Smack / May 17, 2011 / 12:45 am

Opposites Will Collide In Dallas

By

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook (photo. Jeff Forney)

How long will it take the Mavs to get the creaky joints moving again? The Western Conference Finals finally kick off in Dallas tonight at 9 p.m. ET and the Mavs need to be sharp after having more than a week off. One team is coming off a dragged out, never-ending, physical war while the other has been sipping on green tea and getting deep-tissue massages on all of their old limbs. On the other side, how will OKC react to starting out on the road? Home-court advantage ultimately helped them against Memphis but Dallas’ notoriously riotous crowd may catch them off guard. Additionally it’ll be interesting to see what version of Russell Westbrook shows up in Game 1. Perhaps he’ll be the playmaker from Game 7. Yet, with Kidd guarding him, we bet he drifts back into “Durant who?” mode. As long as he controls that, we’re fine with it. On the other end, can the Mavs’ bench continue to apply pressure after their extended break? Jason Terry shouldn’t be a concern given his track record. But cats like J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic look a tad suspect considering how well they played against L.A., especially Peja. Thing is, Peja can get into lulls of alright-to-poor shooting. Keep an eye on him. It’ll be interesting all the way around and while mostly everyone wants Dirk to finally get a ring, some new blood would be fun as well. If the Mavs advance to the Finals, it’ll be the 13th straight year that the old timers from the Lakers, San Antonio or Dallas have won the West. Where was everyone else all these years? … Before the start of the WCF, the NBA will have the Draft lottery at 8:30 p.m. ET. Who needs to win it the most? Who do you want to see win it? Will Kahn be planning to draft his 29th point guard? And does everyone agree with us when we say Kyrie Irving should be the number-one pick? … With so many still unanswered questions in Boston, Doc Rivers finally truthfully spoke on the Kendrick Perkins trade, saying the timing was off. Perkins’ contract will always come to justify it. But it just shows being pennywise isn’t always the best route. Dude doesn’t quite fit in on the Thunder like he did in Boston. Nevertheless, he’s provided the toughness they sorely lacked last year and they’re a better squad for it … We got a chance to chat with the TNT boys covering the Chicago/Miami series yesterday, and besides TNT revealing that the ratings for Game 1 showed it was the most watched NBA game of all-time, we picked the brains of Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr. While Reggie did compare Serge Ibaka to a young Hakeem Olajuwon on the defensive end, much of the conversation centered around Miami and what to do with their rebounding weakness. After Erik Spoelstra sidelined Erick Dampier and Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the first game (even though they’ve combined to start pretty much every game at center all year long), now what? Does Spoelstra bring them back? Does he give more minutes to Udonis Haslem? Does he go big with Wade at the point? Lots of questions and not a whole lot of time. Miami is picking their poison either way. When your star player’s (Wade) kid is dunking on a Nerf hoop and screaming “Gibson!” you could be in trouble … Game 2 between Miami and Chicago won’t take place until tomorrow but we’re anxious to see if Chicago can play even better. Luol Deng was an unsung hero for the Bulls all year as their secondary scorer, and he outplayed LeBron in Game 1. On the other hand, Carlos Boozer could be a more visible offensive force. Having Chris Bosh drop 30 on your head after you dissed him is about as far from a good look as it gets. How will Boozer respond on offense? When it comes to his defense, well, we’ll leave the criticism to Scottie Pippen … Amar’e Stoudemire is now officially a New York legend, earning his first NYC billboard to promote Sheets energy strips. But who came up with their slogan: Take a Sheet! … Life lessons from Tony Allen‘s Twitter feed: can’t grit and grind without stayin drug free twerps … We’re out like Take a Sheet!

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  • First & Foremost

    To backup AB’s point about changing one’s mind…

    Analogy Time: Remember that girl you were with that said you were the best she ever had?

    It is all about marketing. You can’t go to a Lakers-Celtics game then the analysts bring up a debate about CP3 vs. D-will. Whatever the game they’re doing, someone on the floor is the best player in the world at some aspect. Would you want to be doing a girl and all she is talking about is how good her ex was? It cheapens the experience so she/announcers have to be over the top and make outlandish statements. The truth doesn’t matter.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    F&F is right. But it does get on my nerves how media/fans act like something always has to be “The Best” or “The Worst” with no in-between.

    During Heat/Celtics Game 1, Jeff Van Gundy was breaking down a Boston defensive breakdown when he called James Jones “the best shooter in the gym.” Mark Jackson called him out, reminding JVG that Ray Allen was also in the building. So instead of just admitting, “OK, Jones is the best shooter on the HEAT, and to Boston’s defense that’s all that matter,” JVG felt he had to defend his statement and briefly argued that Jones was a better shooter than Ray. (He later recanted.)

  • LakeShow84

    Cosign Sporty J

    Jades an idiot lol

  • LakeShow84

    Ill one up the kudos and say F&F AND AB are right

    The media is PAYED to talk out of their asses half the time.. ur not going to hear much about different teams when watching 2 certain clubs go at it..

    WEAK, ANNOYING and IGNORANT but thats the nature of the beast.

  • Big Island

    Comparing current players to players past is always going to bring out arguments. Certain guys like Lebron or Dirk have changed what you perceive players in a certain position can be. Then you go through comparisons with a skillset and it gets even worse. Ibaka is a good defender, really good. But comparing him to one of the greatest defensive players ever, at any position, is going a bit far. I get that they try to sell the game, and Durant being an offensive freakshow is played out, but Ibaka isn’t Hakeem. Howard is a bigger Ben Wallace but he gets more love than he should because there aren’t any great centers for him to compete with. Kobe’s game is very similar to Jordan’s, but he isn’t Jordan. Penny wasn’t Magic. There are a million examples of guys being compared to players past.

    Point being Ibaka is really good, but Hakeem was in a different league, regardless of what Reggie Miller says.

  • Sporty-j

    Yes she is lol with Lakeshow84. Must be that time of the month, but she needs to settle down. JAY get your girl off of dimes…

  • First & Foremost

    @AB – of course I’m right.

    But that kind of commentary has to be done. You have to make fans believe that they are watching the best in the world at some aspect of basketball. In the middle of a GS game you’ll here, “This is the best backcourt duo of undersized guards under 26 in which both are lightskinned AND both need the ball – IN THE WORLD”

    Watching a Wolves-Clippers game – “These power forwards are the best under 23 big men in world at combining their size and instincts for rebounding – in the world.” It is a psychology thing, of making casual fans feel like they just the best player in the world so that they’ll attempt to follow said player.

  • Sporty-j

    Kevin Durant vs Dirk Nowitzki??? I have my money on Durant In 6

  • First & Foremost

    This has been bothering me for some time now… Sporty-J – stop calling it dimes! I really don’t like to get on people about small stuff like that, but dude, it is Dime Magazine. You don’t say FootsLocker, do you?

  • what!

    The mavs deserve alot more respect…no one wanted to face portland in the first round…mavs won…then NO ONE wanted to face the “lakeshow” at all..mavs dominated..I dont see OKC being near deep enough to keep up with the mavs….who scores when Durant is on the bench? Marion will play decent D on him…Westbrook will “try” to carry the team but will fail…he may score 30 plus but thats on 25% shooting…like normal.

    yes the mavs shot insane from 3 in the lakers series…but…drop that percentage 10% and the mavs still dominate them.

    Mavs and Bulls in final…tight series…Mavs on top! Neither OKC or Chi have the size to match up with Dallas.

  • Sporty-j

    Lmaol at F&F! They do have to sell the game in todays sports and because they need a check. But some people get to emotional when you compare a RB of todays generation with Barry Sanders or a CB to Deion Sanders. Its as if its blasphemy or someone said that particular player is better….

  • Sporty-j

    Since I like you! Ill say Dime Mag. Analogy-Dime Magazine…

  • LakeShow84

    F&F bruh apply for a job here ur killing me LMAO

    “This is the best backcourt duo of undersized guards under 26 in which both are lightskinned AND both need the ball – IN THE WORLD”

    LMMMAAAAAOOOOOO…………… i think ive heard that before tho lol jk

  • LakeShow84

    And technically speaking it would be FEETLOCKER..

    Right???? lol

  • First & Foremost

    Follow me @Dimes_Magazine #NotonTwitter

  • http://deleted dagwaller

    I’d rather hear an announcer say, “Player in front of us A is like Current All-star B or past All-star C”, rather than “A is like ALL TIME GREAT player D.”

    Makes the comparison more fair for both the player in front of us AND the All time Great. No need to raise expectations for the young man, and no need to cheapen the memory of an all time great.

    Because seriously, how many athletic, shotblocking big men have come through the league in the last 15 years and were possibly compared to Hakeem? And how many ended up being in the top 3 defensive big men of all time? PERHAPS Dwight Howard?

    Like someone mentioned above, Howard is the benchmark when it comes to defensive bigs in the game today. If Ibaka isn’t even as good as the best TODAY (and, as much as I like him, he’s simply not), then how can he be fairly compared to Hakeem?

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