Dallas vs. Miami... Who wins the NBA Finals? (Heat wins series 4-2)

[TruBlueCowboy]

Shaq is starting to look like the Shaq of old. Mavs better watch out.

Who will the Heat put on Nowitzki?

I tell ya what, this was probably the matchup the NBA most wanted. Lots of star power.

 

[Clove]

We will throw 3 7 footers at Shaq and force him to make 50 points. We will double team Wade, and no one can cover Josh or Nowitzki. Mavs in 6

 

[peplaw06]

We will throw 3 7 footers at Shaq and force him to make 50 points. We will double team Wade, and no one can cover Josh or Nowitzki. Mavs in 6

Well, Mbenga is suspended for the first 4 games isn't he?? That aside, I still think we have the depth to throw at Shaq. I think Josh can cover Wade one on one for much of the time.

As for Mavs on offense... I think Terry and Harris are the keys. Dirk's gonna get his, I envision Posey on him most of the time, I don't think Haslem can guard him. Posey's one of those long athletic guys, like Shawn Marion. Don't know how good he is on D, but I guess we'll see. As for Terry and Harris, they should be penetrating all day. The Glove has obviously lost a step or two on D and Jason Williams... please.

I realize the Heat are playing better then they were in the regular season when we thrashed them, but I don't think they're playing that much better. They just got out of a series where the Pistons were AWFUL on offense. They're in for a rude awakening against the Mavs O. MAVS IN 6!!

 

[WoodysGirl]

I'm going Heat in 7. They're team D is much, much better than it was in the reg season. I think it's going to be a good series.

The key will be the role players, cuz the stars will get theirs. Dampier and those guys can't hold Shaq, no matter how much they collapse on him. But the Heat shooters will have to make Dallas pay if they do collapse on Shaq. Unfortunately, they're kinda streaky. If Shaq stays out of foul trouble, then that's really gonna be bad for the Mavs.

Wildcard for the Heat are Walker, Posey, and Payton.

In the fourth quarter, it's going to be a battle of Nowitzki and Wade. Who closes out the best.

 

[Big Country]

I'm going Heat in 7. They're team D is much, much better than it was in the reg season. I think it's going to be a good series.

The key will be the role players, cuz the stars will get theirs. Dampier and those guys can't hold Shaq, no matter how much they collapse on him. But the Heat shooters will have to make Dallas pay if they do collapse on Shaq. Unfortunately, they're kinda streaky. If Shaq stays out of foul trouble, then that's really gonna be bad for the Mavs.

Wildcard for the Heat are Walker, Posey, and Payton.

In the fourth quarter, it's going to be a battle of Nowitzki and Wade. Who closes out the best.

:bang2:

NO NO NO WG!!...

Yes the Mavs offense is supercharged... Wade will be all but shut down... Josh Howard can cover anyone... He will be the key to the Mavs defense... It's not out of the question that two guys from Dallas can score in the high 20s... not including Nowitzki... he's gonna get his 30 or 40 regardless, and he's rebounding like a true big man... Plus Dallas big guys are WAY more athletic.

The Miami big guys (Shaq, Morning) will be the ones I'll worry the most about, but Dampier or Diop can put some muscle on him and he will hold him out of the circle... If Shaq tries to give either of them the elbow in the gut... he will be in foul trouble... Dallas big guys however and lots faster and can cause the Miami guys more trouble... But then Shaq and Morning can't cover Nowitzki... aint gonna happen...

Coaching edge however goes to Riley aka Ted Danson. But Avery Johnson got Coach of the Year... very deservedly so... what a field general.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Dallas has Nowitzki, Miami doesnt. That has been the difference this postseason. Dallas in 6.

 

[WoodysGirl]

:bang2:

NO NO NO WG!!...

Yes the Mavs offense is supercharged... Wade will be all but shut down... Josh Howard can cover anyone... He will be the key to the Mavs defense... It's not out of the question that two guys from Dallas can score in the high 20s... not including Nowitzki... he's gonna get his 30 or 40 regardless, and he's rebounding like a true big man... Plus Dallas big guys are WAY more athletic.

Only thing that can shut Wade down is the flu and injury. He can't be contained for 4 quarters. He and Shaq are gonna get theirs. Nowitzki is gonna get his. Terry is gonna get in foul trouble, but he's still a scoring threat. I still maintain it's the role players on the perimeter for Miami that are gonna be the difference. If they can't continue their good Team D, then Dallas will run all over Miami. If they do, this series goes 7 and Miami takes it.

The Miami big guys (Shaq, Morning) will be the ones I'll worry the most about, but Dampier or Diop can put some muscle on him and he will hold him out of the circle... If Shaq tries to give either of them the elbow in the gut... he will be in foul trouble... Dallas big guys however and lots faster and can cause the Miami guys more trouble... But then Shaq and Morning can't cover Nowitzki... aint gonna happen...

Shaq and Mourning won't be asked to cover Nowitzki. I imagine Walker and one of the guards will be doubling him up. Shaq has been playing the best I've seen all season. Dampier and Diop will get abused. Hack-a-Shaq will be your friend.

Coaching edge however goes to Riley aka Ted Danson. But Avery Johnson got Coach of the Year... very deservedly so... what a field general.

Riley definitely gets the edge, but Avery's a good coach. I will love watching them strategize everything.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

I like the Mavericks in this series.

I like the Mavericks quickness and the number of bodies they will be able to throw at Shaq (especially when Mbenga gets back).

Dewayne Wade will very effective, but likewise, I think Josh Howard will also be effective.

- Mike G.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I think it will come down to how tightly they call fouls. If Shaq gets in to trouble the Mavs will run away with it.

 

[SA_Gunslinger]

the mavs are the best team this year.

they win in 6.

 

[DragonCowboy]

It'll go to 7, regardless. I'm almost convinced that the NBA has a hand in this. Not so much pre-determining WHO wins the series, but how long the series will be.

Since I'm a Mavericks fan, and I do think the Mavs are better, I'll say Mavericks in 7.

 

[The Answer]

The Answer is back to give his official prognostications for the NBA Finals. In the conference finals The Answer was 2 for 2 picking the Heat in 6, and the Mavs in 5 (they won in 6).

Now on one hand the homer in me wants to pick the Mavs in 5 thinking they are the younger, deeper team with home court. The Mavs won 3 series on the road (including game 7 on the defending champs home court) and seem to be a complete team and can play 10 deep if necessary. They have plenty of bodies to throw at Shaq. But is there an ANSWER to stopping D-Wade?

On the other hand I recognize that Pat Reily is one of the best coaches in the history of the game and already has multiple championship rings along with Shaq, who has been an arch nemesis of the Mavs dating back to his days with the Lakers. Wade is a superstar in the making and theres enough 'big names' on the Heat roster to run with the deeper Mavs teams. Shaq has been 'diesel' for sure during this postseason, after a bit of foul trouble issues in the opening series with Chicago.

Both teams are making their first ever finals appearance and this thing could go either way. However, The Answer feels that the key to this series is the role players and bench production. We know that Shaq and Wade will get theirs, as will Nowitski. The question is who will step up and become a star among stars from the bench during crunch time?

Frontcourt Advantage: Mavs
Backcourt Advantage: Heat
Coaching Advantage: Heat
Bench: Mavs

Only because I'm a loyal fan: Mavs in Seven!!

~The Answer

 

[bobtheflob]

The poll results aren't too surprising considering there are a few more Cowboys fans in Dallas than Miami. I picked Dallas in 6, and yes I am biased but I think that's still accurate. Dallas has guys that can guard the Heat stars: Griffin, Howard, and Daniels for Wade and Diop and Damp for Shaq. Obviously they won't shut them down, but they can slow them down a little for at least some of the games. Miami has absolutely no answer for Dirk (or Terry for that matter).

The Heat have trouble guarding guys along the perimeter as evidenced by the Chicago series. Detroit never tried to take advantage of that which made me think Flip was very overrated this year (the whole payoffs was one big choke job by him). The Mavs have lots of players who can take advantage of that, and the guy who's done the best coaching job in the playoffs as well as the regular season will be sure to take advantage of that. That along with the Mavs' depth and homecourt advantage give them the edge IMO. I picked the Mavs in 6 because they've closed out every series on the road so far so there's no reason for it to stop now.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

You're all a bunch of Mavs homers! :

Sheesh, Shaq and Marc Cuban, two annoying as hell sports personalities. I think I'll just skip this one so I don't have to watch either of 'em win the big one.

 

[DragonCowboy]

You're all a bunch of Mavs homers! :

Sheesh, Shaq and Marc Cuban, two annoying as hell sports personalities. I think I'll just skip this one so I don't have to watch either of 'em win the big one.

Hater :

Go watch last year's highlights!

 

[StylisticS]

SHould be an interesting series. If Miami can slow down the tempo, they have the advantage and a better chance to win. But if Dallas speeds up the tempo consistently throughout the series, they will run away with it. Shaq will get tired and start to foul alot.

Go Mavs.

 

[txlonghorn14]

mavs will find a way. they beat the defending champs, and now the mavs are the team to beat.

 

[royhitshard]

The NBA sucks.

 

[Mavs Man]

Dwayne Wade is simply awesome to watch, but for the Heat to win Shaq has to turn back the clock four years (he has his moments but he is not the dominant player he used to be) and their role players (Williams/Walker/Payton) will have to outplay ours (Terry/Harris/Stackhouse).

And I just don't see that happening. Mavs in six.

 

[BlueStar22]

1 down, 3 to go. Let's go Mavs!!