Hoop Diary

The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA Championship in franchise history yesterday with a 105-95 win in Miami. To paraphrase the majority of media outlets covering the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks “took their talents to South Beach” in celebratory fashion. As the final game of the season wound down the images of surprise, shock, happiness and sadness began to emerge not only for the Dallas victory but also for Miami’s shocking loss. From the moment Dwyane Wade paused in front of the Dallas bench to longingly celebrate a crunch time three in Game 2, the Mavericks turned on a simply dominating performance to win this series. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more talked about figures from the 2011 NBA Finals.

Dirk Nowitzki

One word: Amazing. Dirk Nowitzki exorcised the demons of 2006 in the most emphatic way, casting aside any lingering opinions of him being soft, lacking leadership or perhaps being non-committal to winning. The fact he was facing Miami again only made for good media romance as it didn’t matter to Dirk who the opponent was. His persistence, drive and will to win will leave his name etched in history as one of the greats of the game. Prior to this Finals series it was simply his amazing skill-set at seven-feet that propelled him into high esteem, not to mention his MVP trophy that in some circles was considered unjust to say the least.

Through injury, sickness and a poorly-timed shooting slump, Dirk continually picked himself up and kept charging toward the finish line. He had an excellent supporting cast that included a multitude of players that all brought “something” to the table on any given night. That is more than can be said for some other notable names in the Finals series but we’ll get to that a little later. 

No matter which team you follow, (perhaps sans Miami) it is a feel-good story to see Nowitzki win a Championship. The seven-foot German who so awkwardly graces the hardwood has finally landed the Championship hardware that certifies his entire career and moves him into legend status as a winner, and a gracious, humble champion. The best kind.

Jason Kidd

If you had to consider one Basketball story from these Finals that could unseat Dirk’s triumph on the “romance scale”, it would have to be the story of Jason Kidd. This 10-time NBA All-Star and eventual Hall-of-Famer finally gets to call a Championship ring his own and he was able to come back to the team who originally drafted him in 1994 to do it. Although the road has not always been smooth off the court for Jason, on purely a Basketball level the journey is an amazing one. Having made two previous trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 with a combined win-loss record of 2-8, Kidd could be understood not taking anything for granted in this year’s finale.

With the Miami Heat leading 2-1 after three close games, a feeling of “here we go again” may have crossed his mind. If this was the case, Kidd certainly didn’t show it as he continued to make big shots and more importantly find others for big shots all through the series. His NBA Finals averages of 7.7 points, 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game just go to show that age is not a factor if you have the heart of a champion. A heart that is certified now with a Championship.

Dwyane Wade

If anyone dares question Dwyane Wade’s heart, they are on the verge of lunacy. Wade played his tail off for the first five games of the Finals series, creating the possible out of impossible circumstances. Often called upon to perform when others seemed disinterested (LeBron, you’re up next) Wade led the team for hustle and determination by a country mile. The only other players for Miami that could say they worked even half as hard as Wade did in this series were Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers. (Honorable mention to Udonis Haslem)

It’s safe to say that even the ever-energetic Dwyane Wade ran out of gas in Game 6. This is in no way intended to be an insult to Wade, in fact quite the opposite. What happened to him could of happened to anyone in his position, left with such an under-performing supporting cast. His will and determination didn’t diminish until very late in the final game and his disappointment was evident. Regardless, he played one hell of a series and with a couple of lucky bounces going his way could have led his Heat to a 4-0 sweep of the Mavericks, collecting the Finals MVP along the way. There’s a lot to think about for the Heat over the next six months, however Wade’s conscience will be clear with regards to his effort.

LeBron James

Where to start on this subject? It’s been covered more than the Royal Wedding and “The Decision” combined and one has to feel sad about where this has got to. As it stands now, LeBron James cannot win. He is being widely criticized when defeated and will be denied any form of legend status if/when he claims his own Championship jewelry. The scrutiny James is under is unprecedented but some would say self-created. From his over-dramatized start to the misunderstood “back to the real world” finish to this NBA season, LeBron has simply fueled the critics collective fire beyond repair.

Just drink in the fact that the arguably the best raw Basketball talent in the world, may never be genuinely liked or applauded. It’s got to that crazy stage.

These facts are clear however when talking about LeBron James. The man is the most physically gifted Basketballer we have seen since Wilt Chamberlain, he captivates and polarizes the NBA community unlike any other before him and most notably is nothing remotely like Michael Jordan in any way when it comes to Basketball. LeBron hid from the big moments, moved the ball out of his hands like a hot potato during crunch time and showed almost no signs of the “eff you” attitude that got MJ to the heights he reached.

Those attributes just mentioned have the potential to make him a better teammate than Jordan, a more likeable “team-oriented” kinda guy than Jordan and a more successful leader, however none of these things have come close to being achieved. It seems while as fans and analysts we all want to see greatness from LeBron, the NBA community grows tired of the self-promotion, the arrogance and the talk of greatness when nothing of “championship calibre” has been achieved.

All throughout this Finals series we were waiting for LeBron to “flick the switch”, we were waiting for his eyes to glaze over and for him to take to the Mavericks like he did the Pistons in 2007. But there was no drive, there was no “wrecking ball” activity and there was seemingly no desire to step up in the big moment. His mentality was summed up when he drove the lane, got past Marion and then lightly handed the ball off under the basket to Juwan “Older than Yoda” Howard. On any other stage, that drive finished with a thunderous tomahawk dunk. Not during Game 6 however as there just wasn’t a plan followed by execution.

It’s the same reason James didn’t enter the Dunk Contest, he cannot seem to plan and implement anything. He is so good that he makes it all up as he goes and still reaches these dizzying heights. LeBron will get his Championship one day but he will need to define in his mind what he is to Basketball. Is he a go-getter or a front-runner? Only he can answer that.

Shawn Marion

The man affectionately known as “The Matrix” re-invigorated his reputation during this series. His averages of 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, a block and a steal per game provided much needed energy to Dallas’ cause. Marion played great defense, cutting off LeBron’s passage to the lane and contested what seemed like every rebound en route to his long awaited Championship glory. We all know his jump shot is ugly as hell but Marion didn’t need it as he made the jump hook his own private security blanket, and Miami’s nightmare.

Tyson Chandler

This is all I need to say on Chandler: Rebounds, toughness, hustle, rebounds, intensity, rebounds and rebounds. That is all.

Jason Terry / DeShawn Stevenson

Terry and Stevenson while not necessarily having the right considering their CVs, led the Mavericks in “nut punching the bully” during these Finals. Jason Terry ran his mouth and backed it up with huge shots at critical times throughout. Stevenson continued to find himself in fortunate situations and did the job required of him while taking verbal shots at Wade and James along the way. It’s been proven over a long time that role player vs. superstar rivalries generally turn out poorly for the former. Just ask Gerald Wilkins, Xavier McDaniel and Raja Bell how it turned out for them. The difference here was not so much the calibre of the role player so much as the passiveness of the superstar. All in all a sensational series for these two Mavericks though who managed to balance the drama with actually putting the ball in the hoop, arrogance and all.

Erik Spoelstra / Rick Carlisle

Spoelstra was either out-coached or out-gunned in this series, depending on your point-of-view or which media outlet you’re reading. While Carlisle got the victory and therefore the spoils, it is clear that Spoelstra’s troops under-performed in a big way. The easy and foolish route is to blame “Junior Riley” and speculate on his future, however you would be silly to do this. Erik Spoelstra made adjustments throughout this series and pleaded with his team to stay mentally strong. He didn’t waver from his game plan that nearly landed Miami a 3-0 lead, he called timeouts when required and drew up plays for his team to succeed. If he had five Dwyane Wade’s he would have won 4-0 and hit the big time. Oh, to dream for Miami.

Rick Carlisle put a gag order on his outspoken owner, empowered even the Brian Cardinal’s of the world to contribute mightily and hand-picked an ego-less team that when pushed had the will and determination to succeed together. He rode his lone superstar to greatness while making no excuses, pulling no punches and not once buying into anything other than his game plan and his players collective development. Which coach would you rather be? Both driven, both capable, one Champion. For now.

Conclusion

It’s nice to see that teams still can’t buy a Championship and it’s nice to see a few gritty competitors in Nowitzki, Kidd and Marion get a Championship ring at last. It’s also intriguing to see where Miami goes from here, how they develop and more importantly how they respond to the adversity. It will be captivating to see what strategies the other 28 teams employ, thinking for a fleeting moment that they can once again stop the Miami juggernaut. And finally, it will be captivating if/when LeBron James develops a go-to move that he will unleash on the League next season en route to the Championship he believes the “man upstairs” has lined up for him.

All in all, bring on next season!

Thanks for reading.

You can follow Paul Henderson on Twitter! @HD_Paul

Catch all Hoop Diary updates on Facebook here.

The Miami Heat gave away home court advantage in every sense of the word today as they blew a 15 point lead with seven minutes remaining in Game Two of the NBA Finals. Dallas walked away with a 95-93 victory and now have the luxury of three straight home games to look forward to. Early in the second half the Miami PA was playing Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Taking Care of Business”, by the end of the game that could be seen as the Mavericks’ theme song, not the Heat’s.

At the midway point of the third quarter the Mavericks looked shaky at best, with Coach Rick Carlisle picking up a technical and the Heat ball movement murdering the Dallas defense. Fortunes were definitely on Miami’s side as LeBron got away with elbows, Jason Kidd was turning the ball over and Dirk was on the bench, replaced with Brian Cardinal.

Ouch.

Even Mike Bibby was hitting three’s. Time out Dallas, down eight with just a touch under four minutes remaining in the third.

The third period ended with a Dallas mini-run however and while surviving a thunderous driving dunk by LeBron James, the Mavs trailed by only four at the final break. Amazing really as watching the game without the score on screen could have left you thinking the Heat were home by 20-plus.

The first five minutes of the final term really couldn’t have been executed much better for the Heat as they defended well, contested shots, rebounded amazingly and scored in transition. There was nothing to be upset about for Miami as Dallas appeared to be on the canvas, down 15 with seven minutes remaining. The “Hollywood Heat” were rolling, James and Wade were animated and the crowd was loving it.

With six minutes remaining Jason Terry made a 13 foot baseline jumper to move the Mavericks to a horrible 2-12 from the field for the period. At this point, Miami still leading comfortably seemed to fall in love with the three-ball momentarily and Coach Erik Spoelstra called for time. A small glitch in concentration and watching live one could be forgiven for thinking the timeout was premature. It was still painfully obvious that the Heat were going up 2-0 in the series, and comfortably.

Having had maximum success with transition baskets triggered by hustle defense, Miami simply switched off at a critical time. Even the half court offense went cold as the Heat reverted to Cleveland Cavalier circa-2009 Basketball, clearing out to allow James to attempt and miss long fade-away jumpers.

From 2:45 remaining until the clock showed only 0:57 the Mavericks not only drew within two on a Nowitzki jump shot but tied the game after yet another pedestrian offensive set by the Heat. Miami continued to walk the ball up the court, looking seemingly un-phased by the run Dallas was on. Miami’s last two possessions produced two long, well defended desperation three-point attempts from James. The crowd was stunned as the Mavericks were on a stunning 17-2 run.

What happened next was unbelievable as Miami again went to the arc and again came up short on a rushed bomb attempt from Dwyane Wade. Dallas utilised great ball movement on the following possession and managed to find their best shooter Dirk Nowitzki open for three…

Yes, wide open for three.

“Swish“.

Time Out Miami, down by three. A 20-2 run for Dallas in the fourth quarter. Simply amazing.

And as if the game couldn’t get crazier, Jason Terry went completely AWOL on the next defensive play, leaving Mario Chalmers more open than a “7-11″ to tie the game from the arc.

The final possession for Dallas was extremely well executed as Jason Kidd ran the ball down to eight seconds, handed off to Dirk and watched in awe as Nowitzki drove Chris Bosh all the way to the hoop for a lefty lay-up with only 3.6 seconds remaining to give his Mavericks the lead.

Dwyane Wade missed a desperation half court heave as the buzzer sounded as the Dallas Mavericks completed one of the great comebacks in NBA Finals history taking the game 95-93. Wade flopped to the floor on the long-range attempt and could be seen moments later on his back with hand on eye, seemingly asking the referee for his attention. Part of me wondered if Wade’s look was more of shock and disbelief than a request for a foul call. Either way, this one was in the books and the series was tied at 1-1 heading to Texas.

Dallas fans will be rejoicing now as this has officially become a series. As previously discussed, an 0-2 hole would have been almost impossible to climb out of. Some interesting decisions by the Heat late in the game really cost them as it seemed LeBron James and Dwyane Wade wanted to keep attempting a knockout punch that never came.

If Dallas is to wrestle the momentum from Miami in this series now, they must capitalize immediately and to do so will certainly require more stellar play from Shawn Marion. “The Matrix” made several key plays for Dallas throughout the fourth quarter, picking up points and rebounds where he simply wanted it more than the other nine players on court. Dirk will also need to keep “being Dirk” as his play in this game announced him to the series. Nowitzki had his struggles in Game One and this performance might just re-ignite the confidence level.

For Miami the remedy is simple…

Finish the damn game.

We are all aware of how talented the Heat are and today’s result wasn’t caused by a lack of role player performance. This ball was dropped by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade who unfortunately for Heat fans were perhaps guilty of listening to the Miami PA’s jukebox a little too early.

I have no doubt they won’t make that same mistake twice, which could be very bad news for Dallas.

Game Three is played on Monday Melbourne time… Time for someone to take care of business.

Thanks for reading.

You can follow Paul Henderson on Twitter! @HD_Paul

Catch all Hoop Diary updates on Facebook here.

The Miami Heat took Game One of the NBA Finals today 92-84 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. The scoreline ended up flattering the Mavericks somewhat with a made basket inside the final few seconds. This puts Dallas in a must-win situation for Game Two regardless of the upcoming three home games via the 2-3-2 format. There were a few danger signs for the Mavericks in this game today and the coaching staff will be feverishly defining strategy for Game Two which will be played in Miami on Friday, Melbourne time. For Miami it was business as usual as now, after 97 games they are only three wins away from their goal of an NBA Championship.

The usual suspects littered the box score for the Heat with the “Big 3″ accounting for the following share of Miami’s totals: 

• Points: 70.6%
• Rebounds: 60.8%
• Assists: 70%
• Field Goal Attempts: 66.2%
• Field Goals Made: 77.4%

Put simply, these guys were everywhere for Miami and while stopping all of them is impossible, the task now is surely just stopping one of them. Dirk Nowitzki had a solid game and carried his team admirably with help from Shawn Marion. On a night when both teams shot a shade under 39% from the field, the combo of Nowitzki/Marion bucked the trend and combined for 43 points (at 43% from the field), 18 rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal. The problem for Dallas was their second unit that influenced the game about as much as Mark Jackson’s commentary intellect. For those playing at home, that equals zero.

Peja Stojakovic, Jason Terry, Brendan Haywood and JJ Barea combined for just 17 points on a horrid 4-22 (18%) from the field. Justin Bieber shot just above that clip (3-11) in the All-Star Celebrity Game in February.

Yes, I mentioned Bieber which is bad but the Mavericks bench were worse.

(Note: My spell checker identifies “Bieber” as a problem which is wonderful. However it’s suggested fix is “Lieberman” which is insulting to the game’s female version of Jerry West.)

In my opinion Miami’s win today doesn’t guarantee them anything but it does go a long way towards capturing the flag that is the Larry O’Brien trophy. Historically, teams who take Game One of a best-of-seven series generally advance/win at a clip just above 70%.

With all of this considered the Dallas Mavericks have one simple goal in mind right now, and that is to win Game Two. The only way this is remotely possible is through improved bench play and the disabling of one of the “Big 3″. Miami didn’t do a terribly good job of containing or defending the perimeter, so Dallas will be afforded the opportunity to shoot a much better percentage and try to force the scoreboard into triple figures.

Defensively there can be no more cheap, non-physical fouls. It still amazes me that opponents don’t simply tackle James once he gets past his man and into the lane. Both Wade and James can finish with significant contact, let alone a cheap bump or slap. Turning those three-point plays into two’s and maintaining a 45-50% field goal percentage will go a long way to winning Game Two for the Mavericks.

This is far easier said than done however as this Miami team is playing significantly better Basketball than Portland, Los Angeles or Oklahoma City. The Heat have higher level threats at the most dangerous positions of two, three and four and rely much less on their bench. While Durant and Westbrook could kill Dallas from the perimeter, there was no inside presence for the Thunder. Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum tried to one-two their way through the Mavericks defense sans Gasol while the Laker bench disappeared. While Portland were multi-skilled, they lacked role definition and about $30m of talent. 

If Dallas lose Game Two in Miami on Friday, this series feels as though it will be over in five games at a maximum. If Dallas gets the series split however, I see this potentially going seven games. Dallas fans better hope Dirk’s finger ligament damage isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Buckle up for a Finals classic or an LBJ “coming out” party depending on the Game Two result.

For some, those two are one and the same.

Thanks for reading.

You can follow Paul Henderson on Twitter! @HD_Paul

Catch all Hoop Diary updates on Facebook here.

Spirits are high right now in the “Big D” as the Dallas Mavericks have secured their second NBA Finals appearance in five years. Dallas finished off the young and improving Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Five with a 100-96 victory at American Airlines Arena on Thursday. The 4-1 series win sets up an NBA Finals re-match with the Mavericks’ 2006 opponent the Miami Heat. Dirk Nowitzki was amazing in this series and will look to continue his stellar form throughout the Finals in much the same fashion. Let’s take a closer look at the “Dirk Nowitzki Show”.

In recent years not only Dirk but the Mavericks in general have been labelled “soft” by the collective NBA community. Being guilty of MVP fade outs, a distinct lack of defense and some early Playoff exits, the Mavs have allowed the NBA public to doubt whether they have what it takes to win it all. This Playoff run certainly has a different feel however as contributions keep on coming from all areas of their roster. If it’s not Dirk’s amazing play carrying the Mavericks it’s Jason Kidd getting it done. If Kidd disappears at any stage the contributions of guys like Marion, Barea or Terry seem to come at the most prolific times. Even the aging sharp-shooter Peja Stojakovic is finding time to shine as these Dallas Mavericks seem to be on a mission.