DALLAS - As a native Oklahoman, it is past time for me to welcome the Sooner State to the NBA. You are going to love it.
One word of warning: Don't expect a winner anytime soon.
Or ever.
You think just because the Seattle Sonics went 29 years without a title means the Oklahoma Team With No Name or Colors is due?
Guess again.
The NBA title is the toughest in pro team sports. It's not baseball, in which 17 franchises have won the World Series in the last 25 years. And they didn't even play one in 1994.
You think 29 years entitles you to something?
In Dallas, Mavericks fans have waited, mostly patiently, for 28 years. The team sniffed a title once, but let it slip from its grasp.
The Oklahoma Whatevers won 20 games last year in Seattle. You have some nice young players, starting with Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and rookie Russell Westbrook, but they are green - just not Sonic green.
The Mavericks have the league MVP from two seasons ago. They have one of the 10 greatest point guards ever, and he isn't quite finished. They are one year removed from a 67-win season.
And you know how many people in Dallas think the Mavericks are on the brink of a title now?
About five unless Mark Cuban has removed his name from the pursuit of a true winner - the Chicago Cubs.
The Sonics may have gone one more year than Dallas without a title, but that's nothing in NBA terms.
davegus 
