It reminds me a bit of the Lakers team in 2000, where you had Shaq = LeBron+Wade (seriously, the most dominant season I've ever seen), and Kobe=Bosh, and you just thought they'd never lose... but then they lost a bunch in the playoffs and could very well have been beaten. I don't know why these Heat aren't dominating more considering their talent gap but it may just be a learning process. The next year the Lakers were a lot more dominant in the playoffs and I expect that to happen with these Heat too. As far as Dirk goes, again, it just comes down to basketball being a team game. His team isn't really that talented, and he's been amazing to go as far as he has (and maybe even win). Being compared to those three is an honor because they are three of the best players in NBA history.
Miami didn't play that well, but they're just too darn talented... They can get away with a lot more mistakes than the Mavericks can. No one is going to blame Dirk or the Mavs if they lose this series. They have nothing to lose, while the Heat is jus the opposite.
Also, it is so ridiculously premature to count the Mavs out of this one. They could easily win the next two and put all of the pressure on the Heat to close out in Miami. All of these games have been close. Carlisle has done a great job getting the most out of his team all playoffs and IMO has done a lot better than Spoelstra in this series. I imagine that the Mavs will be favored to win on Tuesday and then we have a new series. And the 2-3-2 format is terrible. If this were 2-2-1-1-1 like it used to be then this would feel a lot more competitive.
miami should be up 3-0 right now, and they're not even close to playing well b/c 2 of their 3 best players are playing below their standards right now. the heat really have to start the lebron/wade pick and roll earlier or more often in the 4th b/c that was their best option late in the game to get good shots. their iso ball isn't going to work all the time.
No, it really wasn't. Most of his shots were barely affected by LeBron's D. I'm talking objectively here.
Agreed that they aren't playing well, but give some credit to Dallas-- their defense is a lot better than people expected. Bosh having a poor series isn't shocking since they have very good post defenders (and even Notwitzki is big enough to be a nuisance to a perimeter big like Bosh). Marion has done great with LeBron although I still get the impression that if LeBron wanted to bust 40 on him he could. Also, Dallas could EASILY be up 2-1 or even 3-0 themselves. All of the games have been close, even game 1.
Yes, I really am. I don't need an agenda here, what I watched was Marion getting his shots off with LeBron not really covering him. Most of his shots were layups that missed the mark.
I'm not sure which game you were watching because Marion only missed one layup and everything else was a difficult shot. LeBron also denied him position so he couldn't go to his best weapon-- the offensive rebound.
The eating crow thread will be fun, if the Heat win it at the end, but its still early. We had people say on here, they wouldn't even make the finals. Thats just the tip of the iceberg.
Well, maybe you're right about the positioning. My eyes were glued to Barea when he had the ball, observing how quick that little guy is. Oh the Heat will win it and you'll be allowed to be a douchebag in the end. No worries.
People are resorting to other ways to bag Lebron, to bring him down just in case the Heat win. Lebron is the main focus for Dallas, so instead of the pushing the issue, he is deferring to Wade, who has a better matchup. It's smart basketball, and shows that Wade and Lebron dont have a ego issue. A lot of people said Lebron and Wade would end up fighting(have quotes if needed) mid season, but they didn't realise they are best friends, and just want to win, and don't care about what the fans think.
Not counting my chickens yet, still awhile to go in the finals. Miami have a great chance, but Dallas isn't out of it yet.
For real. Look at what kind of douchebag "questions" (really cheap attempts to incite drama) that both of these guys have to put up with: Last game: <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zuKnPg6PaHI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> This game: <iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ho3_xNSHE6Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This basically says covers it all: Q: Ira, is Wade a better big-game player than LeBron? — Juan. A: At times, such as Sunday. But LeBron has had plenty of moments this postseason, as well, carrying the load against Chicago. This is why the Heat signed both, to be able to ride the hot hand. What I don’t get is when the Heat win how there still is a need to point to what one of them didn’t accomplish (see below). The entire point of Wade, LeBron and Bosh was being able to win when a superstar wasn’t positively, absolutely, undeniably at the top of his game.
Who would have guessed that from the Mavs' big trade with the Wizards that netted them Butler, Haywood and Stevenson, only Stevenson would be left in the playoffs? The loaded questions that the media throws at James and Wade during the press conferences are downright embarrassing. These journalists have no pride.
Q: What’d you think about the hostile question posed to LeBron about not being a closer, and, to that end, what’d you think about his “defensive” answer? — Matt. A: I think the Heat were coming off a win and, at that moment, that should be good enough for anyone involved. I don’t blame him a bit. It’s like you give a microphone to someone and they have to try to make a name for themselves. We are in the midst of the Skip Bayless-ing of the industry, and it is quite disturbing. Reporters trying to make themselves the story? Sad.
