Since the Dallas Mavericks won their first championship recently, there’s been plenty of talk about the Mavericks no longer being the red-headed stepchild of Texas pro Sports or the little brother to the San Antonio Spurs.
But is one championship enough to put the Mavs up there in the same company with the Spurs and their four championships, the Rockets’ two championships and the Dallas Cowboys when discussing Texas’ successful professional sports franchises.
According to a USA Today poll, while the majority of votes went to the Cowboys for the title of Texas’ king of pro sports, the Mavericks (24 percent) actually have a lead in the voting over the Spurs (10 percent).
The Dallas Mavericks flew home yesterday, bringing a pro league championship trophy back to Texas. The Lone Star State hasn’t had many of those in recent years.
The San Antonio Spurs have won three NBA titles in the past decade, but the Rangers came up short in their first trip to the World Series last year. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season. The Houston Astros and Houston Texans have never claimed championships in their leagues, and the Houston Rockets’ last title came in 1995. The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup, but that was back in 1999.
While I congratulate the Mavericks on their championship, I’m not so sure recent success is enough to consider them over the consistently successful Spurs or even the Rockets.
As my Spurscast co-host, Jeff Garcia, said in our last episode, “Welcome to the club. We’re glad you’re finally here, but you don’t have access to the VIP area just yet.”
What are your thoughts on the poll? Should the Mavs get so much consideration because of recent success or does Texas still belong to the Spurs? Let us know in the comments.
