uhm. . . ok . . . YEA! . . beleive that .. if it helps you sleep better at night Rocket River This year's Mav team is much better than last years
I think we have quick enough people to play a zone, it depends on who is in the game, for instance Stro over J-ho, or maybe Chuck Hayes etc. And on the perimeter, Bogans and Alston can play a zone. The problem is that JVG is just stubborn. DD
Why? Our roster is saturated with garbage like Bowen and Bogans that gets playing time simply for defensive purposes. I would much rather take my chances with NBA players playing a zone than leaving Yao out to dry having to guard the likes of Pao Gasol and Troy Murphy one on one on the perimeter like we have done.
It is the same team, how is it much better? The only reason they got knocked out last year is cause they had to go up against a lineup of Amare-Marion-JJohnson-Qrich-Nash. Had they beaten that team I think they would have taken San Antanio, last year. Dallas would match up well with SA, but Pheonix is prob there worst matchup (Shown this year, and Pho was nowhere near the team they were last year.) They may have a little more chemistry, but they are the same team. As for Miami, they have a good squad, like a said much more than anything Tmac's ever had. There is a difference between an individual's and a team's impact on a game. (I am not saying Wade doesnt have one.) Tmac is doubled even when he is off, look at tonights game Wade was singled covered most of time. I'm not saying that Wade isnt good, he is good. But the Heat got to the finals because of the team they have. What's your reasoning behind Wade being better? (Oh thats right cause you said so.)
This year's Mavs team is a lot better because of Josh Howard, Dirk stepping up just enough to get them into the finals, their good defense, and they were mentally tougher throughout the playoffs. T-Mac might be able to do the same things Wade is doing now if he were there instead, but he's not, so it's silly to say that a player that hasn't done anything this season is better than a guy who is playing out of this world (MVP worthy even if they lose) basketball in the Finals. Wade should be held up as the best perimeter player in the NBA, he has holes in his game, but it's true that production is what counts the most, not what he can't do, and he's producing right now.
This year's Mavs team is definitely better than last year's team: -Dirk is more well-rounded, taking less 3s, more post-ups/drives, and improved rebounding. -Terry has stepped up as a good #2 scoring option and clutch player. -Howard has progressed to the point where he is a legitimate starter on a championship team. He's annoying as hell, but tough and scrappy. -Diop in addition to Dampier have given them their best center play in the franchise's history. -Harris has really come on after a non-descript rookie year. -Although still not top-notch on defense, they are much more focused and organized on that end. Though they don't seem to be quite as explosive offensively, they are more versatile and deeper than last year. I am by no means a Mavs fan, but objectively speaking, this is their best "team" ever.
The reason that Dallas is so much better this year than in years past is because they actually play good team defense, and don't have a team full of gunners. Past teams were full of scorers who didn't want to play D. While Nash was nice all, he's a complete defensive liability. In 7 game series they would wear down, and Dirk would stand around and shoot jumpers all day long.
I am not talking about Mavericks team from previous years, going back us far as Nash, I'm talking about the one we played last year. They have just improved their chemistry a little thats it. They basically have the same team, same coach, but they lost Finley, who was no scrub. (He would easily be our third option.) They were playing defense against us, if they werent, how was our backcourt shutdown? We also had Bowen as the starting PF and Sura on a bad knee. You guys sure have a short memory, in the beggining of last years playoffs 99% of this BBS was proclaiming McGrady to be the next MJ.
This isn't hard; the winner Sunday night will win the series. What a turnaround. This is all D.Wade. Without him, they get swept.
Not to mention that the players on the heat runniung a zone are not all that quick. The Rockets could easily do it......JVG however could not. DD
I only saw the second half of the game, but to me it looked like defense made all the difference. When Miami went cold and Dallas started to make a mini-run, Miami didn't panic. They just clamped down on defense, challenged every shot, and that allowed them to get their offense going again.
Shaq on Stackhouse's flagrant foul: "My daughters tackle me harder when I come home," he said. "I'm one of the last players from the old school, you just have to take a hard foul like that and keep on moving. It actually felt pretty good to get hit like that. Thank you, Jerry. Appreciate it."
this may not be the best thread for this...but a friend just mentioned something to me that i was surprised at...but which i think is true. in the last 30 years, only 3 western conference teams have won a championship: san antonio...houston...la lakers. is that right?
