Western Conference Finals: Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder

sorry Ice , but i dont see that..... You're tellin me Haslem and Bosh have a better chance of slowing down Dirk than Marion/Brewer/Stevenson/ have of slowing down Lebron or Wade???....I just dont see that!!....at least not consistently

 

Why won't some of you wait to see if Miami and Dallas play to analyze that series

 

Jason Kidd has been playing insane defense this postseason. i'd like to see it continue on Wade ?

 

He even denied Durant from getting the ball though. If you have that big of an height advantage over your defender there is no way he would be able to keep you from getting the ball.

 

just kidding. we should know after tonight if Miami is gonna be in for sure

 

by my math (I may be wrong), but thats 8 minutes of valuable game time used to rest them.....And like you said , at least 1 will be on the floor....But the offense seems to sputter when one is out IMO....thats prime Dallas Bench Takeover time.......God I cant believe Im fending for the Mavs...i didnt even know they existed prior to this playoff season.......

 

because by that time everybody will be analyzing it....wont be original

 

if it's Dallas-Miami

i think the loaded Dallas bench is the difference

 

Yes, and I disagree. I think he's had it tougher these last two games in OKC, but will admit that's in part due to the refs allowing Collison to make love to Diggler.

I haven't once said anything, anywhere about Dallas beating Miami in the Finals.

I think Marion-LeBron will be on par with Marion-Durant.
I think Dirk will have it easier against white gloves Bosh than he has against anyone else.
I think Wade will romp and stomp through anyone Dallas tries to put on him.
I also think Dallas is going to employ solid pack the paint defense all series and not ask anyone to defend the stars one on one.
Miami's shown that it prefers to use perimeter ballhawking to get stops.

I think Miami having homecourt will assure them the title.

 

and on the topic of the Thunder being figured out in crunch time:

I think this is where it kills them that
They don't have a true blue third option
They don't have 3 point snipers
Their bigs are offensive liabilities
Their best player doesn't handle the ball particularly well
Their best player doesn't create for others particularly well
Their point guard has a bad habit of going kamikaze style 1-on-5 if the play doesn't develop quickly enough for him

They seriously need a 4 or 5 that can start a play from the high post, run Westbrook or Durant off the high screen, and nail the 18 footer if they're doubled.

Something has to change. A PG that doesn't pass, a franchise player that can't create well, and only one good role player on offense is an iffy mix.

 

How do you win boards 55-33, blocks 9-2 and blow 15-pt lead w/ 4:50 left? YOU COMMIT 25 TURNOVERS & YOUR 2 STARS COULDN'T SCORE DOWN STRETCH

 

You are right. We are derailing the thread. But the series is essentially over. Well, not the Miami one.

 

Anyone suggesting that Bosh/Haslem will somehow make life more difficult for Dirk than Collison/Ibaka is living in the clouds. Dirk is not going to be denied by Bosh. HASLEM, if they allow the mugging defense he got away with in 2006, will have at least a SHOT. Bosh would just be a matter of Dirk making/missing, as is almost always the case.

Kidd's defense will not stop Wade or Lebron. But I guarantee you he won't get called for ticky-tack fouls. Nor will Marion. Nor will Stevenson. They all have good to great reputations as defenders. Those reputations buy a lot of aggressiveness. It's the same stuff Bruce Bowen got away with for years. His, supposed, excellent defense was a factor of NBA officials allowing him to get away with more contact than any other player in the league. In the past, Dallas has had decent (but none good/great) perimeter defenders but every time they tried to reach for a steal, the offensive player would get the call. This is the first playoffs I can remember in the past 11 years where the mavs guards are generating turnovers.

Contrast that with 2006 and I don't think it's going to be AS EASY as people are making it out to be for Wade/Lebron to toast the Dallas defense. Besides, I've not seen all that much penetration from either of them lately. Lebron seems to dribble for a while and NAIL a ridiculous 30ft fade-away. If I'm Dallas, that's a win. So I just hope they rely on jump shots.

When Bosh and Lebron both signed with Miami, I told my coworkers "Why even play the season? It's over." I still think Miami will more than likely pull off the win if the two teams were to meet in the finals. But Dallas has proven itself at least as much as Miami in these playoffs. Portland (48 wins), LA (57 wins), and OKC (55 wins) is on par than Philadelphia (41 wins), Boston (56 wins), and Chicago (62 wins). And if anything, I think Dallas' run is much more impressive considering the overall distribution of wins amongst the conferences. Like, Portland - if they got to play the majority of their games against the East, would likely have been a 50+ win team. Likewise, Boston would have been closer to the low 50s.

Finally, Dallas has been unbelievably impressive on the road in these playoffs. They've won 5 in a row on the road.

 

+1, the Mavs are deplorable.

The people here pole jocking the Mavs claim "they haven't done anything for us to hate them" are typically the same people who are crying "omg teh decision, I hate the Heatz!!1!"

Some are just straight nut-riders, and need t take it to a Mavs board with their gushing Mavs love. Eh, dick riders gonna dick ride.

 

Actually I live in LA. Just a die hard Rockets fan.

 

Terrible shot by KD, 8 feet behind the 3 pt line? Come on.

Mavs well on there way to the championship..

 

LOL. Heat supporters are true Rockets fans, and those don't mind Mavs winning are nut riders.

As Rockets fans, most of them are basketball fans, I would assume they enjoy watching good basketball. Both Mavs and Heat are playing much better than we do now, and you can be indifferent who's winning, or have a guess or even a preference between those 2 non-Rockets teams. It's just beyond me how some are trying so hard to make supporting one team is more Right. After all, none of them is Jazz, and Boozer is not playing for either team, while some having no problem to root for Bulls.

 

LOLWTF? :grin:

 

Way to go out of context buddy...no one ever said that.

I am largely indifferent of who wins, such as the second round Lakers v. Mavs series...I really didn't care who came out of it, in fact, I wish they both could lose somehow...that would have been ideal.

Lebron left Cleveland in a douchey way and went with Bosh to Miami and now they're everyone's favorite team to hate, I get it...but some here are a little too excited for Dallas' chances at a championship.