On the Mavs, the Heat and the Death Race

A couple of Monday morning notes:

-- I really didn't see that coming, did you? The Dallas Mavericks won the final three games of a scintillating NBA championship series, beating Miami in Miami Sunday night to clinch their first-ever NBA title with a 4-2 series win.

It was a victory that had to be popular in most of America, as the Mavs played better team basketball and even beat Miami in Game 6 despite three off quarters by superstar Dirk Nowitzki (he was awfully good in the fourth, though).

-- Meanwhile, the Heat played another fourth quarter in a tentative way. Couldn't believe D-Wade dribbled that ball off his foot, and LeBron shot an open 10-foot bank shot that hit the backboard and nothing else, and Chris Bosh looked thoroughly intimidated when he got the ball inside against Tyson Chandler. The better team won this series, and the Heat will have a long summer to ponder this one. LeBron's inability to take over the fourth quarter in this series the way he did against Chicago was ultimately the difference -- Dirk outplayed him over and over again.

-- I have gotten a lot of response and one major question about my story on former Marine Paul Habenicht and the creative, cruel "Death Race" he will participate in later this month.

A number of readers have asked that I update you on how Paul does in the race, which starts June 24th in rural Vermont (but has no definite ending -- that's part of the "appeal"). We'll make sure to do that, but we won't know anything for sure for a couple of weeks most likely, as the earliest finishers are supposed to be done sometime Sunday, June 26th.

Meanwhile, for those who have been thinking about entering next year, the website is ominous but fun to look at as well: www.YouMayDie.com