Tonight the Dallas Mavericks have the opportunity to be crowned NBA Champions. For those of you my age or older, take a second to wrap your brain around that.

However, in this matchup Dallas is the noble option. In squaring off against the Miami Heat, they present the exact opposite of the NBA spectrum regarding assembling a roster. Where Miami went out and signed three bonafide NBA stars last offseason, the Mavericks have assembled a team of complementary players around their one superstar, Dirk Nowitzki.

A Mavericks win means far more to NBA fans than one might think. A Heat championship gives credence to the philosophy that without spending lavish amounts of money on big name free agents, your hopes of a title are null and void. However, if the Mavericks pull this off they immediately restore hope in every small market NBA fan.

Last summer when the LeBron James went out of his way to announce to the world that he didn't believe Cleveland was in his best interest, followed up with the signing of Chris Bosh it was easy to get caught up in the hoopla. With all-world guard Dwayne Wade already on the roster, it seemed that a team with this much talent just had to win a title.

Having one or two players who are infinitely more talented than most of the rest of the league can make more of an impact in basketball than any other sport due to the fact that basketball has the least number of players on the court or field. Now the Heat have three players who finished in the top 10 or better in scoring at their respective positions. The fact that Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers are virtually overlooked is a testament to the overall talent level of the "Holy Triumverate". The fact that the Heat are on the verge of not being champions should mean as much as the Mavericks winning.

Which brings me back to the Mavericks. Their roster consists of one superstar- Nowitzki- who isn't even really a complete player, reclamation projects Tyson Chandler and Jason Terry, over-the-hill PG Jason Kidd, previously underwhelming DeSean Stevenson, and mighty mite JJ Barea. No disrespect to Terry who has proven himself a legit scorer, but no one on that supporting cast fits the bill of bona fide weapon #2. Even Terry, who is as much a part of this team's wins as he is their losses, would probably not be the first or even second name out of any GM's mouth when trying to round out a roster.

That's the charm of this Mavericks team: you look at that roster and you think "no way". Then you watch them play and see Barea getting taken out in the Lakers series, Terry hitting clutch shots, Nowitzki making off-balance 17-footers, Chandler grinding out a double-double or two and you can't help but respect them.

Anyone who has ever competed at any level knows what it's like to face a team that everyone assumes is going to be champion. Most times their right, but those few times they're wrong leave a permanent impression on your sports soul that if a team can play the game the right way and execute appropriately, anything is possible.

The Heat are the style, the Mavericks are the substance. How could anyone outside the Sunshine State root against that?