Nelson: Nash best player he ever coached.

[JMarkJohns]

Without Michael Finley the Dallas Mavericks never become what they are today. He was the one player that was able to give that team some glimpse of hope during the dark years of the 90's. He stuck with this team and fought his ass off 82 times a year despite everyone else giving up. Sure, he might have been surpassed by Dirk & Nash somewhere along the line, but even then, he never let his ego get in the way and he always conducted himself with absolute class. His leadership and dedication are the reason Dirk and Nash developed into the players they are. The example he set paved the way for Dirk. Unfortunately, the grit and balls Finley played with every night didn't rub off on Dirk (no pun intended).

If I see another bandwagon ass Mavs fan undermining the contributions of Michael Finley I'm gonna lose my ing mind. He was the most important player we had in a decade, he stuck with this team through everything, and his belief in young guys like Dirk & Nash that they would become something special despite completely sucking their first couple years......that's the reason why the Mavericks have made it this far.

And to think that I had already nominated mono before I had even read this post... Fantastic take. This just reaffirms my belief that you're one of the top non-spurs posters here. This was spot on.

I wish Finley was on the Suns long enough for me to appreciate his scrubdom...

[mavsfan1000]

blah blah blah

So what. I live in Houston. I've become a fan of them because I love their style of play. Still do. I'm a big Nowitzki fan I admit and not so much of a Finley fan. I always thought he was a low percentage shooter compared to Nowitzki and Nash. Yeah he puts a lot of points up but it doesn't really benefit too much due to being too inconsistent. He didn't have the speed later in his career to get by his guy so he settles for low percentage shots. I'm sure you've noticed the same in San Antonio. Great guy but not a great fit in Dallas.

[Obstructed_View]

So what. I live in Houston. I've become a fan of them because I love their style of play. Still do. I'm a big Nowitzki fan I admit and not so much of a Finley fan. I always thought he was a low percentage shooter compared to Nowitzki and Nash. Yeah he puts a lot of points up but it doesn't really benefit too much due to being too inconsistent. He didn't have the speed later in his career to get by his guy so he settles for low percentage shots. I'm sure you've noticed the same in San Antonio. Great guy but not a great fit in Dallas.

I wish I could say your stupidity never ceases to amaze me, but it's become so commonplace it's not even that much fun belittling you for it anymore. Finley's scoring and field goal percentage were basically the same every season until he started to break down. That's the definition of consistency. If you can't benefit from 20 points and 44 percent shooting from your captain every game then there's a problem with your team.

He also was at or near the top of the league in minutes played every single year. It seems like you might give a little credit to the horse that carried you when you ride him until he breaks down. Leave it to a bandwagon Maverick fan to criticize him for aging.

[ShoogarBear]

Finley's years as part of the Big 3

1999 41 MPG 20.2 PPG 5.3 RPG 4.4 APG
2000 42 MPG 22.6 PPG 6.3 RPG 5.3 APG
2001 42 MPG 22.5 PPG 5.2 RPG 4.4 APG
2002 40 MPG 20.6 PPG 5.2 RPG 3.3 APG
2003 38 MPG 19.3 PPG 3.5 RPG 3.0 APG
2004 39 MPG 18.6 PPG 4.5 RPG 2.9 APG

Yeah, what a scrub.

Perhaps I should have added

1999
Nowitzki 20 MPG 8.2 PPG 3.4 RPG 1.0 APG
Nash 32 MPG 7.9 PPG 2.9 RPG 5.5 APG

2000
Nowitzki 36 MPG 17.5 PPG 6.5 RPG 2.5 APG
Nash 27 MPG 8.6 PPG 2.2 RPG 4.9 APG

And ask who was carrying whom?

[monosylab1k]

For all the great things Mark Cuban has done for the Mavericks, the one thing I will never forgive him for is the way he's turned Mavericks fans against Finley, simply for getting old and getting his balls punched.

[monosylab1k]

I wish I could say your stupidity never ceases to amaze me, but it's become so commonplace it's not even that much fun belittling you for it anymore. Finley's scoring and field goal percentage were basically the same every season until he started to break down. That's the definition of consistency. If you can't benefit from 20 points and 44 percent shooting from your captain every game then there's a problem with your team.

He also was at or near the top of the league in minutes played every single year. It seems like you might give a little credit to the horse that carried you when you ride him until he breaks down. Leave it to a bandwagon Maverick fan to criticize him for aging.

It's really a shame when a Spurs fan knows 10x more about the history of the Mavericks than a guy who dares call himself "mavsfan1000"

[SpursDynasty]

Too bad Nash is stuck playing with a glorified high school player who thinks he's en led to a championship.

[mavsfan1000]

It's really a shame when a Spurs fan knows 10x more about the history of the Mavericks than a guy who dares call himself "mavsfan1000"

you holier than thou mavs fan who is always ripping Nowitzki and talking about how boring this season will be. I don't know why you are on here so much if you aren't interested in watching the mavs. I've been well tuned for the last 5 years as what the mavs are doing. There was never a big 3 because Finley was breaking down as Nash and Nowizki started becoming great.

[SpursDynasty]

Also, the Mavs still don't have a Big Three.

[Obstructed_View]

For all the great things Mark Cuban has done for the Mavericks, the one thing I will never forgive him for is the way he's turned Mavericks fans against Finley, simply for getting old and getting his balls punched.

I've never seen such a group of ingrates. It isn't Finley's fault Cuban signed him to a ridiculous contract, nor is it his fault that the Mavericks cut him. He's booed as though he somehow played some part in the decision to part ways with the Mavericks.

[mavsfan1000]

I've never seen such a group of ingrates. It isn't Finley's fault Cuban signed him to a ridiculous contract, nor is it his fault that the Mavericks cut him. He's booed as though he somehow played some part in the decision to part ways with the Mavericks.

They booed him because he went to the mavs biggest rival. I'm sure they like him but are bitter that he went to the Spurs. I don't agree with it but I can see how some feel that way. I think what Nash did was much harsher to us.

[Obstructed_View]

They booed him because he went to the mavs biggest rival. I'm sure they like him but are bitter that he went to the Spurs. I don't agree with it but I can see how some feel that way. I think what Nash did was much harsher to us.

Bull . They were bad mouthing him before he ever left. They booed him because Dirk told them to (certainly at Cuban's behest), and the moron asskiss fans did it without bothering to think about it for themselves.

And what Nash "did to you" was not accept 30 million dollars less than Phoenix was offering simply for the privilege of staying with the team whose fanbase was repeating the company mantra that Nash was starting to break down. He went back to the Mavericks and said he'd stay for 50 million, and Cubes wouldn't go above 36.

[monosylab1k]

I've been well tuned for the last 5 years as what the mavs are doing.

[monosylab1k]

They were bad mouthing him before he ever left. They booed him because Dirk told them to (certainly at Cuban's behest)

In Dirk's defense, he made those comments tongue-in-cheek. But it's always sickened me to see Mavs fans boo Finley. He gave so much to the Mavericks (his entire career, especially his prime, was wasted on bad Mavs teams) and to boo him really shows what uninformed bandwagoners infest the Mavs fanbase.

[mavsfan1000]

In Dirk's defense, he made those comments tongue-in-cheek.

Yeah exactly and there are bad fans for every team that are like that. I wouldn't call a 5 year dedicated fan a bandwagoner. If I wanted to be a bandwagon fan than I'd root for the Spurs. I just prefer the mavs colors and players over the other teams. I don't plan to abandon them.

[FromWayDowntown]

A "Mavs fan" who discounts the contributions that Michael Finley made, as an All-Star player on that roster, to the evolution of the Mavericks from a perennial doormat to a perennial contender is ridiculous.

Those kinds of takes only perpetuate the belief that a significant percentage of Mavs "fans" are bandwagoners who knew nothing of that team before about 2001.

[mavsfan1000]

A "Mavs fan" who discounts the contributions that Michael Finley made, as an All-Star player on that roster, to the evolution of the Mavericks from a perennial doormat to a perennial contender is ridiculous.

Those kinds of takes only perpetuate the belief that a significant percentage of Mavs "fans" are bandwagoners who knew nothing of that team before about 2001.

What is so bad about bandwagoner if that's your definition. Btw I never discounted what Finley did in the 90's. I discounted on Finley due to breaking down when we needed him the most. His last 2 years with the mavs was not a pretty sight. If he played like he did in the 90's I wouldn't be talking about this and the mavs would've indeed had a big 3. It took me awhile to realize what team I liked the most I guess.

[Dex]

If he played like he did in the 90's I wouldn't be talking about this and the mavs would've indeed had a big 3.

Yeah, and if David Robinson came back tomorrow and started playing like it was 95, then we'd have an answer at Center again. But unfortunately, reality bites sometimes. Players decline eventually, it's just a fact of the game.

Regardless, I never saw George Gervin play a single game in his time. But I still appreciate everything he did for the history of our franchise, even if he didn't bring us a le. Seems like all Mavericks fans should owe Mike Finley that same kind of respect.

Jeez, this guy's not even good at rooting for his OWN team.

[mavsfan1000]

Yeah, and if David Robinson came back tomorrow and started playing like it was 95, then we'd have an answer at Center again. But unfortunately, reality bites sometimes. Players decline eventually, it's just a fact of the game.

Regardless, I never saw George Gervin play a single game in his time. But I still appreciate everything he did for the history of our franchise, even if he didn't bring us a le. Seems like all Mavericks fans should owe Mike Finley that same kind of respect.

Jeez, this guy's not even good at rooting for his OWN team.

I'm just telling it like it is. I'm a fan of Finley but not as much as Nash and Nowitzki. Finley's last good year with the mavs was the year that the Mavs got to the WCF. After that he slipped up in a big way. Maybe injuries had something to do with it but still that is what happened. I agree that reality bites and that is what happened with Finley and that is why he was released.

[FromWayDowntown]

What is so bad about bandwagoner if that's your definition. Btw I never discounted what Finley did in the 90's. I discounted on Finley due to breaking down when we needed him the most. His last 2 years with the mavs was not a pretty sight. If he played like he did in the 90's I wouldn't be talking about this and the mavs would've indeed had a big 3. It took me awhile to realize what team I liked the most I guess.

The problem with being a bandwagoner is in discounting the impact of players by having no perspective to judge them. Michael Finley was monsterous for the Mavs well into the 2000's. For crissakes, in the 2003 WCF, Finley almost single-handedly won Game 5 for the Mavs. He was also the best player on the floor for the Mavericks when they won Game 5 in Utah in 2001.

Pretty tough to me to say that Finley wasn't part of a Big 3 when in the first 3 playoff runs by that Big 3, Finley averaged 19.7, 24.6, and 18.3 as the Mavs experienced their first tastes of playoff success.

In fact, the only year that he could have conceivably "broken down" when there could have been a Big 3 was 2004 -- and the whole Mavs team broke down that year. It's not as if their first round elimination in '04 was solely Finley's responsibility. After 2004, there was no "Big 3" of Dirk, Nash, and Finley, since Nash had departed for Phoenix at the end of that playoff run. I don't think anyone is attempting to argue that Finley was part of a succeeding Big 3 -- mostly because I'm not sure that there has been a succeeding Big 3

Michael Finley was absolutely vital to getting the Mavs over the hump and making them a contender by propelling them into being a top 4-5 team in the West.

[mavsfan1000]

Ok you got a point but the hardest part to trying to avoid being a bandwagoner is rooting for a team with players you don't like from them just because that is the team you are supposed to root for. I'd rather root for a team with players I like which seems to me like the most normal and sane thing to do. I'm just telling it like it is with what happened with Finley. I'll just have to keep saying he's a great guy and unfortunately things didn't work out for him here.

[FromWayDowntown]

Ok you got a point but the hardest part to trying to avoid being a bandwagoner is rooting for a team with players you don't like from them just because that is the team you are supposed to root for. I'd rather root for a team with players I like which seems to me like the most normal and sane thing to do. I'm just telling it like it is with what happened with Finley. I'll just have to keep saying he's a great guy and unfortunately things didn't work out for him here.

I don't give a crap who you root for -- my only point is that it's ridiculous to diminish a player's value when you don't really have any nistorical perspective to measure his value. You don't, obviously, have that kind of perspective when it comes to the Mavs.

Bandwagoner or not, you've got a weak argument here.

Moreover, your argument doesn't make much sense, given that you've already admitted that Finley was a huge part of the Mavs' success up until 2003 -- he was clearly part of a big 3 at that point; the big 3 of Nash, Dirk, and Finley didn't exist after the next season; and the Mavs haven't had a big 3 since then. Given those indisputable truths, I'm not sure how you can say that Finley wasn't a part of the Big 3.

[mavsfan1000]

I don't give a crap who you root for -- my only point is that it's ridiculous to diminish a player's value when you don't really have any nistorical perspective to measure his value. You don't, obviously, have that kind of perspective when it comes to the Mavs.

Bandwagoner or not, you've got a weak argument here.

Moreover, your argument doesn't make much sense, given that you've already admitted that Finley was a huge part of the Mavs' success up until 2003 -- he was clearly part of a big 3 at that point; the big 3 of Nash, Dirk, and Finley didn't exist after the next season; and the Mavs haven't had a big 3 since then. Given those indisputable truths, I'm not sure how you can say that Finley wasn't a part of the Big 3.

Big 3 meaning they were all big at the same time. That is my argument. I guess 2003 was the only year they were all worthy of being called big. Of course their defense was pitiful so maybe that was the bigger reason they couldn't succeed. I didn't mean to discredit Finley in any way.

[The Franchise]

Big 3 meaning they were all big at the same time. That is my argument. I guess 2003 was the only year they were all worthy of being called big. Of course their defense was pitiful so maybe that was the bigger reason they couldn't succeed. I didn't mean to discredit Finley in any way.

Let's just kill all of this. Finley left and guess what? He got a ring!!! Do you think he gives a about that broke hip pussy Mark Cuban. He is on a championship team, and what are the rest of the Mavs doing? Licking their wounds wondering what might have been!! Finley is a champion with the Spurs, and Nowitzki is still the fragile that he will always be!!! That Nazi trick needs to find his favorite Hasselhoff song and ease his nerves. The Mavs attacking Finley for getting old is like the Spurs doing that to Tim Duncan: UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!

[mavsfan1000]

Let's just kill all of this. Finley left and guess what? He got a ring!!! Do you think he gives a about that broke hip pussy Mark Cuban. He is on a championship team, and what are the rest of the Mavs doing? Licking their wounds wondering what might have been!! Finley is a champion with the Spurs, and Nowitzki is still the fragile that he will always be!!! That Nazi trick needs to find his favorite Hasselhoff song and ease his nerves. The Mavs attacking Finley for getting old is like the Spurs doing that to Tim Duncan: UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!

you asshole. Calling Dirk a Nazi is unforgiveable. I've heard many insults for Dirk but those you call him that. Rockets fans are the worst fans out there. Congrats for Finley on his success with San Antonio but I'm not going to tolerate asshole fans like yourself.