In advancing through the press boxes of life, we find ourselves cheering (quietly of course) first for the players older than we are. Later it becomes the coaches older than we are. I'm already starting to miss Kansas State's Bill Snyder.
The opposite of all this is to be around the Mavericks and the Stars in the 2018-19 season. One team is led by Luka Doncic, a 19-year-old European superstar figuratively setting the basketball world on fire with nightly 25-point games and highlight-worthy assists. And the All-Star on the other team is younger than Luka.
In fact, Miro Heiskanen, the Finnish defenseman who has tied the Stars' club rookie record for game-winning goals by a D-man held by John Klingberg, is nearly five months younger than Doncic. He was born 10 years to the day after Jamie Benn arrived in British Columbia.
In other words, I've been writing columns longer than the clubs' two All-Stars have been alive, which means _ among many other things _ they have never known a world in which I was not a columnist. Probably means more important things to them as well.
I called Doncic an All-Star and, technically, that's unofficial, but he has been running second behind LeBron James among Western Conference forwards with more than 3.3 million votes at the last tally, so it's a safe bet he will represent the Mavs in Charlotte next month. Heiskanen will be the Stars' representative this weekend in San Jose.
"It's amazing, it wasn't something that was first in my mind in coming here," Heiskanen said. "It will be a big thing for me, getting to play there."
Like Doncic, Heiskanen was the third overall pick. In his case, it was the 2017 draft. The Stars had been in need of a do-it-all, puck-moving defenseman for years and Heiskanen has taken to the role virtually overnight as a rookie. While he has had a pair of two-goal games against Ottawa and New Jersey that demonstrated a skill level beyond his years, he's mostly the opposite of Doncic.
Heiskanen makes quiet plays. He gets the puck out of harm's way. He keeps bad things from happening and occasionally ignites good ones at the other end. Stars coach Jim Montgomery has compared him to Scott Niedermayer, a four-time Stanley Cup champion whose end-to-end rush against Detroit in the first Stanley Cup Final I ever covered (1995) remains a thing of beauty.
Heiskanen can do that, but he won't do that all the time. Much of the NHL is about minimizing risk, about closing the gap on mistakes and Heiskanen, who plays on the power play, penalty kill and wherever needed to lead all NHL rookies in minutes played, is all about that.
Doncic is the opposite. Forty-foot 3-point shots just before halftime. Eleven straight points to beat the Rockets. No-look passes to DeAndre Jordan for rim-rocking slams.
Heiskanen is the greatness you don't notice. Doncic is the guy you can't miss.
Late last Thursday after a Stars-Kings game, Doncic is seated outside the LA dressing room, waiting to meet the only Slovenian in the NHL. Anze Kopitar is 12 years older than Doncic. He has two Stanley Cups for the Kings. Before they meet for a photo op, the Kings' Drew Doughty, a regular All-Star and two-time Olympic champion, strolls out of the room. "Where's this baller at?" Doughty says.
He barely notices Doncic, seated in a chair, doing what 19-year-olds are prone to do. He's scrolling through his phone.
They meet, shake hands, and Doughty says, "I'm Drew. I love watching you. Have a great season."
The difference between the two teams is that Heiskanen is the All-Star but the Stars have enough around him that he is neither the focus of attention, nor the club's only hope. Dallas has its hands full but would quality for the playoffs if the season ended today.
The Mavericks were 13th in the West entering Monday's game at Milwaukee. For them, everything revolves around Doncic, which has created friction (even if it's not personal) with last year's wunderkind, Dennis Smith Jr.
The club believes (or at least says) that dispute or misunderstanding has been resolved and Smith is returning to the team Tuesday. Regardless, Doncic just keeps accumulating points, rebounds, assists and All-Star votes.
For two teenage stars in Dallas, life is pretty, pretty good.
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