By Michael Mayo

Pardon my French, but Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz opened up a can of whoop-ass on Donald Trump at Thursday’s GOP debate in Houston.

My biggest question after watching this rollicking, entertaining and simultaneously dispiriting affair: What took them so long?

Their attacks on Trump seemed substantive and effective, but substance seems to matter little in this strange Republican race. And nothing seems to bring Trump down.

So now I wonder if this is all too little too late.

Trump already has the momentum of three wins in four contests heading into tomorrow’s Super Tuesday, and his lead in polls keeps growing.

Where was this in September, October and November, when Trump kept soaring higher above the crowded GOP field and everyone except for Jeb Bush seemed afraid to puncture The Donald’s balloon?

Back then, everyone seemed to be so busy jockeying to become the respectable alternative to Trump, nobody bothered to actually confront Trump.

Now, in the 10th debate, mere days before Super Tuesday and the biggest month of the campaign, they’re finally getting around to pointing out all of Trump’s inconsistencies, hypocrisy and vague policy proposals?

I thought Rubio was especially nimble on Thursday. He stood toe-to-toe (or is that lip-to-lip?) with Trump all night, and he was quick-witted when he turned the tables on Trump’s attacks on him for being repetitive, pointing out how Trump “just repeated himself five times in the last five seconds.”

Still, I think Trump the businessman has played this race beautifully. Remember the bromance he had with Cruz all fall, when they agreed not to say disparaging words about each other? And there’s also talk that Trump had a deal with Rubio to play nice.

Where did this strategy get them?

Trump was able to keep building momentum as the outsider.

Rubio, meanwhile, was attacked by Bush and Chris Christie. And Cruz kept getting attacked by the rest of the field, including by Ben Carson and Rubio for dirty tricks.

Now Rubio and Cruz are stuck trying to tear down Trump while both are well behind, deadlocked for second.

True, the Republican race has hardly begun when it comes to delegate count, with Trump at 82, Cruz at 17 and Rubio at 16 (1,237 delegates are needed to win the nomination).

But Trump can virtually lock things up in the next month, especially with some big winner-take-all states like Florida (99 delegates).

If his foes started attacking him in the fall, Trump might have fallen.

Now Trump looks poised to spring ahead.

———

Michael Mayo is a columnist for the Sun-Sentinel in Florida.