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Mavericks guard DeShawn Stevenson sure put his name into the headlines during the NBA Finals. Stevenson averaged 7.0 points in the six game series against the Miami Heat and often made his mark by being vocal against his opponent. Stevenson has his signature hand gesture after he sinks a three ball and claims it has nothing to do with disrespecting his opponent. Number ninety-two sure embraced his role as an enforcer as well after Eddie House drilled a three in game six during the second quarter a scuffle ensued when Udonis Haslem seemingly got up in Stevenson’s face. Stevenson would have none of it and made sure the Miami Heat knew the Mavericks weren’t this soft team that everyone perceived them to be.
The Dallas Mavericks after-party following their series clinching victory on Sunday has made quite a few headlines in the last few days. Stevenson was arrested for public intoxication on Tuesday night in Irving, Texas, but claims in the following interview he was not the wild man he may have been perceived to have been during the after-party on Sunday night in South Beach. Regardless of what he did Sunday night, Stevenson had himself some fun later on Tuesday after this interview. He was arrested for public intoxication Tuesday night while incoherently wandering around a hotel. Whoops.
DeShawn Stevenson joined 105.3 the Fan in Dallas with Rage to discuss his NBA Finals hangover, being bothered by the video of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade mocking Dirk Nowitzki’s cough, Mark Cuban not wanting rings for the Mavericks NBA title team, the first person he called after the Mavericks won the NBA championship, the after-party that occurred in South Beach after the Mavs won the NBA Championship, why didn’t he partake in the after-party, what did he do instead of attending the after-party, the LeBron shirts that came about after the Mavs won the championship, the tension between LeBron and himself and the skirmish that occurred between Udonis Haslem and himself in game six of the NBA Finals.
Have you gotten over your NBA Finals hangover yet?
“Not really.”
You guys were bothered by the video of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade mocking Dirk’s [Nowitzki] cough weren’t you?
“I mean I was. I was pissed off about it, but at the same time it shows a lot about their character and how they do things and I think that’s why a lot of people dislike them or don’t like the way they handle things. You know, Dirk is a soldier. He plays through a torn finger, he had a sinus infection with a 101 temperature, and I don’t know if people know, a sinus infection is like the worst thing you could ever have.”
What do you think about Mark Cuban not wanting rings for the Mavericks after winning the NBA titles. Isn’t that what the players want?
“No you play for the trophy. You play for if anybody say anything negative about you at the end of the day you have a ring and your a champion.”
Who was the first person you called after the game was over on Sunday as an NBA champion?
“My mother. You gotta call your mother. [Host: What did she say?] My mother was just saying that she was proud of me. This is something that all moms dream for and have fun and be safe.”
We don’t need the juicy, juicy, details, but take us through the after party in South Beach late Sunday night into early Monday morning after winning the NBA Finals? How crazy was it?
“Actually, I didn’t go out. I go out a lot, but I didn’t go out that night, but I heard Mark Cuban bought out the club. That Club Liv. I hear Lil’ Wayne was there. I heard Dirk came through with the trophy on his arm. They had the lights on. I heard it was ridiculous.
Why didn’t you go to the party?
“I didn’t go to the party because my wife wasn’t there, she’s pregnant and I don’t think she can fly right now, so I’m not gonna go out and celebrate while she’s home. I already felt bad. [Host: Did you feel like you missed something?] I mean, I missed being there as a family, I know it was a good time, but at the same time I’m happy we got that championship. I would love to be there you know what I’m saying? If my wife did come, she’s pregnant, we can’t be in the club like that. Somebody could push her, she could slip. It’s not a good look.”
So what did you do? Were you by yourself?
“No I wasn’t by myself. My best friend came out. My financial advisor was there and we just had a good time man just sitting there playing cards. We play cards for money.”
Tell us about how the LeBron shirts came about? The one’s that say ‘Hey LeBron! How my Dirk taste?’
“I was in my room after the game playing cards, listening to music, and somebody knocked on my door. I didn’t know who he was. He had the shirt on, and I had the championship shirt on that we actually won, so I told him I’d give him mine if he gave me yours. And we swapped it out and come to realize it’s my trainer’s best friend. We were at the same hotel. We swapped out and I wore it and it’s everywhere now.”
So much is made about the tension between you and LeBron? Is there really tension dating back to when you played with the Washington Wizards?
“I mean, it was a lot of tension in that Wizards series and Cleveland, just because they knocked us out the first round three times. One time we had the best record and we wound up still playing and they beat us. I think with the whole Jay Z [thing], he made a song about me, we had stuff there, but it was a new team. I don’t know, for some reason, everybody loves that story because everything I said in the [Heat] series got blown out of proportion. Jim Rome said something I supposedly said that I didn’t say, then a fake Facebook page is out there and I don’t do Facebook or Twitter. I think people love that hype and they want to keep it going.”
What was Udonis Haslem doing trying to cut you off from going to the bench in game six. Take us through that skirmish?
“Everybody from Dallas knows I’ve been doing the whole three point thing the whole year. It’s not to disrespect the team or to showboat. It’s something I do. When Eddie House hit the three I’m walking towards my bench and Haslem is going way opposite then my bench. He got in my face and you know I played with Jerry Sloan. Jerry Sloan don’t take nothing, so I shoved him and out of nowhere Mario Chalmers shoves me. I push him back, but we don’t have that team. We got guys out here that have heart and determination and I think that’s my role. My role is to bring the defensive toughness and when we need hard fouls it’s gotta be me and [Brian] Cardinal. We’re the type of guys. The type of guys and even Caron [Butler]. Caron [Butler] is hurt. The tough guys gotta take care of this team.”
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