And the Winner Is...

...Not Mark Cuban.

In a move than can only be classified under the "Let's see who laughs last, bitch" category, Michael Finley decided to sign not only with another Western Conference team, but another team in Texas - the Spurs. In the end, Fin rejected the email advances of suns.com and resisted the lure of Shaq on South Beach and decided to go with the team that sent a one-man contingent -- Pop.

But really, who can say no to this face?

Fin will be reunited with another spurned Mav in Nick Van Exel. Ain't vengeance grand?


Speaking of vengeance, I just saw Oldboy and all I can say is Damn! I guess I didn't fully realize what to expect from a movie promising to be a revenge thriller with live octopi and a Korean Gary Oldman, but it was all that and then some. Definitely recommended.

I Miss Avery

Speaking of Maverick coaches, I recently got this inexplicable yearning for Avery Johnson. I found it a bit odd considering Pop, my all time favorite coach, is in the Finals right now. But then, I read a quote by David Robinson, Avery's former teammate and best friend, which explained my predicament.

After the Lil' General left the Spurs, the Admiral said, "It's strange not having Avery. You get used to hearing that voice all the time." A ha! I'm sure all of you are also going through Avery withdrawal pangs. It's okay...Just watch NBA Rookies on Spike TV. Avery makes a cameo or two, but besides getting an Avery fix, the show is hysterical. There's nothing quite like seeing brand new multi-millionaires having to earn their rookie stripes and literally sing for their supper. You go, J.R. Smith!

One Angry German

Mark Cuban best beware - he's got one very pissed off German on his hands. In the postgame after the loss last night, Dirk (after making everyone wait an hour) let loose more vociferously than he ever has before on topics ranging from letting Steve Nash walk to Stack not calling a timeout with 5 seconds left in regulation. He didn't go as far as Steve "I don't know what I'm going to wake up for" Francis, but he made his feelings quite clear.

Some of his sentiments:

"Obviously, I thought we had all the right pieces to go all the way, but I just think we weren’t smart enough. Overall our basketball IQ wasn’t great offensively and defensively."

"He played an unbelievable series and showed why he was the MVP. He mad some great plays, not only today to win the game, but in every game they won he was phenomenal. I’ve never seen him play better than this. I think he wanted to show Dallas what we missed and he did that."

"I'm going to be pissed off all summer."

He didn't deflect his own responsibility though, saying, "I was subpar at best in the first round. We came out of it because of Jason." (Although with his lilt it sounded more like "Jazon." I think his accent becomes more pronounced the more pissed off he gets.)

Dirk also said, "I'm going to get in even better shape, if that's possible...I'm going to be even more dedicated, if it's possible."

I still can't believe he threw the towel at poor little JET (Jason Eugene Terry) at the end of regulation. I felt bad for Jason, but Dirk's finally doing what everyone's been telling him to do - step up, be more vocal, assume more of a leadership role. It was also nice to see Dirk get that emotional over the game. I think his outburst and his postgame comment about getting more dedicated if it's possible was a dig at everyone who says he's not really into the game and he's more concerned with winning with his German squad. I admit I questioned his heart at times, but from what I saw in the postgame, he's for real and he's gonna be back with a vengeance next year. Let's hope he brings his European cousin Peja Stojakovic, too.