Dallas / Fort Worth Sports

DALLAS (AP) ― June in this part of Texas usually means wall-to-wall TV and newspaper coverage of the latest minor development in the Dallas Cowboys' offseason as fans count the days until "America's Team" begins training camp.

This year? Not so much.

With the NBA's Mavericks beginning their first league championship series Thursday night against Miami, Dallas is suddenly a basketball-crazed town. Mavericks shirts and hats are selling quickly, "Go Mavs!" signs are plastered everywhere, and tickets are going for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

"It's when you go in the grocery store or walk down the street and people are wearing Mavs jerseys, and they're clapping when you just walk in the door somewhere," said billionaire team owner Mark Cuban, who bought the team in 2000 when it was one of the worst in pro sports. "Mavs mania has caught fire here in Dallas."

To be sure, this is still football country. The Cowboys will continue to be a big draw, with their storied history, five Super Bowl wins and a high-profile owner willing to pay big bucks to bring in big names such as Terrell Owens. But the Mavs have been the better team in recent years, making six straight playoff appearances while the Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996.

"Dallas has really switched now," said Mavericks fan Jim Haigh, a retired pilot and season ticket holder. "I wouldn't say we pick basketball over football, but basketball has risen."

Randy Galloway, a sports columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram who covered the Cowboys in their glory days, said he expects the NBA finals to have Super Bowl intensity in Dallas.

"Despite their (the Cowboys') historical impact, despite achievements of the past, it's all about what have you done for me lately? The answer is nothing," Galloway said. "The Mavericks now have filled that gap. The Cowboys have always had that fringe audience, but the Mavericks have now captured it."

Mavericks forward Jerry Stackhouse can't even walk out his front door without seeing fans' enthusiasm.

"My whole neighborhood has Stackhouse signs," he said. "Dallas is unbelievable when it has a winner, and I think we're close to doing something special."

Dallas also apparently is a city unafraid to pay to support a winner.

The price of Game 1 tickets listed on online company StubHub ranged from $80 to $18,000 for a seat next to the Miami bench. One luxury suite for Sunday's Game 2 was available at more than $52,000.

Cuban said he's received e-mails from pregnant women saying "they need tickets and they'll march around with whatever logo I want on their bellies." He's given such women tickets for previous games, but now he's even turning down family members.

Sporting good stores haven't had to turn people away, but several area managers said sales for Mavs gear has been brisk.

Mavs fan Chris Green recently quit his job in sales and now sells T-shirts, including one with the now-popular "Nowitzness" slogan, a reference to star player Dirk Nowitzki.

"Winning makes things popular," said Green. "You don't even have to watch TV (to know who's in the NBA) finals, you can just tell by what T-shirt everyone's wearing."

Green said his Dallas-area printer is having a hard time keeping up with demand for the blue and green Mavs shirts.

Meanwhile, dress codes have changed at one Dallas-area office, where employers decided to forego the usual dress code and allow employees to wear Mavericks gear on game days.

"It makes getting ready in the morning more easy," said employee Greg Allbright, who ditched his slacks and button-up shirt for jeans and a Mavs T-shirt. "You see who the other real fans are."

Fans also have shown their support in less than traditional ways.

One Dallas hair salon is offering free blue mohawks.

"We are so excited about our Dallas Mavericks," said Studio One Ten owner Betty Payne. "We thought we'd support the team in the way that we can: with blue hair."

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)