If I remember correctly, the inferno section of Dante's Divine Comedy contains the idea of contrapasso for sin punishment. Essentially, the process by which souls serve penance for the nature of their sins lived during their lifetime.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will probably have to deal with something in the after-life whether it good or bad. However, right now it appears that his NBA contrapasso is not allowing the Mavericks to win a NBA championship.
The Mavericks were eliminated by their hated-rivals the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday Night as Mark Cuban looked on in pure hopelessness. Cuban is one of the few polarizing figures in the NBA when it comes to owners whether you love him or hate him and the continuously breath of the Mavericks failure in the post-season continues to haunt him like the Ghost of Christmas Past.
There was once a time that the Dallas Mavericks were a perennial laughing-stock of the NBA and the words, "Dallas Mavericks, NBA Champions" would only probably appear on a sketch for Saturday Night Live. However, since Cuban has taken over ownership of the team, they have become perennial playoff contenders and have had ten consecutive 50 win seasons.
However, what most NBA fans remember the Mavericks for in recent memory is their futility in the playoffs. It appeared that they finally reached their pinnacle in the 2005 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat and were mere minutes away in game three from securing their first ever NBA championship. Then the NBA powers that be decided to play a trick on Mark Cuban and give Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade, "Michael Jordan powers" and steal the series away.
After that game, the Mavericks have never been the same. The 8th seeded Golden State Warriors upset them in the first round in the following season and Dallas has made it out the first round once in the past three seasons.
For Mark Cuban, this must be absolute torture for someone who has been so successful in the business world. I think Cuban should consider bringing on a shaman/pastor to rid the Mavericks of these metaphorical demons. (If it worked for the Tampa Bay Rays, it might work for the Mavericks.)
Whatever is ailing this team, Mark Cuban's going to have to figure it out relatively quickly since his stars are beginning to show age and the young complementary pieces can only keep you afloat for so long.
If not, Mark Cuban's NBA version of contrapasso will continue to repeat itself, again and again.
