NBA Finals

[twansalem]

The NBA Finals start tonight. So who wins? Is Dirk Nowitzki the best player in the series? Does the Big Diesel still have enough left in the tank? Or is this series decided by the younger guys like Wade and Howard?

I say Mavericks in 6, Dirk Nowitzki NBA Finals MVP.

 

[Darkness]

Heat in 6. Shaq will bring his A-game one fnal time...

 

[jonatas]

I heavily favor Dallas over the Heat (though I would rather see the Heat win). Dallas is a very deep team, and tough too. Dallas in 6.

 

[adog]

Mavs in 6.

 

[Inter4]

Mavericks in 5.

Heat will win 1 out of luck.

 

[Inter4]

Heat in 6. Shaq will bring his A-game one fnal time...

5 points.. that's more like F game.

The Shaq era is over..

 

[jonatas]

5 points.. that's more like F game.

The Shaq era is over..

I start giggling when Shaq goes to the free throw line now. What's even worse is that it looks like it could be contagious. Wade shot 6 for 10 in the first game. Shaqitis! lmao

 

[Inter4]

Shaquitis..

When he goes to the line.. I just feel sorry for him.

It's only a high-school skill


What I want to know is WHY (?!?!) is he so bad from the free throw line Is there a reason? Bad sight?

 

[jonatas]

What I want to know is WHY (?!?!) is he so bad from the free throw line Is there a reason? Bad sight?

It's partly mental by now. He's missing so badly he becomes even worse, because of the pressure. I don't think he really cared too much when he was younger, now it's impossible to fix. Also it can be hard for guys with really big hands to shoot free throws accurately sometimes. More than anything, it's mental now. He is plain awful at the line, just like Ben Wallace this year in the playoffs. Worse than ever.

 

[kingjoshi]

Because it takes 'care' to improve. Not just repitition. If you're not actively trying to improve your shot, then you're just repeatedly shooting poorly. Not real practice or training. He got his FT shooting up to 63% but then got different FT coach and later stopped caring to improve. He takes the mentality that he can still hit the 'important' ones. But anyone that is a student of the game knows that EVERY SHOT IS IMPORTANT!

Personally, I used to be a 50% FT shooter and just from watching Nash and practicing, I got up to 70-80% (outdoors worse than indoors).

 

[kingjoshi]

I don't know about the hand size thing. I think I could shoot a tennis ball, women's basketball or whatever just fine. If I used it on some semi-regular basis. It's definitely very mental now though.

Anyhow, I'm so glad to see Dallas kicking butt. Of all the 'elite' teams, Miami was the only team I hoped wouldn't win it. Anyhow, I still think Wade and Shaq can win next two at home. The team has the ability. They just have to play to it. And Riley needs to coach better. He's getting outcoached. It's not just the players fault.

 

[Serutan]

Riley is definitely getting outcoached, if in no other way than handling the players. Miami's sure don't seem to
be all that fired up right now...

 

[Inter4]

Heat will win 1 out of luck.

And that happened tuesday..

The Heat needed 40+ points from Wade to win by 1 point.

 

[dgfred]

And that happened tuesday..

The Heat needed 40+ points from Wade to win by 1 point.

And a missed freethrow by Super-D . You have to admit that Wade
was really impressive though .

 

[Inter4]

Of course, he's great , but he's no Jordan

And even Jordan needed great players next to him to win it all.. and Wade doesnt' have that.

 

[Darkness]

Heat will win 1 out of luck.

They've won 2 now. Is this still luck ? Or is Dwyane Wade about to take the Mavs down (with a little help from the rest of the Heat)...?


Nowitzki doens't seem to be able to enforce his game on Haslem/Posey. Until he finds a way to do that, the Mavs will have no chance of winning this series.

 

[Inter4]

Time will tell. If Miami beat the Mavs, then they'll be truly the best of this season, cause nobody has been able to stop Johnson coaching skills, the mavs deep bench and dirk's best season so far.

 

[kingjoshi]

I made no prediction about this because I thought it was a toss up. After each game, people become emboldened to make bold statments.

I know how my World Cup predictions are turning out and would rather make a prediction here.

I think Wade is an amazing player who's determination and heart is incredible (few in the league are up to it, most comparable is probably AI). Shaq may be past his prime, but he hasn't gotten shorter or weaker. The team has talent: that's how they won over 50 games, not team chemistry or whatever.

But Dallas has talent plus more. But with Stack out game 5, they lose experience. Though I remember when Daniels was lighting it up in the playoffs to earn that big contract. On paper, this is the better team.

Given that only one team has three in a row at home (Pistons against Lakers) and that Nowitski has yet to have two consecutive bad games in the playoffs, signs look positive in that regard for Dallas. But eventually you have to prove it on the court. And that's where Wade is more than willing to go toe-to-toe to prove he (and his team) is better.

 

[Inter4]

Dallas got robbed with that last call..

 

[jonatas]