LeBron James going to Miami

robeiae

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Okay, last night was just sick. Chicago's up by 12 with three minutes to go, should be game over. This is, after all, the number one seed with the league MVP. The Heat goes on an 18-3 run. All points courtesy of James, Wade, and Bosh. Plus steals and blocks.

Looks like they've lived up to the hype.

Good luck, Mavs. You're gonna need it...
 

Jcomp

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I think the Mavs have enough firepower to put the Heat on their heels. Problem is, they don't match up too well defensively, particularly when the Heat roll out the James, Wade, Bosh, Haslem and Mike Miller lineup. Haslem and Bosh have just enough range to draw Tyson Chandler out of the lane, Haslem can physically frustrate (though not dominate) Dirk enough to make him expend energy on the defensive end of the floor (something OKC couldn't do at all). Maybe you can put Shawn Marion on Bosh, but there's still a height disadvantage there. I have no idea who Jason Kidd would guard. Deshaun Stevenson is a strong defender, but he can only guard one guy at a time, and he isn't going to keep either Lebron or Wade from getting their usual numbers--best he can do is keep one of them from going nuclear. Which still leaves the other guy...

That said, Miami hasn't faced anyone yet in the playoffs with the offensive prowess of the Mavs, and Dirk is all but unstoppable. Still, he's a big one vs. a big three (even though I still don't like putting Bosh on par with James and Wade, but he makes for a good "Pippen" to the other two's combined "Jordan"). Unless the Mavs can find a way to exploit Miami's lack of size the way the Bulls did at first (then failed to follow through on), it's going to be tough for them to win it all.

Right now I'm leaning toward Miami in 7. Should be a good series.
 

robeiae

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I have no idea who Jason Kidd would guard.
Yeah, that's a major problem for the Mavs, right there. This isn't December, after all.

I know the pundits are pumping for a seven game series--and many are predicting Dallas to win--but I think people are fooling themselves. I think the Heat will be far looser than the Mavs from the opening tip. They--the Heat--were under serious pressure during the Bulls series. Now, the pressure flips.

Plus, the series opens in Miami. We're not a great sports town--I know that--but we love winners and we're as obnoxious as any place in the country when we think we have the best team.

My prediction: Heat in five.
 

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Heat in six, and I'm sad typing it. I really want the Mavs to get the title, but Nowitzki would have to continue his performance as a dominator and Kidd would have to be the Kidd of a few years back, completing passes before anyone else on the floor knew the pass was there to make.
 

scope

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Dallas for sure, although I can see all the games (probably 6 or 7) coming down to the last 2 minutes. As good as are James, Wade, and Bosh, at times they have a tendency to "disappear" or disappoint. Bibby has become a liabiltiy. Dirk may be the best offensive player in the league and never disappears. And Kidd, in spite of his age, is still a force to reckon with. Dallas looks for Dirk to lead the way and I don't think he'll disappoint. It's his time.
 

robeiae

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I think the Mavs have enough firepower to put the Heat on their heels. Problem is, they don't match up too well defensively, particularly when the Heat roll out the James, Wade, Bosh, Haslem and Mike Miller lineup. Haslem and Bosh have just enough range to draw Tyson Chandler out of the lane, Haslem can physically frustrate (though not dominate) Dirk enough to make him expend energy on the defensive end of the floor (something OKC couldn't do at all). Maybe you can put Shawn Marion on Bosh, but there's still a height disadvantage there. I have no idea who Jason Kidd would guard. Deshaun Stevenson is a strong defender, but he can only guard one guy at a time, and he isn't going to keep either Lebron or Wade from getting their usual numbers--best he can do is keep one of them from going nuclear. Which still leaves the other guy...

That said, Miami hasn't faced anyone yet in the playoffs with the offensive prowess of the Mavs, and Dirk is all but unstoppable. Still, he's a big one vs. a big three (even though I still don't like putting Bosh on par with James and Wade, but he makes for a good "Pippen" to the other two's combined "Jordan"). Unless the Mavs can find a way to exploit Miami's lack of size the way the Bulls did at first (then failed to follow through on), it's going to be tough for them to win it all.

Right now I'm leaning toward Miami in 7. Should be a good series.
Look Jcomp, someone's been stealin' your stuff:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/8186/five-easy-pieces-for-the-heat

With Haslem and Miller bookending the Big Three, Spoelstra bucks tradition. There’s no point guard. There’s no center. And evidently, there’s no mercy, either.

How has this five-man unit annihilated the competition?

Defensively, it is a machine -- both literally and figuratively. The Heat’s movements and rotations look so mechanical that it appears almost automated. Whenever a shot goes up, it is contested. Whenever a driving lane appears to open up, it is closed. Whenever help is needed, it is provided.

All in all, the Heat’s defensive efficiency with this lineup is a staggering 73.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. How suffocating is that? The Heat ranked as one of the top defenses in the league, but this unit has allowed nearly 25 points below the Heat's norm...

How about offensively? Yeah, the Heat are pretty good there, too. When they’re not running in transition off turnovers, the Heat space the floor with three shooters outside of Wade and James. When James or Wade penetrates into the teeth of the defense, that forces help defenders to pick their poison: leave a sharpshooter, or stay at home to prevent the kickout.

When you watch the film, you’ll notice that the Big Five unit doesn’t do anything magical from an X-and-O’s standpoint, but the offense remains destructively simple. The Heat plant Miller on the 3-point line, and unleash a barrage of pick-and-roll tandems. Wade-James. Wade-Haslem. Wade-Bosh. James-Bosh. James-Haslem. With two big men who wield automatic 15-footers, it’s an opposing defense’s nightmare. And with this lineup, the Heat have scored 15 points per 100 possessions more than they normally do.
 

Jcomp

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Ha. Yeah, the lineup with the big three, Haslem and Miller is the lineup Pat Riley dreamed of when he pulled all of this together. It's not the starting five, but it's the finishing five, and that's what really matters.

I like the Mavs overall as a team (except Jason Terry... fuck that guy) and don't want Miami to win mostly because I don't want to have to hear every analyst in the world complain even more (and erroneously) about how this team has "ruined the NBA forever" and/or will be completely unstoppable for as long as they're in existence. But I don't think this matchup bodes well for the Mavs. They've made it farther than I thought they would, though, so who knows?
 

robeiae

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So much for Terry being the game-changer off the bench. Zero points in the second half, shut down by James. Pretty good stuff. And Nowitzki's injured his finger (non-shooting hand, but still).

Looks just like the Heats-Celtics/Heat-Bulls series to me. Dallas doesn't have anything new, here. The Heat wins as long as they don't completely screw up.
 

Jcomp

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Yeah, I really don't see an angle for Dallas, though it's still early. The Nowitzki injury is huge. Because they really need him to go for 30-40 to have the best chance, especially if their bench gets outplayed by Miami's. That was supposed to be the Mavs one clear advantage: depth. If they can't get that and/or some Superman performances from Dirk, they're completely screwed.
 

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This should be a very interesting series. I didn't see either team in the finals honestly.
 

robeiae

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Quite a game 2. Did they? Or did Dallas show us something?
Game of runs. It was a lot of fun to watch.

But yeah, the Heat got lazy and gave Dallas the opening...which Dallas took and used, to their credit.

The series still looks the same to me, though. But who really knows, aside from Charles Barkley?
 

Jcomp

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Heat screwed up. Lebron and Wade started playing HORSE. And of course Dallas played their part and made buckets. An away team has won a game: we now have a series!
 

Jcomp

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Quality basketball. Wow. I really thought Dirk's shot was going to drop to tie it up and send it to OT. That one-legged fade-away is what he does. I hope my prediction is at least half-right and this series goes 7 because this is entertaining.
 

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I think this is going down as an historic series. Could the games be any more exciting? They keep me afraid to go for a potty break. I just sit there biting my nails and waiting for the buzzer.
 

robeiae

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Last night was great stuff. Now the Mavs are in the driver's seat, thanks to some lights-out shooting in the first half, I think. And doing it again at the end of the game. When the Heat came back, I really thought Dallas was spent and would fold. Awesome.
 

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I think the only advantage the Mavs have is their emotional consistancy .. maturity. They also have a shorter argument about who their go-to guys are at crunch time.

While the only credit I give to James is that he was the bait for the other signings, this is a hell of a lineup with but a small window of opportunity for Miami. It will age/implode quickly.

I picked the Mavs in six but it will probaly take them 7 now
 

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They also have a shorter argument about who their go-to guys are at crunch time.


hehehhe that's true.

fun game to watch.
i still, however, feel like the heat can take the series.
not that i'd like that,.......
 

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105-95 Dallas

Dallas in 6.

And a whole different stars of the game in Barea and Terry.

(ETA: Terry gets the Player of the Game honor.)

A great series.
 
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