Thoughts on the NBA Finals
Let's do this question and answer style.
Did the Mavs just lose their best opportunity to win a championship with this nucleus?
Not necessarily, but probably. As we all know, Phoenix is going to be incredibly good next year when Amare Stoudamire returns--even if he's only 75% of the player he used to be. The Spurs for the first time will now focus at least some of their attention on beating the Mavs, and will likely improve. Houston could/should be vastly improved over their nightmare season. As long as the Clips keep their nucleus (especially Sam Cassell), they will be improved. Finally, the Mavs didn't have to play the Pistons, which was undoubtedly the best team in the NBA until Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when they suddenly just lost it. So this was probably the best opportunity the Mavs had to win a title.
So is there any hope for the Mavs?
Of course. They are the second best team in the NBA, and provided they resign Jason Terry will have their nucleus in tact again next year. There's also the theory of the "Suffering Apprentice": you need to lose a few times before you can win. I like how this fits with the Mavs--look at how poorly they handled the playoffs last year, and look how well they handled it this year. They'll learn and get better from this, just like they always have.
That's all fine and good...but the real question is this: will the Dallas Mavericks ever win an NBA Championship with Mark Cuban as the owner and David Stern as the commissioner?
I don't know. I'm sorry, but Miami only really won two games in that series, and no one is really taking into account what a HUGE change switching to the 2-3-2 format was. The NBA dropped that about 7 years ago, for exactly the reason we saw here: it allows the away team to build up too much momentum, thus taking away the home court "advantage" from the team with the better record. If the home team loses one of the first two games, it's all but over, and that's why the NBA got rid of it. So make no mistake: David Stern decided that he was not going to give Mark Cuban a championship, and that was that.
This really disappoints me, and not just because I'm a Mav's fan and it was my team that got screwed. I'm disappointed because, for the first time I can remember, David Stern screwed over a team for personal reasons. The NBA has played to favorites for years--this is the league who switched the first round of the playoffs to 7 games in mid season when it looked like the Lakers were going to draw the Timberwolves and lose in 2003--but it has always been for marketing purposes, or the "betterment of the league". It was to favor the large market teams (LA, New York, Chicago, Boston) or teams with a compelling story that captivated the country (Barkley in Phoenix, etc.). It was never just because David Stern didn't like the team. Did this make it right? No, of course not. But this is a business, and at least from a business perspective you could understand doing that.
But this is pettiness, and that is disappointing. I've always admired David Stern, but now I will definitely never hold him in as high esteem as I have in the past. He stooped to a level that I considered beneath him in this Finals.
Did I answer the question? To make sure, here's the answer: I think so. I'd like to think that Stern wouldn't stick it to the Mavs for years, and that he just didn't want Cuban to make it his first time. But this opened us up to a whole new vindictive side of him, and now I--nor anyone--really knows how far or long he's willing to take this.
So obviously you hate the Heat...
No, not at all. I've always loved Dwayne Wade, and he proved what I've always thought of him: he's a tireless competitor who will take his game to the next level to win. The praise I gave him during the All Star Game still stands. I also love Shaq in his later years, and I love it even more that he won a title without Kobe--that just makes Kobe look like even more of an ass. I've also always liked Udonis Haslem and James Posey. Of course I loathe Antoine Walker and Pat Riley, but this is one of my favorite teams in the East.
I'm honestly disappointed, because I feel that the Heat--and DWade especially--were cheated in this, too. They're better than this, and if they win, they deserve to win straight up--not shooting free throws so much that the championship is handed to them.
So what were your thoughts on Game 6?
I'm glad it ended the way it did, if it had to end for the Mavs: with the Heat honestly winning the deciding game. They beat the Mavs in a real/fair game. The Mavs fell in love with their jumpers, and literally shot themselves out of the game. It was too bad, because they've successfully avoided that temptation for most of the year. The worst thing that can happen with players who like to shoot jumpers in basketball (at any level) is when they are just a tiny bit off. It's close enough to make them think, "Well shit, I'll hit the next one." They then spend the rest of the night firing it up, to disastrous results. That's exactly what happened here.
And to those who say that complaints about the officiating were just sour grapes by Mavs fans, I say that last night proved you false. Check out the stats from last night: The Heat shot 14 more free throws, and DWade shot 21. In Game 5, the Heat shot 24 more free throws, and DWade shot 25. Similar numbers, yes? But you don't here people complaining about Game 6 because those were deserved. The Mavs shot jumpers all day so they didn't get to the line. It was as simple as that. If it was just "sour grapes", then pundits and Mav's fans would be complaining just as much about Game 6 as they were Game 5. But there was a difference in the calls, even when the stats were the same.
What are the odds the Heat repeat next year?
Not good, without some major retooling. Shaq and Zo are at the point of their careers when they will start aging in dog years. Their bench is still terrible--the only game the bench truly came through on was Game 6. GP, who hit two HUGE shots for Miami in the series, will either retire this offseason or will not ever do that again. They still have a top five talent in the NBA in DWade, so of course, they'll be right up there--without question top 2 or 3 teams in the East--but they definitely do not need to stand pat to win another title.
What do the Mavs need to do this offseason?
Not much, you might be surprised to hear. They need to resign Jason Terry. Don't get cute and start thinking you can do better--pony up and give him the money per year he wants, only for four years and not the six he's wanting. That should get him back. I'd love for them to move Stackhouse for someone more consistent, but no one gettable is coming to my mind. They need to either keep him or find someone better, so they'll probably end up keeping him.
The one thing I would change is make a huge push to sign Sam Cassell. I don't think it's going to be possible--Sam still wants lots of money, and we won't have lots of money under the cap to give him. But the only real "hole" I can see on this team is a true point guard who can hit a jumper in the clutch. Sam would be perfect to fill that hole.
Where does Dirk stand after these Finals?
It's amazing that a player can shoot almost 50%, have 29 points, 15 rebounds, and you can still be disappointed in his performance. However, that's exactly what happened here. I really hate to say this, as this is one of the worst insults I can give a player, but Dirk reminded me of Chris Webber in the fourth quarter. He was without question hiding from the ball. I don't think it's because he's a coward like Webber is/was, however. I think Dirk just finally ran out of gas. I think that Dirk has finally reached the point in his career where he needs to think about the amount of time he spends playing basketball in a year--meaning not as many international tournaments, and not as many minutes during the regular season. There's no way he can be as clutch as he was against the Spurs and Suns and then say he's a Chris Webber/Karl Malone type performer--he was just too good when it mattered then. I think he just finally wore out, and he needs to think of that during the season next year. Or rather, Avery does.
Where does Avery stand after these finals?
Avery went from "it's impossible that a first year coach can be this good" to "wow he's making a lot of rookie mistakes" overnight. He really did not do a good coaching job in the Finals. It wasn't that Pat Riley outcoached him, he really hurt himself. I think the pressure finally got to him a little and he freaked out a little bit. It's understandable. I think he's like the rest of the Mavs--he'll learn from this experience and be more prepared next time.
Is the fact that the Heat won a setback to the NBA's revitalization like The Sports Guy is afraid it is?
Probably not. Like I said, this was a vindictive Finals, and I think most teams in the league are smart enough to realize that. Plus there are enough elite teams--the Mavs, Suns, Clippers, etc.--that are committed to playing a team oriented, uptempo style that have that nucleus set up for the next few years. They're not changing. I don't expect Rileyball or The Superstar Treatment to totally set in again like it did in the mid to late 90's.
However, the NBA needs to realize that they can't let that set in. The Mob isn't totally stupid, and it reaches a point where it realizes it's been had. Fans have watched the Lakers, Spurs, and now Heat be guided by the league over the years to playoff wins they didn't deserve, and are getting restless about it. If the NBA keeps that up AND goes back to the unentertaining style of play that gave them such a bad rep during the period mentioned above, they are going to lose a LOT of fans, and slip back into third place of The Big Three Sports. You can only screw over the people so long before they push back, or in this case, take their dollar elsewhere.
So congratulations Miami. You are the 2006 NBA Champions. I just wish I could be more excited about it.
Did the Mavs just lose their best opportunity to win a championship with this nucleus?
Not necessarily, but probably. As we all know, Phoenix is going to be incredibly good next year when Amare Stoudamire returns--even if he's only 75% of the player he used to be. The Spurs for the first time will now focus at least some of their attention on beating the Mavs, and will likely improve. Houston could/should be vastly improved over their nightmare season. As long as the Clips keep their nucleus (especially Sam Cassell), they will be improved. Finally, the Mavs didn't have to play the Pistons, which was undoubtedly the best team in the NBA until Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, when they suddenly just lost it. So this was probably the best opportunity the Mavs had to win a title.
So is there any hope for the Mavs?
Of course. They are the second best team in the NBA, and provided they resign Jason Terry will have their nucleus in tact again next year. There's also the theory of the "Suffering Apprentice": you need to lose a few times before you can win. I like how this fits with the Mavs--look at how poorly they handled the playoffs last year, and look how well they handled it this year. They'll learn and get better from this, just like they always have.
That's all fine and good...but the real question is this: will the Dallas Mavericks ever win an NBA Championship with Mark Cuban as the owner and David Stern as the commissioner?
I don't know. I'm sorry, but Miami only really won two games in that series, and no one is really taking into account what a HUGE change switching to the 2-3-2 format was. The NBA dropped that about 7 years ago, for exactly the reason we saw here: it allows the away team to build up too much momentum, thus taking away the home court "advantage" from the team with the better record. If the home team loses one of the first two games, it's all but over, and that's why the NBA got rid of it. So make no mistake: David Stern decided that he was not going to give Mark Cuban a championship, and that was that.
This really disappoints me, and not just because I'm a Mav's fan and it was my team that got screwed. I'm disappointed because, for the first time I can remember, David Stern screwed over a team for personal reasons. The NBA has played to favorites for years--this is the league who switched the first round of the playoffs to 7 games in mid season when it looked like the Lakers were going to draw the Timberwolves and lose in 2003--but it has always been for marketing purposes, or the "betterment of the league". It was to favor the large market teams (LA, New York, Chicago, Boston) or teams with a compelling story that captivated the country (Barkley in Phoenix, etc.). It was never just because David Stern didn't like the team. Did this make it right? No, of course not. But this is a business, and at least from a business perspective you could understand doing that.
But this is pettiness, and that is disappointing. I've always admired David Stern, but now I will definitely never hold him in as high esteem as I have in the past. He stooped to a level that I considered beneath him in this Finals.
Did I answer the question? To make sure, here's the answer: I think so. I'd like to think that Stern wouldn't stick it to the Mavs for years, and that he just didn't want Cuban to make it his first time. But this opened us up to a whole new vindictive side of him, and now I--nor anyone--really knows how far or long he's willing to take this.
So obviously you hate the Heat...
No, not at all. I've always loved Dwayne Wade, and he proved what I've always thought of him: he's a tireless competitor who will take his game to the next level to win. The praise I gave him during the All Star Game still stands. I also love Shaq in his later years, and I love it even more that he won a title without Kobe--that just makes Kobe look like even more of an ass. I've also always liked Udonis Haslem and James Posey. Of course I loathe Antoine Walker and Pat Riley, but this is one of my favorite teams in the East.
I'm honestly disappointed, because I feel that the Heat--and DWade especially--were cheated in this, too. They're better than this, and if they win, they deserve to win straight up--not shooting free throws so much that the championship is handed to them.
So what were your thoughts on Game 6?
I'm glad it ended the way it did, if it had to end for the Mavs: with the Heat honestly winning the deciding game. They beat the Mavs in a real/fair game. The Mavs fell in love with their jumpers, and literally shot themselves out of the game. It was too bad, because they've successfully avoided that temptation for most of the year. The worst thing that can happen with players who like to shoot jumpers in basketball (at any level) is when they are just a tiny bit off. It's close enough to make them think, "Well shit, I'll hit the next one." They then spend the rest of the night firing it up, to disastrous results. That's exactly what happened here.
And to those who say that complaints about the officiating were just sour grapes by Mavs fans, I say that last night proved you false. Check out the stats from last night: The Heat shot 14 more free throws, and DWade shot 21. In Game 5, the Heat shot 24 more free throws, and DWade shot 25. Similar numbers, yes? But you don't here people complaining about Game 6 because those were deserved. The Mavs shot jumpers all day so they didn't get to the line. It was as simple as that. If it was just "sour grapes", then pundits and Mav's fans would be complaining just as much about Game 6 as they were Game 5. But there was a difference in the calls, even when the stats were the same.
What are the odds the Heat repeat next year?
Not good, without some major retooling. Shaq and Zo are at the point of their careers when they will start aging in dog years. Their bench is still terrible--the only game the bench truly came through on was Game 6. GP, who hit two HUGE shots for Miami in the series, will either retire this offseason or will not ever do that again. They still have a top five talent in the NBA in DWade, so of course, they'll be right up there--without question top 2 or 3 teams in the East--but they definitely do not need to stand pat to win another title.
What do the Mavs need to do this offseason?
Not much, you might be surprised to hear. They need to resign Jason Terry. Don't get cute and start thinking you can do better--pony up and give him the money per year he wants, only for four years and not the six he's wanting. That should get him back. I'd love for them to move Stackhouse for someone more consistent, but no one gettable is coming to my mind. They need to either keep him or find someone better, so they'll probably end up keeping him.
The one thing I would change is make a huge push to sign Sam Cassell. I don't think it's going to be possible--Sam still wants lots of money, and we won't have lots of money under the cap to give him. But the only real "hole" I can see on this team is a true point guard who can hit a jumper in the clutch. Sam would be perfect to fill that hole.
Where does Dirk stand after these Finals?
It's amazing that a player can shoot almost 50%, have 29 points, 15 rebounds, and you can still be disappointed in his performance. However, that's exactly what happened here. I really hate to say this, as this is one of the worst insults I can give a player, but Dirk reminded me of Chris Webber in the fourth quarter. He was without question hiding from the ball. I don't think it's because he's a coward like Webber is/was, however. I think Dirk just finally ran out of gas. I think that Dirk has finally reached the point in his career where he needs to think about the amount of time he spends playing basketball in a year--meaning not as many international tournaments, and not as many minutes during the regular season. There's no way he can be as clutch as he was against the Spurs and Suns and then say he's a Chris Webber/Karl Malone type performer--he was just too good when it mattered then. I think he just finally wore out, and he needs to think of that during the season next year. Or rather, Avery does.
Where does Avery stand after these finals?
Avery went from "it's impossible that a first year coach can be this good" to "wow he's making a lot of rookie mistakes" overnight. He really did not do a good coaching job in the Finals. It wasn't that Pat Riley outcoached him, he really hurt himself. I think the pressure finally got to him a little and he freaked out a little bit. It's understandable. I think he's like the rest of the Mavs--he'll learn from this experience and be more prepared next time.
Is the fact that the Heat won a setback to the NBA's revitalization like The Sports Guy is afraid it is?
Probably not. Like I said, this was a vindictive Finals, and I think most teams in the league are smart enough to realize that. Plus there are enough elite teams--the Mavs, Suns, Clippers, etc.--that are committed to playing a team oriented, uptempo style that have that nucleus set up for the next few years. They're not changing. I don't expect Rileyball or The Superstar Treatment to totally set in again like it did in the mid to late 90's.
However, the NBA needs to realize that they can't let that set in. The Mob isn't totally stupid, and it reaches a point where it realizes it's been had. Fans have watched the Lakers, Spurs, and now Heat be guided by the league over the years to playoff wins they didn't deserve, and are getting restless about it. If the NBA keeps that up AND goes back to the unentertaining style of play that gave them such a bad rep during the period mentioned above, they are going to lose a LOT of fans, and slip back into third place of The Big Three Sports. You can only screw over the people so long before they push back, or in this case, take their dollar elsewhere.
So congratulations Miami. You are the 2006 NBA Champions. I just wish I could be more excited about it.
posted by Michael Pondrom at 8:19 PM
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