The Return Of Random Thoughts

Wait a minute... we're still over .500? High five!

You know what we haven’t done in a while? A random thoughts blog.

Just things I’ve thought about that maybe you have as well in the last few weeks of watching sports.

With so much going on as far as sports since March Madness I think it’s time to do some rehashing.

So without further ado… HERE WE GO!

Is Zach Greinke really worth it? I mean he is 7-3 but he’s got a 5.66 ERA.

Anybody else think Kenny Williams is lying about the Adam Dunn deal?

Josh Harrelson a year ago was buried on the bench at Kentucky with Enes Kanter coming in. A year later he was a key component in the Wildcats Final Four run and will get minutes off of the bench for the Knicks. Life.

Hopefully the Sedin Twins take boxing lessons this summer.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, please gain 20 pounds.

Even though she is six foot five how many of us would hit on Jan Vesely’s girlfriend?

Federer couldn’t beat Nadal, Nadal can’t beat Djokovic… So who’s he going to have a problem with?

Why is it that Joe Girardi is the only person who thinks Derek Jeter should lead off?

David Ortiz couldn’t hit anything for the last two years now all of a sudden he’s hitting .301 with 17 home runs and 49 RBI… hmmmm….

Lebron James dunking on a kid doesn’t help his image.

(honestly at this point LeBron could cure cancer and we’d still hate him. And yes I’m serious about that statement.)

Mario Chalmers is now my new least favorite athlete in the world.

Did any team in the NBA Draft really help itself?

Sabine Lisicki also plays tennis. We'll talk about that later.

Nicklas Lidstrom came back for his 20th season. Can we engrave his name on the Norris Trophy in 2012 already?

Lets face it, Dany Heatley will never be “the guy.”

Neither will Andy Murray.

Anybody else happy that Brian Cashman corrected Alex Rodriguez by saying that Robinson Cano is better that Jose Reyes?

Can I call Austin Rivers “Baby Doc?”

Did Jose Bautista really just score the most votes in All-Star voting history?

How awesome was it that Virginia won the lacrosse title?

(think about this for a second. In the last two years lacrosse’s two most controversial teams fought back from media hell to win a title. Last years Duke team won after three years of dealing with the ugly aftermath of a stripper rape allegation and this year Virginia won after one of it’s own murdered women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

The image of the Cavs men’s team was brutally tarnished and the turmoil around both mens and women’s teams was enough make anyone not want to put on pads and a helmet and sprint out onto the field again. However, Virginia fought through it’s adversity and came out a winner. Their win over Maryland in the Memorial Day title game cast a fantastic light on the team an buried whatever demons were left from the 2011 season.

Very commendable indeed.)

Are the Pirates really a game and a half out of first place?

Who the hell is Mike Morse?

Brian Wilson needs to shave that beard… Now!

Is Jim Riggleman; a, a gangster, b, salty or c, out of his bleeping mind?

Iman Shumpert… And yes I’m still stuck on that pick.

How funny would it be if the Winnipeg Jets won the southeast division this year?

(Winnipeg is six hours north of Minneapolis.)

It’s July… NFL step on it.

(I’m serious. The New York Giants tick me off, Eli Manning makes bad throws, I’ll see 85 Coughlin faces and understand each of them… AND IF I MISS ONE FREAKING GAME I WILL HUNT ROGER GOODELL AND DEMAURICE SMITH DOWN!!!)

By the way, if the MLB locks out in November then there is a real possibility that Hockey may be the only game in town come 2012….

New theory behind the Flyers trades; maybe Paul Holmgren used Jeff Carter and Mike Richards just to get the Winter Classic in Philly and then dumped them afterwards… Nope, trade still makes no sense.

I know Brett Favre is retired, but I’m still uncertain.

Quick, 3 things about Luke Picknell. Ready and… GO!

Is Maryland football a better job than Connecticut football? Randy Edsall are you listening?

Seattle Sounders FC draws more fans than the Mariners…

Anybody else think Cam Newton will bomb?

I still have no caption for this.

No seriously are the Pirates really only a game and a half out of first place?

(why is this not a huge story? The Pirates haven’t had a winning season in almost 20 years. That’s back to the Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla days.

Ever since then they have traded every and I mean every good player that they’ve had and have been in a never ending rebuild mode. Now here there are with Andrew McCutcheon as a dark horse MVP candidate, an All-Star in Joel Hanrahan and the Brewers, Reds and Cards all looking back in disbelief.

If they make the playoffs they are the story if the year hands down.)

Sabine Lisicki… Mmmmmm.

Will Tiger Woods fade into oblivion?

Even though Roger Federer has “lost it” he’s still the third best tennis player in the world.

And lastly… Dirk, a $90,000 bottle of champagne and pictures with Birdman and Lil’ Wayne… In LeBron and D-Wade’s backyard.

Cough on that Miami.

All’s Well That Ends Well

Your 2011 NBA Champions

So here’s what I learned from the NBA this season:

 

1.As good as “Superfriends” are for star value and interest in the league they do not make for a good championship team.

 

For all of the hoopla made about the Miami Heat and their incredible acquisitions of Chris Bosh and LeBron James who else did they add to provide a spark off of the bench and to be a beast on the inside? Spending money on 3 high-priced free agents and not adding any role players that could give them consistent play ended up killing them in the end. They added over the hill bums in Juwan Howard and Zydrunas Ilgauskus to roam the middle and neither made a dent in these finals nor did James Jones or Eddie House.

 

The proper blueprint to building a champion is by making your team effective and competitive one through twelve on the floor…

 

Just like the Dallas Mavericks.

 

There is nothing glamorous about the Mavs; there was no need for glamour either. They had a big dog in Dirk Nowitzki, great secondary scoring in Caron Butler and Jason Terry, a big man to handle the low post in Tyson Chandler and spark plugs off of the bench in JJ Barea and Shawn Marion.

 

But when injuries happened to Butler and other scoring threat Roddy Beaubois look what happened; Deshawn Stevenson stepped into the starting lineup and provided great defense and timely three point shooting, Barea became a big threat scoring the ball and driving people crazy, Jason Kidd and Peja Stojakovic knocked down timely threes, and in the case of the Finals when backup center Brendan Haywood went down little used Ian Manhimi and Brian Cardinal gave them key minutes and make plays.

 

One through twelve Dallas had a remedy for what ailed them, Miami didn’t.

 

2. The best players in the league play their best when it matters.

 

Well done Dirk.

I’m pretty sure I’ve waxed poetically about the differences between Dirk and LeBron all postseason but here’s the last tidbit.

 

In game six entering the second half Dirk Nowitzki shot 1-12 (yet somehow Dallas was up by 2 at the half, thank you Jason Terry). Dirk could’ve packed it in and got hesitant… instead he finished 9-27 with 21 points including 10 in the fourth quarter that put Dallas ahead and they never looked back.

 

LeBron James started off great by hitting his first four shots and then he disappeared, again.

 

James finished with 21 points just like Dirk and shot better than Dirk at 9-15, but his aggressiveness, and heart weren’t in it after those first four shots hit. When the Heat were struggling offensively he went back to the passive, hide in the corner, “I don’t want any part of this” King James.

 

The most telling part about how truly unreliable James is in key moments came in the second half when Mario Chalmers (who balled out in this series by the way) had a 2-on-2 with James on his right and two Dallas defenders bearing down on him. Instead of passing to James he took it himself.

 

And that ends that conversation right there.

 

3. Good things come to those who wait.

 

Jason Kidd waited 17 years, was snubbed for two MVP’s and lost two finals before winning this one as a key role player.

 

Shawn Marion waited 12 years and changed his style from the run and gun Phoenix Suns to a more defensively minded player who shut down the games most athletic player in James.

 

Jason Terry waited 12 years and got over the heartbreak of 2006.

 

Rick Carlisle fought through being fired by the Pistons (Mike Brown style after winning 110 games in 2 years) and fired by the Pacers (couldn’t get them over the hump) and won with his least talented team.

 

And Dirk Nowitzki stayed in Dallas through all of the heartbreak, disappointment, let downs and watched other players win titles around him while he, arguably one of the top 10 players of all-time, stayed and stuck with Mark Cuban through it all and finally has a ring to call his own.

For these men it was definetly worth the wait

 

And he didn’t have to jump ship to do it.

 

4. LeBron James is a joke.

 

Scottie Pippen said that James could be better than Michael Jordan, Pippen should have his credentials revoked.

 

The truth is that James is not the best player in the league, he is not the chosen one, he is not a King, he is more Prince John from Robin Hood or Kind Richard III from Shakespeare lore, a spoiled brat who wants everything his way and wants everyone to do the work for him while he stands and watches.

 

After watching James shy away from late game drama, put every ounce of pressure on Dwyane Wade’s shoulders and watch him get owned by Terry on the offensive end (mind you James is 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than Terry) we should finally realize that he is the furthest thing from Michael Jordan. In fact Jordan should punch someone in the face if they mention he and James in the same breathe again.

 

Jordan wouldn’t have mocked his opponent on camera (especially if he went 3-11 with 8 points the night before. Jordan wouldn’t have done that either.) . Jordan Wouldn’t allowed his team to lose 3 fourth quarter leads en route to defeat. Jordan wouldn’t have disappeared in the Finals in four straight games. Jordan in defeat wouldn’t have blasted the haters by saying that they will go back to their miserable lives while he maintains his status as king.

 

James did.

 

James also became a running joke for his terrible play. There have been jokes about him not having a fourth when you need change for a dollar, that the people of Dallas were let out of work 12 minutes early and they called it “King James Day.”

 

No self-respecting superstar would’ve allowed this to happen to him and downgrade his character while he sat there and smirked.

 

James did. He is no King.

 

5. In the end everything works itself out.

 

Once again he is the legend of the fall.

Miami thought that they would waltz to the crown in a haze of wine and roses. Many thought that the Bulls and Thunder’s youth and athleticism would guide them to victory, the Lakers size, or maybe the Celtics and Spurs experience.

 

However, it was the Mavericks who truly had the proper tools to win it all.

 

They didn’t have to make a trade or acquire a big name. They had the big men, the bench and the perfect mix of experience and youth. They had the best coaching and the best closer in the game in Nowitzki.

 

When people were making predictions at the beginning of the playoffs the Mavs were an afterthought. They were supposed to fall to Portland’s athleticism, they didn’t have the experience or guts of the Lakers, they couldn’t keep up with the Thunder, and the Heat were on mission.

 

Wrong to the fourth my friend.

 

The Mavs had the perfect mix and stuck it to their opponents at every turn whether it was Barea mashing on the Lakers, Kidd and Marion holding down Kevin Durant or Dirk leading the Mavs back from the depths of despair.

 

They truly were the best TEAM in the NBA this year. As the finals seconds ticked down, the championship hats were passed around and Dirk headed to the locker to shed a few tears at the end of his long and hard journey it was clear that the best team and the right team won.

 

No preseason celebrations, no “Decisions” no “Superfriends,” just a great group of guys from one to twelve.

 

Just as it has been and just as it should be.

Dirk’s Brilliance vs. LeBron’s Failure

Dirk Nowitzki played through a 102 degree fever to lead Dallas to victory last night.

You and I are the average American. We go to work, we drink, we go to hot new restaurants and buy the hottest trendiest clothes.

 

We also idolize figures that seem larger than life to us and sometimes even have a Superman complex that we wish we could have. We do this more so with athletes especially. How many times have we lauded over Brett Favre’s streak of not missing a game or Cal Ripken’s? How much do we admire hockey players who get gashes under their eyes, have their teeth knocked out and still finish the rest of their games? Hell, if most of us have a toothache we’re ready to call out of work and lay in our beds like babies.

 

The flipside to that is we hate athletes that do the things that we do when a situation gets too hot. We trash Manny Ramirez for not running out groundballs knowing we’d probably do the same thing on a routine grounder, we criticize Allen Iverson for refusing to be a bit player when his skills are gone knowing full and well if we were asked to take a step back at our jobs we would throw a fit.

 

In sports we want the extraordinary and we loath the ordinary.

 

If you don’t believe me then watch last night’s game 4 of The NBA Finals and tell me who you appreciate more, Dirk Nowitzki or LeBron James?

 

The stats tell one story; the game told a different one. Yes James led his team with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, yes Nowitzki shot 6-19 and missed 10 of 11 at one point due to the affects of a fever that crippled him throughout the game, however one was fighting through the motions, the other was going though them.

 

Nowitzki wasn’t half of himself last night as he sniffled, coughed and wheezed through every single second of the game swallowing as much water as he could to stay hydrated and routinely throwing a towel over his head to cool off. It was reminiscent of Michael Jordan’s game 5 performance against the Utah Jazz in 1997 except Jordan put up Jordanesque numbers.

 

With his shot not falling Dirk continued to take it to the rack.

Nowitizki started hot then went ice cold, even missing his first free throw of the Finals in the third quarter. Yet when the fourth quarter arrived Dirk somehow became Dirk again. Even though his jumper wasn’t falling Nowitzki still got to the free throw line and hit two layups for another stellar fourth quarter that also included him grabbing 6 rebounds and helping Tyson Chandler control the boards and keep the Heat off of the offensive glass and control their second chance points.

 

(Side note: the MVP of this game was Tyson Chandler. He provided the Mavs with some much needed toughness inside and was able to cancel Miami’s rebounding edge that they had possessed all series long. He had 9 offensive rebounds and 16 total, which led all players on the court. If he can repeat that performance and Jason Terry and Deshawn Stevenson can hit their three’s again then the Mavs can win this series even though they have looked like the inferior team.)

Nowitzki has shown all series, all playoffs how much winning a title means to him. He’s pulled Dallas from the brink time and time again and has shown the spirit that makes a champion. Last night he added another chapter to his legacy by fighting through a debilitating cold, a poor shooting night and somehow contributed a double-double and led the Mavs in the fourth quarter to a series tying victory. Those are the kind of performances that makes us fall in love with an athlete.

 

The performance of James makes us despise them.

 

8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, no that’s not Udonis Haslem’s line, nor is it Mario Chalmers’s line, it was that of LeBron James, King James, The Chosen One or whatever you want to call him. He was none of that last night.

 

It evoked memories of last year’s game 4 meltdown versus The Boston Celtics when James was still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. James looked lost, dazed and at times uninterested. He was as ordinary as you could get. He made one basket that wasn’t a layup or a dunk. James was poor defensively allowing Shawn Marion to continue his Finals rebirth with another stellar performance he was invisible.

 

He let Dwyane Wade carry the load, he let Chris Bosh own the first half, hell he let Mario Chalmers upstage him defensively. LeBron James shrunk in the moment, again.

 

There is no excuse for James to play like this on such a huge stage in a game where Miami could’ve put Dallas to sleep for good. Wade showed up and put together another amazing performance that featured two monster blocks that were as impressive as his 32 points. Bosh dominated the first half with 16 points and looked like a younger and more slender version of Karl Malone.

 

But the key to this loss wasn’t Wade’s inability to finish, it wasn’t Bosh’s second half struggles, it was James’s disappearance.

 

How can you be considered one of the game’s greatest players and a future hall of famer when on the stage of your sport’s biggest event you were no better than a bit player like Stevenson? Performances like this are made for the Byron Russell’s of the world. They can have minimal amounts of aggression and score in the single digits while contributing in other areas. James can’t.

 

LeBron's performance evoked memories of other poor performances.

Enough of the “Magic Johnson” James in some games and the “Michael Jordan” James in the others, it has to be one or the other for James. You’re either a dominant scorer or a facilitator for others. You can’t be one on one night and the other the next.

 

You understand Dirk poor game shooting the ball, the man had a 102 degree fever and wasn’t even 60% of himself. The difference between him and James is that he was engaged he was ready to shoot even though he couldn’t move as well as normal. He came ready to go no matter what. James talked a good game to his mates before the game then did the opposite during it.

 

James’s act resembled a performance that I would put on while trying to miss school with a little sniffle or you would do while trying to miss work with a headache.

 

Dirk went into the office with a fever that no doctor would ever allow the normal person to work under and he balled out when it mattered and carried his team to victory on his weak shoulders.

 

Who would rather idolize, the guy that’s just like you or the guy that did something you or I couldn’t do?

Wade’s World

After Game 3 there is no question as to who leads the Heat.

If you had any doubts about whose team the Miami Heat was then last night should’ve cleared all of them from your head.

 

Its Dwyane Wade’s team… always has been and always will be.

 

In the midst of their 88-86 thrilling victory over Dallas Wade took over the game in the box score and on the bench. He scored seven points in a row to keep The Mavs at bay as Dirk Nowitzki helped lead them back into contention after a sluggish third and beginning of the fourth. However, what was most compelling about D-Wade in this game was how he took control of his team.

 

He barked orders at Mario Chalmers, Chris Bosh and (ready for it) LeBron James as he tried to keep his teammates heads on straight as the Mavs were charging late. After a bad pass by Chalmers to James lead to two free throws by Nowitzki there was a camera shot of Wade giving James an earful. Who knows what it was about but eventually he grabbed James who wasn’t trying to hear him and let him know what was up.

 

After a year of wondering and speculation as to who really ran Miami, we got our answer in one moment that was captured on TV.

 

Sure we’ve talked about how great LeBron has been late in the fourth quarter of the postseason, however these finals are proof that Wade is truly the closer for this team and its best option late in the game (kind of makes you wonder why he only had 2 shots late in game 2). He has the kind of intensity and will that most players don’t have in these situations. You could tell from his demeanor, defensive presence and willingness to stick a dagger in the hearts of Dallas that he wanted it more than any other player in that arena including James.

Bosh's game-winning opportunity was made possible by Wade's decision making and leadership.

 

When double teams came his way he broke through them, when Jason Kidd sized him and got in his grill he rose to the occasion and knocked down his shot. Even on Chris Bosh’s game–winning jumper it was Wade that set the play up for him even though James got the assist.

 

Wade drew a double team from Kidd and Shawn Marion that left Dirk Nowitzki to guard Bosh and Udonis Haslem on the wing. Wade was able to get the ball to James who then found Bosh for the decisive shot in the corner. Wade’s presence and aggressiveness down the stretch set that play up enabling Bosh to be the hero.

 

After the game he eluded to the struggles at the end of game 2 saying that there were moments he should’ve touched the ball but didn’t. I think Erik Spoelstra learned that lesson don’t you.

 

But here’s the main lesson that we all should take away from this game and that late game confrontation between Wade and James. All season long we’ve been watching and wondering that maybe this really is LeBron’s team with Wade playing second fiddle. When watching game 3’s highlights and the aftermath I’ve come to the realization that all season it’s been the other way around.

 

James hasn’t been deferring to Wade; Wade has been taking over games late because that’s his job, that’s what he does. It was Wade that led a second quarter comeback that tied game 2 at 51 at the half before they were up 15. It was Wade barking at Bosh to stay aggressive and to James to limit his mistakes. It was Wade referring to the Heat as his team and the players as his teammates at the post-game press conference with James directly next to him not saying a peep. James has gotten a lot of the glory, and blame in some cases, but the guy that makes this team is Wade. Without Wade they wouldn’t be sitting in Dallas up 2-1 or in Dallas at all for that matter. He’s willing them to the cusp of another championship and isn’t taking anything lying down.

 

(Side note: here is a new conundrum for LeBron James.

 

Let’s say he wins a title this year and the next and the next, sure he’ll have three rings, which is more than any other player can say in the league not named Kobe or Duncan, but he’ll be known as D-Wade’s sidekick in doing it. Right now D-Wade is the Finals MVP without question, in key moments its James has been riding along and watching Wade go to work and playing the background. Do you think that this is going to sit well with him? Do you think he can take another news conference where in his head he feels like the best player on the floor but doesn’t have the number spot on his own team and has to sit the and listen to Wade speak? Can he really take this for 5 more years even if he wins 5 titles?

 

Wade was not letting up on his teammates, even James.

Truth be told James is in a lose-lose situation. If he wins a title it was because of Wade, if he loses then he didn’t do enough. Call me crazy but this could build into an interesting situation over the next few years or however long that they are together.

 

Also, please stop having them do conferences together it looks absolutely ridiculous.)

 

With game 4 on the horizon the Heat have to be feeling pretty good right now. They lead the series, they’re shutting down Dallas offensively and Dwyane Wade is in full attack mode and isn’t letting anyone slow him down, nor is he giving his teammates room for error.

 

He’s looking like the quintessential leader right now. He has to be; it’s his team, just like it’s always been.

The Mavs Do It Again

The Mavs stole one in Miami.

You’d think that I would’ve learned this lesson already after seeing it over and over again.

 

When the Jets were down 30-7 on Monday Night Football I turned the game off and went to sleep, the Jets won in overtime. When the Giants led the Eagles 31-10 last year I focused on trying to woo my then girlfriend for the rest of the day, I don’t want to talk about the result of that game. Heck, two weeks ago I tuned out when the Dallas Mavericks were down by 15 to the Oklahoma City Thunder and look what happened.

 

So shame on me for once again thinking that a team had no chance to win a game, when clearly they had more than enough time for to comeback and win. Also, double shame on me for doubting the Mavericks again.

 

Once again the Mavericks after looking like the lesser team for an extended stretch in the second half of a major playoff game came roaring back to win that same game. This time the Miami Heat were the victims of a 15-point collapse that lead to a 95-93 defeat.

 

Unlike the OKC meltdown this is really a head scratcher.

 

First off OKC was a young and inexperienced squad that needed to lose a big game before they could win one. Dwyane Wade has a ring; LeBron James has been to the Finals, Erik Spoelstra one a ring as an assistant. In other words they had the experience advantage to prevent a collapse like this from occurring.

 

(And oh by the way they just came off of a 92-84 game 1 victory where they completely steamrolled the Mavs in the final 2 quarters and didn’t let up.)

 

To suddenly forget that killer instinct one game later is absolutely beyond me. How do you go from lockdown defense and stellar late game execution in one game to looking like BYU in the next game? Better question; how do you run up and down the floor and completely demolish a team with your athleticism for two and a half quarters then look like Jimmer Fredette in the last 6 minutes (not a complement)? There were so man off balanced three’s taken by Miami that it stopped being funny. It was as if the Heat just wanted the Mavs to climb back into the game after being taken to the brink.

 

LeBron's inability to close... again... cost the Heat.

Which brings us to the Mavs and more importantly Dirk Nowitzki. As the Heat turned game 2 into their own highlight reel I was wondering where is the fight in this team? There was D-Wade and LeBron putting on a clinic and all the Mavs were doing was hanging their heads. It looked like a replay of the 2006 Mavs that cowered when facing a challenge. Once Wade knocked down that three in the corner and just stood there taunting the Mavs with that extended wrist you knew it was over. Then all of a sudden their they were clawing and scratching their way back finally knowing that they had everything to lose.

 

The key was that Jason Terry finally hit some shots. Through the first 90 minutes of these NBA Finals Terry was abysmal and without him knocking down shots it doesn’t matter what Dirk or anyone does The Mavs wont win. When he started knocking down shots and getting to the line is when the Mavs started roaring back.

 

Jason Kidd knocked down a three; Shawn Marion chipped in with a layup and turned up the defense on LeBron and forcing him into bad shots. The rebounds came both offensive and defensive as they turned the tide in that battle… then it was Dirk time.

 

It was clear that the torn ligament in his off hand was affecting him all night as he couldn’t get into a rhythm hitting only 6 of his first 18 shots. However, in the last 3 minutes of regulation Dirk missed nothing. An 18 foot jumper on the wing to close the lead to 2, a layup with that injured off hand to tie the game, a wide open three to give them their first lead since a 51-42 advantage in the first half, and finally after Mario Chalmers hit a corner three to tie the game Dirk took Chris Bosh off of the dribble and into the lane for another layup with his off hand to clinch the game.

 

As quickly as American Airlines Arena was rocking 6 minutes prior, it was deathly silent save for the Mavericks celebration taking place on the floor.

 

Imagine how the Heat feel.

 

To be 6 minutes away from a 2-0 lead and instead you head to one of the loudest arena’s in the league coming off of an historic choke job and momentum clearly against you.

 

Not to mention now everyone thinks that its back to being the crying Heat, the Heat that couldn’t close earlier in the season, if you’re LeBron James now there’s questions about your late game abilities after this pathetic showing, can Chris Bosh rise to the occasion (4-16 and getting owned by Dirk late), etc, etc.

 

Yeah, Dirk did it on em.

It’s the worst situation to be in for them and the best to be in if you’re Dallas. Now the series in your favor with 3 straight in your house and a reeling Heat team coming in. Terry has his rhythm, Marion has discovered the fountain of youth and Dirk is… well, Dirk. The ball is literally in their court and the odds are in their favor.

 

Will the Heat learn from their mistake and brush this failure off of their shoulders? Will the Mavs put take advantage of the Heat’s shortcomings and ride it to victory in Dallas? These questions were made possible thanks to another Mavs comeback, and Heat meltdown.

 

The most important game besides the clincher comes on Sunday in game 3 when we find out just what each team is made of. If the Mavs take control early and Heat come out cold and shoot a ton of jumpers then the series will belong to Dallas. If Miami shows that this was an aberration and gets back to business in Dallas then the series is theirs.

 

Just do yourself a favor; whatever happens don’t assume that any game is over. Keep watching.

The Heat Get It Right

The Heat are one step closer to having the last laugh.

I owe the Miami Heat an apology. I doubted them, called them soft, contrived, too arrogant and wished them nothing but ill will throughout the season.

 

I thought a team of three superstars and a bench of bums couldn’t make the NBA Finals. I thought that you had to build a team and add key pieces over the course of time. I thought LeBron James was too weak in the late stages of games, I thought Chris Bosh was soft, I thought they were two years away from being a contender.

 

I was wrong.

 

After last night’s 83-80 comeback win against the Chicago Bulls where the Heat closed the game on a 18-3 run and James came through in the clutch, again, all of my doubts were officially flushed down the toilet.

 

The Heat were tougher than advertised, they didn’t let the end of games in this series harm them like they did in the regular season. There was no passing to Mike Miller for game-winning shots (though when Miller did have the ball he was clutch in this game as well as game 4), there was no wondering if the big three could come up big when it mattered. They just did.

 

As much as we made fun of Chris Bosh this season from his crying in the locker room to him being routinely dominated in the low post, Bosh came up huge when it matter in this series as well as throughout the playoffs.

 

Bosh keyed their game 3 win by dominating Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson with 34 points and kept them on their toes in games 4 and 5. When Dwyane Wade and James seemed to be and hot cold throughout the series Bosh was consistent.

 

We can't make fun of Chris Bosh anymore.

Even though Wade had his ups and downs in the series and seemed cold for most of it, he came through when it mattered. In two minutes Wade almost erased the Heat’s 12 point deficit single handedly by scoring 8 points in two minutes and setting up two of James’s threes… which reminds me…

 

The biggest winner in this whole run by the Miami Heat is LeBron James. Coming into the playoffs he was considered to be a liability in the stretch run of a game due to his disappointments in Cleveland and earlier this year. LeBron has shed that moniker with his crunch time shot making throughout this series and in the Boston series and his defense on Derrick Rose.

 

James has been counted on and come through time and time again and has officially transformed into the best player in the league as well as the best closer. After Wade went off late in the fourth, James hammered home the game tying three and go ahead jumper over Luol Deng that lifted the Heat to victory. We can no longer doubt LeBron’s onions, his failed performances down the stretch versus Boston last year and Orlando in the previous year are now in the trash. He has now elevated himself to a high plateau and like it or not we have to give him respect.

 

So are they the favorites to win it all? I think so. As good as the Mavericks are (and the fact that no one on the Heat can guard Dirk Nowitzki) the Heat are peaking at the right time and have 4 of the best 5 players on the court. After the Big 3 the return of Udonis Haslem has benefitted the Heat more than any other player. He brings a toughness and energy that the Heat needed all year long and teamed with Joel Anthony their big men have a distinct advantage over Dallas’s big men.

 

With the series starting in Miami on Tuesday Miami can jump out to a quick 2-0 advantage and afford to lose two in Dallas no matter how great Dirk will be in any game. The Heat have the better team at this current moment. God that pains me to say.

 

It also pains me to say that I’m sorry to the Heat for the bashing and name calling and downplaying of their talent this year. Pat Riley knew what he was doing and it’s working to perfection with a maximum of 7 games left in their run.  We can no longer downplay them as a non-threat to the title, or say that they need more pieces, or that you can’t build a champion like this.

 

The Heat did, and within the next week or two after all is said and done they’ll be holding the Larry O’ Brien trophy laughing at us all saying they told us so.

 

They’ll get no static from me.

A Sad Night In OKC

This about sums up OKC's collapse.

As far as collapses go, last night in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was pretty heavy.

I know about the 1992 Houston Oilers, the 2004 New York Giants and last year’s Boston Bruins. Those meltdowns were elongated and gradually moving over time.

The Buffalo Bills come back began almost immediately in the second half against Houston. The San Francisco 49ers had 20 minutes of clock left to come back. The Philadelphia Flyers gathered themselves in about a whole week.

The Dallas Mavericks decimated the Oklahoma City Thunder and left them for dead in less than 5 minutes.

How in the world did this happen? Kevin Durant had just hit a three-pointer to put the Thunder up by 15 points with 5:04 remaining. The Mavericks were outrebounded 48-22 at the time; yes you read that right, that is a differential of 26 in rebounds during a playoff game. The Mavs were shooting a ton of threes and not making many of them. Their offense was flat, the crowd was intense, the game was so far out of reach to the eye that my buddy Mike decided to hit the hay and get ready for work and left immediately after that Durant three.

Then somehow Dallas pulled themselves out of the grave… correction, Dirk Nowitzki pulled them out of the grave.

After watching Dallas look absolutely abysmal for 3 plus quarters, Nowitzki piled the gang on his back and carried them over the final 5.

His shot making was spectacular, no matter what Nick Collison did (and by the way, Nick Collison played tremendous defense on him) Dirk just kept hitting shots.

His baseline, off-balanced, one-legged prayer was the stuff of highlight reels, his head fake and patented one-legged fade away brought Dallas to within 4, he kept making play after play to bring Dallas closer to a tie and all Oklahoma City could do was watch.

The Thunder went from a well-oiled machine to an anemic one. Shots that were once falling couldn’t find the net. Durant panicked and chucked shots, Thabo Sefolosha couldn’t connect, Collison couldn’t get a rebound and Russell Westbrook raised more questions about his shaky decision making with a couple of ill-timed turnovers and shots of his own.

It also didn’t help that Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd and the rest of the Mavs defense buckled down and made life hell for everyone of the Thunder players on the offensive end of the floor.

Dirk worked his magic again.

Once Dirk Nowitzki hit those two free throws near the end of regulation to tie the score you could see the dejection and anguish on the faces of almost every one in the arena that wore Thunder garb, including the players.

The young guns who were free slinging and playing out of there minds for the first two rounds all of a sudden looked like a bunch of lost souls. They were scared, timid and searching for answers, Dallas on the other hand looked rejuvenated and hungry.

They came into the overtime period with the same ferocity that carried them throughout the end of regulation. Marion and Kidd were like blankets that Durant couldn’t shake. Their defense was one hell of a back-story to Dirk’s heroics.

(The funny thing about all of this is Jason Kidd’s transformation. 3 years ago before he came to Dallas; Kidd was a mediocre defender that couldn’t hit a jumper. Then last night you saw Kidd doing his best Bruce Bowen on Durant and Westbrook coming up with gigantic defensive plays and hitting the eventual game-winning three. As much as you have to praise Dirk you have to recognize Kidd’s brilliance in reinventing what kind of player he is and raising his game to the next level with a championship so close at hand.)

Throughout all of this the Thunder still had a chance to win this game after Serge Ibaka knocked down an 18-footer. But once Dirk found Kidd for the go ahead three to make it 108-105 you knew that it was over.

A few Durant misses later the meltdown was complete. Dallas had won a game where it was outrebounded by 22, allowed 18 more points in the paint and was down by what seemed like an insurmountable margin with 5 minutes left.

Kevin Durant missed his last 5 shots; the Thunder finished with 25 turnovers and will probably bow out with a game 5 loss at Dallas to drive a stake through their already torn hearts.

The good news is that they can take solace in their defeat by looking at what the Bruins have accomplished. After their epic meltdown last year Boston finds itself a game away from the Stanley Cup finals.

The Thunder can replicate what the Bruins did in part because of a declining Western Conference that they would seem to have an edge in being the favorite next year.

But it won’t take away the sting of this defeat. OKC’s failure to close out game 4 will go down in history with some of the most gut wrenching defeats that we have ever seen.

And we will be seeing it over and over again for a while.

The Russell Westbrook Saga Takes A Turn

Russell Westbrooks dramatic postseason took a weird turn last night.

Russell Westbrook sat down on the bench with less than a minute left to go in the third quarter replaced by Eric Maynor.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were down by three points and had blown a six point lead earlier in the period. Westbrook was frustrated with a botched play call and vented his frustration on the bench.

Seconds later James Harden hit a three and was fouled by Jason Terry.

He hit the free throw to put the Thunder up by one and they never trailed again.

During this time Westbrook never left the bench.

Russell Westbrook has been the NBA playoffs best drama not named the Miami Heat. His overzealousness and self-indulgence in wanting to be the man have tainted the amazing run that the Thunder have had thus far.

Last night it took a turn that I felt should’ve happened earlier in the playoffs yet the timing couldn’t have been better.

Think about how much of a genius Scott Brooks looks like right now. He sat Westbrook at a point in the game where the Thunder were struggling offensively and needed a boost. In came Maynor in addition to sticking with reserves Harden and Nick Collison while starters Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka sat on the bench. Brooks stayed with all of them for the entire period and the move paid off.

Not only did Maynor do a great job of running the offense but Harden was a beast as well knocking huge shots and finishing with 23 points and Collison did what no other Thunder could do in game 1, stop Dirk Nowitzki.

Collision forced Dirk into a few turnovers and never gave him a clean look at the basket. His feistiness and aggressiveness led to good looks for the Thunder on the offensive end and eventually led to a ten point advantage and a 6 point win.

Eric Maynor did a great job in place of Westbrook last night.

But the main story is Westbrook.

There are two sides to this story: one is that this benching should finally prove to Westbrook where he is on the alpha dog totem pole in OKC.

His internal struggle with trying to be the man over Kevin Durant has made for some good TV and lots of talk for everyone watching. We all know that Durant is the real man in charge but the message needed to be relayed to Westbrook. This was that message.

While Brooks would say that he kept his bench players in for the whole quarter because of how well they played, he can’t just overlook the fact that at some point he had to humble Westbrook. Yesterday he did that in a backhanded sort of way.

Westbrook coming out in the third quarter wasn’t a benching; it was his normal rest time. He normally checks back in at the 7 or 8 minute mark to lead the offense down the stretch. However, with the team playing so well he decided to keep Maynor in the game and leave Westbrook there to sit and wait… and wait… and wait… until the clock struck zero and he was high-fiving teammates after the win. The Thunder won while Westbrook sat and learned. Two birds, one stone.

The other way to view this is that maybe Brooks was right in his words when he said that Westbrook sat only because the bench was playing so well and not due to his poor play in key stages in the playoffs.

Last night wasn’t a mark against Westbrook; rather it was a bonus for the depth of the Thunder. For so many reserves to play in such a key stretch and stand tall is something that could last well past this series and into the finals. Now Durant and Westbrook for that matter have about a good 6 or 7 complementary guys that can step up in any situation and do what’s asked of them. Miami, Chicago or Dallas do not have that same luxury.

Throughout this whole drama Westbrook hasn’t let it get to him. Of course he was frustrated on the bench when his name wasn’t called, I mean wouldn’t you be too after being named all-NBA second team? Instead of letting his ego get the best of him he cheered for his teammates, was the first guys to hand out dap during timeouts and didn’t let reporters get to him with questions after the game.

He said that he was “good” and didn’t care as long as they won the game. A great bit of humbleness from a player who to most was letting his ego get in the way.

Now the question is what happens to Westbrook now?

Will Brooks yank him again if he goes against the game plan? Will he sulk and get upset if his number isn’t called? Will he chick up more terrible looking shots like he has done throughout the playoffs? Or will he play the type of basketball that makes him a top 3 point guard in the NBA?

Just know that every move that Westbrook makes will be looked at even closer than ever before, and if he can’t handle it then we know Coach Brooks will have no problem going to Eric Maynor again. It’s worked once before, Westbrook saw it firsthand.

A Classic Night For Dirk Nowitzki

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, a.k.a. The Dirk Show.

2: Dirk Nowitzki knocks down a jumper off of a Jason Kidd feed.

4: Nowitzki drives into the lane to draw a contact foul on Kendrick Perkins. He drains both free throws

6: after Russell Westbrook misses a jumper (one of many in a horrid night for the brash young point guard) Kidd pushes the ball and Dirk drives into the lane untouched for another deuce.

8: Dirk pulls up over Serge Ibaka for an easy deuce

10: after Kevin Durant drains a three, Dirk abuses Ibaka (it happened a lot last night) and buries a 17 footer.

Thus far 4-4 10 points 2-2 from the free throw line. He sits at the 6-minute mark of the first before re-entering at the 1:13 mark.

12: Peja Stojakavic finds a cutting Dirk who rolls it in.

14: Dirk lures Ibaka with one of his many pump fakes and draws a shooting foul. Hits both free throws.

16: Nowitzki shakes Ibaka a drains a 18 footer. (And yes he’s still perfect if you were wondering.

19: in the midst of a crippling 13-0 run late in the second quarter, Dirk drives the lane bounces off of Ibaka drawing the foul and one.

(Side note: 5 years ago when Dirk went off for 51 against Phoenix he turned Boris Diaw into a crash test dummy. I immediately thought of this while watch the 6-10 super athletic Ibaka just get mauled by the bigger, stronger and more cunning Nowitzki. What I really remember was how me and my buddies made the joke that Boris Diaw in French meant Dirk Nowitzki’s B****. Insert Ibaka’s name and Swahili for the same effect.)

OKC got tired of seeing this last night.

21: Dirk drains a 12-footer, sorry Ibaka was on the bench.

First half: 21 points, no shots missed. Three’s, two’s, one’s, nothing.

As the second half began Scott Brooks decides to give other guys a crack at guarding Dirk like Thabo Sefolosha and James Harden… what do you think happened?

23: Dirk draws a foul on… guess who? Hits both.

24: Dirk gets a freebie from an illegal defense.

26: Dirk draws two consecutive fouls on Kevin Durant, one was suspect, but the even better question is why is Durant covering Dirk in the first place?

28: Sefolosha falls for the head fake Dirk hits two.

29: another illegal defense, dirk connects.

31: Dirk in the low block, over Sefolosha, no chance.

33: Dirk in the low block, over Sefolosha, no chance.

(At this point it’s becoming clear that not a single living being is going to stop, contain, slow down or… anything Dirk. If you face him up he’ll drive by you or shoot over you. If he has his back to the basket then he’ll pound you down. The Thunder had no answer for Dirk at all.

Coincidentally neither did Dallas for Durant. Loss in Dirk’s classic performance was Durant who was carrying the Thunder while Westbrook couldn’t hit Cowboys Stadium and Perkins couldn’t stay on the floor. Watch Durant and Nowitzki go at it offensively was like watching a clinic. Both knew their spacing, both knew when to drive and when to shoot and neither could be stopped. If game one was any indication of how this series is going to go then it’s going to be a good one.)

34: Dirk hits a tech.

36: Sefolosha goes for the fake, again, Dirk hits both.

38: Sefolosha can’t handle Dirk’s size and is called for clutching and grabbing. Dirk hits both.

(At this rate Scott Brooks needed a hug.)

Dirk misses his first shot of the game, and Jesus wept.

After three: 38 points. Perfect from the line and half of the Thunder wondering how in the hell they are going to stop him.

40: James Harden falls for the head fake, Dirk hits both. At this point the Thunder should’ve just stopped jumping.

You wanna try stopping me? Bring It!

We interrupt this Dirk Nowitzki report to bring you breaking news… Jose Juan Barea is pretty much the nastiest player in this series not named Dirk Nowitzki.

When he entered the game the whole dynamic changed. It wasn’t just about trying to stop Dirk, now you had to worry about a 6 foot locomotive that moved in fifth for practically his entire time on the court.

I couldn’t tell you how many times that Barea drove past Thunder defenders for an easy layup. He killed Eric Maynor, entered the lane at will and killed Nate Robinson’s ankles on his last layup.  It’s like someone fills his tank with nitrous oxide and says let er’ rip before he enters the game.

No wonder Andrew Bynum tried to break his ribs.

After Durant and Ibaka bring the Thunder within 5, the ball just so happened to find its way into Dirk’s hands again.

42: Ibaka falls for the head fake. Dirk hits two. I’m really tired of writing that.

44: after Westbrook hits a layup, Dirk answers with a 16- footer over Ibaka.

46: after Durant nails a three, Dirk answers with an 18 footer over Ibaka. (Serge Ibaka in Swahili means what again?)

48: with the Thunder clinging to what hope they have left, Westbrook fouls Nowitzki and he hits both.

To summarize: 48 points, 12-15 from the field, 24-24 from the line breaking Paul Pierce’s playoff record of 21-21, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, and possession of Thabo Sefolosha and Serge Ibaka’s soul.

Not a bad night wouldn’t you say?

The Lake Show Is Over

Kobe and the Lakers will need more than a flip of the switch to come back in this series.

I knew the L.A. Lakers were dead after their epic collapse in game 1 of their series against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Lakers for years have made flipping the switch an art form. They lull through the regular season, have games where everyone questions their mindset and then once mid-March hits things get back to normal.

It happened again this year as the Lakers sleepwalked from November to February in a stretch that included terrible losses to the Charlotte Bobcats and Cleveland Cavaliers. Once the second half of the season hit, the Lakers turned it on and began to resemble the title contender that we all knew they were.

They won 17 of 18 and had an outside shot at being the number one seed in the Western Conference as the San Antonio Spurs began to show the chinks in their armor. They positioned themselves perfectly at the 2 slot with a first round matchup against the New Orleans Hornets. Even though at times they looked sluggish you saw the reasons why they were going to win the NBA title.

Andrew Bynum was a beast beneath the rim, Lamar Odom was all over the floor and Kobe Bryant was, well, Kobe Bryant. Their size and experience pummeled the Hornets and with the Spurs falling to the Grizzlies I expected them to roll through the rest of the West without consequence. Especially against a Dallas team the about 80% of the country had losing to Portland.

And then game 1 happened.

Up 16 in the second half the Lakers looked as if they were in control. Then Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs rolled back thanks to a combination of defense on their part and horrendous execution on the Lakers part. Well that and Dirk went HAM.

His 11 in the 4^th quarter combined with the overall sense of urgency that he and the rest of the Mavs played with shock the Lakers and they couldn’t recover. Pau Gasol was a statue, Ron Artest chucked up a few bad shots and Kobe couldn’t close. In a complete role reversal it was the Mavs showing that they had the guts to hold on to a late lead while the Lakers fell into oblivion.

After that 96-94 loss, the Lakers chances at another title faded.

Pau and company have been manhandeled by a intensely focused Dirk Nowitzki.

Game 2 came around and the Lakers looked like mush. There was no energy, no sense of urgency and even worse execution on offense and defense. J.J. Barea, yes J.J. Barea looked like a Puerto Rican John Stockton as he carved up the Lakers point guards in the fourth quarter and made the Lakers look a total embarrassment. He toyed with them so much that Artest received a one game suspension for trying to clothesline him at the end of the game.

Afterwards Bynum talked of chemistry issues, the Artest incident brought back concerns of his anger issues, and everyone from analysts to my barber highlighted the poor point guard play. The Lakers were heading to Dallas down 2-0 and having to deal with a more focused than ever Dirk Nowitzki.

(By the way, if the Lakers needed an influence as a means to give them a boost, they should’ve looked at Dirk. Dirk knows that he’s close to the end of his time in the league. He’s still playing at a high level at age 33 but that won’t last much longer. Combine that with Jason Kidd on his last legs, Tyson Chandler’s impending free agency and the Mavs close to the end of their amazing run and Dirk is hungrier than ever.

Three years ago Dirk was still a little timid in late game situations, he was still looking for help, now he’s saying screw it, this might be my last shot and I’ve got to take advantage of this while I can. If the Lakers played with a third of his sense of urgency then this still might be a series.)

Game 3 was the Lakers last stand. They knew that their task at hand was against all odds, but they came out with energy and had a spark. You saw Bynum prove once again how important he was to the Lakers, you saw Lamar Odom provide a spark in the starting five for the suspended Artest, hell you saw Phil Jackson smack Gasol twice in the chest and get in his grill telling him to man up… yet when it all boiled down to it, the Lakers inconsistencies, and Dirk’s will, killed them in the end.

Up 7 with a little over five minutes to go, Dirk and company went on a 18-6 including Dirk knocking one home from close range that gave the Mavs the lead for good and pretty much ended this series.

In short, once again Kobe and the Lakers couldn’t close. Weird to think that a two-time defending champion shouldn’t take care of a team that was thought to be the weakest of the top 3 seeds once the playoffs began.

To Kobe Bryant this series isn’t over. He still thinks the Lakers have a shot. Kobe, you don’t.

This team sleepwalked for way too long and thought that it could turn it on like it always does. That was not the case for this year.

The Lakers will lose this series, watch Phil Jackson retire and watch a new champion become crowned. It was not the way any of us envisioned it playing out, but after game 1 of this series you had a feeling that maybe something like this was at hand.