For the first time since 2008, Dallas is a basketball -- and hockey -- playoff town.
The Dallas Stars started their first postseason run in six years Wednesday night against the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks in California. (The Ducks defeated the Stars in the first game, 4-3. )
Their basketball brethren, the Dallas Mavericks, are harboring some long-shot dreams, too: They start the NBA playoffs this weekend, their first postseason appearance since 2012.
Hockey talk
Before Wednesday鈥檚 hockey game, we talked with He says this is a big deal, especially in a place where hockey isn鈥檛 a natural winter pastime.
鈥淚n the sunbelt states, a franchise needs playoff runs to build a fan base,鈥� Engel told 四虎影院. 鈥淎nd when the Stars had those playoff runs, that鈥檚 where you build a fan base, that鈥檚 where you drive interest and the Stars hadn鈥檛 been since 2008 so really hockey had become quite dormant.鈥�
Although the Stars are seeded eighth in the NHL鈥檚 Western Conference, Engel won鈥檛 rule them out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not crazy when the eighth seed wins,鈥� Engel said. 鈥淭he Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks two out of three times this season. And even though the Stars barely got in they got in with three days remaining left in the regular season, they鈥檝e been playing better and they鈥檙e younger.鈥�
The Stars and Ducks will play twice in Anaheim, and then bring their best-of-7 series to Dallas for games Monday and Wednesday. The Stars have long-shot dreams of their second Stanley Cup 鈥� their first came in 1999.
Moving on to basketball
The Mavericks will be playing the San Antonio Spurs. Game 1 against the Spurs is Sunday in San Antonio.
Engel wrote: 鈥淭he Dallas Mavericks lost to the , nonetheless, will return to the playoffs after a one-year postseason 鈥榮abbatical鈥� to play the Eviction Notice - the San Antonio Spurs. This will be the fifth time the Mavericks will play Los Spurs in the playoffs de el NBA, all since 2001.鈥�
