By now it should be fairly obvious to all that we've got a serious rift a'brewing here at our favorite little corner of the internet.  This year's NBA Finals has served to pit brother against brother, friend against friend, and that one guy against that other guy, in what is likely to be known as PtR's own Civil War 2011.  Sharks and Jets.  Hatfields and McCoys.  A division we've never known before.

Allegiances have been declared, and questioned.  Accusations regarding one's humanity, and Spurs-fan-ity, are flying.  And why?  Because some people can't bring themselves to root for the Dallas Mavericks.

Perhaps that's too biased, as some people, including yours truly, can't bring themselves to root for the Miami Heat.  There's also a third group, who are largely rooting for some kind of natural disaster, sucking both hated teams into a black void filled with fire, despair, and an absence of trophies.

Every side has made valid points.  This FanPost isn't to function as an editorial, but as an open forum for questions and explanations.  Hopefully our own Appomatox Accord can be signed, with Josh, SinCitySpur, and alamobro on one side, and myself, Tim C., and LatinD on the other.  I'm not optimistic, but it can happen.  We must move forward; let the Great Healing begin.

For myself, to get the ball rolling, here's why I'm rooting for the Mavericks.

1. Dirk.  It starts and ends with Dirk.  He's a phenomenal player, a former MVP, and a class act.  He deserves to win, especially at Lebron's expense.

2. The Mavericks are not the Heat.  Simple on the surface, but look deeper.  The Heat, in my opinion, represent everything wrong with the league: how Lebron, Wade, and Bosh blatantly colluded over the summer; how they created a media circus; how they act like self-entitled prima donnas who were shocked, SHOCKED, that it didn't immediately come together for them.  The death knell for the small markets.  The betrayal, the absurdity.  Another loss for Lebron James would be a beautiful thing to Witness.™

3. The Mavs are still a Texas team.  I spent five years in Dallas; I have a lot of friends who are Mavs fans, who have known nothing but crushing disappointment.  I believe it's their time.  Besides, I've heard a lot from them expressing gratitude for my support, which I can expect to be reciprocated in the future, should it ever be appropriate.  I'm achieving REAL PEACE.  Jason Terry is still a nutpunching ingrate, and Cuban is still a windbag, but these are things I can overlook for The Greater Good.

I could go into greater detail, but I'll save that for the comments.  So tell me, who are you pulling for, and why?  And more importantly, can PtR ever recover?