Dallas loses to a great Golden State team in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the first No. 1 seed to bow out to a No. 8 since the first round went to seven games.

Mega props to Golden State, a team whose actual NBA history is way deeper than most novice fans understand. Frankly, I hope the Warriors can pull a miracle and win the title.

But, for Dallas, this stings unlike anything in the city's sports history. Ever.

This after 67 wins during the regular season for the Mavs.

This after making the NBA Finals the year before.

What we Mavericks fans must acknowledge publicly is what we have all thought privately -- Dirk Nowitzki is a weak, soft, Euro basketball epithet. Pick yours. Mine starts with a 'p' and ends with a 'y'.

The NBA requires heart and nads, and he's got neither, just like -- well, you know.

Sure, I remember his performance in the San Antonio series last year. However, I also remember his disappearance in the finals, not to mention hundreds of games previous, and D-Wade's comments about him.

To wit, the Miami star said Dirk disappears during big games.

Yep. Well, come Friday morning, it's time that he be shocked back into reality. Mark Cuban should start working the phones, making the deal that gets him out of town. Send him to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett straight up.

Hell, get Kobe and find a spare, non-Euro banger to fill Dirk's role.

Truth is, we couldn't get Kobe for Dirk. We'd have to throw in Jason Terry or Diop, which would be fine with me. Jet was as big a choker in this series as he was in Arizona.

I'll take Dirk for Mikki Moore. For Corey Maggette. For anybody who isn't soft.

Mark Cuban has said he would not do anything but tweak this team, even with a loss. He pointed to the fact he didn't win any rings his first six seasons either.

However, this is different. Some perspectives are becoming self-evident -- among them that, really, Avery Johnson isn't a very good coach when it comes right down to it. Well, I should say that he's probably more inexperienced than incompetent, his inability to get his men to focus in the finals last year really killed us.

His decision to fall into Nellie's small-ball trap killed us this year.

Will there ever be a situation come playoff time that Avery will actually be the smarter, wilier of the two coaches? Probably not for a few years.

Come Friday morning, Mark Cuban should dismiss Johnson as coach. Just on principle. This performance has been unacceptable. Go get Larry Brown. Phil Jackson. Scott Skiles.

For anybody who thinks a great regular season means that much in professional sports, you're just crazy. It's all about the playoffs in the NBA, relative to the expectation set by a regular season.

For the Dallas Mavericks, to not win the NBA title after the 9th best regular season ever is not just a disappointment, it's humiliating and, frankly, unrecoverable.

Changes must happen. Starting with Dirk.