NBA thread

I thought Dirk's shot at the buzzer was going in. Great defense by Haslem by not jumping for the pump fake, but Dirk can get a good look anytime he wants to. He just couldn't nail it. Tough loss for the Mavs tonight cause now after stealing one in Miami with that great comeback they are once again facing some very tough odds to win the series.

In my opinion this series is exactly how Miami imagined their tema being when they signed LeBron and Bosh... Wade and LeBron taking over at different times, tonight Wade was money and LeBron was more of a passer. Bosh being good enough that you c an't forget about him, hitting the game winner, and overall just insane athleticism and great defense. Joel Anthony and Haslem are gonna be the unsung heroes if the Heat win but they've really battled all series doing the little things and playing defense.

Wade just really impressed me tonight. I've never been a huge Wade fan to be honest but even in his post game press conferences you could tell he just wanted it more than anyone else and wouldn't let his team lose. I also wanna remind everyone that there is a reason that Wade has been outshining LeBron in the 4th, and that's because Kidd is on Wade and Marion is on LeBron. Huge difference in defensive ability right there.

-Also I'll say Bosh has been playing bad defense. A few times on rotations the Mavs either nailed 3s or missed decent looks because Bosh didn't run them off the line. He hesitated too much, he needs to run full speed for the block and if they pump fake, so be it. Better a 2 than a 3.

[Bloozcrooz]

Just wondering if anyone had any predictions on tonights game? Of course the league will want this to go 7 games so im already counting on the Heat to catch the brunt of most the crap calls from the refs. The Mavs desperatley need to get Dirk some help to even have a chance at this. It just looks like to me that the Heat are the better team, and unless they falter then the Mavs have to play a perfect game to win. What happened to they're three point capability that they've had all season long? I think they have to set more pick and rolls around Lebron to get some open perimeter shots going and drive the ball up the court with a little more urgency. J.J. Barea needs to step up his game, and knock down some of those open looks he got in game three. If Chandler can contribute to helping out not only on D but getting them some offensive boards as well then they're chances are looking pretty good. Terry has all, but vanished in the 4rth quarter scoring wise, but give the Heat D some credit cause when they want to they can be very dominate, and hard to score on. Somebody from the Mavs starting core though has to step up, and be the X factor other than just Dirk here. Unless its just a monster blowout the last 8 to 5 mins in basketball are the ones that really count, and thats where the Mavs have been getting cold with they're shooting.

As far as the Heat go I think its just a matter of doing more of the same with what they have been doing. They stayed out in transition most of game three, and easily penetrated to the basket throughout the game. I wouldnt completley under sell the Mavs cause they have the ability to get hot, and rain three's on any given night. I just think the Heats closing abilities in the 4rth are extrordinary, and that being said most likely will cause it to come down to the wire where once again where either Wade or Lebron will persevere, and rise to the occasion.

I will add though that the Mavs have been turning the ball over a lot,and not containing the Heat enough to force them into a 1/2 court offense. You have to at least try to make them slow down the pace, and think about what they want to do on offense or your just spinning your wheels. The Heat live for points off fast breaks, and transition offense. Which is really what the Mavs need to try an put in place so as to slow down those traps The Heat like to put in place.
All and all this has been an exciting season for basketball from the start and throughout these playoffs on into the finals. I dont think theres any doubt though about who the team to beat will be as long as they maintain the personnel they have in place now player wise. Speaking of personnel Maybe the Mavs only hope is to out coach Spoelstra and hope the players can execute what Carlisle draws up. Spoelstra could be the achilles heel of The Heat and at times has shown his vulnerablity, if that can be expoited who knows what the out come could be.

Originally Posted by Boozinbloozin

Just wondering if anyone had any predictions on tonights game? Of course the league will want this to go 7 games so im already counting on the Heat to catch the brunt of most the crap calls from the refs. The Mavs desperatley need to get Dirk some help to even have a chance at this. It just looks like to me that the Heat are the better team, and unless they falter then the Mavs have to play a perfect game to win. What happened to they're three point capability that they've had all season long? I think they have to set more pick and rolls around Lebron to get some open perimeter shots going and drive the ball up the court with a little more urgency. J.J. Barea needs to step up his game, and knock down some of those open looks he got in game three. If Chandler can contribute to helping out not only on D but getting them some offensive boards as well then they're chances are looking pretty good. Terry has all, but vanished in the 4rth quarter scoring wise, but give the Heat D some credit cause when they want to they can be very dominate, and hard to score on. Somebody from the Mavs starting core though has to step up, and be the X factor other than just Dirk here. Unless its just a monster blowout the last 8 to 5 mins in basketball are the ones that really count, and thats where the Mavs have been getting cold with they're shooting.

As far as the Heat go I think its just a matter of doing more of the same with what they have been doing. They stayed out in transition most of game three, and easily penetrated to the basket throughout the game. I wouldnt completley under sell the Mavs cause they have the ability to get hot, and rain three's on any given night. I just think the Heats closing abilities in the 4rth are extrordinary, and that being said most likely will cause it to come down to the wire where once again where either Wade or Lebron will persevere, and rise to the occasion.

I will add though that the Mavs have been turning the ball over a lot,and not containing the Heat enough to force them into a 1/2 court offense. You have to at least try to make them slow down the pace, and think about what they want to do on offense or your just spinning your wheels. The Heat live for points off fast breaks, and transition offense. Which is really what the Mavs need to try an put in place so as to slow down those traps The Heat like to put in place.
All and all this has been an exciting season for basketball from the start and throughout these playoffs on into the finals. I dont think theres any doubt though about who the team to beat will be as long as they maintain the personal they have in place now player wise. Maybe the Mavs only hope is to out coach Spoelstra and hope the players can execute what Carlisle draws up. Spoelstra could be the achilles heel of The Heat and at times has shown his vulnerablity, if that can be expoited who knows what the out come could be.

Good post boozon. I think for the Mavs to win, they need Miami to beat themselves (like in game 2 when they pretty much quit and it bit them in the ass) or they need a LEGENDARY game from Dirk. I'm talkin like 45 points. Because I just don't see anyone stepping up for them. Terry can't do anything with LBJ on him. Barea missed some open shots that he needs to knock down, he had some good looks. He needs to be the xfactor in my opinion because he can get into the lane unlike kidd and is quick.

Chandler needs to rip a ton of boards, rebounding is the only facet of the game where Dallas has an advantage. They can't shoot threes because Miami is so fast and big it's unreal and they just run them right off the 3 point line. Actually Dallas's best chances were off of steals last game, they had some open 3s before the defense got set but they bricked them. I feel like the Mavs are playing pretty close to as good as they can against the Heat and the Heat aren't even playing their very best and still winning.

I thought last game the refs were pushing for Dallas to win to be honest. I know the Heat got that call when Wade flopped on the rebound, but the ref wasn't in position and just missed it. The refs called some BS fouls favoring Dirk int he 4th on rebounds, I don't know if anyone knows which I'm talking abotu but they were barely touching him.

I picked Heat in 6 but I think Heat win tonight and essentially wrap up the series. I feel like Dallas had a miracle win in game 2 and were lucky to be so close last game. Miami is just a lot better. Unfortunately for Dirk's legacy, people will say "yeah but he lost in 2 finals" which is sad because it overshadows the fact that his teams had no business even making the finals either year. It would be better for his legacy if they would've lost to the favored Spurs in '06 and the Lakers this year.

Anyone have thoughts on Warriors hiring Mark Jackson as coach? 17 year veteran and 3rd all-time in assists. Great player, tough defensive minded guy, and is part of my favorite NBA analyst crew of Van Gundy, Jackson, and Mike Breen. I like the hire. It's not like there's a goldmine of coaching talent out there. I think he will bring a little defense to the Warriors. Rumor has it there's a Monta Ellis for Andre Iguodala trade being talked about. Golden State should have a boner and accept that immediately.

Anyways, here's some good (pretty short) reads.

Haters gonna hate

Great points about LeBron haters.

LeBron last night... WTF

Just unexplainable. I don't get it at all, it's literally not explainable. What was LeBron doing tonight? It's not like he was just having a bad night but it's like he seriously wasn't even trying. Not one time did I see him even try to score. I mean he was in pick and rolls and not even looking to drive or shoot, he just passed, passed, passed. And I defend LeBron's game 99% of the time cause he makes great passes, but it was amazing how little he tried to score. It's like he wasn't interested at all, he was just standing around and passing the ball. Honestly, this loss was completely his fault. Typical great game from Wade, great game from Bosh, they coulda won with a BAD game from LeBron but this was a HORRIBLE game. He flopped for some foul shots and that's ALL HE DID. Last night defied all logic, I can't wrap my head around it, someone help me out. Over this season, tons of games LeBron gets passive early in the game and gets team mates involved and in rhthym (smart) and I thought he'd be super aggressive in the second half... WTF it's like he forgets he's one of the best athletes ever.

Also I wanna say that the Heat would be 10X better and dominate the Mavs if they had a better coach than Spoelstra. I know he's a young guy and young guys kinda learn on the job so to speak, but he's such a reactive coach instead of proactive. A good example is in game 2 when Bosh was on Dirk in the final seconds which made zero sense. Then game 3, Haslem is on him. It's like he has to see the mistake before he gets it right and I hope for the Heat that the mistakes don't come at a point where there's no chance at redemption. I've questioned him all season, I really don't see him doing too much. His offensive sets suck.

[FRED HALE SR.]

Originally Posted by Dirty

LeBron last night... WTF

Just unexplainable. I don't get it at all, it's literally not explainable. What was LeBron doing tonight? It's not like he was just having a bad night but it's like he seriously wasn't even trying. Not one time did I see him even try to score. I mean he was in pick and rolls and not even looking to drive or shoot, he just passed, passed, passed. And I defend LeBron's game 99% of the time cause he makes great passes, but it was amazing how little he tried to score. It's like he wasn't interested at all, he was just standing around and passing the ball. Honestly, this loss was completely his fault. Typical great game from Wade, great game from Bosh, they coulda won with a BAD game from LeBron but this was a HORRIBLE game. He flopped for some foul shots and that's ALL HE DID. Last night defied all logic, I can't wrap my head around it, someone help me out. Over this season, tons of games LeBron gets passive early in the game and gets team mates involved and in rhthym (smart) and I thought he'd be super aggressive in the second half... WTF it's like he forgets he's one of the best athletes ever.

Also I wanna say that the Heat would be 10X better and dominate the Mavs if they had a better coach than Spoelstra. I know he's a young guy and young guys kinda learn on the job so to speak, but he's such a reactive coach instead of proactive. A good example is in game 2 when Bosh was on Dirk in the final seconds which made zero sense. Then game 3, Haslem is on him. It's like he has to see the mistake before he gets it right and I hope for the Heat that the mistakes don't come at a point where there's no chance at redemption. I've questioned him all season, I really don't see him doing too much. His offensive sets suck.

Lebron's lack of ability in big games all has to do with his head. Hes never gonna be the man in Miami. Spoelstra has earned his spot and Riley likes what hes doing. Riley has a decent enough pedigree for me to side with him. Spoelstras whole family is sports related and he did play college and professional ball in Germany. His offensive sets are fine, its up to the players to move their feet. They are standing around watching, just like the Lakers did against the Mavs. Miami just needs to take care of business at home and they are hoisting the hardware. D-Wade has gotta carry them cause Lebrons head is already in the Bahamas.

[Thom Yorke]

Except he has come up big in big games before. I'm with Dirty, I don't even know how to explain that one. It's an anomaly though; he'll be even better than usual in game 5.

[FRED HALE SR.]

Originally Posted by Thom Yorke

Except he has come up big in big games before. I'm with Dirty, I don't even know how to explain that one. It's an anomaly though; he'll be even better than usual in game 5.

I can barely watch this series. Before the season started i wanted Miami to fail bigtime. Now watching them against the Mavs, I can't root for the Mavs either. Mark Cuban makes my skin crawl, as much as I like Nowitzki's game, Its been tough to stomach.

[debaserr]

I'm with you, other than g2 this series has been a bore.

[Bloozcrooz]

I really thought the Heat would take it in 5 but obviously thats not going to happen now. I still think they'll win the series its just gonna get dragged out a lil longer now. Other than Wade (and even then its only glimpses in the 4rth) im not seeing someone just take over for either team in the 4rth. I remember watching Jordan when I was younger, and you just knew what was fixing to happen in a close game late in th 4rth quarter. I know theres capabilitys, and potential for that to happen on both sides, but when its counted neither side has had anyone just dominate, and get the buzzer beater to send it to o.t. or win it. I really want to see someone just take over and accel in the 4rth in a close game. To me the stage has been set for Lebron, and he has the most potential to be that guy, and with him under a microscope by pretty much everyone. I wonder if he'll put to rest the questions, and scrutiny he's been getting this season or will the dark cloud continue to loom over him for years to come?

For the Mavs they have to be thanking they're lucky stars they managed to steal another game cause thats exzactly what happened. Chandler did get his 16 boards, and the shooting as a whole was a lil better, but it was more a lack of what the Heat were doing than what the Mavs were doing.

Originally Posted by FRED HALE SR.

Lebron's lack of ability in big games all has to do with his head. Hes never gonna be the man in Miami. Spoelstra has earned his spot and Riley likes what hes doing. Riley has a decent enough pedigree for me to side with him. Spoelstras whole family is sports related and he did play college and professional ball in Germany. His offensive sets are fine, its up to the players to move their feet. They are standing around watching, just like the Lakers did against the Mavs. Miami just needs to take care of business at home and they are hoisting the hardware. D-Wade has gotta carry them cause Lebrons head is already in the Bahamas.

Ok this is just a dumb comment, and it;s not just you making it, I see it from a lot of people. He already is the man in Miami. I know come playoff time everyone forgets the regular season and it doesn't matter a ton anyways, but he did average 26+ PPG and over 7 Assists and rebounds. LeBron was the best player on the floor in every playoff series before this and put the team on his back for the Bulls series. This guy gets redefined every hour it seems like. Lats night was just a terrible, weird game.

And Spoelstra has earned his spot and has whatever on his resume, but he just doesn't know what he's doing on offense. The Heat weren't ready for teh zone defense AT ALL and had one of the worst last 6 minutes of a game EVER last night. They had absolutely no clue what to do, they were just isolating and taking jumpers.

Originally Posted by Thom Yorke

Except he has come up big in big games before. I'm with Dirty, I don't even know how to explain that one. It's an anomaly though; he'll be even better than usual in game 5.

Well history has showed that LBJ goes off after poor games. So I'm hoping next game he just goes crazy for like 30+. Dallas is so unathletic, there is absolutely no chance Lebron can be stopped going to the rim by anyone and certainly not Dallas. Last night is just unexplainable like I said.

Originally Posted by FRED HALE SR.

I can barely watch this series. Before the season started i wanted Miami to fail bigtime. Now watching them against the Mavs, I can't root for the Mavs either. Mark Cuban makes my skin crawl, as much as I like Nowitzki's game, Its been tough to stomach.

Well luckily for Cuban haters he hasn't been his loudmouth self this series, he's calmed over the years. I actually like Cuban, mainly because I like the idea of a season ticket holder and fan suddenly getting rich and buying his favorite team and taking them to prominence. It's like a movie script story.


I agree eric, this series has been bad basketball in my opinion. Just poor basketball especially late in games. It's like a battle for who is gonna play less terrible. 3 games left, Miami has 2 at home... I mean all things considered, the Heat are still in good shape. Defend your home court, win a ring. If the Heat win game 5, it's really tough to imagine the Mavs winning 2 straight in Miami