More embarrassment to come for short-handed Mavericks
The fact that the Dallas Mavericks qualified for the playoffs in the first place is a testament to the dynamism of head coach Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki.
Carlisle, a shaman with the clipboard, racked his bald dome like a Magic 8 Ball all season to summon life in a decrepit roster. And Nowitzki, the ageless wonder, made it all work using nothing but his guile and his everlasting quiver of fadeaways.
That was enough for the regular season, but their tricks did little to fool the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook lining up opposite Wesley Matthews and J.J. Barea, the Mavericks never stood a chance.
"We've got to show pride. We obviously got embarrassed tonight," a dejected Nowitzki said after his team set a franchise low for points in a 108-70 drubbing.
With his mentor Holger Geschwindner watching with a lonely look of pain amid a sea of cheery blue at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, Nowitzki finished as the lone Maverick in double figures. No other teammate managed more than eight points on the night. No one, not even Nowitzki, shot better than 50 percent from the field.
The Thunder got whatever they wanted and the Mavericks could do nothing but watch idly. Durant, Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka finished as a combined plus-103 in a wire-to-wire victory. The Thunder's Big Three showed no signs of remorse as they mercifully shut down the Mavericks. They didn't run anything complicated because they didn't need to.
The sheer talent disparity was what mattered, and there might be nothing left in Carlisle's playbook, nor enough juice left in Nowitzki's battery, to swing the series.
As stubborn as he is wealthy, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wore a terse expression knowing that his team's failures were very much a reflection of management's failures.
That was the reason for the Mavericks being so thoroughly outmatched. Despite Nowitzki's generosity in taking a team-friendly deal, Cuban struck out time and time again as he hunted for star-level talent.
Accompanying Cuban was Chandler Parsons, the team's prized pig from two summers ago. Parsons was unavailable to play after undergoing a second knee injury within the past year. He gave the Mavericks one playoff appearance over that time and could opt out this summer.
On the court was Matthews, the valiant Ironman who moved heaven and earth to be on the court for 78 games this season after snapping his Achilles. His drive is unmatched, but his game never fully recovered. Matthews shot below 40 percent on the season and produced seven points Saturday on 10 shots while doing little to slow Durant.
There was also the three-headed trio of JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, and Salah Mejri that manned the paint at center and combined for nine points. All three had their moments in the season, but ultimately served as a bitter reminder that the Mavericks failed to lure DeAndre Jordan last summer.
Jordan wasn't the only major miss in free agency. Dwight Howard, Deron Williams (when he was sought after), Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Chris Bosh - every tree was shook, but none bore fruit.
And that's to say nothing of routinely emptying the cupboards for shortsighted trades like dealing Jae Crowder and a pick for four unhappy months of Rajon Rondo. The Mavericks' best prospect is Dwight Powell (who dropped out of the rotation for months) and a raw rookie in Justin Anderson.
Since winning it all in 2011, the Mavericks have retooled time and time again, but show nothing for it.
At the end of the day it was still Nowitzki and Carlisle plugging away aimlessly.