Spring Break
The Pro Side: Bad teams that have good teams' numbers
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Sports
Sometimes bad teams dominate good teams and there just isn't any explanation for it. Here are two recent examples:
NBA
Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks
Remember when the Mavericks won a league-best 67 regular-season games? Three of those losses came against the run-and-gun Warriors, and some analysts - Skip Bayless included - thought the Mavs were going to have to fight for their lives in the first round vs. eighth-seeded Golden State. Bayless predicted Dallas would prevail in seven games. He was way off. The Mavs fell in six games and were blown out 111-86 in Game 6. Are the Warriors a better team than the Mavs? Absolutely not, but for whatever reason, whether it is their style of play or the "Don Nelson advantage," Golden State is Dallas' kryptonite.
NCAA Football
Arkansas vs. LSU
The Bayou Bengals have been a national power for a few years now, but whenever they square off against the Razorbacks, LSU always has to bring it's A-game. Arkansas has beaten LSU two years in a row, including a 50-48 overtime win two years ago when LSU was ranked No. 1 in the country. Though the Razorbacks didn't beat LSU in 2005 when the Tigers won the national championship, they came pretty close, falling 19-17 in Baton Rouge, La.
NBA
Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks
Remember when the Mavericks won a league-best 67 regular-season games? Three of those losses came against the run-and-gun Warriors, and some analysts - Skip Bayless included - thought the Mavs were going to have to fight for their lives in the first round vs. eighth-seeded Golden State. Bayless predicted Dallas would prevail in seven games. He was way off. The Mavs fell in six games and were blown out 111-86 in Game 6. Are the Warriors a better team than the Mavs? Absolutely not, but for whatever reason, whether it is their style of play or the "Don Nelson advantage," Golden State is Dallas' kryptonite.
NCAA Football
Arkansas vs. LSU
The Bayou Bengals have been a national power for a few years now, but whenever they square off against the Razorbacks, LSU always has to bring it's A-game. Arkansas has beaten LSU two years in a row, including a 50-48 overtime win two years ago when LSU was ranked No. 1 in the country. Though the Razorbacks didn't beat LSU in 2005 when the Tigers won the national championship, they came pretty close, falling 19-17 in Baton Rouge, La.
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