During the Western Conference semifinals, when it became obvious that the Mavericks were no longer the same team they had been in years past, one particular anecdote from the television crew perfectly defined what had transformed Dirk and the Mavericks.

The story goes, that during stretches in the regular season Dirk would go through one of his hot streaks from outside.  While in the past, Dirk may have felt he was doing no wrong and that his numbers supported his play, it was Avery Johnson who challenged him to be more.  Late in those games the Little General would pull Dirk aside and suggest that those jumpers may not work in the closing minutes of a playoff game.  AJ pushed for Dirk to be assertive, to attack.

Fast forward to Game 5 and you rewind to everything that was previously wrong about the Mavs in years past.  Dallas came out blazing, peppering the Heat with outside jumpers.  And, while they were falling, everything was great.  So great in fact, that the Mavs became satisfied with their success and stayed in jump shot mode throughout the entire game.  When the shots stopped falling, so did the Mavs lead.

Compare that with Wade's night.  Early on the Heat guard could not buy a bucket, but continued to attack the rim and Mavericks defenders.  Say what you will about NBA officiating, but one principle usually seems to hold true: the more aggressive team will always get the fouls.  The Mavericks have a far less chance of getting to the line while they remain content to shoot jumpers.

Credit must go to Avery Johnson for changing the atmosphere in Dallas to one more conducive to winning.  Unfortunately, his influence is not spread throughout the organization.  The calm, collective team that marched through the West is no longer there.  What happened to the days when Avery dropped quotes saying the Mavs were not a team that complained.

Come on AJ, I know Pop taught you better than that!

Before Cuban and the Mavs faithful begin to blame the officiating for their loss, and cry foul, why not ask yourselves why your team constantly settled for jump shots.  Or why Mavs defenders constantly bit on Wade's every upfake.  Coming from the Spurs organization, it is safe to assume that one of the biggest sins in Avery's system is to foul jump shooters.  Go back and count how many times Wade managed to get a player in the air before drawing a foul. 

The foul at the end is irrelevant, the game should not have come to that in the first place.  When you leave yourself a chance to get burned on one possession, the result is your own fault.

So long as Mark Cuban and Dallas continue to complain about officiating, they will always have an excuse and therefore, a tolerance of losing.  A true champion would face adversity, rise to the occasion, and not dwell on what they cannot control.  This is the attitude that was taken by the Spurs, the Pistons, and many Champions before them.  This is why the Mavs are not yet over the proverbial 'hump'.

So to you Mavs fans, quit crying and tell your team to just play ball.