By Chris Reagan

Staff Writer

It’s no secret the Mavs have been struggling this year. Between the shortened season, the Lamar Odom fiasco and offensive struggles the former champions have been reduced to seventh in the Western Conference and facing elimination in the first round of playoffs.

Many things can be blamed for these hardships but one that seems to be the root of all evil is the abbreviated season due the NBA lockout.

The distractions caused by major team movements and pressure to succeed has followed the Mavs for the entire season. This affect has led to disappointing play and an aggravating return to the postseason for the fans watching.

The team has not had time to adapt to the changes made to the roster and the older players are having a tough time handling the strenuous season squeezed into five months.

After two close loses in the first two games Dallas is one game away from a shutout first round exit in the playoffs to the Oklahoma City Thunder. For those fans that have been following the Mavs since childhood the excitement of last years championship is lost.

Dallas is back to their old self dropping games in the last second or sometimes just seeming not to show up for long, leading to widespread heartbreak for the die-hards watching.

For a team that seemed destined for greatness at the beginning of the season it’s a tough pill to swallow a difficult realization that the Dallas area will have to wait for next season.