Dirk & Mavericks Stop the Heat Cold and Steal Game 2

06/02/11

Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks had no business winning Game 2, but that didn't stop them from doing just that.

The Mavericks won Game 2 of the NBA Finals 95-93 with a last second layup from Dirk Nowitzki, and send the series back to Dallas tied up 1-1.

What seemed like a sure thing for the Miami Heat coming down to the final 7 minutes in the 4th quarter and up by 15, the Mavericks made their signature come back. We saw Dallas do the same exact thing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, making an unlikely push late in the 4th to steal a big game.

The combination of the Dallas Maverick defense,poor shot choice by the Miami Heat led to a ridiculous 22-5 run to end the game and steal a huge game in Miami. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Dallas Mavericks scoring the last 9 pts of the game, and hit all the clutch shots Dallas needed to get a win. Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said it best after the game. ""That's about as tough a fourth quarter as you can have. When it started to slide, it just kept on going."

"The Big 3" for Miami played extremely well all game long, and combined for 68 of the 93 pts. Lebron, Bosh, and Wade all had their share of highlight dunks, put-backs, but in the end the Heat scored less than the Mavericks and that's all that counts. Dwyane Wade had the biggest game of the big 3 by scoring 36 pts, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Lebron James scored just 20 pts on just 15 shot attempts, but had 5 turnovers that really hurt the Heat down the stretch. Chris Bosh gave his critics another reason to say he's still a soft player, scoring only 12 pts on 4-16 shooting, and most of his shots coming from outside jump shots. He was anything but an inside force that the Miami Heat so desperately need from him. Bosh said this after the dissapointing loss: "We just didn't execute down the stretch," Bosh said. "There's no shock. There's disappointment. But the reality is the reality. We might as well get used to it and focus on the next one."

Going back to why we questioned Miami's possible deep run in the Playoffs from the start was the Miami depth, bench scoring ability, and the big man presence they lack. Throughout their run so far in the Playoffs we really haven't had much to question on those areas, but after tonights loss, I can't help but point to those areas of concern. Miami got a whopping 11 total pts from their bench, and 12 pts coming from their big men-if you count Bosh as that player, since Joel Anthony put up a goose egg in the scoring department. That's not going to cut it against a much deeper team in Dallas.

Like I said earlier, the Dallas Mavericks had no business whatsoever winning this game, period. They really didn't play well throughout the entire game, minus the last 7 minutes where they really focused on the task at hand. Dallas has to be one of the most resilient teams we've seen, getting wins when they aren't even playing well. Jason Terry had this to say after the game: ""You can just sense it in us that we weren't going to give up, we were going to be resilient." But, that's what great teams do, win even when they aren't at their best.

The Mavericks got great play once again out of Shawn Marion, who has revived his play in the Playoffs. Marion scored a much needed 20 pts on 9-14 shooting, adding 8 rebounds, with 3 of those being offensive rebounds. On an offense that at times looked lethargic, Marion gave the Mavericks that boost when they needed it, and his hustle really sparked the Mavericks down the stretch. Jason Terry also proved huge in the 4th quarter, scoring 8 of his 16 pts in the 4th quarter.

Jason Kidd had a very odd game, having 5 turnovers himself, but had 6 pts, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kidd hit a huge 3 pt shot that brought Dallas within 6 pts with 3:54 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Dirk Nowitzki also having an odd game, losing 5 turnovers also. But, Dirk more than made up for it when he took over the game when it meant the most. Dirk ended up with 24 pts, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. His demeanor early on in the game just looked off, like he didn't have that killer instinct that he's been playing with all Playoffs long, until the 4th quarter. He came alive when he hit a shot with 2:44 left in the game, and got Dallas within 2 pts. He wouldn't miss after that, and was the entire offense for Dallas down the stretch. That's what great players do.

Moving onto Game 3, the series switches to Dallas for the next three games. Will Dallas come out the new NBA Champions at home, or will we see this series go 6 or 7 games?

Ask Mark Cuban, I'm sure he'll have your answer.

http://www.nba.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1106/finals.game2/content.12.html

Heat Stun Bulls, Head to NBA Finals

05/26/11

The Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 83-80 in Game 5 and claimed their spot in the Finals once again.

"The Big 3" came together for one reason, and one reason only...to win a championship, and they are now looking at their opportunity.

After the game I couldn't help but think that I just watched the Thunder vs Mavericks Game 5 meltdown all over again. After leading most of the game and all the way up to the final minute of the 4th quarter, the Bulls just lost it. Their offense couldn't score any points, and their defense couldn't prevent a colossal collapse.

Lebron James. What's there to say that hasn't already been said? He has finally taken the pressure and turned it into something that he looks forward to. He was bold, he was precise, but most of all he was clutch. Before this series I would have had some real doubt that he would of made, or even taken most of the shots he so bodly took. Give him credit for stepping up and being the go to guy when the Heat needed someone to step up.

Lebron finished with 28 pts, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Where wasn't he at on the court? This was the one biggest game of Lebron's career, and he more than showed up, he dominated on both sides of the ball.

The side-kick in the Batman and Robin show had yet another less than stellar performance. Dwayne Wade did however show up when it counted the most, in the 4th quarter when the Heat desperately needed a big shot. With 1:30 left in the 4th quarter Dwayne Wade made one of the most unlikely plays, he hit a 3 pt shot and got fouled by Derrick Rose on the shot, giving him a very rare 4 pt play and getting the Heat within 3 points of the Bulls 79-76. Wade looked less than comfortable all game long, and had his left shoulder iced heavily before the game. Even with his rhythm off, Wade scored 21 pts and added 6 rebounds and was a pivotal part in the Heat's run where they wiped out a 12 pt deficit, and clinched the series.

Chris Bosh was steady once again for the Heat, and was more consistent throughout the series than Wade was. Bosh totaled 20 pts and 10 rebounds, while also adding 4 block shots. Bosh earned some praise after his play this series, and should be commended for stepping up and proving that he can be a star when called on. The Heat are definitely going to need this type of play out of him if they plan on winning a championship.

Derrick Rose shot the ball 29 times. That's right, 29. I wrote an article previously about Derrick Rose, and I said then the same thing I say now, no point guard should shoot the ball 29 times and expect his team to win. Especially when you shoot 9-29 from the field and only get to the line 6 times. Was anyone else on the Bulls team shooting particularly well? No, but that doesn't discount the fact the he stopped getting others involved and tried to take over himself. Trust, and experience coming down to the wire were the main factors in the Bulls collapse, much like the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Chicago Bulls had a tremendous season, as well as MVP Derrick Rose, but they weren't ready for the big show quite yet. They'll be back, and maybe this offseason they will look to add a little bit of firepower to a staggering offense. Nothing to be ashamed about in Chicago, the Heat were just a better team this year.

With the Miami heat wrapping their series up over the Bulls, they now have to prepare once again to face the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. 5 years ago we saw the same exact matchup, with a whole different makeup of players and coaches. This matchup is going to be a great one, with so many different stories to go off of.

Who will get their first ring....Lebron or Dirk?

Image Source Page: http://rosebudmag.com/top-10-sports-2010

Miami Heat Win Thriller In OT, Go Up 3-1 In Series

05/24/11

Derrick Rose may have been the MVP in the regular season, but he isn't ready for the big show quite yet.

The Miami Heat won Game 4 in overtime by the score of 101-93 and went up 3-1 in the series.

Given, they did what they were supposed to do, and covered their homecourt advantage. But with that, the Miami Heat are one game away from the NBA Finals.

Lebron James had another huge game, going for 35 pts, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Chris Bosh added some big shots down the stretch in the 4th quarter, and in OT, finishing with 22 pts and 6 rebounds. Dwayne Wade had what you would call a terrible game. He shot 5-16 from the field, and had 14 pts. Even going 33 straight minutes without scoring a single point. But even with Wade not having a good game, the Heat still managed to get a win. Overtime was where the "Big 3" shined, scoring all 16 pts in overtime for the Heat and leading the the way to victory.

Even though the Heat didn't play their best basketball tonight, they still got the win. That's what tough teams are made of, and their defense carried them once again, getting stops when they needed to.

Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade both had some huge individual defensive plays in the 4th quarter and OT. Lebron forced Rose to take an awful last second shot with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation, and sent the game into OT. Then in overtime Wade got a huge block on a Rose 3 pt attempt. At that point the momentum had really swung in Miami's favor, and got the Heat up by 2. The Heat would never trail again.

Once again the Miami Heat shut down Derrick Rose, and forced others to make plays. That didn't bode too well. Rose once again had a bad shooting performance going 8-27 from the field and 1-9 from behind the arc. The Heat defense also forced Rose to have 7 turnovers, and a total of 19 from the Bulls team. Your best player, and point guard can't shoot that bad against a team that isn't giving up many points throughout this entire playoffs. Rose has shot 36% in the series against the Heat, shooting a combined 33-91 from the field. Rose had this to say after the game: "Tonight, definitely it was on me. I had two opportunities to end the game. Couldn't do it. If anything, learn from it. Too many turnovers. Really was my fault but I'm going to learn from it." That sums it all up.
The Bulls did get good play out of Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng, who both scored 20 pts and each shot 50% from the field. But, the next highest scorer on the Bulls was Ronnie Brewer, who had a whopping 7 pts. The Chicago Bulls as a team shot 6-24 from the 3 pt line, and as a team shot 40.2% from the field. That just won't get it done with a team as good as the Miami Heat, who are a much more efficient team. The Miami Heat took 12 less shots, and had less turnovers than the Bulls.

The Bulls turnovers, and bad possessions down the line is what killed them. The Bulls also only shot 22 free throws compared to the Heat's 38 attempts. The Heat were taking it to the Bulls, and getting intot he lane. The Bulls weren't repaying the favor on the other side of the court, and was the single reason alone that the Heat had more free throw attempts.

Heading back to Chicago after this tough of a loss will sure be interesting to see how the Bulls will respond. After the game the players looked and sounded deflated. Will they come out with energy at home for one last stand at taking back this series? Or will they come out and play like an already beaten team?

With both of the series at 3-1, I think we can go ahead and say that we can expect another Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat Finals matchup. This time, it's a completely different look, for both teams.

Two of the hottest players in Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James meeting head to head in the Finals should make for an awesome series.

But first, both teams need to close out their opponents.

Image Source Page: http://yala100.deviantart.com/art/LeBron-James-Miami-Heat-165944815?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Ayala100&qo=0

Miami Heat Get Win, Go Up 2-1 In Series

05/22/11

Defense, defense, defense.

That's the theme of the series, and that's what champions are made of.

How many times have you heard players, coaches, etc say that "defense wins championships". Countless. It's been proven over time that the better defensive teams make it the farthest when the playoffs roll around.

Here we are, in the Eastern Conference Finals with two of the best teams in the NBA in most defensive categories. Both teams with head coaches that have been preaching that defense will get them where they want to be, NBA Champions.

Obviously one team will have to lose, and one team will move on to the Championship round. But, nobody is playing better defense than the Miami Heat. The reason they are up 2-1 in the series, is defense.

They Miami Heat have taken away the MVP in Derrick Rose, and forced the other Bulls players to step up. They flat out haven't. How can you expect to beat any team when you go on to shoot 41.6% in Game 3, and 34.1% in Game 2? You can't, and you won't. Give the Miami Heat team as a whole credit for coming up with a game plan to slow down Derrick Rose. This coming after losing all 3 regular season games to the Bulls, and Game 1 of the series.This series turned around for the Heat when they bought back into the idea that defense would get them wins, and since then they are 2-0.

The final score of Game 3 was 96-85, with the "Big Three" scoring the bulk of points, racking up a combined 73 points.

Chris Bosh dominated in Game 3. Bosh scored 34 points, while shooting 13-18 from the floor and 8-10 from the line.Lebron James went on to almost record another triple double, netting 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists. Lebron only shot the ball 13 times, but the biggest part of Lebron's game today was the fact that he had 0 turnovers while running the point position in crucial times.

On the Chicago Bulls side, Carlos Boozer had his best performance of the series with 26 points, and 17 rebounds. Boozer's performance was obviously not enough to help the Bulls get the victory, but is a positive sign for the Bulls, who haven't seen much production from him in the Playoffs.

The fact still remains that Derrick Rose has to be the MVP he was named for being in the regular season. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has got to come up with a better plan on the offensive side other than the same old pick-and-roll option they've been running. The Heat have been keying in on Rose, doubling him off the pick-and-roll and getting him into positions where he has to give up the ball and hope one of his other teammates makes a play. That's not how the Bulls got into the Playoffs, and are ineffective when Rose has the ball taken out of his hands. Rose doesn't need the ball all the time necessarily just to score, but to keep the Heat defense on their toes and get others involved. The Bulls change that, and they could change things around offensively.

Defensively for the Bulls, they haven't been bad at all. Holding the Heat to 82, and 85 in the first two games of the series. It's when the Bulls give up over 90 that they have a hard time keeping the game close, especially with their offense struggling mightily.

The series isn't over obviously, but some major changes need to happen for the Chicago Bulls if they want to go back to Chicago with the series tied up at 2 games a piece.

For the Miami Heat. Just keep playing defense, it's going to get you to the final round if you keep it up.

Image Source Page: http://crankuptheheat.net/miami-wins-chris-bosh’s-toronto-homecoming/