James Gets Passive On Finals Stage

Something happened to LeBron Jameson the way to his first NBA championship.

It’s not clear what exactly, but the LeBron James that we saw in the previous two rounds of the playoffs was not the same as the LeBron James that we saw in the 2011 NBA Finals.

“Sometimes, you got it,” James said afterward. “Sometimes, you don’t.”

Indeed, this is a make-or-miss league. James’ shooting numbers from the last two series, especially in the clutch, were probably not sustainable. But this was much more than that. James’ performance in The Finals was clearly not about shots just not going in.

The James that destroyed the Celtics and Bulls was aggressive, dominant and unforgiving. In The Finals, at least in Games 2-5, James was nothing but passive.

He turned himself into a point guard in this series, always looking to pass first. Yes, the Mavs blocked off the paint and were always ready with a second defender. Yes, “the right play” is to take what the defense gives you and find the open man.

But James isn’t a point guard. He’s 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds. And the best basketball talent in the world.

James took 15 shots per game in The Finals, but got to the free throw line just 20 times total in six games. That’s just over three attempts per game for a guy who averaged more than nine per game through the first three rounds.

When James attacks the basket, he’s a human locomotive, and opponents often have no choice but to hack him. But six players, including Mario Chalmers, attempted more free throws than James did in the series.

With their season on the line Sunday, Chalmers was more aggressive attacking the basket than James was. Dwyane Wade was clearly more aggressive, too. For the Mavs, Dirk Nowitzki was more aggressive, even though his shot wasn’t falling. J.J. Barea, the smallest guy on the floor was more aggressive. Heck, even Brian Cardinal, he of the three points-per-game average, seemed more confident with the ball on this night.

There were moments when the Heat got James into the paint. His post-ups were largely successful, and on the Heat’s third possession of Game 6, he and Chalmers ran a perfect pick-and-roll that resulted in a lay-up. But those plays were few and far between.

The plays we’ll remember most from this series were the ones where James gave the ball up at the first opportunity, deciding that Udonis Haslem or Chris Bosh were better suited to shoot the ball. Give credit to the Dallas defense, yes. But great players rise above obstacles like that. Tyson Chandler is a great defender, but he ain’t Dwight Howard.

Nowitzki more than earned his MVP trophy and deserves the top story in every non-Miami media outlet on Monday morning. But there’s no doubt that James’ failure to lead the Heat to a title is as big a story.

James took his talents to South Beach in order to win championships. And yes, there will be more opportunities to do just that. But the Heat took a lot of momentum into The Finals, had home-court advantage, and had what it takes to win a championship. Every step of the way, they were quick to tell us how hard their road had been. Now they’ve got to start it all over next fall.

The Heat may get back here, and James may play great to help them do it. But until he’s holding that Larry O’Brien trophy, the questions will continue to surround James.

What was missing in this series was James’ killer instinct. And at this point in his career, you have to start to wonder if he has some sort of mental block that’s keeping him from seizing the moment on the biggest stage.

“I work hard to try to put myself in position to play at a high level,” James said. “When you go out on the court, does the ball always go in? Absolutely not. But the one thing I know, I never hold my head low in saying, ‘I didn’t do it the right way’ or ‘I wish I would have did this.’ It’s not about that.”

In the Heat locker room, reserve guard Eddie House was asked what went wrong for his team in the series.

“[Expletive],” House replied. “I don’t know.”

The person who needs to answer that question is LeBron James. And it’s not clear that he knows the answer either.

Post Courtesy of NBA.com

Mavericks Win NBA Championship

All the smoke and glitter, laser shows and summertime hype generated in this building 11 months ago wasn’t enough to overcome the unifying force of energy the Dallas Mavericks unleashed on this night and in this series.

In the end, the Miami Heat’s Big 3 couldn’t overcome the Mavericks’ Big Team, from one through 12.

The old school bunch that fought off the demons that fuel its own collective history of coming up short, the missed opportunities from The Finals against the Heat in 2006 and all the other postseason missteps of the past five years, walked out AmericanAirlines Arena late Sunday night with that Larry O’Brien trophy they’d all dreamed of for years.

Nowitzki and Jason Terry avenged the that six-game loss in The Finals five years ago, closing the door on the Heat’s championship hopes on their home floor this time, the same way Dwyane Wade and the Heat did back then.

Jason Kidd’s 17-year (and counting) journey, which included two missed opportunities on this same stage in back-to-back seasons with New Jersey earlier in his career, will now include a championship.

Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, Brian Cardinal, Ian Mahinmi and all the rest of the “misfits and cast offs,” as Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson referred to them during their magical run through this postseason, will walk into the sunset of 2010-11 season as champions.

Their path was improbable, given their recent postseason struggles, they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs in three of the past four seasons before this one. Their bond proved to be impenetrable, regardless of the situation, be it in Dallas or on the road.

No lead was safe. No team, no matter how much more athletic or how many more superstar names they possessed, could solve them. They finished Portland in six games in the first round, the two-time defending champion Lakers in a sweep in the Western Conference semifinals and upended Team Next, Oklahoma City, in five games in the conference finals.

Yet even with all that work done in the rugged Western Conference, the Mavericks’ one-star group was supposed to be no match for the Heat’s superstar trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

There’s a permanent smile on Cuban’s face. Nowitzki’s soft label has been retired and Terry can finally sleep, now that the excruciating defeat from five years ago has been put to rest.

“Going in we never used it as a motivating factor,” Terry said, wearing a champagne-soaked Mavericks championship T-shirt while admiring his reflection in the Larry O’Brien trophy as he and Kidd made their final podium appearance of the season. “Two totally different teams. You look at what we did along the way, along our journey, getting past Portland. Nobody said we could. Doing what we did to the Lakers. We continued to grind it out, believing in each other, and showed huge resiliency every time we stepped on the court …”

Champions at last

Post Courtesy of NBA.com

Wade Haunting Mavs Once Again

We’ve seen this before at this time of year.

Five years later and Dwyane Wade is still giving the Dallas Mavericks fits in The Finals.

Chris Bosh hit the game-winner on Sunday off a brilliant pass from LeBron James (and with help from a Udonis Haslem screen), but it was the other member of the Miami Heat’s Big Three that carried the team for most of the night.

Yes, there was some “hero-ball” from Wade in Game 3, but with James playing distributor and Bosh playing hesitant until that final basket, the Heat may have needed hero-ball to get them through this night offensively.

Wade only got to the line four times on Sunday, but he finished with 29 points on 12-for-21 from the field, hitting two of his four attempts from 3-point range. Before Bosh’s game-winner, Wade had the Heat’s previous three buckets, one off a post-up and two pull-up jumpers (one of them a trey) from the top of the key.

“We allowed him to bring us home offensively,” James said.

Wade did most of his work while being guarded by Jason Kidd, who has been excellent in defending guys like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant this postseason.  But Kidd was mostly helpless on Sunday, with Wade taking him off the dribble and into the post.

“He played spectacular basketball,” Bosh said of Wade.  “He was aggressive and took good shots. We rode the wave for a little while. He set the tone for us.”

For the series, Wade is averaging 29.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists.  He’s shooting 57 percent from the field and 6-for-15 from 3-point range. His scoring and free-throw attempts are down from the 2006 Finals (when he averaged 34.7 points), but he’s still the Heat’s go-to guy.

And on Sunday, Wade wasn’t just making buckets. He was trying to get his teammates to come along for the ride.

“He had every right to say what he said to me,” James admitted.  “As a competitor, you love when guys challenge you. He challenged me in the locker room at halftime. He challenged me on the court. As a competitor, like I said, I respect that.”

“[I] just took it upon myself as a leader to try to lead my guys by example,” Wade said. “And I think for me it started in practice yesterday. I was very aggressive going to the hole practicing. My teammates seen it. They can tell I wanted this game, and I came in with the same mentality today.”

Wade wanted this game, and he got it.

“I’ve been here before,” he said.

You don’t have to tell the Mavs that.

Shaquille O’Neal Announces Retirement

 

What a Shaqtacular ride it wasd for 19 years

Shaquille O’Neal’s career achievements were not just relegated to a basketball court.

He treated the basketball world as his own personal playground, toggling between pop-culture celebrity and hoop icon.  And now — Kazaam! — his career is off to that Big Rocking Chair in the sky.

We’ll miss Shaq, although he’s not really going anywhere.  He’s not getting lost in the sunset.  How could he? He can block out the sunset.  He’s still 7-foot-1 and 350 (cough, cough) pounds with a personality wider than his sneaker.  He won’t cash in his Blue Chips anytime soon.  Shaq will continue to exist on TV, selling us products and doing shows and maybe someday becoming resurrected, Charles Barkley-style, as a loquacious commentator.  But after making it official today, he threw down his last dunk and bricked his final free throw.

“We did it,” he video-tweeted.  ”Nineteen years, baby.”

I was lucky enough to be with Shaq when he first suited up, in a preseason game for Orlando against Miami, and when he finally suited down, on the bench for the Celtics last month, body ravaged and spirit damaged.  Yes, it was 19 years, baby, of rollicking performances, four championships and then a painful-to-watch fade (aren’t they all) into mediocrity.

There were greater centers than Shaq.  Bill Russell.  Wilt Chamberlain, no doubt.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, of course.  Maybe one or two more.  But none of those players had more fun or created more fun.  This, we could tell because of how Shaq spent much of his career lighting up rooms he entered, along with arenas he dominated.  We witnessed a playful Goliath who took full advantage of his gifts: massive size, an easy smile, a thirst for glamour and a way with the language to elevate himself beyond mere basketball star in the public domain.

But let’s talk about the basketball side. A generation that never saw Russell or Wilt and only captured Kareem with a bald spot will forever swear Shaq is the best big man ever. Hard to see why not. Nothing this big moved this quickly and covered more ground except a passing cloud.

From the late 1990s through the early 2000s Shaq had no equal.  That’s when he was fit and focused, two areas that were legitimately called into question later in the decade, when he grew old fast.  He was the core of a Lakers team that peeled off three straight tiles and became a dynasty.  While he played on six different teams, he will be mostly identified with Los Angeles, a showy city that fit his persona and a franchise that gave him the platform for greatness.  In 1999-2000, his lone MVP season, Shaq averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, almost 4 assists and 3 blocks.  He was named MVP of the NBA Finals three times.  He was an All-Star 15 times.  He made All-NBA first-team eight times.  Those were the raw numbers, the cold facts that put Shaq in a class with very few desks.

What the numbers don’t tell is how Shaq changed the way teams prepared for his teams.  He was much like Wilt in that regard.  Wilt was so much more overpowering than the man guarding him that it really was no contest.  It almost wasn’t fair.  The league either tweaked certain rules or changed them completely when it came to Wilt. That didn’t happen with Shaq.  However, the rules for guarding big men were outdated when it came him.  He was too big and strong for that.  And so teams resorted to Hack-a-Shaq, to exploit Shaq’s chronic and hopeless form at the free-throw line.  And when he wanted to, Shaq could be a force on defense, making him the rare player who could impact the game under both baskets.

Just the same, Shaq did have timing on his side.  He didn’t see many great centers to play against during his time.  Hakeem Olajuwon, who denied Shaq a title in 1995, was headed on the downside when Shaq was rising up.  Same for David Robinson.  Patrick Ewing was about the only center who came close (Tim Duncan was more power forward). So Shaq did have some advantages, beyond his freak-of-nature size.  He was right-place, right-time.

Still, he was named to the NBA at 50 team (a controversial choice, given his limited pro experience then) and would likely be dominant in most any era, even to the degree in his own.  In his prime, he took three teams to the Finals, winning with the Lakers and later the Heat in 2006.

As a player, his only issue, besides free throw shooting, was conditioning.  That’s why Shaq played five years too long.  He lacked the stamina and health then, and in fact, Shaq never played a full 82-game schedule in 19 years.  Not counting his first three seasons in the league, only twice did he dress for at least 75 games.

The playful side of Shaq, at times, overwhelmed the professional side.  Which says plenty about Shaq’s presence.  He made a string of movies and rap CDs, some forgettable, that gave him a prime pop-culture seat and massive appeal for his generation.  His commercials, hawking a diverse list of companies and products, flushed out his sense of humor and endeared him to a society that tended to fear or be intimidated by human beings his size.

Two decades of Shaq, in a nutshell? A conference title in Orlando.  The move to LA.  Falling in step with Kobe Bryant to produce championships.  Falling out with Kobe to trigger a breakup.  Another title, this one with Dwyane Wade in Miami.  A basketball vagabond, drifting between three teams in four years.  Finally, the ungraceful, quiet exit, sealed by a tweet.

And now, after 19 years, that’s a wrap.  To borrow a Shaqism, it was, for the most part, a Shaqtacular ride.

Post Courtesy of NBA.com

Road To Finals Video

Finals Predictions

It has been a long-awaited journey for both the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

It was 5 years ago since they battled each other in 2006.  It was the Mavericks who sealed the deal after two games but then Pat Riley wanted the Heat to step it up.  They really wanted them to start playing like they are going to win it all and they did that by teamwork on the defensive and offensive side.  The Heat won it after 6 games.

Now it is the Mavericks time to look back and reflect on what happened that made the team fall in the finals, this time it is a harder finals.  What the Mavs are looking for is how they can stop Wade from attacking into the paint and who can guard him well.  The other question is who is getting LeBron and Bosh, well the answer is easy.  Dirk can handle  LeBron and Chandler can take Bosh.  Who take wade? The Mavs have Jason Terry who can get him but who takes him as the starter, well Beaubois can but he will get owned.

Lets look deeper into the Mavs-Heat line up plan that they have that can work out.  Jason Kidd will get Mike Bibby, Rodrigue Beaubois will get Dwyane Wade, Shwan Marion will get Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki will get LeBron James, and Tyson Chandler will get Erick Dampier.  This line up match up can really get underway.

“One of the best things about this rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals between the Heat and Mavericks is the credible arguments on behalf of each team. Who is the more valuable player, LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki? Does Miami have the edge because of the star power among James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, or does Dallas hold an advantage based on depth of talent across the rotation? Will the Heat defense dominate the series, or will Nowitzki prove impossible to guard?” – Ian Thompson, Sports Illustrated.

I predict that the Finals will reach to 6 games with Heat winning the title, eventhough the Heat lost both time to the Mavs in the reagular season they can pull it off with the title.  This is the Heats promise to win the whole thing after LeBron came to South Beach.  This title will be Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, and Erick Spolstra’s second title.

Italics Text is Pos Courtesy of NBA Facebook.

Mavericks Reach Finals

The Mavericks fought hard and they got the result they wanted and defeated teams from across the American border.  They proved once again that they are a true contender that can beat the best time in the world, they so did that with the sweep of the LA Lakers to 4 games.

The one thing that impressed the NBA world was whenever they were down they fought back and win.  Dirk Nowitzki was the man who took them back to the finals and now they have a chance to prove what they were proving the whole season and playoffs.

This is their chance to come back from the lost to Miami in 2006 when Dwyane Wade just over powered them by storm.

Charles Barkley Shows Finger

Yesteday, at the Miami Heat game Charles Barkley flips off  Miami Heat fans.

Dirk pours Thunder To Free Throw Line

It has been a week since the Mavericks swept the Lakers to 4 games and Dirk Proved that the only way to come back to the finals is when the best team in the league is knocked out.  He proved that he was unstoppable in-game 1 of the conference finals against the serging Thunder.  In the opening courter Dirk went for 5-5 field goals before heading to the bench.  At half dirk was 8-9 from the feild and had 21 points.  In the second half Dirk went crazy and completely outplayed who ever was gaurding him on the low post and whenever he dribbled into the paint.  Dirk got fouled a lot and went to the line 12 times to score 24 of his points and it was also history in the playoffs.  Jason Terry poured in 24 and JJ Barea gave 21 points of the bench.

Meanwhile when Dirk was shoting free throws Kevin Durant was scoring feild goals to keep the Thunder whithin close but his 40 points was not enough to secure a gane 1 win.  Russell Westbrook had a poor shoting game but still scored 20.

The Mavricks beat Thinder 121-112.

Mothers Day Dominance

On Mothers Day Billions of people in the world are celebrating their Moms or wives on how wonderful they are in their lives.  Mothers and wives are the only thing that is important to the NBA players when they celebrate the only person that brought or started their lives.  Especially when you are in Dallas watching the Mavericks spoil the Lakers playoffs run when they couldn’t get a single win.  Mothers and wives of the Mavericks team were having a fun night watching the players dominate the game.  Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, and JJ Barea came off the bench to dominate the Lakers with a combined of 75 points.

In the other hand the Lakers enjoyed being with their Moms and wives.  One thing that did not go so well was that their defence was the most disappointing in the playoffs up to date, every shot was like in their faces or and ones or wide open that could not be guarded.  The Lakers are no longer the Champions of the World.  Phil Jackson is considering that this game was his last and further update will be posted later.  They got destroyed by the score of 122-86.

Down in Atlanta the Bulls are looking for a 3-1 series with the MVP Derrick Rose leading the way.  It was a hard-fought game between these two teams but Atlanta got the better part by evening the series at 2-2.  The Hawks won 100-88.