Spurs' Finley ready for appearance in Dallas

DALLAS -- Michael Finley happily expected to spend the rest of his career on the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs didn't really have a choice considering the huge contract they gave him.

Then, last summer, along came the "amnesty clause," a one-time chance for teams to dump big salaries that was part of the NBA's new labor agreement.

Finley already knew a little about it when he went to Mexico for the wedding of the team's equipment manager. While there, his agent called to say Finley's days in Dallas were done.

"I was mentally prepared to see in the transactions that I was waived," Finley said.

Although it took longer than he would've liked -- from June all the way to the Aug. 15 deadline -- Finley got over the disappointment and realized how good he had it. Not only would he still get the $51 million the Mavs owed him, he'd get another paycheck from the team of his choice.

Wooed by Phoenix, Miami, Minnesota and Detroit, Finley picked Dallas' top rival, San Antonio. He gladly accepted a spot on the bench for a chance to be part of the defending champions.

This season, Finley helped the Spurs become the only Western Conference team to win more games than the Mavericks. Now, his new team and his old one are meeting in the second round of the playoffs.

Great chance to rub it in, right?

"It's easy for me to say yes," he said this week. "But there's no personal vendetta to go out and beat Dallas. I just want to be the last team standing at the end."

The series is tied 1-1 going into Game 3 Saturday night in Dallas. Finley is curious to hear the reception he gets.

"Well, I didn't do anything wrong, so I may get a few cheers," he said, smiling. "But I'm on the bad guys now, so I may get a few boos."

No longer smiling, he added: "I left because they didn't want me. Not because it was my choice."

Finley was acquired by Dallas the day after Christmas 1996. Fans were upset for the simple reason the Mavs traded Jason Kidd to get him.

Finley, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas into the second round of the playoffs in 2000, 13 years after the franchise's last postseason victory. In July 2001, with Finley coming off his second straight All-Star season, it seemed like a no-brainer when the club gave him a maximum length, maximum value contract.

But things changed quickly.