The pulse of the DFW-area media on the NBA Playoffs isn't hard to find after the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3-0 series lead over the Mavericks: This is an old team about to be reworked, so let's just get this year over with.
The Dallas Morning News is asking (politely, albeit) that the Mavs "fall on their swords" so things will just be over with:
If this is all they've got, the Mavericks should do everybody a favor and fall on their sword Saturday night in Game 4.
Don't bother with the show of resolve. Too late for that now, because it's just a matter of time until the Mavericks are dethroned and vacation begins.
The Ft. Worth Star Telegram is even less friendly, denouncing owner Mark Cuban for his (apparent) failure to land Dwight Howard and Deron Williams in the offseason, and condemning the lockout for stealing the World Champion Mavs'... thunder:
The truly sad part is that we already knew the season was not going to end the way it began with the Mavericks as reigning champions.
Any doubt about that was removed long ago -- not just before the beginning of this playoff series -- but before the season.
That is the most disappointing thing for the Mavericks and their fans.
After waiting so long to finally win an NBA title, the moment was seemingly gone before they got a chance to truly enjoy it, let alone savor it.
It started with the lockout that truncated their off-season of title glory.
For more on the Dallas Mavericks, check out Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation's NBA page.