Cuban's Trump Card

The Mavericks, down 0-3, switched to closed-door practices.

In this desperate situation, one more loss would end their season.

With such a star-studded roster, being swept in the first round was an outcome they could not accept.

The players' morale inevitably sank during practice.

While they were training, team owner Cuban came to the Training Facility.

Cuban was one of the league's biggest basketball lovers among owners. With the team in its current predicament, he was more anxious than anyone as their number one fan.

He had only one purpose in coming to the gym: to raise morale.

Several assistants followed behind him, carrying several large boxes into the facility.

They looked quite heavy.

When Carlisle saw Cuban arrive, he was just about to call the players off the court.

Cuban gestured for him not to. He stood beside Carlisle, chatting while they waited.

Only after the on-court practice ended did he have Carlisle gather the players together.

"I know every one of you has already worked hard on the court, but I know you can do even better. Remember, you are fighting for Dallas."

Cuban spoke rather bluntly. That had always been his personality.

"This is a little gift for you."

As Cuban spoke, he had the staff open one of the large boxes.

Inside were brand-new laptops.

"These are Lenovo's latest laptops. They're a great company, and their products are great too."

Cuban said.

Lenovo's retail sales in the United States were far lower than in other countries, though it had an excellent reputation.

These laptops cost only a little over a thousand dollars each. Fifteen of them totaled less than twenty thousand dollars, so they truly were small gifts.

But the size of a gift did not matter. Receiving a gift from the team owner was itself