Okay, wrote on my blog more than a week ago that the Finals setto would more likely be the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.
Now that the Mavs-Heat NBA FInals date had been sealed following the two ballclubs’ respective conference finals series victories, the question that remains to be answered is, which team will come out on top after the NBA Finals?
Dallas has a score to settle versus Miami after leaving the 2006 NBA championship series devastated and humiliated even after going up, 2-0 against the Heat.
Back then, the Heat didn’t have LeBron James and Chris Bosh to complete the NBA’s newest “Big Three”. Instead, Dwyane Wade had Shaquille O’Neal partnering with him in their championship run, with multi-titled coach Pat Riley calling the shots.
This time around, the Mavs are much wiser, has gained more experience and hungrier. The 2006 Finals debacle is in fact, enough motivation for Dallas’ championship bid this year,
I’m sure a lot of people are rooting for Miami to win the NBA title. But here are some of my thoughts and reasons, why I feel Dallas has the inside track for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
* Dirk Nowitzki factor- The German Bomber is playing the best playoff performance in his 13-year professional career. He’s averaging a playoff-best 28.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists throughout the first three rounds of the post season. Plus, he’s shooting more than 51 percent from beyond the arc. With his quickness, his size (he’s a seven-footer who can shoot) plus his drive for the title — the Heat’s defensive hands are already full in their bid to try to “contain” the pride of Germany.
* Chandler as the “center of attention” — Tyson Chandler, who is playing in his first Finals appearance, could find himself more alley-oop passes from Dallas guards Jason Kidd or JJ Barea. With his size advantage against Miami’s starting center Joel Anthony (who’s only 6′9″), Chandler can become more involved in Dallas’ scoring scheme. With that, the Heat will probably have to activate seven-footers like Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Eric Dampier who have thus far, been useless in the playoffs.
* Perimeter shooters — Dallas has been deadly in the Playoffs specifically because of its loaded gunners. Aside from Dirk, the Mavs have veterans like Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, mid-season acquisition Peja Stojakovic and Deshawn Stevenson — all of whom can really make some serious damage from the beyond the arc. Proof was the Mavs’ 4-0 destruction of dethroned champion LA Lakers in the first round where they made 63 percent of its shots from behind the arc (20 of 32) and 60 percent of its field goals (44 of 73). Terry was at his deadliest from beyond the arc, tying a playoff record with nine 3-pointers.
* Hungry for the crown — the Mavs have never won an NBA championship since their entry in the league in 1980. Dallas’ only NBA achievements in its 31-year NBA existence were the three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010) and two conference championships (2006, 2011). And that is why team owner Mark Cuban has been on a spending spree for years since he took over in 2000. In fact, a 2011 Forbes Magazine report mentioned that Dallas is the sixth most valuable basketball franchise in the United States, valued at approximately $438 million. The franchise is surpassed in value only by the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics, and the Houston Rockets.
Okay, I’m sure Heat fans can always say the Miami “Big Three” will be a huge factor in the Finals series. But I still feel that with these factors I mentioned, I think the Mavs will win their first NBA crown in either six or seven games.
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