TORONTO _ The Mavericks' season has been in the dumpster for a long time, but there could still be a Dallas connection playing for the NBA title this season.
Hard to believe it's been 13 years since C.J. Miles was a second-round pick fresh out of Skyline High School.
Once, he was a free-agent target of the Mavericks, but that flirtation did not get past the first date.
Now, he's playing a large role with the Toronto Raptors, averaging 10.3 points as their instant-offense guy off the bench.
The back story for Miles illustrates what it takes sometimes for a solid but unspectacular NBA player to finally land in a place where he fits.
And it could have been Dallas, as Rick Carlisle said before Miles scored 10 points in the Raptors' 120-115 overtime win vs. the Mavs on Friday night.
"In 2012, we came to New York to talk to Deron Williams and he (Miles) was free that year, too," Carlisle said. "On that trip, I had dinner with him and we talked about it. It didn't work out at that particular time. But we know C.J. and his history. He always likes to play well against us. Unfortunately, we know that, too."
Friday night was no different. Miles was running at a point-a-minute pace in the first half and it's nothing that the Mavericks haven't seen before. Through his years at Utah, Cleveland and Indiana before arriving in Toronto, Miles had his share of good offensive nights against the Mavericks.
In Toronto, he's been exactly what coach Dwane Casey needed to stabilize a young bench that has become one of the Raptors' strengths and why they have opened up a significant lead on everybody else in the Eastern Conference.
"Everybody's got the right common goal," Miles said. "We're all playing for the right things, the right way. There's a lot of talented people in this league, but it's hard to put it together."
Miles saw that in Utah, when the Jazz had a well-built team with Williams, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, but never made it to the NBA finals.
It doesn't happen very often, but the Raptors have a legitimate shot at getting there. They have been the most consistent team and the healthiest team in the East.
Miles, however, remembers fondly his dalliance with Dallas back in 2012.
"Yeah, of course they were (on my radar)," Miles said. "Growing up in Pleasant Grove, southeast Dallas, I did the hot dogs and hoops thing at Reunion Arena. I watched the Mavericks growing up. Who wouldn't want to put their hometown on the front of their chest. It was an opportunity. It didn't come to fruition, but you never know."
Indeed, in the NBA, you never know. The Mavericks always are on the lookout for shooters and Miles has done that his whole career. He's shooting 38.8-percent from 3-point range this season.
"He's done a great job here," Carlisle said. "Guys like C.J. are important to have on your team, sort of like (Doug) McDermott for us, guys that can run around and pop up and hit threes and get on a run and hit three or four in a row.
"I remember scouting him in the draft _ it was an awful long time ago now. He came right out of high school. He's been a specialist. When you have a skill that's really special, you can play in this league for a long time."
And finding the right spot can make all the difference, as Miles is learning this season.
