Plunked down my massive $25 stake on the Heat as well!
Phuck off, Phallas!!!!
6) Who should take the last shot for the Heat?
91.6% Dwyane Wade
4.3% Shaquille O'Neal
2.3% Jason Williams
1.9% Antoine Walkerat the 2.3% of fans who think that Jason Williams should take the last shot for the Miami Heat.
I wonder, who on Miami is going to guard Dirk?? You think Riley will start Posey to guard him? Because Haslem will be too short for him and Shaq would get in foul trouble
I think Haslem, Walker, and Posey will all see time there. I don't see Posey starting game 1, but if he's the most effective, he could start later in the series.
I wonder, who on Miami is going to guard Dirk?? You think Riley will start Posey to guard him? Because Haslem will be too short for him and Shaq would get in foul trouble
I don't know who will guard Dirk- probably Haslem and Posey. But I think Dirk will struggle a lot in this series- especially in games where his jumper isn't falling. He will not be able to take it to the hoop and draw fouls when Shaq is in the game. Dirk is too slow and can hardly jump- everyone knows that- so anything short of a blatant mugging by Shaq will go uncalled- i.e.- the refs and everyone else expect Shaq to block Dirk's shot near the basket thus few foul calls on Shaq when he goes after Dirk's shot.
I think the Mavs' hopes for this series hinge on 1) Howard, Terry and Harris taking it to the hoop, 2) Mavs running the ball to get the quick score before Shaq can get set, 3) somehow keeping a center (Dampier or Diop) in the game instead of on the bench in foul trouble- obviously Dallas will try to slow Shaq by fouling him but nobody really stops a determined Shaq, 4) Stackhouse bringing offense and Griffin bringing defense from the bench and 5) Mavs have to clog up the middle and force Miami to shoot from the outside as much as possible- I wouldn't be surprised to see Avery play some zone in this series. DWade will do his usual thing and get 25-35 per game- I don't think even Howard can slow him down much without winding up in foul trouble.
Overall, if the Mavs can keep the game uptempo AND shoot well from the field they have a chance. If the Heat can control the tempo the Mavs are in serious trouble.
Dallas better win the first two at home or they will be in BIG trouble going to Miami for three games in a row.
Lastly- the refs will have an impact on this series just as they have on all of the other playoff series. I expect continued inconsistent calls- some bordering on the ridiculous- affecting BOTH teams adversely at different times.
If Dallas plays well offensively it should be an interesting series...if Dallas goes cold or plays at Miami's tempo they are toast.
Just my two cents worth. Carve it up folks.
Are you kidding me? Shaq won't be able to guard Dirk, no way. Shaq will foul out so fast, it's not even funny.
In my mind, this series hinges on the play of Walker and Williams. If they get hot, watch out Mavs. But if they shoot the Heat out of too many games...
I'm not saying that Shaq can cover Dirk...what I'm saying is that if Shaq is lurking under the hoop, Dirk will be very reluctant to take it to the basket and will settle for his fall-away jumper. I hope that I'm wrong- I'd love to see Dirk take it right to Shaq and get him in foul trouble. In fact- I think Dallas MUST take it to the hoop to have a chance in this series.
I'm just going on what the way I have seen Dirk play for the last 8 years. He IS taking it to the hoop more this year and being rewarded for it...I hope he has the guts to do it against Shaq, too.
It's going to look like a damn layup drill with how slow and old the Heat perimeter will be getting carved up. If Devin freakin Harris can take it to the rack against Parker and finish over Duncan, who actually has some legs left, they are plenty capable of beating Williams/Payton and finishing over Shaq. Sure, he'll block a few, but the Mavericks aren't going to stop attacking him, because they will either
1)get the whistle on Shaq/Zo,
2)finish
3)finish+foul
4)get blocked
That's a 75% chance of something good happening at the rim, which is why I'm sure Avery will stress that. Run and Attack, over and over. I give the Heat their props for making it this far, but an old Shaq and a legit Star in Wade is not enough firepower to consistently beat the Mavs. The Heat need to be in the 98-105 range to beat dallas and they won't be able to get there 4 games out of 7. Sorry all you Spurs fans, but the Mavs will be the 2006 NBA champions.
I think Riley will have Jason Williams or Wade double (off of Devin Harris) Dirk anytime Dirk gets the ball in scoring position. Stackhouse is usually first off the bench (for Harris) so the Heat won't be able to double Dirk when Stack is in the game. There are going to be a ton of adjustments in this series.
So this is the "official" NBA Finals Thread I hear people talking about.
Haslem will guard Dirk...that's a decent 1-on-1 matchup plus Haslem is a good rebounder too. That will take away some of Dallas 2nd chance points off of OREB's.
Go Mavs!!!!!
Wow, the "Official" NBA Finals Thread.
Why I hate the Heat.....
Why I love the Mavs....
Why the Heat will lose....
What that will leave Zo, Antoine and GP leaving doing on South Beach....
If Haslem is guarding Dirk out away from the basket how will he be able to help with defensive rebounding and keeping Josh, etc. off the offensive boards?
Both teams have huge matchup issues in this series. Mavs...trying to slow down Shaq and Wade (Josh will be on Wade but no one can really guard that dude). Heat...No one can guard Dirk w/o help and they can't hide Walker on defense against the Mavs. He's probably going to have to guard Howard and there's no way he can stay with Howard. Should be a good series with a lot of adjustments from game to game.
Avery is gonna have a tough job on his hands, unlike the pheonix series he will be facing a coach who actually make adjustments during the game and knows what he is doing.
Couldn't we just cancel the Finals?
Heat in six.
Mavs in 6..........GO MAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!
So you think Dallas will close it out in Miami. I don't think so.
I'll be there for games 3 and 4 so I hope so.
It is pretty damn hilarious how you list a few Heat players and say in tandem that they can "throw off Dirk's game" while you refuse to acknowledge the fact that Dallas has a similar tandem of defenders (Griffin, Howard, Daniels) more capable of "throwing off" Wade than the ones you listed are of throwing off Dirk.
You Spurs fans do realize there's a difference between "I really want the Heat to win because I'm so bitter." and "The Heat WILL win.", right?
Uh wow, not sure what to say there, you'd think a Spurs fan with all their experience in the finals would realize that the Finals are 2-3-2 format. Meaning game 6 will be at home for the Mavs............
That's why so many are saying, Mavs in 6. We take care of home court, steal one in Miami and seal the deal when we get back home.
I'm pretty sure he doesn't think that, considering the fact that Game 6 will be in Dallas.
So how long have you been watching basketball for? Few months?
That pick of Riley with all his rings is great.
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