Hope is a Strategy

You can call them old. You can call them unathletic. You can call them pretenders.

But you cannot call the Mavericks quitters. After the gut-wrenching loss on Saturday, this team had every reason to tank Game 4 last night. The team faced the impossible task of attempting to overcome a 3-0 series deficit while facing a team that had beaten them seven straight times during the season.

After the meltdown on Saturday, I half-expected Dallas to not show up last night. But Dirk and Co. did show up. Despite trailing throughout the majority of the game, the Mavericks continued to fight. Every time they rallied to get within a couple of points, Denver would hit an off-balance three or get to the foul-line. But Dallas was relentless.

Dirk dominated (as he has all series long, despite his comments regarding Denver's defense). Barea added a spark off the bench. Overall - given the situation - it was a fun game to watch. Does Dallas have a chance of winning this series? Um...no. But in a sport where teams constantly fold when facing insurmountable odds, it was refreshing to see guys playing hard until the final seconds.

Dallas will now travel to Denver to face the Nuggets in Game 5. It's a long shot, but what if the Mavericks find a way to scratch out a Game 5 win in Denver? They haven't been blown out during any game in this series and they have been within striking distance during the 4th quarter of each road game.

Yes, it's unlikely that Dallas pulls another one out...but what if they do? What if Chauncy Billups rolls an ankle? What if Carmelo tweaks his back? Crazier things have happened.

And if Dallas could somehow squeak out a game on the road, this will suddenly be a series again. If nothing else, last night gave Mavericks fan hope - and that is all that we could ask for.