The NBA Finals 2010/11: Dallas vs Miami
Posted by Unknown on Friday, May 27, 2011 with 7 comments
Perhaps two of the most dramatic conference finals endings ever happened over the course of two nights during this past week. First it was the Dallas Mavericks who in the waining minutes of games 4 and 5 made the OKC Thunder look like school boys and then there were the star players for the Miami Heat Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, the team that was dubbed as the team who couldn't close when it mattered, who powered the Heat to a thunderous and definitive win over the Chicago Bulls in game five. The team who couldn't close ended the game on an 18-3 run in the final 3 minutes that sucked the air out of the United Center and ended the championship dreams of the team who'd earned the best record in the league, had the Coach of the year, and who's star was the NBA MVP in Derrick Rose. The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat now prepare to do battle in the NBA Fnals and I would have it no other way but be warned of the perception that the media will force upon you.
The elephant in the room is the fact that many, many, fans and basketball professionals will do whatever they can to say negative words about the Miami Heat while praising any Heat opponent as the greatest team ever. It's happened all year and now it's slowly happening again as the media are making Dirk Nowitzki out to be the messiah and by comparing him to Larry Bird in what I can only describe as an attempt at the sympathy fan vote. Dirk is a hell of a talent, a great player and yes throughout his career at times he has been virtually unstoppable but with that being said, the Mavericks have always found ways to lose; Larry Bird on the other hand has 3 NBA championships to his name. Let me be very clear here, I'm not saying that Dirk isn't a great player because he is and if the Heat had a spot for him, I would gladly take him so my words aren't coming from a place a of hate as with so many folks who speak about the Heat. Even as I type this, I just saw an ABC commercial advertising the NBA Finals and the tag line was the Big Three of Miami versus a team of veterans led by Dirk of the Mavericks. Just be advised that the Miami Heat are just as loaded with hungry veterans as Dallas. These teams are extremely similar in their make up but the Heat is much more deeper than the Big Three, deeper than most basketball "experts" give them credit for being. At times you must use logic and not your heart, does one honestly think that winning a championship means more to Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Peja, or Dirk than it does Juwan Howard, Erick Dampier, Mike Bibby or Lebron James? Winning a championship matters equally the same to all of those guys who have battled each other in the league for years. As my regular readers know very well, yes I am a Miami Heat fan, a long time Miami Heat fan, since the days of Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, PJ Brown, and yes even Jamal Mashburn.....that was painful to type. The Miami Heat are entrenched in my soul, my heart and now I will give my honest assessment of the 2010/11 NBA Finals.
The trophy above, the Larry O'Brien trophy is was it's all about! Yes these teams met in 2006 for the title with the Heat winning in a stunning comeback after being down 0-2 but that doesn't matter now, both of these teams are completely different yet they're both as hungry as ever. Two stars, Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James are looking to cement their legacy in the annals of time, Dwyane Wade is looking to add to his already Hall of Fame career, Chris Bosh, wanting to shed the label of soft once and for all, and then you have the veterans on both sides, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Peja, Shawn Marion doing battle with Erick Dampier, Juwan Howard, Mike Bibby, and Big Z to name a few who's only mission is to be able to look in a mirror and call themselves a champion at the biggest stage. Again that trophy is what it's all about, the winner, four wins away from hoisting that trophy and exorcising past playoff demons once and for all.
Usually lost in the journey is the fact that it's just basketball, simplistic and beautiful, either you make shots or you don't and this series will have very interesting match ups. For all of the true Mavericks fans in Texas and scattered aross the US, I love you and appreciate your passion and yes I know your pain. Lets sit back and enjoy a great series. To all of the fans who are picking the Mavericks to defeat the Heat just because you're Haters or because you don't like Lebron James for whatever reason my break down below will be for you. If you truly know the game then you will understand the truths below.
Argument 1. Miami will not be able to defend Dirk.
That could be possible, but he can be slowed down and the key to this will be Chris Bosh. Bosh has been playing great thus far in the playoffs and if he can make Dirk work on defense, his offense may be affected due to slight fatigue. The Mavericks will counter the Bosh/Dirk match up by playing a lot of zone and also by at times using Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood to guard Bosh while Dirk becomes the floater due to lack of trust in him defensively. If the later happens the Mavericks will have no protection at the rim leaving Wade and Lebron free to attack.....Advantage Heat.
Argument 2. The Mavs bench is better than the Heat's.
That's a great argument that can be made, the Dallas bench is probably better than the Heat's bench but if you look at it from strictly a scoring standpoint the Big Three's production for Miami makes it possible for the Heat to have less scoring from its bench than Dallas. In other words Dallas needs its bench more for scoring while Miami uses it's bench more for defense, rebounding and at times scoring. With that being said if defense really wins championships then the advantage goes to the........Heat.
Argument 3. The Mavs have Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd is a Hall of Fame player and even at his advanced age I would love to have him as a member of the Heat. At this stage in his career is basically a jump shooter who plays good defense. The Heat has Mike Bibby who at this stage in his career is basically a jump shooter who has played good defense thus far in the playoffs. Historically Bibby has converted a higher percentage of his 3 point shots than Jason Kidd has, Kidd has made more but he's played longer, Bibby has the higher percentage.......Advantage Heat.
I'm not saying that the Heat are invincible and that there's no way the Mavericks can win, all I am saying is that for the people who are choosing the Mavericks just for the hell of it, please pay attention to the match ups that are in front of you. These teams are extremely similar when it comes to personal and desire and the smallest details could make the difference on whether you win on lose. The Heat have lost only 6 games in the last 2 and a half months and they won't lose four now. When one enters a gun fight would you rather have 1 big gun or 3?
The elephant in the room is the fact that many, many, fans and basketball professionals will do whatever they can to say negative words about the Miami Heat while praising any Heat opponent as the greatest team ever. It's happened all year and now it's slowly happening again as the media are making Dirk Nowitzki out to be the messiah and by comparing him to Larry Bird in what I can only describe as an attempt at the sympathy fan vote. Dirk is a hell of a talent, a great player and yes throughout his career at times he has been virtually unstoppable but with that being said, the Mavericks have always found ways to lose; Larry Bird on the other hand has 3 NBA championships to his name. Let me be very clear here, I'm not saying that Dirk isn't a great player because he is and if the Heat had a spot for him, I would gladly take him so my words aren't coming from a place a of hate as with so many folks who speak about the Heat. Even as I type this, I just saw an ABC commercial advertising the NBA Finals and the tag line was the Big Three of Miami versus a team of veterans led by Dirk of the Mavericks. Just be advised that the Miami Heat are just as loaded with hungry veterans as Dallas. These teams are extremely similar in their make up but the Heat is much more deeper than the Big Three, deeper than most basketball "experts" give them credit for being. At times you must use logic and not your heart, does one honestly think that winning a championship means more to Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Peja, or Dirk than it does Juwan Howard, Erick Dampier, Mike Bibby or Lebron James? Winning a championship matters equally the same to all of those guys who have battled each other in the league for years. As my regular readers know very well, yes I am a Miami Heat fan, a long time Miami Heat fan, since the days of Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, PJ Brown, and yes even Jamal Mashburn.....that was painful to type. The Miami Heat are entrenched in my soul, my heart and now I will give my honest assessment of the 2010/11 NBA Finals.
The trophy above, the Larry O'Brien trophy is was it's all about! Yes these teams met in 2006 for the title with the Heat winning in a stunning comeback after being down 0-2 but that doesn't matter now, both of these teams are completely different yet they're both as hungry as ever. Two stars, Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James are looking to cement their legacy in the annals of time, Dwyane Wade is looking to add to his already Hall of Fame career, Chris Bosh, wanting to shed the label of soft once and for all, and then you have the veterans on both sides, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Peja, Shawn Marion doing battle with Erick Dampier, Juwan Howard, Mike Bibby, and Big Z to name a few who's only mission is to be able to look in a mirror and call themselves a champion at the biggest stage. Again that trophy is what it's all about, the winner, four wins away from hoisting that trophy and exorcising past playoff demons once and for all.
Usually lost in the journey is the fact that it's just basketball, simplistic and beautiful, either you make shots or you don't and this series will have very interesting match ups. For all of the true Mavericks fans in Texas and scattered aross the US, I love you and appreciate your passion and yes I know your pain. Lets sit back and enjoy a great series. To all of the fans who are picking the Mavericks to defeat the Heat just because you're Haters or because you don't like Lebron James for whatever reason my break down below will be for you. If you truly know the game then you will understand the truths below.
Argument 1. Miami will not be able to defend Dirk.
That could be possible, but he can be slowed down and the key to this will be Chris Bosh. Bosh has been playing great thus far in the playoffs and if he can make Dirk work on defense, his offense may be affected due to slight fatigue. The Mavericks will counter the Bosh/Dirk match up by playing a lot of zone and also by at times using Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood to guard Bosh while Dirk becomes the floater due to lack of trust in him defensively. If the later happens the Mavericks will have no protection at the rim leaving Wade and Lebron free to attack.....Advantage Heat.
Argument 2. The Mavs bench is better than the Heat's.
That's a great argument that can be made, the Dallas bench is probably better than the Heat's bench but if you look at it from strictly a scoring standpoint the Big Three's production for Miami makes it possible for the Heat to have less scoring from its bench than Dallas. In other words Dallas needs its bench more for scoring while Miami uses it's bench more for defense, rebounding and at times scoring. With that being said if defense really wins championships then the advantage goes to the........Heat.
Argument 3. The Mavs have Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd is a Hall of Fame player and even at his advanced age I would love to have him as a member of the Heat. At this stage in his career is basically a jump shooter who plays good defense. The Heat has Mike Bibby who at this stage in his career is basically a jump shooter who has played good defense thus far in the playoffs. Historically Bibby has converted a higher percentage of his 3 point shots than Jason Kidd has, Kidd has made more but he's played longer, Bibby has the higher percentage.......Advantage Heat.
I'm not saying that the Heat are invincible and that there's no way the Mavericks can win, all I am saying is that for the people who are choosing the Mavericks just for the hell of it, please pay attention to the match ups that are in front of you. These teams are extremely similar when it comes to personal and desire and the smallest details could make the difference on whether you win on lose. The Heat have lost only 6 games in the last 2 and a half months and they won't lose four now. When one enters a gun fight would you rather have 1 big gun or 3?
Categories: 2011 NBA Playoffs, Dallas Mavericks, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Miami Heat, NBA Finals
First I am a Dallas Fan.
ReplyDeleteBut with that being said your arguements make no sense at all.
Your first point is that Miami can not defend Dirk. Any Miami player guarding is an advantage for Dallas. I know that Bosh can not do it. While Lebron probably can slow him down a lot, I believe the fear of him drawing fouls will make it only happen in spots and spurts. This has to be advantage.
No one in the world would say that the bench is an advantage for Miami besides you.
And the most stupid is that the Kidd/Bibby matchup is advantage Heat. Ae you even trying to be at all serious?
Bibby is just someone that was avialable on the cheap. Kidd has the highest basketball IQ in the NBA. Is he the player he was in 02/03...No. But today he is a whole lot better than Bibby. Now when miami moves wade to the 1 and miller to the 2, that might be more lethal.
With that being said Miami has a lot of big time advantages. Most Defense, and in particular perimeter. They are much faster than dallas. Dirk/Peja/Terry are pretty much offensive players.
If Miami can play there small line up. Wade, Miller, James, Haslem, Bosh and still rebound, Dallas probably can not win. Dallas' backcourt must force Miami to bring in a true center, Z/Damp because Dallas can better defend that.
With all that I believe the return of Miller/ Haslem gives Miami the edge, but the games will be close.
Just to respond to your comment which is greatly appreciated by the way, I believe that you've missed my point on Kidd/Bibby or maybe I just wasn't clear enough...With the defensive schemes that both Dallas and Miami utilize, Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby may be forced to only shoot 3 point shots in which Bibby has always been better than Kidd at doing so "check the career percentages". I am not here to call someone cheap or suggest that Kidd doesn't have a high basketball IQ, I did state that he's a Hall of Famer did I not? I fully respect your team as you should mine. Bibby would convert more 3 point shots than Kidd, period.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Heat guarding Dirk, Serge Ibaka doesn't play for the Heat and thus Dirk will have a much harder time scoring on the Heat than he did with the OKC Thunder. My question for you would be who guards Wade or Lebron because Shawn Marion isn't the answer and neither of those two are Kevin Durant who seemingly couldn't break away from double teams or create his own shots when needed.
Wouldn't Dirk pick up fouls if he had to guard Bosh one on one for the entire game? The Mavs play A LOT of ZONE to make up for the lack of defense by Jason Kidd and Dirk over the course of an entire game while Miami plays man to man 90% of the time. Dirk would be foul prone if the Heat went at him with Bosh or James with that being said Dirk is no huge advantage over Bosh, if anything they may cancel one another out.....advantage Heat.
You are correct this will be a very close series and whom ever wins would have earned it and just as your Mavs have been questioned and disrespected throughout the last five years so has the Miami Heat this year, more so than any other team fair or not. It seems as if everyone in the basketball world picked against the Heat in the last two series as I have with Dallas and I am man enough to say I was wrong in those picks. Know there's no hate in my heart for your team and hopefully you can live with the outcome win or lose. I don't think that Miami is invincible as I stated above, but the problems that the Heat pose to the Mavs are greater than those that the Mavs pose to the Heat. I will leave you with this, if by chance Dirk has an off night, then who? The Heat are not OKC.
well i don't know what going to happen i don't use stats to prove points but i always said the hungrest team will win the team that want it the most not the best team cuz at the end of the day every team can be beat on any given night so who ever want the trophy will get it they will be out shooting hours early before the game, they will be diving and scrambling all over the court, they will play great defence, and they will win because they are the team that want to win, it dose not matter who faces who, ive watch the nba play-offs for 20 years now and im not even 30 yet and i have seen great things happen and great players will come through when the basketball Gods call, so lets sit back and enjoy. i love basketball, i have been a coach of the game, i watch the game, i play the game, i attend many games, and for all the heat haters out there, i will be at the game in miami thursday june 2nd 2011 watching it live. BOSS!
ReplyDeleteI posted the first response.
ReplyDeleteLook Miami has a lot of advantages, I think more than Dallas. Its just from what I read in your opening comment you were taking Dallas biggest stregnths against Miami 1. Kidd/Bibby 2. Bench 3. And Dirk vs. any Miami Defender, and somehow making it out like these were all truly Miami advantages. Miami has a lot of advantages in several areas, but these are not it.
Look Miami hit this offseason with this in mind, get what the believed were the 3 best players in FA, and try and make it work with a group of cheap veterans that want to get a ring. In this series Miami has big big HUGE advantages at the wings.
I dont like LeBron, but he is the best player in the NBA, and prolly has been for a few years. Kobe cant pass, rebound, and doest defend like James.
Look Dallas has an advantage at the PG, C and I dont care what anyone says Dirk is better today than Bosh. Remember Dirk is the center of Miami attention, Bosh never will get a double on this team.
I believe LeBron showed how great he is by defending Pierce and Rose. It was nothing short of spectacular. But Dirk is a way different animal, he is prolly closer to 7'1 and shoots fade away jump shots that are unblockable. The only way to slow him down is to really crowd him or deny him the ball. If the whistle is short, he can not be stopped by any player. Do you want Bosh or James picking up cheap fouls? The guy rarely runs cold on his J, and can get silly hot.
How does Dallas stop Miami, well I really dont know either. The truth is I am hoping that Wade is banged up like I think he might be. You just have to make LeBron beat you with his jumper, almost give it to him, because this is where he can go cold. Bosh prefers to shoot that midrange game, so try and make him post up. By the way when Dallas goes man, chandler/ haywood will be on bosh Dirk will get the Offensivly challenged big man of Anthony/Z/Dampier or who ever it is.
I don't how Dallas can win, but it will probably take some big time shooting nights. And Dallas has got really lucky, because for whatever reason teams have went crazy cold from the 3 against them and it aint because Dallas has been in their face on those shots. So I am hoping Miami just hits a cold spell in their shooting.
Sorry Sorry one more think I wanted to say was that I beieve Kidd will do more than just shoot 3s. Will alot of his scoring may come from this way, he wills till pass, rebound and D up.
ReplyDeleteYou were right though history says that Bibby has a better 3 ball.
For their careers, which is over 2300 together not counting playoffs.
Kidd avg 36:47 to Bibbs 34:42 minutes per game. So Kidd has avg about 2 more minutes a game. For their careers Kidd is 40.2 to Bibbys 43.7% from 3. But Kidd dominates in assists 9.1 to 5.7, and boards 6.5 to 3.2. And Kidd has and still does player way better D than Bibby. If nothing else please just say Yes, when Kidd and Bibby man the point its advantage Dallas:)
I mean when Dallas puts Peja at SF, because he shoots a better 3ball than James doers this mean than Dallas has an edge at the SF:)...LoL
DIFFERENT ANNOYMOUS POST
ReplyDeleteI agree with the CEO its anyones win right now... let the hungrier team win
I was kinda right, the Heat couldnt defend Dirk, Mavs Bench(Terry) outplayed the heats, and Kidd was better than Bibby. I wish I would have also said that Dallas dominated the C position. Also I never would have guessed that a player for Miami would not play his best.
ReplyDelete