With the Dallas Mavericks winning there is one loser here, and it’s the Dallas Stars

With basketball and hockey playoff games every single night now for the last several weeks we are in a historic stretch, and while they would never admit it the only “loser” amid all of this winning is the Dallas Stars.

However fun, entertaining and memorable this Stanley Cup playoff run is for the Stars, they are getting upstaged by their roommates; Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are owning the spring.

Because basketball is easier to understand than hockey. Because basketball is still a lot more popular than hockey (that’s because it’s so much cheaper to play).

Luka’s game-winning 3-pointer to beat the Timberwolves in Game 2 is one of those moments that the sport of hockey really can’t create.

Immediately after the Stars tied their Western Conference Finals series against the Edmonton Oilers at one with a 3-1 win on Saturday night, the American Airlines Center crews broke down the place to prepare it for basketball.

The Mavericks will play on Sunday night in Game 3 of their Western Conference Finals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Stars will play the Oilers on Monday night in Edmonton. The Mavericks will play Game 4 on Tuesday night.

For those of us who follow all of this, either for fun or a profession, you barely have time to do laundry. The crews that work the AAC are thrilled at the prospect of extra cash from all of this extra work, and they’re exhausted.

This is only the fifth time since 1982 that two teams that share the same building have reached their respective conference finals. It’s the first time that it’s happened in the Western Conference.

The Stars and Mavericks in their respective leagues’ “Final Four” at the same time is one of those solar eclipse like events. You better enjoy this, all of this, because before you know it the Dallas Cowboys regular season will begin, and we all know how those go.

The only “bad break” to all of this fun is the Stars only get so many chances to own the stage in a community like ours. In non-traditional hockey markets, like Texas, hockey’s window to be No. 1 is narrow. It depends entirely on the length of a playoff run.

Hockey remains on stable footing all over North Texas, but it’s still behind the likes of football, basketball, and baseball; pro soccer is beginning to make some marks in its long, slow climb into this conversation.

For the Stars, and hockey, to make new fans the local team has to go on a spring run. That’s when you attract the people who normally don’t follow the sport.

On Saturday night, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was on hand to watch the game, along with former Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels and golf star Bryson DeChambeau.

In Game 1, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was behind the glass with his trainer. You need to hear the audio of Trevon watching his first hockey game.

These runs are what sells tickets for next season. These are the runs that make new fans.

These are the runs that normally happen free and clear of any other local team doing anything this interesting at this time of year.

The Stars went on this type of run, at the worst possible time, back in 2020. Thanks, COVID. The Stars’ run to the Stanley Cup Final that season was locked inside an Edmonton bubble.

The Stars went on a run to the Western Conference Finals last season, which ended in a Game 6 loss to Las Vegas. They owned the spring, because the Mavericks missed the playoffs.

One year later, and both franchises are rolling towards playing games in June.

It’s not that hard to see the Mavericks celebrating with the Larry O’ Brien trophy, nor is it that difficult to envision the Stars drinking out of the Stanley Cup. It’s not that hard to think a co-championship parade could happen.

“Our team is so deep; anyone can play anywhere. Anyone can play against anyone,” Stars forward Mason Marchment said after the win. “We play our game, we’re a hard team to play against. When we compete it’s hard to play against us.”

Unlike the Mavericks, who are comfortably ahead in their series, the Stars had no such margins entering Saturday. And the way they played in the first period, they should be down 0-2 in the series.

Goalie Jake Oettinger bailed them out, time and again, in the first period.

“If he doesn’t play the way he played in the first we’re in a big hole,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said, “and we might not get out of it.”

The Stars scored two third period goals, the final an empty netter.

The Stars are now headed to the Great White North, and should win this series.

We will all be watching.

The laundry will wait.