~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Chris Paul* is the best player in the NBA right now.
* when healthy
There are sooooo many ways to classify this distinction, but here's mine: Who do you want on your team with 5 minutes left in a tie game situation? My answer is Chris Paul. Over LeBron (who, obviously, I'd much rather have for an 82 game season), Kobe, Dirk, or Durant. He is simply magnificent with the ball in his hands. Smarter than any other star in the league, every move he makes on the court feels calculated. A complaint here, a dish there, it's all done with reason. The problem is that Paul struggles to remain healthy. He ripped through the Grizzlies up until he pulled a nut. He looked better in Game 7, but clearly still not 100%.
2. The Clippers will beat the Spurs in 6 games.*
* if Chris Paul is healthy
Yes, I hate the Spurs and am openly biased with my opinions of them. However, I also correctly picked them to lose to the Grizzlies last year. I honestly can't even watch the Spurs, so I don't really understand how they're so good this year, but apparently Tony Parker is dominant now. Eric Bledsoe (the unsung hero of yesterday's Game 7) might play a pivotal role in shutting down Mr. Longoria-Parker. Just remember, lockout seasons get crazy in the NBA (the Knicks made the Finals as an 8 seed in 1999). The first round was rather tame (aside from an 8 seed beating a 1 seed, although it hardly classified as an upset after D-Rose's injury). This second round could, might get crazy...
3. The Lakers will beat the Thunder in 7 games.
Lets acknowledge some facts. I'm still bitter about Kevin Durant's lucky game winning shot in the opener against the Mavs. I might cheer for the Lakers with the excuse that I want to see an all L.A. Western Conference Finals. The Thunder are extremely young (staggering that their best four players are all 23 or younger). The Lakers have been here before. End facts, cue opinions. I don't think the Thunder are ready. They're too jumpshotty. They're still wet behind the ears (whatever the fuck that means?). I expect Gasol and Bynum to beat them up inside. I think Shitface Artest will break the record for number of times bringing the opposing crowd to such a hostile level that people wonder aloud how good the security in Oklahoma City actually is (currently held by Ron Mudbutt).
4. Kobe Bryant was the 6th best player on the court in Saturday night's Game 7 victory.
Gasol, Bynum, Steve Blake (that game shall be known as "The Steve Blake Game"), Ty Lawson, and Al Harrington make up 1-5. And this is a compliment. Seriously. Old Kobe wouldn't have been able to accept the fact that the Lakers won or lost without him playing a significant role in the game (however, his insecure side still had to let the world know that he was double teamed the entire game. Oh, Kobe). But the Lakers are at their best when he is facilitating. Their strength is their size and their size is their strength. If Kobe figures this out, then the Lakers will the West.
5. Inside The NBA reached best show on TV status this week.
I've heard lots of disses on Shaq, but I don't get it. Sure, his opinions aren't as strong as Barkley's (or even Ernie's), but he brings some comedy to the table. His opinion on Kobe and the Lakers is always interesting. But the show is so open-ended that you never know what debates will spark up (and they're almost always interesting). It's must see TV from now until the Finals.
6. My favorite player to watch in Round 1 was Javale McGee.
This dude. Every play he makes is an adventure. He's like a Saturday morning cartoon on a basketball court. He plays hard, doesn't fully understand goaltending, shoots sky hooks, puts up 21 and 14 one night and 2 and 5 the next, and is watched real closely by his former WNBA playing mom who sits courtside.
7. My favorite player moving forward is Reggie Evans.
Yes, he of the Sea-dragon Hall of Fame. Evans is the thickest dude in the NBA. Maybe not physically, but anatomically. I watched Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol bounce off him without Evans even grabbing a ball. In that series, he eventually became more valuable to the Clippers than Blake Griffin because of Blake's injury and because of the size of Memphis. He shut down Z-Bo. Next up, Timmay.
8. My favorite moment of Round 1 was Kenyon Martin's stalker stumbling on to the court in Denver.
However, the best part was the continued coverage from the television team. Contrary to the NFL ignoring streakers and such, they showed multiple replays and even came out of halftime with the back story on the crazy bitch. She's well known in Denver, isn't allowed in the arena, and used to stalk Kenyon Martin, who no longer even plays for the Nuggets.
9. Blake Griffin may have figured his shit out in Game 7.
It was one of the best games I've watched him play, a game that he finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds. But he battled all game long. Those easy baskets that the Grizz were scoring on him weren't there in Game 7. On the offensive end, he kept his theatrics to a minimum. I believe he creates a frenzy around his team because he overreacts every time he gets touched, both in body flailing and in staring down the refs. Too often, the entire Clippers team comes away thinking they're being officiated unjustly. Somebody had to have said something to him before Game 7, and I'd put 100 bucks on it being Chris Paul. Jeff Van Gundy chronicled the whole situation beautifully throughout the game yesterday.
10. Jeff Van Gundy should become the next Commissioner of the NBA.
He is leading a one-man charge against the flopping pandemic (PANDEMIC!) in the NBA, even getting it brought up to Commissioner Stern in an interview during yesterday's Heat/Pacers game. Until the NBA responds to flopping with fines or suspensions, then it'll continue to remain a problem with the game (especially if the Clippers and Heat continue to advance).
11. Tie game with 24 seconds left, I'm not going to Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Carmelo, Durant, or even Dirk.
I'm putting the ball in Paul Pierce's hands, the most underrated player in all of sports. Pierce never gets his due. Never, ever, ever has he been mentioned among the game's elite, and yet there he is carrying his team to a playoff victory on the road sans Rondo and Ray Allen. There he is guarding the other team's best player. There he is waddling his fat ass to the elbow, stepping back, and hitting big shot after big shot, game after game.
12. The Celtics will beat the 76ers in 6 games.
And I probably won't watch more than one.
13. The Pacers will be lucky to win a game against the Heat.
They're already freaking out about the foul discrepancy in Game 1 (not even bad). They play no-star basketball (not an insult, watching the Pacers play is rather refreshing when compared to Lebron and Wade's dueling banjos routine). Their best player, Danny Granger, has been afraid of every big moment I've seen him in. They had a chance to steal Game 1 and couldn't get it done. They got owned in crunch time. Heat in 5.
14. The impending Heat/Celtics Eastern Conference Finals will be the best series of the Playoffs.
I give the Celtics the best chance of taking out the Heat this year. It takes a certain mental make up to beat the Heat, one that everybody was surprised the 2011 Mavs had. But they had it. And the Celtics have it. They (irrationally) believe that they would've taken the Heat down last year had Rajon Rondo not gotten hurt. That's both incorrect and admirable. They're rolling this year though. They beat the Heat up last two times they played. I think they fully realize that if they lose to the Heat this year then their run is over and done with. The Celtics will be all in, and when those warriors are all in, results usually follow. I cannot wait for this series. I kinda wish they'd cancel the semifinals and just let them play a 15 game series (could you imagine the home crowd for a Game 15 in Miami? They might even show up before the end of the first quarter).
15. After debating Mark Cuban's offseason decisions for 6 months, I still have no idea if he made the right decision or not.
Maybe you can help me. I'll lay out the arguments on each side of the debate. First off, the decision under discussion was to not resign Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, and DeShawn Stephenson following last season's NBA title run.
Cuban was right - The team's money would all be spoken for right now. And the team would be old. The team would've struggled to match the hunger of last year's team. What happens if you bring everybody back and you lose in the first round? You're looking at starting over from scratch. With the cap room, Deron Williams more than likely joins the team this offseason, and the Mavs are back to being title contenders for the foreseeable future.
Cuban was wrong - The Mavs didn't defend their title, they didn't even really try. The team was still decent, but the players (especially Jason Terry, the Mavs' emotional leader) could read the writing on the wall - This is your last year in Dallas. Meanwhile, the West was wide open and you could've made the Finals for a second straight year. You're sacrificing a year of Dirk's prime (which might have ended with the title as well). What do you do if Deron Williams doesn't come to Dallas? That's the worst case scenario and would be an absolute disaster for the Mavs.
Go Clipz,
His Dirkness
Showing posts with label mark cuban. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mark cuban. Show all posts
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sunday, June 19, 2011
How I'll Remember the 2011 Dallas Mavericks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I debated between 3 titles for this write-up before finally deciding on a broad name with emphasis on all three of my thesii.
(Alternate Title: The Movie Starring the 2011 Dallas Mavericks)
1. The so-called Basketball Gods DO exist
2. This team saved Basketball
3. This was the greatest NBA Playoffs and Finals of all-time
(Bare in mind that I've already waxed poetic about the man, the myth, the legend: Dirk Nowitzki)
1. The Miami Heat winning this 2011 NBA title just wouldn't have been right. Not after how they circumnavigated the system. Not after the 2006 NBA Finals. Not after those has-beens mocked the best player in the series after he just got done kicking their ass at 50%.
If these so-called "Basketball Gods" did exist, they certainly wouldn't be doing their job if they did the Dallas Mavericks in like that once again. However, after witnessing the 2011 NBA Finals, I'm ready to fully embrace their existence.
In case you're wondering just why I feel the Mavs were the team deserving of such justice, look no further than 2006. The Mavs got screwed (however, they remain at fault because of how terribly they handled it). So maybe the better proclamation is that the Miami Heat were so undeserving of that title that it hurt me as a sports fan.
Although it wasn't just that the right team won the 2011 NBA Championship, but how they won. It was almost an exact role reversal from 2006, except that the Mavs didn't need David Stern's intervention. Big lead in the series (although it was more pronounced than it actually was). Huge comeback planting seeds of doubt. Superstar crumbling in front of a nation. The way it all unfolded was like a movie. It was poetic justice at its finest. And it was beautiful.
2. The NBA would not be a beautiful sight if the Miami Heat won the 2011 NBA Finals, which was the biggest and best case of a pure team vs. a group of individuals that I have ever seen.
The Dallas Mavericks play a beautiful brand of basketball. Their passing abilities are brilliant enough to impress even Brazilian soccer fans. Their biggest strength was their belief in each other, and their collective drive towards one goal. Each and every player was ready to go to war because they believed their leaders deserved an NBA Championship. Most of the players made individual sacrifices for the betterment of the team (DeShawn and Marion come to mind first). None of them ever doubted Rick Carlisle, despite his deployed tactics that made little sense on the surface (Barea's promotion despite struggles). They believed in him. They were ready to sacrifice. And they wanted to win. As a team.
And now a word of wisdom on each of the Mavericks:
Dirk's drive
Terry's cajones
Kidd's calming presence
Barea's might
Marion's style
Chandler's tenacity
The Custodian's scrappiness
Haywood's free throws
DeShawn's N**** please 3's
Myanmar's silky smooth J
Peja's.......Peja's.......neckbeard!
Unidentified hype guy's fistpumps
Cuban's "Doesn't matter"s
And then you have the Miami pieces of sHeat. Their idea of a good offense was to sit around until the shot clock got low and then isolate 1 of their 3 studs to go 1-on-1. It wasn't basketball. In fact, it might have been the death of basketball. Professional sports leagues are full of copycats. When a team wins a Championship, everybody else looks at them to see how they did it. Then they try do that themselves. Can you imagine 28 other teams adopting that style of basketball?
I'm glad we don't have to. While some people might enjoy their chase at a repeat, I'd much rather see them face the pressure of trying to capture their first title once again. However, as great as next season might be....
3. We will never see another season quite like the NBA's 2010-11 season. LeBron's Decision may have been the biggest image boost combined with the biggest reputation hit we've ever seen. The act itself was as polarizing as the result. Never has something seemed so poorly thought out, only to turn out to be pure genius.
LeBron's wild ride of a season is something we will never forget. Suddenly everybody cared about the NBA again. Only they cared because they wanted to watch LeBron lose (or perhaps more importantly, see him fail). Yes, the Heat will be right back in the thick of the race next year, but it won't be the same. There's no way. Hatred tends to die down when given time, especially when there's reason to sympathize (and eventually he'll play a few of his cards correctly...right?). People wanted to see him fail right now. I think people are fine with him winning the next 8 titles as long as he lost this year. They wanted instant retribution.
Then you combine that with America's adopted hero, who happens to hail from a country most recognized by one of the world's biggest catastrophes ever. Talk about a redemption story. But people embraced Dirk. They sympathized with his past failures (see?). They could see how much it meant to him. They wanted him to win. There was a defiant good guy and a defiant bad guy (no matter how unlikely the casted roles seemed just 12 months ago) in the NBA Finals. That's what people want.
And then you have the actual games. Every one of them was undecided going into the 4th quarter. Games 2, 3, and 4 all came down to the last and final shot (Dirk make/Wade miss, Dirk miss, Miller miss) and will all be shown on ESPN Classic someday. Game 5 was the pinnacle of professional basketball in terms of hype and quality of play, with both teams playing well enough to win any other game of the series. Game 6 saw an underdog close out on the road to win their first NBA title of all time.
Plus, there was an actual dislike between the teams. Dirk and the Mavs despising Wade and the Heat because of the 2006 NBA Finals. Wade and LeBron mad like little school girls because everybody hated them. There was a stargazed feud that witnessed (!) LeBron's second fiddle act reach an all time high. And there was Dirk working on the proper pronunciation of "ig'nant." And there was (finally) a fight!
We saw the birth of a superstar, who gave us the "Genuine sports moment of 2011" (Sports Guy) with his escape act celebration. We saw many start to question The Unquestioned One, including a media member who may have swung the series (God bless Gregg Doyel). We saw His Dirkness become a legitimate fan of Chris Bosh (UnlikeABosh). We saw (but will soon forget) Juwan Howard and The Custodian playing crucial NBA Finals minutes. We saw Mario's Miracle versions II and III. We saw a Puerto Rican 5'8 NBA Finals difference maker. We saw an effective zone defense (first time in NBA Playoffs history?). We saw Jason Terry flash many skills, none more impressive than his prophetic tattoo. And we saw the Miami Heat wave the white (out) flag with time still on the clock in what was supposed to be their coronation.
Combine the great Finals with the beginning of a Golden Age in the NBA, and that's how you arrive at the best NBA Playoffs of all time. There were upsets like an 8 seed beating a 1. There were ahead-of-schedule contenders (Thunder) and enjoyable pretenders (Lakers). There was a series between two small market teams that people actually cared about. There was an undressing of an MVP, followed by an undressing of the world's best player. There was the antagonist juggernaut that seemed as dominant as advertised until the last act. And there were the protagonist underdogs who prevailed in the end. It all played out like it was a part of Hollywood.
Hollywood as hell.
His Dirkness
I debated between 3 titles for this write-up before finally deciding on a broad name with emphasis on all three of my thesii.
(Alternate Title: The Movie Starring the 2011 Dallas Mavericks)
1. The so-called Basketball Gods DO exist
2. This team saved Basketball
3. This was the greatest NBA Playoffs and Finals of all-time
(Bare in mind that I've already waxed poetic about the man, the myth, the legend: Dirk Nowitzki)
1. The Miami Heat winning this 2011 NBA title just wouldn't have been right. Not after how they circumnavigated the system. Not after the 2006 NBA Finals. Not after those has-beens mocked the best player in the series after he just got done kicking their ass at 50%.
If these so-called "Basketball Gods" did exist, they certainly wouldn't be doing their job if they did the Dallas Mavericks in like that once again. However, after witnessing the 2011 NBA Finals, I'm ready to fully embrace their existence.
In case you're wondering just why I feel the Mavs were the team deserving of such justice, look no further than 2006. The Mavs got screwed (however, they remain at fault because of how terribly they handled it). So maybe the better proclamation is that the Miami Heat were so undeserving of that title that it hurt me as a sports fan.
Although it wasn't just that the right team won the 2011 NBA Championship, but how they won. It was almost an exact role reversal from 2006, except that the Mavs didn't need David Stern's intervention. Big lead in the series (although it was more pronounced than it actually was). Huge comeback planting seeds of doubt. Superstar crumbling in front of a nation. The way it all unfolded was like a movie. It was poetic justice at its finest. And it was beautiful.
2. The NBA would not be a beautiful sight if the Miami Heat won the 2011 NBA Finals, which was the biggest and best case of a pure team vs. a group of individuals that I have ever seen.
The Dallas Mavericks play a beautiful brand of basketball. Their passing abilities are brilliant enough to impress even Brazilian soccer fans. Their biggest strength was their belief in each other, and their collective drive towards one goal. Each and every player was ready to go to war because they believed their leaders deserved an NBA Championship. Most of the players made individual sacrifices for the betterment of the team (DeShawn and Marion come to mind first). None of them ever doubted Rick Carlisle, despite his deployed tactics that made little sense on the surface (Barea's promotion despite struggles). They believed in him. They were ready to sacrifice. And they wanted to win. As a team.
And now a word of wisdom on each of the Mavericks:
Dirk's drive
Terry's cajones
Kidd's calming presence
Barea's might
Marion's style
Chandler's tenacity
The Custodian's scrappiness
Haywood's free throws
DeShawn's N**** please 3's
Myanmar's silky smooth J
Peja's.......Peja's.......neckbeard!
Unidentified hype guy's fistpumps
Cuban's "Doesn't matter"s
And then you have the Miami pieces of sHeat. Their idea of a good offense was to sit around until the shot clock got low and then isolate 1 of their 3 studs to go 1-on-1. It wasn't basketball. In fact, it might have been the death of basketball. Professional sports leagues are full of copycats. When a team wins a Championship, everybody else looks at them to see how they did it. Then they try do that themselves. Can you imagine 28 other teams adopting that style of basketball?
I'm glad we don't have to. While some people might enjoy their chase at a repeat, I'd much rather see them face the pressure of trying to capture their first title once again. However, as great as next season might be....
3. We will never see another season quite like the NBA's 2010-11 season. LeBron's Decision may have been the biggest image boost combined with the biggest reputation hit we've ever seen. The act itself was as polarizing as the result. Never has something seemed so poorly thought out, only to turn out to be pure genius.
LeBron's wild ride of a season is something we will never forget. Suddenly everybody cared about the NBA again. Only they cared because they wanted to watch LeBron lose (or perhaps more importantly, see him fail). Yes, the Heat will be right back in the thick of the race next year, but it won't be the same. There's no way. Hatred tends to die down when given time, especially when there's reason to sympathize (and eventually he'll play a few of his cards correctly...right?). People wanted to see him fail right now. I think people are fine with him winning the next 8 titles as long as he lost this year. They wanted instant retribution.
Then you combine that with America's adopted hero, who happens to hail from a country most recognized by one of the world's biggest catastrophes ever. Talk about a redemption story. But people embraced Dirk. They sympathized with his past failures (see?). They could see how much it meant to him. They wanted him to win. There was a defiant good guy and a defiant bad guy (no matter how unlikely the casted roles seemed just 12 months ago) in the NBA Finals. That's what people want.
And then you have the actual games. Every one of them was undecided going into the 4th quarter. Games 2, 3, and 4 all came down to the last and final shot (Dirk make/Wade miss, Dirk miss, Miller miss) and will all be shown on ESPN Classic someday. Game 5 was the pinnacle of professional basketball in terms of hype and quality of play, with both teams playing well enough to win any other game of the series. Game 6 saw an underdog close out on the road to win their first NBA title of all time.
Plus, there was an actual dislike between the teams. Dirk and the Mavs despising Wade and the Heat because of the 2006 NBA Finals. Wade and LeBron mad like little school girls because everybody hated them. There was a stargazed feud that witnessed (!) LeBron's second fiddle act reach an all time high. And there was Dirk working on the proper pronunciation of "ig'nant." And there was (finally) a fight!
We saw the birth of a superstar, who gave us the "Genuine sports moment of 2011" (Sports Guy) with his escape act celebration. We saw many start to question The Unquestioned One, including a media member who may have swung the series (God bless Gregg Doyel). We saw His Dirkness become a legitimate fan of Chris Bosh (UnlikeABosh). We saw (but will soon forget) Juwan Howard and The Custodian playing crucial NBA Finals minutes. We saw Mario's Miracle versions II and III. We saw a Puerto Rican 5'8 NBA Finals difference maker. We saw an effective zone defense (first time in NBA Playoffs history?). We saw Jason Terry flash many skills, none more impressive than his prophetic tattoo. And we saw the Miami Heat wave the white (out) flag with time still on the clock in what was supposed to be their coronation.
Combine the great Finals with the beginning of a Golden Age in the NBA, and that's how you arrive at the best NBA Playoffs of all time. There were upsets like an 8 seed beating a 1. There were ahead-of-schedule contenders (Thunder) and enjoyable pretenders (Lakers). There was a series between two small market teams that people actually cared about. There was an undressing of an MVP, followed by an undressing of the world's best player. There was the antagonist juggernaut that seemed as dominant as advertised until the last act. And there were the protagonist underdogs who prevailed in the end. It all played out like it was a part of Hollywood.
Hollywood as hell.
His Dirkness
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Top 10 Reasons To Be Excited For NBA Finals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could we have asked for a better NBA Finals? I say no. I can't remember the last time I was this gosh darn excited about a Championship game/series in any sport, let alone the NBA Finals. I do feel comfortable saying that I've never been this excited for an NBA Finals before, which makes sense because my team is in it, and the last time they were in it they got cheated out of it, ya dig? But it's not only because The Man has made his presence known. In fact, Dirk's complete and total awesomeness isn't even one of the 10 reasons (although it plays a big role for #7). But enough about the Ghostface Drillah for now, lets get down to this list...
1. These two teams don't like each other - Or at the least, the Mavs do not like the Heat. I mean, they hate the Heat. Hell, I hate the Heat. This one is personal, especially for Jason Terry and the one they call Dirk. The Dallas crowd remembers every foul call from that 2006 series - for better or worse - and they can't wait to boo every single call from this 2011 series (we'll see how annoying that gets). But the history of these two teams make this series infinitely more interesting.
2. These two teams are evenly matched - Don't let the public opinion of the masses fool you. These two teams were separated by 1 game in the regular season and share the same playoff record to this point (12-3). I wouldn't be surprised to see this series swing either way in any amount of games. A sweep would leave me filibustered, but either team winning in 5 wouldn't shock me. You might think that's indicative of a dominant team, but I expect each game to be played closely, and if we've learned anything from these playoffs so far, it's that one team can gain a strong psychological advantage in a series by pulling out close games.
3. These are the best two teams in the NBA - There's absolutely no doubt that these should be the two teams playing for the NBA Championship. Only the Mavs have gone as far as a Game 6 in these playoffs, which was only forced because of a ridiculous, Brandon-Roy induced comeback. The Heat took out the team with the best record. The Mavs took out the 2-time former champs. They've been streaking towards each other. A Championship matchup is always better knowing that it's between the best two teams, which is something of a rarity in the NBA Finals.
4. These two teams have dominated 4th quarters - There weren't huge differences between the four teams in the conference championship games. The winning teams were separated by how they closed out in the 4th quarters of games, severely evidenced by both teams' series clinching wins. However, they no longer have that youth to prey on. Both of these teams expect to pull out games in the 4th quarter if it's close (exactly what the conference finals were missing), which should make for some epic clashes, especially when considering the two studs who are leading their respective teams...
5. Dirk vs. Lebron - These are the two men playing the best basketball in the world right now. Lebron gets it done on both sides of the floor with athleticism that we have never seen before, and an attitude/mental game that's quickly evolving (if he gets there, we're all done for). Dirk is a man on a mission right now, that is playing the game as efficiently as any player in NBA history. He's seen and been through it all, and has adjusted his game (both mentally and physically) to handle any situation that's been thrown his way (so far). It's tough to say Dirk is superior to Lebron because of their defensive abilities, but Dirk is certainly more unstoppable on the offensive end. It's very likely that whoever plays better night in and night out will come away with their first NBA Championship.
6. Neither star has won a Championship - Another rarity in the NBA. Championships tend to be monopolized by a small fraction of teams in NBA. It's always cooler to see how a player reacts to winning a first 'ship than seeing Kobe fake-hug his kids for the umpteenth time. A few players remain from the Heat's *Championship* team, most notably Dwizzly and Udonis Randy Mosslem. We're either going to see the beginning of Lebron's reign atop the NBA or Dirk do what nobody thought was possible. Either should be special to even the common viewer.
7. More Dirk practice routine videos - The most entertaining 30 seconds of the NBA Playoffs to me. The montage they used to show his spinorama shots and one-legged turduckens was riveting television. I could've watched all 2 hours of it, or however long it lasted. But it really gives you a peek at the mastermind of The Dirk, The Godfather himself, Holger Geschwindner (who's name I almost got down). And I don't mean Godfather like the movies, I mean it like the old WWF wrestler with all his ho's. I will admit that I tried many of the same ridic shots in the driveway to mild success (and I wasn't the only one to admit that the past few days).
8. The Miami Heat white out lives on! - One of the finest traditions in sports. Nothing screams playoff basketball better than a half full arena of chonchos representing one of the truly awful fan bases in all of sports. It's like everything I love about Arrowhead Stadium, only the exact opposite. Even when I was stuck in limbo about cheering for the Heat, one sight of that plastic-infested, feminine Sammy Sosa wanna-bes would've set me straight. In actuality, the dullness of both of these crowds is probably the worst aspect of this series.
9. Potential trophy moment between Mark Cuban and David Stern - It's no secret that Cuban is high on Stern's list of people to destroy (although I hear he's steadily declining). Many people thought their relationship may have interfered with the officiating of the '06 Finals. We were shorted the sight of Dan Beebe handing over the final Big 12 Championship Trophy to Tom Osborne and Nebraska, but I'll settle for taking this one in. It would be a moment that goes down in history. And with Cuban involved, anything is possible.
10. The most interesting team vs. the most entertaining team - The Mavs are a super fun team to watch. They get up and down the floor, play a wide open European style, and are the best passing team in the NBA. By far. Their two offensive creators are a 7 foot German and a 5'7 Puerto Rican. They're old, slow, and nobody can quite figure out how they got here. The Heat are surrounded by drama, scrutinized every step of the way, and provided us with the most intriguing NBA regular season of all time. Nobody could wait to announce the demise of them, while everybody was afraid of what might happen if they figured it out. Think of it as the Dos Equis guy vs. the Red Stripe guy. Which side are you on?
3 days!
His Dirkness
Could we have asked for a better NBA Finals? I say no. I can't remember the last time I was this gosh darn excited about a Championship game/series in any sport, let alone the NBA Finals. I do feel comfortable saying that I've never been this excited for an NBA Finals before, which makes sense because my team is in it, and the last time they were in it they got cheated out of it, ya dig? But it's not only because The Man has made his presence known. In fact, Dirk's complete and total awesomeness isn't even one of the 10 reasons (although it plays a big role for #7). But enough about the Ghostface Drillah for now, lets get down to this list...
1. These two teams don't like each other - Or at the least, the Mavs do not like the Heat. I mean, they hate the Heat. Hell, I hate the Heat. This one is personal, especially for Jason Terry and the one they call Dirk. The Dallas crowd remembers every foul call from that 2006 series - for better or worse - and they can't wait to boo every single call from this 2011 series (we'll see how annoying that gets). But the history of these two teams make this series infinitely more interesting.
2. These two teams are evenly matched - Don't let the public opinion of the masses fool you. These two teams were separated by 1 game in the regular season and share the same playoff record to this point (12-3). I wouldn't be surprised to see this series swing either way in any amount of games. A sweep would leave me filibustered, but either team winning in 5 wouldn't shock me. You might think that's indicative of a dominant team, but I expect each game to be played closely, and if we've learned anything from these playoffs so far, it's that one team can gain a strong psychological advantage in a series by pulling out close games.
3. These are the best two teams in the NBA - There's absolutely no doubt that these should be the two teams playing for the NBA Championship. Only the Mavs have gone as far as a Game 6 in these playoffs, which was only forced because of a ridiculous, Brandon-Roy induced comeback. The Heat took out the team with the best record. The Mavs took out the 2-time former champs. They've been streaking towards each other. A Championship matchup is always better knowing that it's between the best two teams, which is something of a rarity in the NBA Finals.
4. These two teams have dominated 4th quarters - There weren't huge differences between the four teams in the conference championship games. The winning teams were separated by how they closed out in the 4th quarters of games, severely evidenced by both teams' series clinching wins. However, they no longer have that youth to prey on. Both of these teams expect to pull out games in the 4th quarter if it's close (exactly what the conference finals were missing), which should make for some epic clashes, especially when considering the two studs who are leading their respective teams...
5. Dirk vs. Lebron - These are the two men playing the best basketball in the world right now. Lebron gets it done on both sides of the floor with athleticism that we have never seen before, and an attitude/mental game that's quickly evolving (if he gets there, we're all done for). Dirk is a man on a mission right now, that is playing the game as efficiently as any player in NBA history. He's seen and been through it all, and has adjusted his game (both mentally and physically) to handle any situation that's been thrown his way (so far). It's tough to say Dirk is superior to Lebron because of their defensive abilities, but Dirk is certainly more unstoppable on the offensive end. It's very likely that whoever plays better night in and night out will come away with their first NBA Championship.
6. Neither star has won a Championship - Another rarity in the NBA. Championships tend to be monopolized by a small fraction of teams in NBA. It's always cooler to see how a player reacts to winning a first 'ship than seeing Kobe fake-hug his kids for the umpteenth time. A few players remain from the Heat's *Championship* team, most notably Dwizzly and Udonis Randy Mosslem. We're either going to see the beginning of Lebron's reign atop the NBA or Dirk do what nobody thought was possible. Either should be special to even the common viewer.
7. More Dirk practice routine videos - The most entertaining 30 seconds of the NBA Playoffs to me. The montage they used to show his spinorama shots and one-legged turduckens was riveting television. I could've watched all 2 hours of it, or however long it lasted. But it really gives you a peek at the mastermind of The Dirk, The Godfather himself, Holger Geschwindner (who's name I almost got down). And I don't mean Godfather like the movies, I mean it like the old WWF wrestler with all his ho's. I will admit that I tried many of the same ridic shots in the driveway to mild success (and I wasn't the only one to admit that the past few days).
8. The Miami Heat white out lives on! - One of the finest traditions in sports. Nothing screams playoff basketball better than a half full arena of chonchos representing one of the truly awful fan bases in all of sports. It's like everything I love about Arrowhead Stadium, only the exact opposite. Even when I was stuck in limbo about cheering for the Heat, one sight of that plastic-infested, feminine Sammy Sosa wanna-bes would've set me straight. In actuality, the dullness of both of these crowds is probably the worst aspect of this series.
9. Potential trophy moment between Mark Cuban and David Stern - It's no secret that Cuban is high on Stern's list of people to destroy (although I hear he's steadily declining). Many people thought their relationship may have interfered with the officiating of the '06 Finals. We were shorted the sight of Dan Beebe handing over the final Big 12 Championship Trophy to Tom Osborne and Nebraska, but I'll settle for taking this one in. It would be a moment that goes down in history. And with Cuban involved, anything is possible.
10. The most interesting team vs. the most entertaining team - The Mavs are a super fun team to watch. They get up and down the floor, play a wide open European style, and are the best passing team in the NBA. By far. Their two offensive creators are a 7 foot German and a 5'7 Puerto Rican. They're old, slow, and nobody can quite figure out how they got here. The Heat are surrounded by drama, scrutinized every step of the way, and provided us with the most intriguing NBA regular season of all time. Nobody could wait to announce the demise of them, while everybody was afraid of what might happen if they figured it out. Think of it as the Dos Equis guy vs. the Red Stripe guy. Which side are you on?
3 days!
His Dirkness
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)