Lone Star State Shuts It Down; Dirk And Dallas Are NBA Champs
Dirk Nowitzki (photo. Nike Basketball)
It’s almost kind of cheesy, almost too perfect. When the Mavericks and Heat were set to face off, the storylines were clear. There were the good guys with their ring-less vets, and their “we’re not completely sure how they keep winning, but they keep doing it” tone, the dudes whose whole is far greater than the sum of their parts. And there were the villains with all the talent in the world, with as Brendan Haywood put it: “three of the best four players in the series,” with all the collective enmity of a world slighted by their perceived arrogance. And when the Mavericks beat the Heat 105-95 to win their franchise’s first ever NBA Championship, it was the concept of team, the romantic idea that we’re all better when we work together, that also claimed victory. It’s like one of those reality TV scenes you just know got set up by some producer weeks beforehand. There’s still intrigue, and it’s still entertaining – but gosh, this can’t be real. Until now. Crazy Dan Gilbert might’ve said it best, tweeting: “Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE” … So how did it happen? You’d think Dirk Nowitzki (9-for-27, 21 points & 11 rebounds), Finals MVP, would have to have another huge one to roll past Miami in Miami in a close-out special. Well friend, you think too much (4-for-21 start). Try Dirk starting the game off missing 11 of his first 12 shots. Uh-oh. Enter Jason Terry (27 points): killin’ it in the first half with 19 huge points off the bench. Enter J.J. Barea (15 points): slicing through the Miami D like a rotating blade through NY pastrami. And enter Rick Carlisle: hitting every precise key like the self-taught concert pianist that he is. It was using just enough zone, just enough DeShawn Stevenson, and just enough faith in Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd to chase around two of the top five players in the game. Jim Carrey straight coached ‘em up. Dallas went up 12 in the first half and Dirk wasn’t even doing anything. You know that feeling you get after about the sixth beer in beer pong where you get tipsy enough to feel like every shot is money but not sloppy enough to still concentrate? That was Stevenson (three straight threes) in the first half. Abe was sauntering up and down the court. There’s something about bench players and how they get hot that makes you feel bad for Miami. They had Terry and Barea (even though he’s starting now) all figured out. Then they gave them life and Dallas looked completely different … Miami went on a 14-0 run immediately after (really their only high point all game). But they couldn’t sustain it in the second half. Mysteriously, where was D-Wade (17 points, eight rebounds) in the waning moments? And why didn’t Chris Bosh (7-for-9, 19 points) get the ball more? … Imagine if the NBA would’ve had to suspend multiple players for that near bench-clearing brawl in the second quarter? Since it was a timeout they didn’t have to, but imagine a Game 7 with Brian Cardinal passing to Corey Brewer or Eddie House coming off a Juwan Howard screen? … It’s now year eight of watching the most talented and physically gifted basketball player of this generation walk off in his final game of his season a loser. LeBron James wasn’t ever terrible in this series (21 points tonight), but he was never great. With 10 Finals games under his belt and still zero 25-point efforts, it’s now okay to start questioning what kind of player, and what kind of winner this guy is. In the biggest moments of the biggest games, LeBron combined for 18 fourth-quarter points TOTAL. Did we witness the first ever F U from a star to the entire basketball world? The bigger the moment, James seems to just rolls his eyes and walk away. He doesn’t seem to want the responsibility. Hopefully, the Heatles learned a little something about humility. They’ll remember this one the next time they get to play for the crown, because it’s very possible they’ll be back … After 12 years, after shedding the “soft” and “weak” monikers, Dirk is an NBA champion. Now every time one of those “best without a ring” lists pop up on a sidebar of SportsCenter, it won’t have his name on it. If you combined the number of years that Kidd, Dirk, Terry and Shawn Marion played without a championship you’d have around a half-century of NBA seasons. If anybody deserves a ring, it’s these guys. And Dirk has suddenly vaulted himself into the conversation for top 15 players ever. People have never wanted to give him credit, but look at those numbers. RIDICULOUS. With his size and jump shot, Dirk will be a problem for another few years. By the end of his career, you might be able to make the case that he’s the second greatest power forward ever. Think about that … Mark Cuban says he won’t get rings for the Mavs, pointing out “Rings are done.” What will he do instead? G6s for everyone? … This is the most weird/interesting stat of the night … We’re out like the NBA until 2012.
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June 13th, 2011 at 1:44 am
Vintakular says:
I dunno bout anyone else, but after seeing that photo, Dirk just ain’t photogenic in the slightest bit haha
June 13th, 2011 at 1:44 am
Ian says:
i posted this already but hell ill post it again
so wait can i call dirk the best player in the league right now???
kobe old lost a step and got swept by dirk btw kobe also had the better team.
bron ehh nope super unclutch lost to dirk and also had the better team.
wade lost to dirk (no refs this time) and also had the better team. remember when wade talked bs about dirk choking and not being a leader?
durant terribly overrated but still great also lost to dirk.
rose hell no
paul eh nope
howard not with that offense and losing to the hawks in the first round.
so is it crazy to call dirk (shoulda been the regular season mvp) the best in the league? nope
chicago you can go ahead with the grffin thing if you want hehehe
June 13th, 2011 at 1:45 am
Ian says:
it looks like a videogame pic
June 13th, 2011 at 2:06 am
alf (from melmak) says:
Old school prevails. Fundamentals better than athleticism. Good guys win in the end.
Congrats to the Mavs.
My belief in the goodness of life has been reaffirmed.
On a side note. Is the benching of both Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby, both vital cogs of the Sacramento Kings in the past, a reflection of the mess the team is in? And they were actually impressed by Jimmer Fredette?
June 13th, 2011 at 2:07 am
JBaller says:
Dirk looks like Beck in that picture.
Go Mavs, screw the Heat!
June 13th, 2011 at 2:14 am
sh!tfaced says:
No rings because they’re all getting NBA Championship Trophy Tats done by DeShawn’s tattoo artist.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:20 am
bookkwormmaster says:
Redemption. Vindication. Atonement. Restitution. Dallas Mavs. 2011 NBA Champions.
Congrats to one of my top 5 fav players in the league Dirk Nowitzki. He was literally deadweight through the first 3 quarters. However, he came up HUGE when it was needed the most in the 4th quarter. Dude was CLUTCH! 10 points in the final frame to shut the front door on a Miami comeback. Major props also to Jason Terry and J.J. Barea. They single-handedly carried the team offensively throughout the duration of the game. Big time performers those two.
So happy for Jason Kidd to get that ring. Easily one of the most easiest guys to root for in the league today.
Congrats Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry (former member of my Atlanta Hawks), Mark Cuban, Caron Butler, and the entire Dallas Mavs team.
BTW, its gonna SUCK so much for LeBron this offseason. I almost feel bad for just thinking about it. However, watching him as the camera panned on him walking down the hall to the locker room looking defeated and dejected brought a little smile to my face : )
June 13th, 2011 at 2:22 am
beiber newz says:
aparently lebron tweeted..”who cares if i lost to dirk..my penis is longer than his.”
sike.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:27 am
sh!tfaced says:
Again, ‘Grats to the 2011 Champs Dallas Mavs.
A celebration may be in order…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD9lZflXsgU&feature=player_embedded
June 13th, 2011 at 2:27 am
drew says:
The Mavericks taking the championship trophy to Miami’s Club Liv is HILARIOUS.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:29 am
OneZero says:
“My belief in the goodness of life has been reaffirmed.”
amen
I’m happy especially for Dirk, Kidd, Peja, and the unbelievable JJ Barea!
June 13th, 2011 at 2:35 am
pipdaddyy says:
Seriously Dime, could you have possibly found a worse picture of Dirk than this? I mean poor guy just had his career highlight as the Finals MVP and you put a serial-killer pick of him into Smack.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:40 am
OneZero says:
oh LeBron is going to get abused hard and for a long long time until he actually wins it. Make no mistake, he brought this on himself, we can all sympathize him, but he truly puts himself in a tons of unnecessary pressure
the dancing,the party,the Dirk mockery,the arrogance, will this excruciating loss actually change him? we dont care do we?
and how ironic, on the other end stands a man loyal for his team for 13 seasons and finally brought a title after a decade of suffering, just wow, he deserves it.
Dirk deserve this title more than anybody.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:53 am
JBreezy says:
Dirk looks like Clint Eastwood in that pic lol, but congrats to the Mavs. It was nice seeing them win this year. Clearly the Mavs were the better team, Miami may need a few more pieces like an actual point guard and a consistent post presence. If the media didn’t blow LeBron up to be the savior of basketball I might actually root for him.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:01 am
Swiss Chocolate says:
1. JKidd and Dirk got their first ballots votes punched. 2. Why didn’t Lebron guard Dirk in the series? 3. I got a feeling Spolestra is gonna be unemployed soon. No control of the team and didn’t make any adjustments when it counted.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:10 am
dagwaller says:
I’m going to start by saying that this is going to be a long post, so if you don’t like or respect me as a poster, don’t bother reading it.
First of all, congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks! And congratulations to the Miami Heat for playing a GREAT series.
PERSONAL: I’m from Baltimore, MD, which hasn’t had a basketball team since 1973. That makes it a little hard to be an NBA fan, and makes it even harder to have a team to root for. Yet I was a fan for years before playing the demo for NBA Live 2003 (or thereabouts). One of the modes in that game was a 3v3 exhibition game, and the Mavericks had their “big 3″ – Steve Nash, Michael Finley, and Dirk Nowitzki. I got hooked.
And while I’ve only been a fan of the Mavericks for almost 10 years, which isn’t long by many standards, I’m a pretty intense one. I stuck by them after the 06 and 07 debacles. I’ve argued for Dirk’s candidacy for the HoF. Hell, I’ve even made arguments that Erick Dampier/Dasagana Diop made for a top 3 Center in the League before.
Besides having a fun style, likable stars, and a crazy coach in Don Nelson, another thing that I always respected about the Mavericks then and now was their international flavor. Eduardo Najera (Mexico), Nash (Canada), Dirk (Germany), Popeye Jones (Mars) transitioned to Peja (Serbia), Barea (Dominican Republic), Beaubois (Guadalupe), and Mahinmi (France).
It makes me wonder about the nature of fandom and loyalty. Austin has started so many debates about it. Loyalty, really, is love. I’ve never met these players, I’ve never been to Dallas, and no one in my family has any old rooting interests there or with the Mavericks.
Players leave. Teams trade them away, they retire, they demand trades, they make Decisions, there is free agency; there are a million ways to go.
But like love, loyalty as a fan comes to those who deserve it. That’s why Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, and Kobe Bryant have huge fan followings. Ok, well Kobe and Pierce do. They stuck with their team, and their teams have stuck with them. Each side showed loyalty. Fans can love the city, the team, and the player, and never get confused. Dirk is such a player, Dallas is such a city, and Cuban with the Mavericks are such a team.
MAVERICKS:
Is this an all-time great team? I believe that they deserve a discussion. They’re at 11 consecutive 50 win seasons (and counting). They have 2 Finals appearances, along with a Championship. They are great shooters and they play great D. They beat the former champs, with Kobe, Pau, and Phil Jackson. They beat the media darling and regular season scoring champ, Kevin Durant, along with his Robin, Russell Westbrook. And now they’ve beaten the future champs, the Miami Heat, with 2 of the top 5 players in the League, along with another All-Star on the team. All of that without one of their best players, Caron Butler.
No offense to Miami, but the fans of Dallas deserved this more, from a rooting standpoint. Don’t know what it is, but the home crowds in Miami just didn’t seem to bring it, to say nothing of the bandwagon fans that seem to have sprouted up everywhere. Mark Cuban even mentioned it in an interview – he said that the Mavs fans in attendance punked the Heat fans into rooting for the Mavs by the end. Did you see how many blue shirts there were?
Cuban was classy this time around. Not jumping around or yelling til it was all said and done. He deflected attention from himself to the coach during the interviews, and even brought out the team founder.
I remember telling my girl before the game, “Watch the parade to the foul line. Remember about that 06 series I was telling you about? This is going to be like that.” Foul shots for the game: 18 for Mavs, 33 for the Heat? Hmmm…at least the ball don’t lie. 61% for the Heat, 67% for the Mavs. Series: 155 for the Mavs, 149 for the Heat, though.
The Mavs were the underdog so many times this postseason that I’m sure that come game 15 of the next season, when the Mavs lose their 4th game, someone will say, “See? I told you they were a little too soft, not legit contenders.”
Love that this team had so many almost winners. Peja lost his big chances because of officiating a decade ago. Marion, running into the Spurs and Mavericks. Kidd, the MDE. Carlisle, Ron Artest. Dirk and Terry, the referees in 06.
Win by 10 – biggest victory of the series.
Who’s gone for the Mavs? Sad to say it, but I can see Barea leaving. I thought that I heard that he’s a free agent after this season. He played his ass off and isn’t making much right now (or can’t be, after being an undrafted FA). I hope Cuban doesn’t overpay him. Peja’s contract comes off the books, though, and that was a huge one. The other thing I can see tripping up Barea is Roddy Beaubois. Do the Mavs keep Caron, or do they stick with Marion? Has Haywood become an expensive mistake already? If only they could give Chandler Haywood’s contract. Oops.
People will come out and say that the Mavs have a huge payroll. Please consider that some of that money is going to Peja, whose contract the Mavs didn’t sign. Ditto Brian Cardinal. Ditto Caron Butler, who didn’t even play the second half of the year. It’s tough to have young/cheap talent when you consistently win, but like the Spurs, the Mavs have a few rookies or second year players that contributed without costing much: Barea and Beaubois, with Dominique Jones returning next year.
KIDD: Does this change Jason Kidd’s standing on the list of all-time point guards? I still believe him to be behind Magic, but does this definitively elevate him past Stockton and Nash? Does it put him past Thomas and Payton? How about Earl Monroe or Allen Iverson? Cousy?
Does Kidd’s win as someone that deferred to younger stars make Allen Iverson look back at the last couple years, and at the Grizzlies in particular, and wonder, “Could’ve been me”?
Kidd has now played against D Wade, Kobe, LeBron, Bosh and Shaq in the Finals. Can anyone else boast a lineup like that?
I wish that Bron42 would see this post and rejoice with me, his old sparring partner – Dirk and Kidd both finally won!
DIRK: Wow. Eh Game 6.
Big ups to him, though, for not checking out mentally despite not ONCE getting a foul call. 27 shots, 18 of them missed…and not a single one of them was a foul? Ok, refs. Ok. Dirk still grabbed 11 boards, stole the ball twice, nailed the 2 Technical free throws, and made shots down the stretch.
Good thing he’s not a slasher, because apparently he wasn’t going to get to the line no matter what last night. Good thing he’s a shooter, to all those that have doubted that philosophy over the years.
I’m glad that he didn’t dance around on the Heat’s home court, the way the Heat did in 06 in Dallas. Showed some class.
So many notions about Dirk were finally and absolutely dispelled about Dirk this post-season, some that were never true to begin with. His D is suspect? He helped shut down 3 of the most prolific scorers of this era. He’s not “Clutch”? He’s been huge in 4 different series in the 4th quarter, including a FEW game winners. He even came up HUGE in the second half/4th quarter of the clinching Game 6 in the Finals. He’s not a winner? He beat the once and future champs on the way to his 1.5 title, in the Lakers and the Heat, after winning 50 games each season for the last 11. He’s not a leader? He’s taken his underdog team to the Chip, calling out his teammates along the way, and he did it as the unquestioned #1 – not a ring chaser and he didn’t need to jump to a different team or demand new teammates. He’s not tough? He had a couple flu games and played with 9 fingers (Kobe gets a medal for that – Dirk just keeps playing). He’s a jumpshooter? Count his points via layups vs his points on jumpers (Hint: it’s about dead even).
Jump-shooting teams can’t win? Unless you have shooters at EVERY position, including the 4. Offensive spacing is the same – and just as important – as defensive spacing. Having someone that can create space for his teammates to shoot while open is crucial, and Dirk allows for that.
Does this series change his standing all-time? I believe it puts him into the top 25 definitively, or at least that’s how it feels. Then again, I already consider him a champ from 06. Barkley and K. Malone each have to watch out. I have him past Rodman – is he on the level of Moses Malone or Kevin McHale, though? For those of us that put Garnett ahead of Dirk, does this even them up?
Going back to my point on loyalty: kudos to Mark Cuban. Even though Dirk had the label of choker and soft, that could never lead a team to the chip, Cuban never shopped him. Dirk returned that loyalty by not even considering leaving Dallas this summer. Kudos to them both.
PS, Dirk had the most rebounds in the series. More than Chandler, James or Wade.
HEAT: The Heat will be fine. They’ll win 4 titles before it’s all said and done. With the Celtics primed for one more year this year, did anyone even fully expect them to reach the Finals? They overachieved this year.
No one really had a bad game. Not the Big 3 or the role players. They just got beaten by a superior team.
I wonder if Pat Riley, Executive of the Year, regrets not keeping Dorell Wright.
I was a little worried heading into the series. I figured that LeBron would guard Dirk, Haslem/Anthony on Chandler/Haywood, Bosh on Marion, and the backcourts would match up. Don’t know why Spoelstra tried guarding Dirk conventionally (with a traditional PF in Haslem). I assumed LeBron’s strength and athleticism would give him an advantage defensively. Then again, I’m not an NBA head coach.
…then again, Spoelstra might not be for long, either. Which is really unfair, because as I said, they overachieved this year. He’s gotten a lot of wins out of the Heat over the last couple years, as well. I think he deserves another shot.
People bust on Dirk for his defense, but he’s letting 3 of the best players in the League light him up. Yet this vaunted Heat D stays vaunted despite letting JJ Barea light them up? Ian Mahinmi, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brian Cardinal all shooting well? Not one of those guys will be remembered in 5 years, and the Heat get a free pass on their defensive reputation? Please. Dirk and the Mavs did work on the Heat. LeBron even mentioned the zone, saying that it kept him – a beast that lives in the paint – out of the interior, citing the rotations of the Mavs.
The Big 3 were classy after the game. Stayed on court to congratulate everyone, and even better in the press conference. They said all the right things, and didn’t rise to any of the media bait. LeBron in particular was doing most of the talking when he could’ve deferred to Wade. Respect.
Next year’s team is going to look drastically different, which is a shame. Then again, I guess the 90s Bulls teams changed a lot, and they stayed winning. Miller, Haslem, Anthony, and Chalmers are all locks to stay, I figure. No one else is safe. I could be way wrong on all these counts, but anyone that thinks that they’re going to get a big name (I’ve seen David West’s name on these boards, and on ESPN someone mentioned Dwight Howard) is living in a fantasy world.
RANDOM:
Another preps-to-pros success story this series: DeShawn Stevenson! Soulja Boy 1, Jay-Z still 0.
Saw a stat listing the scoring averages in the first 9 Finals games for Jordan, Kobe and LeBron. Kobe’s numbers were the worst, furthering my belief that the first few titles he won were actually Shaq’s, and he was almost along for the ride.
Good riddance to Mark Jackson. I’m surprised he didn’t jump out of the Heat’s mascot after each break in the action to return to the booth. His act is tired and he’s painfully biased sometimes. I never root for anyone to lose their job, but this is the most enthusiastic I’ve ever been about someone GAINING a coaching job.
West is still better than East, I guess. They each sport a bunch of quality teams, but considering that the Mavs were the West’s 3 seed and the Heat were the East’s 2 seed (with an extra win), not to mention the possibility of upsets all up and down the board in the West, I think it’s a certainty.
How interesting would a Hawks team with Stephen Jackson and Jason Terry have been, had they continued to blossom from 2003? Weird.
Mavs
June 13th, 2011 at 3:10 am
SlimeBucket says:
Congrats to Mavs. I was rooting for Heat and Lebron but Mavs were an awesome team. With Caron and Hayward back next year healthy they should be even better assuming they can get the lockout settled. Even Cuban deserved it after being an ass in 06. If Dirk wins a few more titles than he can officially take best white basketball player of all time from Larry Bird which was even unthinkable at the beginning of the playoffs. Now Steve Nash is the only player left that I really hope can win a ring soon. Maybe Cuban forgives him for leaving and trades him back from the Suns somehow. For the Heat, I hope they give Iverson a shot as he has to be better than Eddie House or Mike Bibby and you know he has balls. I’m not going to saying anything too bad about Lebron as he is still young enough to get a post game and still too talented that you can’t ignore his chances to get back and win a ring. Hopefully he shuts his big mouth and actually works on elevating his game. He didn’t even seem that mad that he lost the Finals. Anyway, this was the best NBA playoffs in a long time. I’m looking forward to next season.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:12 am
Chicagorilla says:
wow Dime…2nd best PF ever? lol. After one chip. ONE CHIP? wow…just wow.
@Ian,
Nah I’ll leave it alone now. I’ll let all the Dallas fans have their moment. No need to start the Dirk debate in smack too lol.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:23 am
Chicagorilla says:
@Dag
That may have been the longest post in the history of Dime. lol, but at least you had a point and gave a pre-warning. And because i cant sleep i sat here and read nearly the whole thing
June 13th, 2011 at 3:26 am
deeds says:
Congrats to Dirk and the Mavs. My personal favourite champ since the 98 bulls, and a team that is hard not to get behind.
@dagweller….too much time on your hands, noone is reading all that
June 13th, 2011 at 3:32 am
SlimeBucket says:
@dagwaller I think you can say Kidd is ahead of all those point guards you mentioned except possibly Stockton and Gary Payton. Stockton was an underrated defensive player and he had a tough edge about him. He just ran into the GOAT for 2 years straight and Karl Malone did the LeChoke. Stockon played at a really high level even his last few years and on this Mavs squad even at his tail end they would have blown out Miami. And Gary Payton in his prime was awesome. You can say possibly the best defensive point guard of all time in his prime. He even made the GOAT work hard in the Finals when Karl finally put Gary on him for the last 2 games. Also, when he had his best team when he was still a key player he had to play against the GOAT and lose which is no shame. Jason Kidd just played against a dysfunctional team in Miami so the competition was weaker. He has the same number of rings as Billups and he played against a lesser team than that Lakers squad. Still I’m glad he got his ring and he is the perfect point guard for this Mavs team instead of a high flyer like Rose and Westbrook. I think Jason Kidd can play into his early 40s if he wants to given that his IQ is still off the charts and he can really shoot now whereas I remember in those previous Finals his jumper was god awful.
I think it shows that players can add new dimensions to their game. Jason Kidd finally added a jumper these last few years. I expect LeChoke to get a post game in the next few years because he really has the physical tools; he just has to work at it.
June 13th, 2011 at 5:22 am
This_Will_Hurt says:
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy tooooooo long of a post….dont/can read it nor do i care. i’ll never know why miami didn’t play like the series depended on it or why lebron was so passive but oh well…
dirk and kidd really do deserve it. and peja does for when it got stolen from him and the kings from the lakers bout 9 years back. fuck kobe.
June 13th, 2011 at 5:23 am
LeRoy Green says:
and he’s still wearing the same jersey with cum, tears and snot stains across the ‘EL HEAT’ logo.
^^^^^^
WOWWWWWW LMFAO!!!
Sh*tfaced got post of the night.
SPORTY J, SHOW YA FACE BITCH
#MAVS #MAVS #MAVS #MAVS DAM i can’t believe this shit really happened. I been watchin this team all my LIFE since the Rolando Blackmon and Brad Davis days. Dallas is all I know, its been a long time comin. 2011, the year the Mavs won it all. Finally. No more nightmares from 06
June 13th, 2011 at 5:41 am
LMNOP says:
Congrats to the MAVs, i havnt enjoyed a finals as much as this one in a LONG time. It had everything you could ask for and the right team won.
I don’t think i can think of any players more deserving of this than Dirk and Kidd, those guys have been two of the best players of the last decade and truly helped define a whole generation of basketball, witnessing them get some validation for all of their hard work is a great thing.
What is Dirks place on the all time list? top 20? top 15? top 5 at his position?… i dont know, You could argue that over the last 10 years he has been equally as good as Kobe and he’s in a lot of peoples top 10s. so make of that what you will.
Where does Dirks playoff performance rank? it was pretty fucking epic, Sweep the Lakers, Outduel the scoring champ then Silence the Miami Hype.. and they were underdogs even in the Blazers series.
I really didn’t want the Heat to win it all, but it being the Mavs who beat them is almost poetic. so many little story lines going on, so much drama, and all of it overshadowed by some fantastic basketball. what more could anyone ask for?
Fuck yeah, Go Mavs.. woooo.. oh yeah, and i got a nice payday for my preseason longshot pick finally coming through.
June 13th, 2011 at 5:47 am
cdubb says:
@ dagwaller
Amen.
June 13th, 2011 at 6:05 am
alf (from melmak) says:
@Chicagorilla
I agree with you. After his basketball career is done, Dirk will still only be (at best) the third best power forward of all time. Numbers 1 and 2 are reserved for Karl Malone and Tim Duncan. Then there is also Kevin McHale and Sir Charles to also consider.
Bu then again, that is another story. Today is all about the Mavs and how they showed everyone that basketball remains a team sports.
Probably the song for the Dallas vets:
“And we will dance the way we did when we were younger. When we told everybody all you need is now.” — Duran Duran
June 13th, 2011 at 6:39 am
the cynic says:
Heat should fire Spoelstra and hire Adelman
June 13th, 2011 at 6:49 am
sh!tfaced says:
LOL. Must be going down like Oktoberfest in Dallas right now…
Probably the song for sporty spice:
“I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend…”
“…The angry boy, a bit too insane
Icing over a secret pain
You know you don’t belong….” – Third Eye Blind (from the song Jumper)
June 13th, 2011 at 6:51 am
uqk says:
DeShawn got more ring than Lebron
June 13th, 2011 at 6:57 am
First & Foremost says:
I’m mad dagwaller’s post came with a cover page and table of contents.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:00 am
Fish says:
Another congratulations to Dirk and the Mavs. Almost had a tear in my eye watching his post game interview.
No-one gave him half a chance when he came into the league (was widely seen as just another stiff, and no-one was convinced European ball had anything to offer) and he kept on working to reach this goal. A new great.
Fantastic for Kidd as well. Was always a real winner, but never had the trophy to back it up. Now he can retire in peace. Funny how one of his closest competitors, Gary Payton, finally got his ring on the Miami team that beat Dallas in 2006. You can bet those two will be having a heartfelt chat before too long.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:04 am
sh!tfaced says:
dagwaller’s post needs to have a Page 2 link….
June 13th, 2011 at 7:07 am
iCARNACKi says:
I’m so happy; not just because a whole bunch of good guys finally got the ‘rings’ they deserve but also because that perceived Heatles arrogance is not perceived at all… they conspired to all join the same team with the expectation that their talents would be too much for other teams… despite not having a center or point guard.
Dirk goes into discussion for Top 15; probably doesn’t make it but he’s Top 20 for sure. Him and Kidd are HoF locks now and I think that maybe you can perhaps have the discussion for Shawn Marion in the HoF… probably doesn’t make it but it’s a legitimate discussion now.
I still think Payton and Stockton are better than Jason Kidd… they are all exceptional PGs though so it’s hard… somedays I will have Kidd above Payton on my list.
Dirk WAS soft and weak and got bullied by SJax but he learnt from all that and came back stronger… that’s what made the Dirk we see today who puts his team on his back in crunch time. Lebron is a child who refuses to accept responsibility for his failures… he won’t learn from this… he’ll pout as children are known to.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Ian says:
Chicago
Ha nice no need to hate today hehe
Alf
I don’t think chicago agrees with u 3rd best alltime??
Now you said “at best” like its a bad thing
June 13th, 2011 at 7:25 am
Atom says:
Mark Cuban is going to forego the rings this year and purchase matching pimp challises (chalisi?) for the team because that’s what they are (particularly Dirk): STRAIGHT PIMPIN.
Long time coming and well deserved. Genuinely happy for Dirk, Kidd, and the entire geezer/bridesmaid crew. In my book, Dirk is very close to taking that number 2 PF of all time spot and might already have.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Atom says:
@ iCARNACKi :
Here is the “legitimate discussion” regarding Marion getting in the hall of fame:
Person One: Should Marion be in the hall of fame?
Person Two: I dont know, is he cleaning it?
Person One: No
Person Two: The definitely not.
Great help in the playoffs this year and excellent fantasy numbers for years, but guy was basically never more than third best player on his team. This is the hall of fame, not the hall of justice. Have some respect.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:32 am
common sense says:
Everything i believed last night was proven to be false.. As a heat fan I cant express how disappointed I am with how the season transpired and ultimately the way its two most prodigious talents conducted themselves on and off the court.. From Wades constant ref baiting to Brons lack of understanding of his responsibiliies.. Funny how Bosh came out with the most credit from this season..
Coach Spo must go, Bron must get a post game and Bibby should retire.. Eddie House.. Seriously?
June 13th, 2011 at 7:36 am
Ian says:
Dag
Cuz its true kobe nut huggers want to say that kobe and shaq were equals not even close. Kobe was lucky he was with shaq for those early titles. Want to bash lebron (sorry bron can’t keep defending u now this is the last time) when kobe was even worse
June 13th, 2011 at 7:37 am
Deron says:
Dirk earned his ring and he was the real closer tonight. He has had to wait on long time for his ring, longer than other superstars. Congrats Dirk, J-Kidd and Co.
http://theresastatforthat.blogspot.com/2011/06/dirks-ring-long-time-coming.html
June 13th, 2011 at 7:38 am
alf (from melmak) says:
@ Ian
It is not a bad thing at all.
No place for negativity right now. This is a time to celebrate everything good about basketball.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:41 am
common sense says:
Also, why not the matrix for the HOF, this guy does so much for his team, BBall is a two way sport and which player has produced at both ends like marion in this generation without any plays being run for him whilst always guarding the oppositions best player inside or outside?
Lastly, congrats to the MAVs, hard to think of a more deserving champion since ive been watching the NBA or sports in general, WOW!
June 13th, 2011 at 7:43 am
mo.B.bad says:
hats off to the Mavs. they played brilliant TEAM ball on both ends of the court, something the Heat haven’t done all season on the offensive end.
I think it’s hilarious that Bosh was as good as Wade & LeBron combined. and that while LeBron was hiding from the spotlight (and has been slaughtered for it) Wade was equally bad, taking the ball and then turning it over repeatedly with STUPID errors (and has escaped criticism). I’m hoping people start to get at Wade, coz he doesn’t deserve a pass for playing like the Monstars stole his game.
JET is a hero. his tattoo doesn’t seem so crazy now, eh?
and Dirk, man, what can you say? nice one, you ugly mother f’er.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:45 am
common sense says:
No championship rings, seriously Cubes? I guess there really is no more gold in Fort Knox!
June 13th, 2011 at 7:49 am
That's What's Up says:
Sporty-jizz still has the Heat pulling the series out in 9 games
June 13th, 2011 at 7:54 am
That's What's Up says:
Maybe Cuban is going to get every team member custom grills with the Mavs championship emblazoned on them; every time someone opens their mouth you’ll be reminded of how great this team was
June 13th, 2011 at 7:55 am
common sense says:
Also, Chalmers, Wade and Bosh had a positive +- whilst Bron had -24 in a 10point loss..
June 13th, 2011 at 8:03 am
Atom says:
@ common sense:
why marion shouldn’t be in the hof? The hall is for exceptional players or those who accomplished great things. The guy was a great all around tallent who could do a lot of things on both ends of the court, but was never particularly exceptional at anything, Personally led a team to great success, or was even one of the top talents in the league any given year or a legitamate all star starter. I just don’t see it ever happening.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:04 am
JA says:
Cuban definitely showed some class in deferring to others.
Dirk’s laugh in the background when the reporter asked Kidd how it felt being the oldest starter EVER on a Championship team was priceless. Rraaa-HA-HA
My boy said if the Heat win the series, expect a lockout – but if the Mavs win, no lockout. So it will be interesting to see.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:15 am
sh!tfaced says:
@ dagwaller
finally got around and read your long ass post. nice one. that was first class, man.
no bs, no ‘i told you so’, etc, and no excessive profanity. hope the dirk/cuban relationship would someday serve as a model between teams, owners, execs and their players.
good riddance to mark jackson. dude was becoming more and more annoying with each year he did the mics.
and spoelstra…dude’s actually doing better than most thought, the expectations were just so impossibly high, especially this year. he almost drove this team across the finish line on three good tires (one over inflated, the other severely deflated). spo never lost composure unlike avery johnson. he was pretty fearless, owned his mistakes, and didn’t blame everyone within striking distance…
June 13th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Skeeter McGee says:
@ Austin Burton
Can’t defend LeBron in this series bruh. Straight up choke job. Dude can’t lead a team, and clearly can’t be second fiddle on a team. I’m convinced that his whole life nothing was a struggle as far as winning, so now when he’s playing real comp. he tears it up in the regular season and part of the playoffs? Not an “all-time great” to me…
But Dirk…
WOW. Homie showed us all something we never thought we’d see from the Big German. Props to him man, when everyone thought he was too old and too soft to carry a team, he does it on the biggest stage with virtually everyone counting him out.
Props to Rick Carlisle, as well. His X’s and O’s clearly outmatched that of Spoelstra, who could not put LeBron in a position to score effectively. Yeah some of that is on Bron, but Spoels needs to figure out how to work Wade and Bron off the ball when the other one has it. LeBron never moves off the ball and if he wants to be successful with this team he needs to change his game by developing a post game and high post screen and rolls. I can see this from my couch so I don’t know what Spoelstra was doing…
There’s always next year Miami, and I’mma hope they lose it then too.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Skeeter McGee says:
@Dagwaller
Thank you for the narrative, I enjoyed it over a cup of coffee this morning. Interesting read, though it took a minute haha.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:40 am
common sense says:
@Atom
Personally, id compare Marion to Rodman and if the Worm can make it then why not Marion.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Sam says:
‘Bron threw this series just like he threw the Boston one last year.
How does a guy that good disappear so completely?
June 13th, 2011 at 8:51 am
Fish says:
Even though I disliked that Heat team as much as the next man I think the coaching has to take a fair brunt of the criticism. Although I still think Lebron doesn’t have the mustard yet, he was obviously deferring to the team plan at times, and I don’t think Spoelstra ever really got to grips with his team (except perhaps at the defensive end).
Also a note of credit to Chandler. He has overcome a fair bit of adversity himself in his relatively short career with regards doubts laid upon him and his game, but I think he was an excellent fit with the Mavs during their run.
Literally the only downside of the whole episode is DeShawn Stevenson. Dude will be able to get a spot on teams for years as a guy with “championship experience”. That makes me sad.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:07 am
DarkWing Productions says:
The curse of Dan Gilbert lives!
Why didn’t Lebron guard Dirk at any point? Was that his fault, of Spolestra’s?
To win a championship, you needs stars, you need role players, but you also need SPECIALISTS. Dallas had all of the above, therefore, advantage Dallas.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:08 am
First & Foremost says:
Could Marion get into the Hall? It will take a while but I think he will always be on the cusp of getting in but not really. Did James Worthy ever lead a team?
Why so much hate for Deshawn? He called Lebron out for being overrated, just like people who don’t play in the nba or can’t even grab net do every day. He punches a sleeping giant in the face and stands there waiting for it to wake up. He will have a spot on ANY team just like James Posey & Tony Allen. The Nuggets will take him off of tattoo potential alone.
Dirk was the MVP but Chandler was the difference maker. In prior years the Mavs never had a 5 that could guard 4s to allow Dirk to save face on that end of the floor. The ankle/toe seems to be doing just fine.
The regular season has to mean something… Mavs 6; Heat 2
June 13th, 2011 at 9:33 am
JorgMartin says:
Dirk is the best thing, really. He’ll drop dunks on you, he’s clutch, he’ll drop the trey bucket. It’s all there and it’s all there in a big way, in a robust package.
Man, Dirk really won this for the world, not just for himself. The world is a better place.
Team effort was great to see; when Dirk struggled early, The JET picked up the slack; DeShawn dropped huge treys to keep them in the second quarter; Mahmini Panini, clutch drop; Dirk, big shots late, sealed with his coolness.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:14 am
karmatic says:
nice to see smart old guys win, but..oh wait…money prevailed again…for the 6th year in a row, the team that (pretty much)spent the most on salaries won the finals…other than the lakers at $92 million, the mavs had the highest payroll at $90 million, and, for a change, cuban overspent wisely…with the exception of $10 million a year for caron, most of the money went to the mavs starters (56 million/year to dirk,tyson, jet, kidd and marion combined). miami KNOWS the answer now – “our $66 million payroll was too small” – “nobody with a payroll under $60 million even made the playoffs (except the thunder)”- the winning dictum must be “spend wisely, but spend a lot”, which makes the impending lockout all the more laughable.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Fish says:
@karmatic you have a point on money, but I think Cuban just plain overpaid on his team to keep every happy and motivated. I don’t think it was a case of him going to the market with big bucks to snag the best out there (although of course if he did snag someone, he wouldn’t have sent them back).
For a change on the theme I think in this case money=motivation rather than money=talent.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:41 am
King says:
Great win by dallas and good to see Kidd get a ring.
When you Dirk is top 15?!? who are you saying hes better than. David Robinson, Malone, Zeke, Dr. J etc…. No saying hes not great but you can easily name 25 players better just based off the fact that he’s kind of terrible on defense
June 13th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Brown says:
Dan Gilbert has no class, and Lebron has no heart. The Heat looked absolutely lost on offense most of the game.
The Heat need a new coach. Their roster could use a significant upgrade too. Outside of the Big 3, Haslem and occasionally Chalmers, they’ve got nothing. Pat Riley has his work cut out for him.
Dallas looks poised to repeat if Caron comes back healthy. This series wouldn’t have even been close if Haywood and Butler had been healthy.
Dallas’s depth and commitment to winning is what won them this series.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:55 am
QQ says:
Congrats to the Mavericks…
It’s been a long time coming but finally you’re all on top.
This has been one of the best Finals in recent years, so gotta give props to the Heat, too.
Also, I have to give my props to Austin Burton cause FOR SURE he will come up with a defense of what Lebron did in that game 6.
Those kind of dick riding deserves props.
This has been fun. BASKETBALL’S OUT. Enjoy the break yall.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:59 am
jdizzle says:
Mission Accomplished. Congrats to the Mavs especially Dirk,Kidd,Marion and Terry. This team may be the most deserving to win a title since the 04 Pistons.
@dagwaller man you weren’t lying were you? Lol. Im just glad I dont have to work today so I could actually read all of it.
Dirk may have shed some labels but he gained a new one: BEST CLOSER IN THE GAME. POINT. BLANK. PERIOD. I never thought Kobe was to begin with. All his so-called clutch moments were in the regular season, which according to Laker fans, doesn’t really count.
And about DeShawn Stevenson. Don’t know how this came up but after he hit that 3rd straight 3 ball I said to myself ”DeShawn Stevenson is like a less talented Stephen Jackson.” Random question: Who’s more annoying when they start to get it going? DeShawn Stevenson, Jason Terry, or Eddie House? My vote goes to House. I blame him for that mini bench-clearing brawl. Who WOULDN’T get pissed after Eddie House hits a three, let alone one that causes you to call a timeout?
June 13th, 2011 at 11:14 am
First & Foremost says:
Just an Observation – Kobe Shoots 6-24 in a close out game and people blame him for ALMOST losing it. Dirk goes 9-27 and is the Best in the Biz. Terry was the hero of Game 6.
June 13th, 2011 at 11:19 am
That's What's Up says:
Dirk has officially bitch-slapped Miami with his Giant Bratwurst
June 13th, 2011 at 11:24 am
Big Island says:
Dag – good post.
Congrats to all of the Dallas fans, even the new guys who just showed up today.
A couple of things:
Cuban having the trophy handed to the original Mavs owners, sweet.
While Miami was going to the line for the 89th and 90th time last night and the guys were talking about it, I thought about every ref conspiracy, and it wouldn’t be so obvious if Miami could HIT a free throw.
When Dirk ran off the court, I almost had a meltdown. Some of you “lifelong Mavs fans” who just popped in today should know I love Dirk more than I probably should. And I blast everyone who has ever walked off of the court after a series without shaking hands. I hate it. So Dirk did it and I had a mini crisis. It really is the only thing I don’t like about the game last night.
My ex gf from like 7 years ago texted me last night saying congrats. WTF?!?! So my gf now, who is from Vancouver, CANADA!!!! says “Well this is a good sign. Since Dirk won, that means the Canucks will win the Cup.” I looked up, a few tears trickling down my cheeks into my Dirk jersey (his picture at the top of this page is simply magical), and calmly say “it’s not hockey talkey time now.”
Trade Lebron for Dwight Howard straight up. Everyone is better off.
June 13th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Kudabeen says:
Not likely, but if Phil Jackson found his way to Miami Heat after a possible lock-out late start season feeling refreshed for the extended time off would people really be Surprised?
June 13th, 2011 at 11:39 am
D - NICE says:
@ post 2 Clearly Dallas had the better team….they had more experience, a better coach and a deeper roster…..Outside of their 2 and a half stars cuz bosh is still not on Wade’s and Bron’s level, MIA didn’t really have a supporting cast to help them…..and not to take away from his performance, because he did play some great basketball, but dirk did get some generous calls when this series was in Dallas….and can we now stop saying MIA is Lebron’s team…..D Wade had a lackluster series against Boston…..But when it was all on the line in the Finals, he stepped his game up in the spotlight and at least look engaged in the games from start to finish…..while Lebronda shied away from the big moment and seems to be inheriting some the “soft” labels that dirk had to carry for all these years up until now….he will never redeem himself until he wins a ring….a definite shot to his perceived “Greatness”…..King James my ass….Can’t wait to see how the league changes next year!!!!!…..O yeah dirk elevated his status on the list of the best players in the game, but he still has a ways to go to firmly be the undisputed overall best player in the NBA…..
June 13th, 2011 at 11:51 am
dagwaller says:
@ Chicagorilla, deeds, ThisWillHurt, cdubb, F/F, sh!tfaced, ian, Skeeter McGee, jdizzle, and Big Island – haha I know it was too much. But when you’ve been a fan and a poster here as long as I have, you have to have one big “O-Face” post after your team wins the chip! And thanks for reading, I appreciate it. You probably know this already, but I spend way too much time on this site and read pretty much every post, other than a few (obvious) posters whose posts I occasionally scroll past.
@ Slimebucket – Stockton and Payton were both All-Time great defenders. The best of the 90s, for sure. But if his D in these playoffs has shown us anything, it’s that this 9 time all-Defensive team player is an All-Time great in that category as well.
As you said, Payton and Stockton ran into the GOAT, but Kidd ran into the MDE. And with regards to this year’s Heat team, I think history will look back kindly on anyone that could beat them. Looking back on the Pistons and Celtics of the late 80s, people think MORE highly of them for beating the Bulls before they won anything. They say, “The Bulls weren’t there yet,” but it’s not a full-on dismissal.
And look at it this way: the Mavericks dethroned the 2 time defending champs, who all season long, people were crowning again. You can consider them a challenger to those Bulls teams along with the Heat, in terms of historical significance.
@ Atom – classic, regarding Marion! Haha, I don’t think dude’s there. Then again, lots of people thought the same about Dirk over the last few years, maybe Marion will surprise us.
@ ian – you know what surprises me? Kobe was all-NBA for a couple of those early seasons. Makes me wonder, first of all, “Are you really telling me the guard spots weren’t better stocked back then?” For instance, in 00, when Kobe was on the 2nd team (w Allen Iverson), Eddie Jones and Stephon Marbury were on the 3rd team. Ouch. And second of all, did any of the voters have purple/gold colored glasses on because of Shaq? I really don’t remember Kobe having it going THAT young.
@ sh!tfaced – thanks! And RE: your point on the Dirk/Cuban relationship, I don’t know. I have occasionally thought that their relationship was a little unhealthy haha. The problem lies with the owners, sadly. I think that many of them are in this business for the money, and don’t or can’t connect to their players. Here’s to hoping that Ted Leonsis does the dougie with John Wall sometime soon, though.
Spoelstra will have another half season, season to work with this team. Phil Jackson didn’t get to the Finals his first year as Bulls coach. Gregg Popovich didn’t get canned on any of his off years. Hopefully Riley will remember how long Spo was with the organization before this year when deciding about next year.
@ F/F – great point about James Worthy. Marion has led a team to the playoffs, albeit not too far (pre-Nash Phoenix). He was the third banana on some great teams of his era (sort of like Rodman, although not as much success). He won a chip. Worthy is a good person to bring up, because Rodman really was such a unique talent (along with his personality). Marion is light years ahead offensively, even with that shot, but isn’t really on the same level defensively.
Terry was hands down the hero of this game. I don’t think that you’ll find anyone that will disagree. That having been said, Dirk was that dude all series long, and made well over Kobe’s share of shots.
@ jdiz – there are a bunch of people with whom I’ve argued about clutch recently on these boards. I said it was a figment of our imaginations. The reason I read through every single post every day is because there are some pretty smart dudes on here, and they, along with Dirk, might have changed my mind.
I really thought that it was just as important to be solid in the first half as it was in the second half. But after seeing LeBron and Dirk switch bodies at halftime, I just don’t know!
I saw House hit that 3 and start backpedalling, and swore he was about to run into Barea. Would’ve gotten ugly, in general, if that had happened.
@ karmatic post 58 – if you don’t read my whole post, please check for the part where I commented on the $$. The Mavs didn’t sign the contracts of Peja, Caron, Cardinal, and even Kidd might be on the last year of his Nets 20 mil contracts. They were just role players to Cuban.
June 13th, 2011 at 11:58 am
Ian says:
King
I think he’s top 20-25 he’s not better than the admiral who I have in my 15 but another ring makes him my 2nd best pf over malone hes better than the dr. Barkley is top 25 why not dirk?
D nice
Who’s the best?? And sorry miami had the better team to win this thing. This isn’t baseball that a team with good players is better than 3 stars and scrubs. In basketball 2 superstars can win u a ring. Not sayin dirk is the best my point is that he’s up there and we now can make a case for him. Prob the best closer in the game right now.
Hey finley won , dirk won now nash needs one. He should go to the heat next year and try and get one that team would avg 160ppg with him. Also nash would be the go to guy in crunch time saving lebron. i
June 13th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
CLAW says:
@Island-Don’t hate on your man crush, that is alot of emotions he had to go through after winning and needed to gather himself, probably crying his ass off and didn’t want it to be televised everywhere.
My original post before the series started: Mavs in 6, Dirk MVP and Terry will go off, like the A Team “I love it when a plan comes together”
@LeDouche: he just can’t stop saying stupid shit, did great for almost the entire thing UNTIL:
Reporter: What do you have to say about all those that rooted against you during the series?
LeDouche: All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point.”
What a douche!
Go Mavs!
June 13th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Come on Sporty Spice
Man up
SNICKER SNICKER
June 13th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
LakeShow84 says:
And dont trip Lebron fans..
your used to this..
Maybe next year lol
June 13th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
CLAW says:
Stop the Marion HOF campaign, being a Suns fan the dude is a very solid player but was the 3rd best player on the Suns (and why he wanted to be traded, wasn’t APPRECIATED). Is above average player but not sniffing a HOF ballot anytime soon.
Dirk as the 2nd best PF of ALL TIME? For current players he’s there but to go against ALL TIME, just because he gets one ring does that place him above Karl Malone and Charles Barkley? I can’t put him above those two, and Kevin McHale did have Bird but in his own right was the best PF of his generation and had one of the best post games EVER (along with Hakeem).
PS: Lebron is still a douche!
June 13th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Big Island says:
I hope I don’t piss on a parade with this one, but after this playoffs, which was GREAT, the NBA would be incredibly stupid to go on strike. There are so many great stories to roll with (Mavs, Miami, Memphis, OKC, Lakers, Celts, Bulls, Knicks, Orlando etc…) in cities that people love or hate, and players (Durant, Dirk being so goddamn handsome, Griffin, Rose, Dwight, Wade, Lebron if he’s awake, Westbrook, Kobe if there’s anything left) with stuff to prove. I might not make it back if they go on strike. Don’t do it NBA, don’t do it…
I read some of the “where’s Sporty-J game” from last night’s comments. I think he just woke up, cold, sticky, confused, with a Cuban guy pissing on his leg for jellyfish stings, his mascara running down his cheeks. If you’re out there, I hope you’re ok. Your family loves you. We love you. Don’t do anything foolish. It’s not your fault. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s time to come home buddy, it’s time to come home…
June 13th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
K Dizzle says:
DAMN!!!!
First off, props to Jet Terry, Dirk, JKidd and the Mavs. That was some team ball. Dirk shot 9-27 so I already read some clowns sayin Jet Terry was the “real” MVP like they tried to discredit Kobe last season after game 7. Lol Haters need to hate.
@ Dag n Ian – Even today, after Dallas just won the first championship in team history, y’all put out that bullshit about Shaq carryin the championship n Kobe comin along for the ride? I know y’all old enough to know better. I don’t wanna post numbers and squash that argument….AGAIN, but years from now, please don’t say Jet was only there for the ride as Dirk ‘carried that 2011 Mavs squad”. Straight up, no JET, no championship. To parallel, JET’s game 6 last night was Kobe for all 3 straight championships, except with suffocatin defense, rebounding and playmaking. Shaq ‘carried’ the team….but we had to put him on the bench in the crunch cuz his free throw shooting was soooo bad. C’mon now!!!
Second off, could somebody please tell lebron that HE IS THE REASON the Miami Heat do not have a championship today. Bosh was actually hittin, Wade was hurt. Spolstra was runnin plays for EDDIE F’in HOUSE, and Chalmers rolled his eyes when Spo subbed him off for Lebron…..
Somebody please tell him…
Lastly, I’m gonna give out some awards for the worst fan/bandwagoner of the playoffs:
2. Sporty J – One of the worst frontrunners ever. When the Heat were up, there was a lot to say. When Lebron started to die after game 2, Sporty started to shit on him too…If you a Heat fan, you ride or die with the squad, KNOWIN that the ‘Big 3′ signin was for the future moreso than this season. Sporty shit on Lebron bad.
1. Leroy Green – the worst frontrunner of the year. Nobody heard from this dude before the Mavs got up 2-0 on my Lakers, then all of the sudden, dude was spittin trash on Dallas opposition like he was old-school Cuban. Then the Mavs lost game 3 to go down 2-1 on a Dirk missed jumped and the true colours came out:
“41.June 6th, 2011 at 11:44 am
LeRoy Green says:
After 3 games its painfully obvious that Dallas is outmatched. I don’t wanna hear SHIT about the refs from Dallas fans, just stop it. We got outplayed on both ends of the court. Its basically Dirk vs Miami out there. Jordan/Kobe/Duncan/Lebron/Wade all couldn’t get a ring without another superstar, Dirk is no different. Butler was supposed to be that guy but he got hurt on a fluke injury in January. No excuses tho, this is the squad that made it to the finals so we gotta run with what we got. It would be nice to see what we could do at full strength with Caron and Rodddy B but we’ll never know. Dallas had to play their ASSES off just to come back and TIE the game or else it would’ve EASILY been a blowout. The refs helped us and Dirk played like the hall of famer that he is, but even thats not enough when you goin against Jordan/Pippen 2.0
Great effort by Dirk but he doesn’t have that 2nd guy to help him out when the defense forces the ball out of his hands. Can’t expect Marion to be an offensive weapon every night cuz thats not his game. Terry better set that appointment for gettin that tatoo removed cuz its a wrap and he’s gonna take alot of the blame, as he should.
That dunk by Lebron over Mahimi…..DISGUSTING LOL Seriously tho, I don’t know if i’ve ever watched a team as entertaining as the Heat. The best 2 all around players in the game on the SAME TEAM, the best two finishers in the game on the SAME TEAM, the best shooting guard and small forward in the league on the SAME TEAM. When they get in their zone on defense its like 2K11 out there. Steal and then a dunk within 3 seconds of the turnover. Them dudes is some fuckin HORSES out there and we don’t have an answer for that. I’m hopin we got enough in us to get ONE more win in Dallas but it’ll be hard as hell to pull off. Miami has a chance to surpass the Kobe/Shaq dynasty, the Duncan/Parker/Ginobli dynasty, and dare I say it…..the Jordan/Pippen dynasty. I wouldn’t count them out as possibly being the best duo ever but only time (and free agency) will tell.”
Weak. So weak to quit on your squad, only down one game, on a missed jumper in the 3rd game. Frontrunner of the year.
Congratulations to this year’s winners LOL
Lakers, baby! We held Dirk down for as long as we could, but he finally got thru. Props!
Comin back for that thang next season!!!!
June 13th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Celts Fan says:
I’ve said it a million times. Dirk’s soft, can’t defend or rebound, and isn’t clutch. Def right on all accounts, SMH. What a series…
June 13th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Big Island says:
CLAW – I can never ever EVER hate on Dirk, but I get on other people for the same thing, not one of Austin’s “same things” where they aren’t even close to the same thing, so I had to call him on it. Fair is fair. I got on KG, Pierce, Westbrook, Lebron etc…, and my position is that you should man up, win or lose, and shake hands. I swear I would have given my right eye to have him run into my arms in tears after last night. I would’ve gouged my own eye out to have him run to me… Too far? OK, too far.
I’d fucking do it though.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
CLAW says:
@Big Island: I hate being so right lately, ESPN article on why Dirk left http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=nowitzkigame6-110613
Also LMFAO at your last comment!
Also props to Jason Terry! When he started to get it going NOBODY could stop him! Also got Bron nut huggers to get off the Bron is working the D end, not Offense as he lit him up like a Christmas tree!
Awesome, just Awesome
Also to all those “Heat” fans, you got SPANKED by the Mavs fans at the game. Reminded me of Steeler road game when they had more fans than the home team.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
smoove chips says:
This was sweet. I’m a laker fan and I respect that shyt.That whole mavs roster top to botton deserved that.
Honestly lebron needs to do the rasheed thing for the rest of his life. ‘Both teams played hard’ end interview.I used to think he was just pompous but I realize it takes a fine mixture of pompous and stupid to say some of the things that come out that dude’s mouth. Then act surprised when everyone outside Miami wants to see them lose.18 points in the fouth over the last 6 games ? Give props then STFU !Lebron apologists..go crazy.
Next up Laker redemption…(assuming we have a season)
June 13th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
K Dizzle says:
WTF???
Did sober dudes just compare James ” NBA 50 GREATEST, 3 TIME CHIP COLLECTOR, FINALS MVP” Worthy to Shawn Marion???
Why? Cuz Marion avg’d 15 and 5 and help shut down the softest, most unaggressive superstar in league history?
Phuck is wrong wit some of you? Just cuz you don’t remember and Marion played ok doesn’t mean dude is anywhere near Big Game’s status.
I’ll forgive this time. Won’t post numbers….but you gonna have to slap yourselves.
Get right…
June 13th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAOooooooooo @ KDizz
And according to logic people.. well last years Finals logic..
Jason Terry should be Finals MVP.. Forget Dirks points in the 4th quarter he shot like shit..
Jason Terry was the best player the last 2 games for the Mavs.. by all bullsh- i mean logic JT should be Finals MVP…
Now how fuckin stupid did i just sound lmao
June 13th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Dork.i.am says:
Did anyone else catch this actual quote from Mark Jackson in the postgame: “Jason Kidd’s dna is all over this title.” Yikes, on 2nd thought, don’t pass me that trophy after all, you just hold onto it. LOL
June 13th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
CLAW says:
@Lakeshow: Sound bout stupid as I did last year when I said Gasol should have gotten the MVP! Kobe was solid throughout but Gasol would disappear but then go off in their wins. Jason Terry should get the Gasol MVP trophy!
June 13th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
dagwaller says:
@ K Diz – haha dude, if you read between the lines, you might see that I gave Kobe a backhanded compliment. I do know that Kobe was All-NBA on those early Lakers teams.
But to say that Kobe was on JET’s level last night for entire series…that’s looking back as a fan of Kobe, not as a fan of basketball. Did you see the graphic on ABC last night where it showed Kobe averaged 19 points on 40 percent shooting during his first couple Finals series? Shaq was going 40 point games, 20 rebounds…jeez. In 3 years worth of Finals, there was only ONE game that was decided by fewer than 5 points and a lot of blowouts, so I don’t know how badly Shaq’s crunch time free throw shooting really affected the team.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Ian says:
dizzle
pleaseeee post the numbers
they showed that shit in the game last night and kobes first 9 games in the final were pathetic. sooo pleaseee post them.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
CLAW says:
Just had a flashback on a Nash commercial he did that related to LeDouce’s interview, Nash said:
“I’m just like you, just better”
June 13th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
dagwaller says:
@ Lake Show and K Diz – sorry guys, James Worthy was that dude! Haha I think we all have Mavericks on the brain right now. Worthy isn’t that great of a comparison, my bad.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Me says:
That pic is after the flu game right?
Never been so happy to be wrong. I had Heat in 5.
But somewhere in the back of my head I’m thinking Lebron just settled up on some gambling debts playing like that.
“Somewhere around the 4th, 5th game you gonna get a slight tinge in your neck. That PRIDE fucking with ya. FUCK PRIDE! Pride always hurts. Pride never Helps. Your ass goes down in the 6th. SAY IT!”
June 13th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Ian says:
dag
thats the same bs kobe fans come with and they dont realize that the lakers blew that shit outta everyone in the finals those 3 years. who cares if kobe was an all nba in the regular season guess what so is lebron. shaq won those finals.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Ian says:
i do like the rest of the post tho dizzle hehe btw worthy a top 50 player ever on my list vs marion?? ehh hell no
June 13th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Ian says:
oh and lakeshow and dizzle there are few laker fans i like and you two are on that list so please let me get my kobe hate on. at least you wont hear anymore lebron excuses from me.
June 13th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAO @ Ian
But dont talk non sense lol
Kobe was busy chasing around ALLEN IVERSON, REGGIE MILLER, KERRY KITTLES and so on.. playing tight D on those guys and keeping Shaq fed on the other end..
And considering its ABOUT MATCHUPS.. i dont even REMEMBER who played center for the fucking Nets when they ran into THE DIESEL lol who was it Collins?? Aaron Gray??
LMAO Shaq did what he needed to do..
And dont bring up the Finals for those earlier years.. The real Finals were in the West.. Utah, Portland, SA, Sac.. all the real contenders were in the West..
Please lets just keep this about Lebron and Dirk outplaying him..
Yes i said it.. Dirk Nowitzski outplayed Lebron James lol
Keep all Laker royalty out of this lol
I didnt even want to touch the Worthy comparison :/
June 13th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Watching Shaq destroy the Nets tho…
i mean……..
DAYUM lol brought back memories.. it just wasnt fair lol talk about easy buckets..
June 13th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Ian says:
ok ok im leaving kobe outta this but after this one
Kobe Bryant’s 2000 NBA Finals averages (5 games):
15.6 points per game
4.3 rebounds per game
4.2 assists per game
44.2 minutes per game
41.25 field goal percentage
we good bro no more now.
June 13th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Ian says:
yup
shaq went wilt on the nets.
June 13th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAO I aint going to dig into stats, because im sure i could find something.. For starters didnt Kobe win all defensive team that year??? And he had to guard REGGIE MILLER in those Finals???
Im sure running through the hamster maze was easy enough lol
I remember Shaq fouling out one of those Finals game.. what game 3???
And who stepped up????? im sure he scored more than 15 btw.. i just dont feel like looking it up
Just go work on Lebron Ian..
June 13th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
LakeShow84 says:
If Wade wouldve fouled out ONE game these Finals what would Lebron have done???
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm??????
June 13th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Ian says:
cough reggie avged 24ppg vs kobe cough cough
June 13th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Ian says:
hahaha i would imagine how pissed can someome get tryin to chase reggie around for 40mns. i remember jordan vs reggie games no one got jordan more pissed than reggie.
June 13th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Ian says:
on lebron?? im done defending that dude i mean damn a 38 year old kidd was playin him and he couldnt do shit. always said he didnt have a good team in cleveland to win but he was paired with prob the best 2guard in the game (not dissin kobe but this 11 not 07 man) and a female pf that could drop 18 and grab 8 boards a game and lost.
June 13th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Just remember people..
There are NO SHORTCUTS.. NONE lmao
June 13th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
CLAW says:
Sporty Spice pulled a Lebron, didn’t show up!
Will the Heat improve, can they? Lebron has no mid range game or post up game, been in the L 8 years and really hasn’t improved each year like most players. D is being athletic and anticipation but on O you have to work on different aspects and he has yet to show that improvement. Even hit FT% still sucks!
Kidd learning how to hit 3s, Dirk one legged jumper, these are things they added to their game.
Lebron always had the excuse of saying he didn’t have anybody around him, now that he does, does it make him look worse? Can he EVER turn it around, and at what point does he actually grow up?
June 13th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Chicagorilla says:
I knew it would get bad with the over hype, but damn yall on some other shit right now.
JKidd > 2x champion and finals MvP Isiah Thomas >back to back MvP winner Steve Nash > all time assist and steals leader John Stockton??? > Kevin Johnson?
Shawn Marion > James f^king Worthy???? lol
Dirk better than Barkley, Bird, McHale, KG, Webber? top 10-15 all time??
Dirk is a one demensional scorer like Dominique Wilkins in a sense. Dennis Rodman was one demensional and has like 5 chips to his name. yet he gets no love.
Man I know people have short memories and it’s a “what have you done for me lately” society. But the lack of respect for players of the past is getting beyond retarded now.
It’s cool, I know people are just excited to see someone other than the Celtics or Lakers win and watch Lebron lose. I wish people would just learn to put a cap on their excitement.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
First & Foremost says:
The getting better depends on the new CBA. If a hardcap gets put you’ll have the big 3, Haslem, 9 dleaguers. Who is really some worthy trade bait on Miami? What GM would trade Lebron? He may disappear at the worst time but mofo can sell some merchandise.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Someone said Kidd was better than Stockton???
SNICKER SNICKER lol
Im from the Bay and i cant even back Kidd that hard lol
June 13th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
the cynic says:
If Chris Mullin is in the HOF, why not the Matrix?
June 13th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
LakeShow84 says:
You guys never know MIA may just say F it and go into the Luxury tax
June 13th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
D says:
ian and dagwaller you guys are hardwired with hatred from birth are you guys really talking about Kobe and the lakers after Dallas just decapitated that 3 headed monster in Miami.LMAO.Wow.Kobe huggers?You guys seem to find a way to bring him and the lakers up in all your post.Kobe got 5 and has won 2 without shaq.Shaq has won 1 ring without him…do the math and stop talking about this shit.His legend speaks for itself I don’t have the time on my hands to post a war and peace novel of Kobe’s accolades it would be too much to post the guys is just the most alloyed player of this era period(.)Leave it alone it’s Dirk and Dallas’s moment they ran into a fatigued Lakers squad in the 2nd round and have acknowledged such which is why Rick Carlisle said if anything he wanted to play us in the 2nd round because he felt we would have beat them if we played them in the 3rd round because Phil Jackson teams get better as the playoffs go on.Kobe has nothing else to prove to yall haters, he’s taken home every award worth having and guess what he’s still playing and he will win one more which is more than I can say for that imploding ass spurs team yall got beat by the f’ing grizzlies without Rudy Gay in the 1st round.LMAO.And guess what? Yall had the best record in the L and had not made 3 consecutive finals appearance like the lakers did years previous so yall had no excuse. The team the beat us won it all…that should tell you something.Ranger John, Ian and Dagwaller stop inbreeding.LMAO.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
D says:
Ian did you really copy and past a 2000 NBA finals stat line of Kobe’s? Wow.That’s some spiteful ex-girlfriend type shit.LMAO
June 13th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Ian says:
yes
D you see you can do that with computers instead of writing everything all over again. really “LMAO” really?
June 13th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Ian says:
damn what did i just do????? i posted something about a post from D who must be dougie the crazy kobe fan. i take post 111 back lets pretend like it never happened. we all thought he was dead and the world was a better place nope its a sad day.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Sam says:
I think everybody is missing the point completely on Lebron James. He didn’t choke, he didn’t quit, he LET the Mavericks win.
He didn’t even try last night! Everybody saw it but no one wants to publicly say what is obvious: Lebron deferred to his hero Jason Kidd and delivered him a championship.
I don’t even know if I’m mad, because this is the result I wanted. The Heat can win every championship from here on out if they want. They lost to an incredible Dallas team, well coached, tons of talent on both ends of the floor, so you can’t say Goliath made a deal with David to go down in the 4th round.
Dallas deserved this. But I’m not sure they didn’t win it with Lebron’s intentional help.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
LakeShow84 says:
^^^ Lebron LET them win?? ^^^
He didnt have a choice.. his ace up his sleeve, the Cannonball, wasnt working lmao
He was lost out there..
This could be the beginning of what us “haters” were talking about years ago..
When Lebrons athleticism fades, will he still be as dominant??? Does he have the skills to compensate for that kind of loss???
From the looks of this series if u keep him out the paint and off the line, NO he wont be able to compensate..
And shit he’ll even fold and give up altogether.. i was shocked he wasnt at least crashing the glass ferociously..
June 13th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Sam says:
BTW, Lebron did this last year in Boston. Most people believed it was a statement to Cleveland.. ‘you gave me nothing here. I am going to leave because I can’t win a title with this garbage collection.’
But we stopped talking about it a week after it happened. And once again Lebron has intentionally checked out of a big series and no one wants to connect the dots, probably because it would blow up a web of scandals that would link back to the CAA, Worldwide Wes and Leon Rose.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Sam says:
@Lakeshow
Lebron had looks in Game 5 and 6 and just passed them up. He passed out of a chance to get fouled last night driving to the lane and dumped it off to Juwan Howard. He didn’t even try to dunk. This guy is the most dominant and imposing physical player in the game today and he didn’t even try and enforce his will.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Ian says:
“He didnt have a choice.. his ace up his sleeve, the Cannonball, wasnt working”
hahaha
June 13th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Phileus says:
I think Sam is totally right.
LeBron is also a member of the Free Masons and the New World Order, which is helping the Zionists secretly take over the world, starting with Hollywood and the government and now sports. Dirk Nowitzki is from Germany, and is probably a secret Templar.
Plus, we all know LeBron is rich, and there’s a Free Mason symbol on the $1 bill. Coincidence? No one wants to connect the dots, probably because it would sound utterly insane.
June 13th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Sam
Because he didnt want to shoot FT’s.. He didnt WANT to get to the line..
This is actually historical in a sense..
When has a SUPERSTAR in basketball nutted up like this???
id say never lol
LMAO @ Phileus..
June 13th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
dagwaller says:
@ D – you must be hardwired with illiteracy, because I definitely gave Kobe a compliment in my post.
Hater is a lazy word. It’s like a curse word. Used by people that don’t know how to express themselves. Did I hate the Lakers when they were on that 3-peat? Yes. Am I a “hater”? No. I’m simply pointing out that when people claim that Kobe has 5 rings and that is what makes him great, they are wrong. Why is that? Because for the first couple titles that he won, Shaq was the one doing the heavy lifting.
D, I’ve never met you, but if you think you can come at me with “inbreeding” concluding a rambling, no punctuation, expletive filled rant, you’re wrong and need to get your GED.
@ Chicagorilla – ha I hear you dude. Just wondering where people stand. I’m guessing that you stand on the “J Kidd ain’t there” side of the fence. That’s ok! Breathe easy big fella.
And I know you don’t like Dirk, so we can save that conversation for a different thread.
June 13th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Ian says:
dag
dont worry about that hes been posting here forever and thats all he talks about
June 13th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
robzilla says:
Tomorrow is Lebron James day. Everyone gets to leave work 12 minutes early!
June 13th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
LakeShow84 says:
^^^ LMAO ^^^
June 13th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Sam says:
Phileus I indeed do feel crazy for thinking this, but it doesn’t make it impossible. There is a heirarchy in the NBA that exists outside of the media, and James is at the top. He likes to see his guys succeed and Jason Kidd is practically his idol.
June 13th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
K Dizzle says:
^^^^^^^^^^LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
June 13th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Man some of dudes fans are INCREDIBLE lmao
June 13th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
CLAW says:
Or it could be that Lebron just choked?
No, you are right its because he wanted to get Kidd a ring and look like an international douche and choker on TV, that does make more sense.
June 13th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Austin Burton says:
Am I the only one who considers this season a success for Miami? First year together as a team built from scratch, and you get 58 wins and a six-game NBA Finals run. Two of your players finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting, and you’ve got at least five more years with the best SF in the League, arguably the best SG in the League, and one of the 5 or 10 best PF’s in the League under contract. I know everybody thinks “championship or bust,” but this was far from a failure. And I think Pat Riley is wise enough to realize this is going to be a process and won’t overreact with panic moves this summer.
But hey, we know that’s not how it will be viewed. Instead it’s Miami sucks and the Cavs are better off without LeBron and Bosh should be traded and Wade will never be Jordan…
June 13th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Honestly i was going to wait to say it but
i actually agree with AB
They got there faster than anyone expected and they beat who everyone said they COULDNT beat.. At the beginning of the year we had them pegged for a 2nd round loss..
But id say thats where the positivity ends..
You dont get to the Finals, lose and proceed to call your season a success.. If they were good enough to make it they were good enough to win it.. and they ended up playing a squad no one WOULDVE dreamed favoring.. no one even dreamed of MAKING IT there..
Pat isnt stupid.. he wont blow it up.. Really all they need is a banger.. Chalmers showed grit (even tho hes still a backup).. but they need a big body down there to keep peeps off the off. glass..
but i dont see them finding anyone..
And Lebron needs to work on his game.. he didnt have ANY adjustments to offer Dallas’ D.. and ALL great players can deviate off plan A and B and find SOMETHING..
Shit even Dirk made adjustments after game 1..
And ending up 0-2 in the Finals is not a success to the marketing machine that is Lebron James lol
June 13th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
bdownunder says:
how can you list karl malone and charles barkely higher than dirk? duncan obviously and mchale… but then ya gotta lock Dirk in as 3rd.
i like barkley and malone – but neither have rings. malone habitually choked and barkley fell short. dirk work on his game so much and did what ppl told him to improve and more. its just like saying patrick ewing is better than hakeem… for real?
June 13th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
CLAW says:
@AB- It lives! I didn’t think they would make it out of the 2nd round against the Cs but that Rondo injury was HUGE, if he doesn’t play with one arm I don’t know if the Heat get by them. Chitown just isnt there, too young, and Boozer was terrible, yes they got to the Championship but no where near the road of the West. IMO I think the Lakers or OKC would have taken out the Heat as well.
And yes, you are the only one that thinks their season was a success. Let me ask you this did Lebron choke, did he even meet expectations during the Championship?
@bdownunder-Malone and Barkley had the unfortunate timing of playing against MJ. How did either choke when they still put up numbers in the championship games they played in?
Who in the hell compares Ewing to Hakeem? Is Ewing better than Rasheed Wallace might be the comparable argument.
Is Dirk better than Bob Pettit, Elvin Hayes, or even Kevin Garnett? Might take him over KG but its close since KG can play high level D I’d take him over Dirk.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
CLAW says:
@Lakeshow-Its not that Dirk made adjustments, it was that Jason Terry, Barea, and Kidd made adjustments as well yet Lebron is unable to do so. You can blame coaching but at some point you have to blame the player.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ CLAW
good point. The adjustment took place when DWade posed in front of the Mavs bench after that jumper in Game 2. Mavs got mad. Lebron got called out by a reporter. Lebron disappeared. Barea and Jet woke up. Wrap.
Was it a successful season for Miami?
Did they get three huge free agents, have a preseason championship rally, and say “Let’s get to the Finals n see what happens.”? Nope. They said, “Not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7…
Yes and no. Good season for a team with, I think, 9 new players.
Successful season? No. There can be only one. Dallas had a successful season. Heat didn’t.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
CLAW says:
@K Dizzle: I dislike Lebron intensely (being originally from Akron) but I would have never believed he would disappear like he did in these finals. This is a 2x NBA MVP and Marion and Jason flippin Terry outplayed him!
Goes back to having everything given to him and its just his right to win, not actually work for it. I’ve never seen somebody lose confidence like that, his head was never in that series.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Austin Burton says:
Like I said, I know some people think anything but a championship is a failure, I’m just not one of them.
Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Philly, Oklahoma City, even Denver, just some of the teams I’d say had successful seasons in 2010-11. The Pacers are my team and I think they had a successful season by getting to the playoffs and playing the No. 1 seed in the East very tough.
And for the record, I don’t think LeBron “choked” or “disappeared” in the Finals. Did he play up to his standards as a superstar? Of course not. Could he have played better? Much better. But he had a triple-double in Game 5, put up 21 points and 6 dimes in Game 6, and played well in every game but Game 4. Did he play up to his potential? No. But that’s still not “disappearing” by my standards. Peja Stojakovic disappeared in the Finals. James Jones disappeared. LeBron and Wade just failed to dominate.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
CLAW says:
Wow, so disappeard isn’t Lebron its Peja and James Jones that didn’t play or even have a chance to make an impact. I think you have to be there physically first before it would be called “disappearing”.
Not even coming CLOSE to your regular season averages would be considered choking. You don’t compare him to bench guys you compare him to what he’s done in the past which is an indication of what he would do in the future. AND HE F*D UP! Choked, nutted up, shrinkage call it what you will be he wilted on the NBA’s biggest stage!
June 13th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
CLAW says:
@Lakeshow, KDizzle, QQ, Big Island, control, JAY – You guys are missing this, its GOLD!
June 13th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Phileus says:
I don’t know, AB. It’s nothing on the level of the Heat, but I do know what it feels like to have a lot of people hoping for you to fail. And sometimes I failed, but never without trying my damndest not to. I didn’t see that from the Heat.
For a team that was so arrogant, you would have expected them to play with a bit more pride.
June 13th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ CLAW
Saw it. Read it. Looked at who posted it…….left it alone.
If you a basketball fan, historian, 65 yr old or 15 yr old, you KNOW Lebron choked. Point blank.
Just the fact that the 2-time mvp and ‘greatest player in the world’ is even being compared to Peja and James Jones lets you know how bad he didn’t show up…otherwise known as ‘chokin’
June 14th, 2011 at 12:34 am
LakeShow84 says:
It wasnt even the #’s that showed his overall shakiness..
It was the manner in which it all unfolded lol
Passing up open looks and dumping it all role players deep into the shot clock in the 4th quarter?? That scared look?? playing disinterested D?? Like i said the way it happened points to choking..
June 14th, 2011 at 4:17 am
QQ says:
@ CLAW:
Yeah I read that shit, and like K-Dizzle, just proceeded to ignore it.
AB’s desperation is out of this world now. It gets to the point where he’s just like an old man embarrassing himself.
Lost all credibility there, national hoops writer.
June 14th, 2011 at 5:56 am
QQ says:
And yeah, just remembered something.
When I was giving props to Bron for being a monster in the first 3 rounds and saying that even if I’m a hater, I can’t argue that he’s been beastin’, Austin Burton said this:
‘You’ve been calling Bron a loser, and then now that he’s closing in on a title, you’re changing your stance. Never seen THAT before’.
Hmmmm…… Poetic justice that Bron didn’t win the chip when his number one dick rider is almost claiming they had it won?
Enjoy you’re imaginary Lebron championship, AB.
June 14th, 2011 at 6:05 am
QQ says:
Also poetic justice for being a staunch douchebag who accuses someone giving real props to a player they hated of being just jumping in the bandwagon.
Again, enjoy that imaginary ring, Burton.
June 14th, 2011 at 8:38 am
dagwaller says:
@AB – thought that I posted, noticed that I didn’t. Just wanted to say that I thought this was as successful a season as any team had in the NBA this year. Their expectations were high, but as far as I can remember, most people didn’t have the Heat pegged to win it all this year. LAL/OKC/BOS were the teams most were predicting.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Cant say more successful than the Mavs lol