Spurs-Mavs notebook: Mavs owner Cuban belittles River Walk on Terry's radio show

Web Posted: 05/20/2006 01:18 AM CDT


Johnny Ludden

DALLAS - The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce probably won't be consulting Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for tourism jingles anytime soon.

On Jason Terry's radio show on ESPN 103.3 FM Thursday, Cuban declared, "There's not going to be one fan in (American Airlines Center) that doesn't believe that we can kick (the Spurs') butt all the way back to that ugly-ass, muddy-watered thing they call a River Walk."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich offered his own retort Friday.

"You want me to react and say something mean about Mr. Cuban's highly intelligent, incisive comments?" Popovich said.

"After one margarita, I don't know what's in the river. Maybe he should come down and have one and he could look at life a little more maturely."

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, who played parts of 10 seasons in San Antonio, has enjoyed his time on the River Walk.

"I've celebrated on the River Walk in front of 300,000 people for the Spurs' first championship," Johnson said. "I'm very fond of it. I like the River Walk. That's where my owner and I disagree."

The River Walk wasn't the only target of Cuban's sarcasm during his radio interview.

"I love Michael Finley," Cuban said, "but maybe the crybaby from Tim Duncan wore off on him."

Asked if he wanted to recommend a restaurant for Cuban on the River Walk, Duncan declined.

"I have nothing to say to Mark Cuban," Duncan said. "Not a thing."

Cuban fires back in video wars: After receiving a tip from a Mavericks fan on Friday, Cuban e-mailed the NBA about footage he said showed Bruce Bowen stepping on Jason Terry late in the fourth quarter of Game 5.

Cuban said the incident - which occurred after Manu Ginobili missed a jump shot and Dirk Nowitzki grabbed a rebound with 1:16 left - explained why Terry might have been agitated enough to throw a punch at Finley later in the quarter.

"You see Bruce do a little shuffle-step and step on Jason's back," Cuban said.

Cuban said after league officials reviewed the footage, they informed him that Bowen would not be punished.

"They said it was an 'inactionable offense,'" Cuban said. "I'm not going to argue with it."

Cuban, who said he "would be protecting Michael Finley to no end" if he owned the Spurs, said he still had a problem with the way the league handled Terry's situation. He said the letter of the law shouldn't be the only thing the league considers.

"If you're talking absolutes, he made a fist, so he should be suspended," he said. "But the league has discretion in anything it does."

As for his relationship with Finley, who used to play for the Mavericks?

"I have a lot of respect for Mike," he said. "I just have more respect for his acting ability."

Not an eyewitness: Among the reasons Cuban contended Terry didn't throw a true punch was that Ginobili didn't show any reaction. And the reason Ginobili didn't react?

"I never saw it," Ginobili said. "I was looking at the ball."

Out of Africa: Johnson managed to find a slice of humor in Terry's suspension. Asked before the game how it would affect his strategy, Johnson said he would turn to D.J. Mbenga, the 7-foot second-year player from the Republic of Congo.

"D.J. Mbenga is going to have to fill in," he said. "(DeSagana) Diop is going to move to power forward. Josh Howard and Dirk will be at two guards."

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