Dallas wins first ever title!
Daniel Ellrich
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks and even more congrats to Dirk, J- Kidd, Marion, Terry, and the rest of the players who fought through so much adversity and struggled through a long season and a long exciting playoff series. Congrats on taking down the NBA Juggernaut in the Miami Heat. This win tonight for Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry couldn’t have came at a better time in their careers. With their age catching up to them these types of opportunities just don’t come around to often if at all for most NBA Players.
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks and even more congrats to Dirk, J- Kidd, Marion, Terry, and the rest of the players who fought through so much adversity and struggled through a long season and a long exciting playoff series. Congrats on taking down the NBA Juggernaut in the Miami Heat. This win tonight for Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry couldn’t have came at a better time in their careers. With their age catching up to them these types of opportunities just don’t come around to often if at all for most NBA Players.
Lebron James had the quietest triple double in finals history last night. He did manage to score 2 points in the fourth quarter, however the lead for Dallas was too much and there was only about 35 secs left in the game and to top it off Dallas basically let him score his layup! Is it time to completely pull Lebron's name out of the “Greatest Ever” club. It doesn’t make sense to compare this guy to Jordan. It doesn’t make sense to compare this guy to Jason Terry based on Terry’s performance in last night’s game 5 win.
“I could have made a couple of more plays for my team," James said. "But at the end of the day, all it's about is a win or a loss. Triple-double means absolutely nothing in a loss. So we will be better in Game 6 on Sunday."
How many time this series are we going to hear this out of Lebron?
What else does Wade have to do to carry this former MVP on his shoulders? Wade left the game suffering a hip injury in the second quarter. He returned and finished with 23 points. 6 points more than the KING who didn’t miss any time during the game.
"I don't talk about injuries," Wade said. "It was unfortunate I had to leave the game, but I came back and finished it."
Wade has done nothing but show the world why Lebron and Bosh came to him. He is a solid player and he is big time player, not afraid of the spotlight. NOT AFRAID OF THE FOURTH QUARTER.
If you are coach Spoelstra do you bench Lebron in the fourth quarter? Do you solely rely on hope alone that maybe Lebron will remember how to play basketball? If you do decide to rely on hope, you have to always think that hope is going to lose you a National Championship. If Mike Miller was playing awful in the fourth quarter…. You would bench him to help your team, and no one would say anything to you about your decision. Why is James different? What has he proved ..(in this series) to make you still believe he is capable of being a contributor offensively when it really matters.
Dirk Nowitzki once again had a stunning performance in the game 5 win finishing with 29 points. Dirk got a gift in last night’s game from some fellow teammates late in the game. Jason and Jason law firm had Dirk’s back in the fourth quarter. Dirk normally is a do it yourself guy and typically takes over the game with about 7 mins left. Last night though he sought out help from his lawyers Jason and Jason. Jason kidd hit big time free throws and a big time three pointer late in the fourth. Jason Terry stole to show with 21 points on 3-5 shooting from behind the arc. Terry was making play after play in the fourth quarter and after a big time pass to kidd for a three. Terry made a three from about 4 feet behind the line with 2 secs left on the shot clock.
I can’t see the Heat winning two games back to back, even at home. The Mavericks are too good of a team and Dirk is too good of a player. Wade is right there with Nowitzki but based on the first 5 games of this series, it looks like Dirk just wants it more. The Mavericks shot 60% in last night’s game and if they shoot anywhere near that in 1 of the 2 games in Miami, It’s over.
"We made more shots," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We did a lot of good things defensively, which led to good offense. ... You never know when the games are going to go that way. The thing we've got to do is we've got to make sure our defense is consistent."
Lebron is going to have to have a Chicago series like performance in both games at home for Miami to even have a chance to win this series. Wade and Bosh could potentially pull it off by themselves, but a little help from Bron Bron would be nice I’m sure.
Are you really shocked!.
What else does Wade have to do to get the Heat their second championship. D. Wade 32 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Huge Blocks in the fourth and no support from Robin. Lebron James finished the game with 8 points, his lowest scoring postseason game ever. Offense should never be a problem for the Miami Heat. Lebron James has Jordan like offensive skills mixed with Magic Johnson passing abilities and Defense like Bruce Bowen. On Tuesday night he looked more like a second string, off the bench, player for a bad team in the NBA. When asked about the loss to the Mavs, Lebron said:
"I've got to do a better job of being more assertive offensively," said James, who nonetheless contributed nine rebounds and seven assists. "I'm confident in my ability. It's just about going out there and knocking them down."
"These are two teams trying to figure out a way to make plays down the stretch,"
"We've seen in this series a seven- or eight-point lead is nothing. You just got to continue to execute offensively, continue to grind defensively, and put yourself in the best possible chance to win late."
Chris Bosh did his part finishing the game with 24 points. Bosh had a solid performance and I take back what I have said in previous posts about Bosh’s role on the team. He actually does complete the big three and has played very well in this series. He has grown into the spotlight throughout these playoffs. I feel it was easy to standout in Toronto and he has had to really step his game up.
Jason Terry took on the challenge by teammate Dirk Nowitzki with open arms last night. Dirk had commented on the Jet saying “He hasn’t really been a clutch player for us in this series. We need to do more, as a team to get him involved”. Terry responded by making play after play last night including two big plays in the fourth quarter to get his team in position to win the game. He finished with 17 points.
Dirk Nowitzki went to the doctor and got a dose of LEGENDARY on Tuesday. Playing with a fever of 102 F Dirk had a Jordan like performance against the Heat scoring 21 points and the game winner. Jordan score 38 in 1997 and still holds the best “sick performance” in history. Tyson Chandler was asked about Dirks condition after the game and he said “Dirk couldn’t really talk without coughing and sneezing during pregame shoot around.” At the postgame podium a sniffling and coughing Dirk said . "This is the finals. You have to go out there and compete and try your best for your team. So that's what I did."
The Mavs tied the series once again at 2 a-piece and game 5 is at Dallas and the Mavs look to take the series lead heading into Miami for Game 6 and 7(if nec)
Oh by the way…… Brian Cardinal sighting!!!!!
Finals
D-Wade is on fire. I think it is safe to say that D- Wade is the clear leader of this Miami Heat team. When leaving the arena after last night’s win against the Mavs the big three walked back to the locker room in a fitting order of importance. It was as follows, D-Wade, the leader followed by James and then Bosh. Lebron needs a player like Wade to lean on and Bosh needs both Lebron and Wade.
From the opening tip this game was …. a toss-up. The heat once again jumped out to a lead and the Mavs once again fought their way back in the fourth quarter. With an unlikely game winning shot by none other than Chris Bosh, with 39.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Heat were able to take a 2-1 series lead in this “grind it out” series. Just two possessions before bosh hit the sideline jumper to win the game, he turned down the same shot and the shot clock expired giving Dallas a chance to take the lead. D-Wade had some words with Bosh right after the play. Wade told Bosh to “take the open shot every time.” Bosh apparently listened.
The big three seem to have found their individual roles on a team full of stars. D-Wade at the beginning of the year tried to play good guy and step back a bit to allow James and Bosh a chance to prosper. As the season went on it was clear that this heat team was Wade’s. Throughout these playoffs Lebron has had big shots and big games, and Bosh has stepped up when called upon, but Wade is on a straight line towards the Finals MVP once again. He and Dirk had a wild west style shootout in the fourth. They seemed to have taken over the game and the other 8 players were simply watching the one on one playground match. It is clear to see how much Wade and Nowitzki want to win this series.
Wade finished up with 29 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk.
Dirk finished up with 34 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk
These are clear frontrunner MVP numbers. If the Mavs win , its Dirk’s , if the Heat win its Wade’s.
From the opening tip this game was …. a toss-up. The heat once again jumped out to a lead and the Mavs once again fought their way back in the fourth quarter. With an unlikely game winning shot by none other than Chris Bosh, with 39.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Heat were able to take a 2-1 series lead in this “grind it out” series. Just two possessions before bosh hit the sideline jumper to win the game, he turned down the same shot and the shot clock expired giving Dallas a chance to take the lead. D-Wade had some words with Bosh right after the play. Wade told Bosh to “take the open shot every time.” Bosh apparently listened.
The big three seem to have found their individual roles on a team full of stars. D-Wade at the beginning of the year tried to play good guy and step back a bit to allow James and Bosh a chance to prosper. As the season went on it was clear that this heat team was Wade’s. Throughout these playoffs Lebron has had big shots and big games, and Bosh has stepped up when called upon, but Wade is on a straight line towards the Finals MVP once again. He and Dirk had a wild west style shootout in the fourth. They seemed to have taken over the game and the other 8 players were simply watching the one on one playground match. It is clear to see how much Wade and Nowitzki want to win this series.
Wade finished up with 29 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk.
Dirk finished up with 34 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk
These are clear frontrunner MVP numbers. If the Mavs win , its Dirk’s , if the Heat win its Wade’s.
the FOURTH
The fourth quarter was in full effect tonight. Dirk Nowitzki put the weight of Dallas Texas on his shoulders, and his injured finger, making the biggest lay up of his NBA career. The Mavericks shocked the heat tonight and proved that the big three are actually human. With six minutes left in the fourth quarter the Miami Heat were up by fifteen points on the, what seemed to be, broken Mavericks. Lebron was dunking at will. D- Wade was hitting three pointers falling from the corner and the Heat had the American Airlines Arena as loud as it has ever been.
Like so many times before, the Dallas Mavericks somehow found a way to keep their NBA Finals dreams alive. What seems to be a growing trend for Dallas they fought their way back into the game and eventually took the lead with under a minute to go with a big three point shot by Dirk. The Heat then inbounded the ball from half court and caught Jason Terry sleeping on the play. Lebron threw a “Manning to Wayne” across the court pass to the wide open Mario Chalmers who drained a huge three point shot to tie the game with 24.5 seconds left to play.
Dallas inbounded the ball to none other than Dirk Nowitzki. With Bosh guarding him Dirk made a couple moves and got around Bosh and with no help defense was able to lay the ball up with his left hand to give the Mavs a lead with 5 seconds left. That was all it took as Wade missed a 40 footer with time expiring to even the series at 1 a piece. It would seem almost wrong to have assumed this series wasn’t going to turn out this way. Watching the big three play so well all game and then the veteran hard headed Mavericks find a way to grind it out.
With 6 minutes and 58 secs left in the fourth the heat called a time out and I can only assume Coach Spoelstra was trying to tell his guys that Dallas was going to make a run. He knew the way Dallas had played all throughout the playoffs and he knew all too well that dirk wasn’t going to give in without a fight. The Dallas Mavericks made a 22 - 5 run With a 15 point lead the Heat shot three consecutive unnecessary 3 point shots , two of which were off balanced shots. All the time the Mavericks were taking high percentage shots and inching their way closer to the lead. The Mavericks outrebounded the Heat 41-30 in tonights win. It was the first lost at home in this year’s postseason for the Heat. They are now 9-1 at home in the post season this year. James/Wade/Bosh combined for 68 points and 21 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 11 rebounds. The last team to come back by 15 points in a NBA Finals game was in 1992. The Chicago Bulls came back to beat the Portland Trailblazers 79-64.
Like so many times before, the Dallas Mavericks somehow found a way to keep their NBA Finals dreams alive. What seems to be a growing trend for Dallas they fought their way back into the game and eventually took the lead with under a minute to go with a big three point shot by Dirk. The Heat then inbounded the ball from half court and caught Jason Terry sleeping on the play. Lebron threw a “Manning to Wayne” across the court pass to the wide open Mario Chalmers who drained a huge three point shot to tie the game with 24.5 seconds left to play.
Dallas inbounded the ball to none other than Dirk Nowitzki. With Bosh guarding him Dirk made a couple moves and got around Bosh and with no help defense was able to lay the ball up with his left hand to give the Mavs a lead with 5 seconds left. That was all it took as Wade missed a 40 footer with time expiring to even the series at 1 a piece. It would seem almost wrong to have assumed this series wasn’t going to turn out this way. Watching the big three play so well all game and then the veteran hard headed Mavericks find a way to grind it out.
With 6 minutes and 58 secs left in the fourth the heat called a time out and I can only assume Coach Spoelstra was trying to tell his guys that Dallas was going to make a run. He knew the way Dallas had played all throughout the playoffs and he knew all too well that dirk wasn’t going to give in without a fight. The Dallas Mavericks made a 22 - 5 run With a 15 point lead the Heat shot three consecutive unnecessary 3 point shots , two of which were off balanced shots. All the time the Mavericks were taking high percentage shots and inching their way closer to the lead. The Mavericks outrebounded the Heat 41-30 in tonights win. It was the first lost at home in this year’s postseason for the Heat. They are now 9-1 at home in the post season this year. James/Wade/Bosh combined for 68 points and 21 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 11 rebounds. The last team to come back by 15 points in a NBA Finals game was in 1992. The Chicago Bulls came back to beat the Portland Trailblazers 79-64.
Finals
Think back to July 8th 2010. What were you doing? I was sitting on my couch watching Lebron's Decision and thinking to myself " the Heat are going to win the NBA Finals this season." All of america criticized the Heat and most of all Lebron. Was it a dumb decision to go to Miami. On July 8th 2010 it was the worst decision ever. Looking back on the whole thing, it is safe to say it was a very smart decision. The Heat are playing like champions and most importantly they are closing out games in the fourth quarters. The Bulls much like the Thunder are inexperienced and clearly lacked the maturity of the Heat and the Mav's. Both the Heat and the Mavs won multiple playoff games in the fourth quarter, but what happens when both teams are clutch in the fourth? What happens when both teams are mature and full of experienced all stars. The finals give way to so many stories such as Dirk vs Wade (the rematch), the decision, Jason Kidd and Shaun Marion getting their jewelry. When watching the Heat play I say "no one can beat these guys." When watching Dallas I say "no one can beat these guys." These finals are going to be spectacular and full of surprises. Im picking the Heat.... no wait, i'm going with the Mav's... well but Lebron...but Dirk.. im just gunna enjoy the games.
GREAT YEAR PACERS!
When all is said and done
The Indiana Pacers played the bulls extremely well in the playoffs. After a season to forget they managed to prove to the world they were better than their record. They left us with hope for next year and hopefully a preview of how good they will be.
The Indiana Pacers played the bulls extremely well in the playoffs. After a season to forget they managed to prove to the world they were better than their record. They left us with hope for next year and hopefully a preview of how good they will be.
Back to the Finals
What does one think about Mark Cuban Standing in the middle of the dallas team, during the celebration, with the shirt and the cap on as if he just ran up and down the floor for four quarters. Is it a good thing for a team owner to be that involved with his team and what do the players think of their CEO jumping around after the game? Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks and to owner Mark Cuban. Im Predicting a rematch between D-wade and Dirk just like the only other time these two players were in the finals. However I feel like Dirk has others plans for the finals. If im the Dallas Mavericks im praying for a Chicago comeback in tonights game 5 against the Heat
Lebron James
Shhhhhh! Lebron continues to quiet the critics with his perfomances in this years playoffs. In last nights 35 point game, Lebron took on the responsibility of gaurding D-Rose and completely took him out of the game. Rose shot 8 for 27 and turned the ball over 7 times. D - Wade had two huge blocks towards the end of the game. Lebron's Diving on the floor and Bosh is hitting jumpers from the top of the key. I cant think of a team left in the playoffs that can keep up with the Heat, When the Heat are playing as well as they are.
Where is the NBA now?
Daniel Ellrich
When I was growing up the Pacers had Miller, the Bulls had Jordan, the Knicks had Ewing, the Suns had Barkley, the Sonics had Kemp, the Spurs had Robinson, and so on (you get the point). 1 star 1 team, the league was built on it. Cities took pride in their lone star. Today the league is split down the middle. The heat with the big TWO (come on, Bosh held his own in Toronto, but paired up with James and Wade he is simply another player on a team). The Celtics did well with their big three. It is becoming a trend in the league to stack teams. This year's playoffs are a great example of which style of NBA team is the best. Break down the east. Heat vs Bulls. Heat have James and Wade while the Bulls have the traditional Superstar in Rose. The West isn't much different with the Mavs vs the OKC Thunder. In this matchup we have Dirk with the Mavs and Durrant and Westbrook with the Thunder. In these games look for the important shots, key plays, the last second game winner. I believe it is safe to say the Bulls and the Mavs have the upper hand in those fields simply due to the fact that sharing is not an option. Will James take the shot, or will it be Wade, or will they get confused? Westbrook feels he has what it takes to lead the Thunder but the rest of the country knows very well that it's Durrant's team. I'm excited to see where these matchups take us. Is it 1 star or 2 stars that will end up on top
When I was growing up the Pacers had Miller, the Bulls had Jordan, the Knicks had Ewing, the Suns had Barkley, the Sonics had Kemp, the Spurs had Robinson, and so on (you get the point). 1 star 1 team, the league was built on it. Cities took pride in their lone star. Today the league is split down the middle. The heat with the big TWO (come on, Bosh held his own in Toronto, but paired up with James and Wade he is simply another player on a team). The Celtics did well with their big three. It is becoming a trend in the league to stack teams. This year's playoffs are a great example of which style of NBA team is the best. Break down the east. Heat vs Bulls. Heat have James and Wade while the Bulls have the traditional Superstar in Rose. The West isn't much different with the Mavs vs the OKC Thunder. In this matchup we have Dirk with the Mavs and Durrant and Westbrook with the Thunder. In these games look for the important shots, key plays, the last second game winner. I believe it is safe to say the Bulls and the Mavs have the upper hand in those fields simply due to the fact that sharing is not an option. Will James take the shot, or will it be Wade, or will they get confused? Westbrook feels he has what it takes to lead the Thunder but the rest of the country knows very well that it's Durrant's team. I'm excited to see where these matchups take us. Is it 1 star or 2 stars that will end up on top
05/24/2011
MAN AMONGST BOYS
With another 40 point performance, from the future hall-of-famer Dirk Nowitzki, it is safe to say the young thunder are out of these playoffs. When the fourth quarter started the Thunder had a commanding 15 point lead and just assumed the ball was going to go their way. The experienced Mav's had other plans. The Thunder gave the game away and fell into a 3-1 trap in the western conference finals. The Thunder looked completely shocked at the end of the game. How will they respond to such a loss and will Durrant be able to save their finals birth.
With another 40 point performance, from the future hall-of-famer Dirk Nowitzki, it is safe to say the young thunder are out of these playoffs. When the fourth quarter started the Thunder had a commanding 15 point lead and just assumed the ball was going to go their way. The experienced Mav's had other plans. The Thunder gave the game away and fell into a 3-1 trap in the western conference finals. The Thunder looked completely shocked at the end of the game. How will they respond to such a loss and will Durrant be able to save their finals birth.
05/23/2011
With BIG help from Bosh the Heat were able to put together a win at home take the lead in this series Chris Bosh hit 13 of his final 15 shots and finished with 34 points. does this legitimize his spot in the Big Three? Lebron once again came up big in the fourth quarter ending the game with 22 points and 10 assists. The Heat remain undefeated at home in this years playoffs. Great for the ticket holders, bad for the opposing teams playing there.
5/19/2011
Dirk went off last night! The mavs put the Thunder on panic alert with a convincing win at home. Dirk is playing at the top of his game in this years playoffs. Last nights performance included an NBA Playoff record setting 24 of 24 from the free throw line and 15 of 18 from the field. Durrant had a game himself but was overshadowed by Dirk's record night and JJ Berea's 4th quarter shooting spree.
Tonight the Bulls look to take control of the series with another win at home. James and Wade have different plans and look to even things up.
Tonight the Bulls look to take control of the series with another win at home. James and Wade have different plans and look to even things up.
5/17/2011
Chicago proved why they are the overall number 1 seed in the playoffs with a win over the Heat in game 1.
Durrant and Westbrook proved that they are not the young guns of the west by capping off a great series at home with a big game 7 victory. Z-Bo and his grizzlies had a great run and brought some much needed excitement to the NBA. They look to have a promising future with a group of tough competitors and maybe a rising star in LIL' Gasol. Four teams left in the Playoffs. The Heat, Bulls, Mavs, and the Thunder still dreaming of bringing the trophy to their cities.
Durrant and Westbrook proved that they are not the young guns of the west by capping off a great series at home with a big game 7 victory. Z-Bo and his grizzlies had a great run and brought some much needed excitement to the NBA. They look to have a promising future with a group of tough competitors and maybe a rising star in LIL' Gasol. Four teams left in the Playoffs. The Heat, Bulls, Mavs, and the Thunder still dreaming of bringing the trophy to their cities.
