and Phoenix, Nash and Nowitzki, fighting for a playoff spot.

In the West, the Lakers, Hornets, Rockets and Jazz are in the playoffs. You figure the Spurs will turn it on and be just fine, and the Blazers are young enough to keep up the pace throughout the season.

That's six team. The Nuggets are benefiting immensely from Billups' leadership, so we'll give them a spot.

Now you're down to Dallas and Phoenix. Once again.

Homerism aside, I think the nod goes to Dallas. They are starting to come together without Josh Howard, and when he comes back, he should keep up his hot start.

Phoenix, on the other hand, seems lost. It's easy to skip that when they started 11-5, but four straight losses have the spotlight on them.

While I think Dallas now has a higher ceiling currently than the Suns, I don't necessarily think either one can win a championship in 2009.

And therein lies the rub.