I thought your Dallas Mavericks were playoff sleepers this year.

I thought you'd have beaten the Clippers last year if poor Zynga's didn't get some bad calls and then get hurt.

Um, and I look at, but I look at poor Zynga's now and he's coming off a big at least offensive game.

And he every year, it seems, has to spend the entire season getting back to where he was.

So he never gets to become what he should be.

And there are rumors that he could be available in the right deal and all of that.

Where are you on Kristaps Porzingis?

Patient?

Because you saw what Katie can be last night.

We're seeing more of that.

It takes time.

I mean, look at Katie, a different injury.

But you've got to be patient, particularly this year.

I mean, it's just such a crazy year.

We got hit by a covid outbreak really bad, and that impacted our season, and everybody was panicking and saying, You got to do a B or C.

We don't We have a good team.

K P is showing what K P is.

I mean, he's a great top 20 player.

Um And so we're just gonna be patient.

Um, we have a good team.

There's no reason to panic or do anything.

Well, I definitely think you're right.

And you have proven yourself to be right.

You've won four straight.

You won 11 of your last 14 games.

Y'all are looking pretty good right now.

But let me rewind the clock just a little bit, too.

Luca don take a little bit earlier this season because he sort of called out the team in terms of saying that we got to do better.

We gotta do better than what have you?

Um, And when he said that, you know, that's when people got up and all started really, really worrying about the Dallas Mavericks.

When you heard him say that at that particular moment in time, Mark, what did you take from it?

And how concerned were you that you're young superstar was not happy?

Well, you talked to him.

Nobody likes going through a losing streak, right when when you're in the middle of a losing streak, it's always painful, and it's always hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And we just had the coach and I had conversations with all the players, you know, and I just told him Look, we're not panicking.

We had five of our top eight rotation players out either sick or contact tracing all at the same time.

We've lost more games to covid, uh, illness than any other team in the NBA.

And we had the hardest schedule in the NBA.

So all now, all of a sudden, all those things are turning back in our favor.

Were healthier, um, healthy.

Um, the schedule is tough for everybody in the second half, but it's a little bit later for us compared to the first half.

And so, you know, now look at our record.

We were five games under, um, 500 now we're three over and a chance to go four over tonight.

So you know this every NBA season is a little bit crazy, but this one was a lot crazy, and I just preach patience.

You guys get healthy and for Zynga stays healthy.

You're going to be a problem.

The playoffs.

I still believe Mark, I look at you and and, by the way, also Fertitta in Houston and I look at Texas a no state income tax state, a warm weather state, major metropolitan areas.

You might even say ka beautiful certain areas, Right?

Uh, player friendly owners.

Not.

I'll include for Tito with you who are media savvy and accessible to the media.

And yet, for whatever reason, it's not like players avoid Houston or Dallas.

But it doesn't seem to pop up among the markets that players are clamoring to go to, and I've never understood why.

Is it because the Cowboys are so big in Dallas?

What's your theory?

Why is it like that?

We know when we were at the top of the standings, perennially winning 50 games every year, we never had cap room, right?

You know, there's you gotta have cap rooms before teams can talk about coming to you.

And so and then when we did have cap room, we weren't a very good team.

So now that's all changing.

We have the opportunity.

If we choose to go that way, this somewhere to have cap room, Um, we've got a great team.

We've got a great foundation, so we'll see what happens.

I mean, you know, one side says you just keep everybody, you have in corporate knowledge makes us a better team every year.

Luca and K P continue to get better because they're so young.

But, you know, we'll decide what happens to come in the summer.

But you know, people talk about we never got the free agent this or that we never had Cap room.

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