According to star forward Dirk Nowitzki, a silent and backed-off Cuban is a good thing for the Mavericks.

"Yeah, it should be about the players and not the owner," Nowitzki said. "We played a great series. We fought hard and battled. That was fun. I haven't seen Mark since then, and that's probably a good thing."

Cuban's passion and hands-on nature -- along with his money -- are some of the ingredients that contributed to the Mavericks' success since he took over as owner.

But his battles with opposing coaches, the referees and the NBA have also taken some of the attention away from the team and have also been considered by some a detriment.

Nowitzki was a vocal critic of Cuban's behavior after the 2006 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat.