Mavericks’ Mark Cuban: You’ve got to respect the Spurs

May 2, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during the game against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during the game against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had to watch his in-state rivals, the San Antonio Spurs, win the NBA championship again. The fifth in under two decades.

More from Dallas Mavericks

While Cuban would rather see the Mavericks win the championship, push come to shove he’d rather see the Larry O’Brien trophy stay in Texas.

“As much as I dislike the Spurs, I’d rather see a Texas team win,” Cuban told KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan, via the Dallas Morning News. “I’d rather see a team from our division win. I have a ton of respect for Manu Giniboli, for Parker and for Duncan. It’s been 14 years and those guys have been here for most of that time. Even though you want to kick their ass, you’ve still got to respect them. I certainly wanted to see them win before I saw the Heat win.”

It is odd to hear him root for the Spurs, an rival none the less. After all the offseason antics between the Mavericks and Houston Rockets front office you might think that is the primary rivalry. Cuban says it is still the Spurs however.

“It’s still the Spurs. Probably the Houston Rockets more now with what happened to Chandler Parsons. Oklahoma City is still going to be strong. But, yeah, it’s still got to be the Spurs.”