No One’s Stopping D-Wade As Miami Wins Game 3
Dwyane Wade (photo. Jonathan Mannion)
All we can say is it’s good to be a hoops fan. In the third of three incredible Finals games, basketball dudes everywhere should unite to appreciate what has been a straight-up epic series so far. The Heat took back home court, beating Dallas in Dallas, 88-86, in another primetime nail biter behind a game-winner from Chris Bosh and a takeover from Dwyane Wade. Wade (29 points, 11 rebounds) was a monster all night, and his late buckets after a 17-2 Dallas run gave Miami the cushion they needed. After the way Game 2 ended with Wade being ignored, we weren’t surprised. At this point, is there any question it’ll be Wade leading the way if Miami wins this? … In the first, he went behind-the-back, weaving through the Dallas interior like we weave through our weird cousins at the annual family BBQ, scooping and hooping (as our man Clyde Frazier would say) with two sick underhand layups. LeBron (17 points, nine assists) may have had one of those “why didn’t that guy come out of the locker room after halftime?” performances, but his hoe-down throwdown over Ian Mahinmi could be considered a piece of aggressive American foreign policy. It could also be up for “Best Dunk of the Playoffs” consideration. Welcome to the 2011 NBA Finals Ian Mahinmi … Down the stretch was Dirk time. If going for 34 and 11, scoring your team’s last 12 points (no other Mav scored in the final six and a half minutes) and forcing every hoops fan to try saying your name in their best/worst German accent isn’t enough, then there’s nothing left to say. Plus, his block on Bosh’s dunk attempt made us all wince a little bit. Poor guy. It’s one thing to get mocked. It’s another to get Mutombo’d by a Euro with a shoebox vertical. We’re pretty sure straight shame played a part in Bosh’s 2-of-9 start. What played a part in his big finish was that game-winning corner two he hit to take the lead in the final moments. We all say things and have our fun, but Chris has to get his due – he just hit a game-winner in a huge road win in his first NBA Finals … Watching the Jason Kidd/Mike Bibby matchup in the first quarter was like watching two old men playing shuffleboard in a Florida retirement community. Then they both knocked down big threes in the first few minutes. Looks like they won’t be headed to Del Boca Vista just yet … The Mavs were rolling out the red carpet through their own paint in the first quarter. “Mr. James, your seat by the rim is ready” and “Mr. Wade, we have that lane available whenever you’d like it.” Six of the first eight Miami field goals were in the paint (next level: 16 of Miami’s 29 first quarter points were points in the paint). Mario Chalmers capped off the quarter with a running three from a step inside midcourt. Wade almost got his own midcourt heave to fall at the end of the second. At that time they were three for their last three (Wade also nearly made one to win Game 2) in buzzer huck-ups that looked good off the hand. Maybe Coach Spo has them running these at Heat practice. Chalmers (12 points) wasn’t content with just a circus shot and three. How about three more treys in pivotal moments to solidify himself as the down-the-stretch Miami one? We almost forgot that he single-handedly brought his Jayhawks to OT in the 2008 National Championship game … Scottie Pippen, we saw you reppin’ that black fedora. First those “LeBron might be better than MJ” comments, now this questionable choice of headwear. Scottie, we are officially putting you on Dime Watch. Dude has been warned … Will Kidd ever get called for traveling on his pump fake threes? He did it again last night and we swear the refs never call him on it. It happened during the second quarter and those 12 minutes were like the all-time pinnacle for bad officiating. We think Tyson Chandler was just involved in another loose ball foul … Check out this tweet from Andrew Grief on Greg Oden & LaMarcus Aldridge: Blazers’ Oden, Aldridge on Kimmel ‘dating game.’ Oden says he looks for ‘big butt’ & ‘that she’s a woman’ in a woman. So, not health? … And this tweet from the OKC blog, Daily Thunder: Kendrick Perkins says Russell Westbrook handled all that playoff criticism “like a G.” … Some of the Dime crew missed Game 3 as they were at Summer Jam seeing Lil Wayne, Drake, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Chris Brown, Birdman, Waka Flocka Flame, Wiz Khalifa, Jim Jones, Cam’ron, Juelz Santana and Lloyd Banks. And while all those guys were slated to appear, the show also included special performances by Diddy, DJ Khaled, Mobb Deep, Jadakiss, Ryan Leslie, Swizz Beatz, Lloyd, Busta Rhymes, Wale and Meek Mill. Not bad for one show. In terms of basketball, Wale hit the stage wearing a John Starks Knicks throwback, while Weezy wore a Celtics New Era fitted over his braids … We’re out like loose ball fouls.
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June 6th, 2011 at 1:21 am
drew says:
if miami holds on to win this series (haywood being absent was significant, and we havent even mentioned the absences of caron butler or roddy beaubois), it’s dwade’s finals mvp to lose.
June 6th, 2011 at 1:23 am
!!! says:
yeah…HEAT beat DALLAS and REFs clearly on the MAVS side,,, damn u REFs
June 6th, 2011 at 1:24 am
drew says:
oh and dallas couldnt hold on despite one of the few games where miami’s actually on the recieving end of more bad calls than the opposing team.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:05 am
Flash says:
The last few sequences for Miami were just awful officiating against Miami…I’m not saying that there is some conspiracy here, but clearly, even Miami haters can’t say that the refs bailed them out…
But just wait, someone will say that…
smh
June 6th, 2011 at 2:07 am
alf (from melmak) says:
Ring or no ring, after the finals is over, Dirk Nowitzki will have the respect and admiration of every basketball junky.
And the guy who took his talents to South Beach just showed us that he is just riding on Dwyane Wade’s butt to get his championship ring. What was his name again?
June 6th, 2011 at 2:07 am
BRUCE says:
Dear Flash………..Thank You for saving my A$$ because today, after declaring no one can guard me, I was no where to be seen. I was not very assertive……..Sincerely Lebron James.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:50 am
gilford says:
I won’t watch NBA for the rest of these series because of the bad officiating, who is clearly on Mavs’ side, even though I’m rooting for the Mavs to defeat the Heat.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:17 am
Kevin says:
Anybody saying LBJ is riding DWade’s coattails must have skipped the Eastern conference finals, when LBJ carried the Heat and Wade took a backseat. Give it up, haters. LeBron and Wade are the new Jordan and Pippen, except they can take turns taking over.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:35 am
K Dizzle says:
@ Kevin – but you agree that the FINALS MVP is DWade’s to lose right?……..Right?
June 6th, 2011 at 3:36 am
wall says:
@Kevin I think Bosh had something to do with the heat beating the bulls as well, probably their most consistent player in that series. Wade is getting off because he does’nt have to work as hard in this series defensively as he did earlier with Rose and Ray Allen. Plus Brewer and Bogans made him work on the offensive end
June 6th, 2011 at 3:48 am
yea says:
JAMES is still NBA’s best player
June 6th, 2011 at 4:17 am
common sense says:
Bron looking nervous as shit out there. Wade had to get on him in the fourth to fix up. It got to a point that it looked like Wade didn’t want to pass Bron or Bosh because they were so indecisive. Chalmers needs more minutes and Bibby less simple and straight forward.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:27 am
common sense says:
That being said the pass from James to Bosh was Ace.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:34 am
K Dizzle says:
Good article. Lebron didn’t appreciate the questioning…
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Video-LeBron-James-does-not-care-for-your-quest?urn=nba-wp4419
June 6th, 2011 at 4:45 am
Soopa says:
Imaging if Dallas had Butler instead of Peja…
Alot of weird loose ball fouls on Miami to get Dallas close. Happened about 5 times.
No foul called on Marion even though he clearly fouled James after that late pump fake?
Im not saying anything is fixed, because i dont believe in that, but a horrible job by the refs none the less.
Dont get caught up in LeBron not producing like he usually does. He had 9 assists and atleast that number in “hockey assists”. He doesnt have the boards because he is urged to leak out to ignite the break.
Lebron is still playing very good basketball and is doing the right thing in letting Wade to most of the damage because its clear that Wade has the better match up.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:30 am
pipdaddyy says:
I second Kevin: Stop hating Lebron was clearly best player in the Bulls series (as well as Game 1 in the Finals), without him Miami might not be in the Finals.
That said Wade has been the best player in the last two games. Lebron and Wade are #1a and #1b, its useless to argue who is better.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:09 am
Chris says:
Lebron may be better statistically, but Wade has the killer instinct that you either have or don’t. And that’s why Lebron will never be Jordan, even though he is a great player.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:27 am
Yoooo says:
I expect Dime to not do the suburban white guy thing and call dreads/loccs, braids.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:57 am
Skeeter McGee says:
I just realized this:
When LeBron filed paperwork for a uniform change from #23 to #6, while still in Cleveland, everybody said it wasn’t a big deal. Miami has retired the #23 as a tribute to MJ, so back when people were saying “oh yeah he’s definitely leaving the Cavs,” they were apparently right. He played it off like “no matter what, I’m doing this as a tribute to MJ the greatest to ever play, blah blah blah…” but clearly he had a plan.
Think the next CBA will have a clause about collusion in it? Haha I say that half-jokingly but in all seriousness, isn’t this a problem if “friends” on another team and you decide when free agency comes up, let’s squad up?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:12 am
kudos says:
I hope you guys commenting that Dallas was getting all the calls don’t play ball, because that wasn’t happening at all. The tiny ‘bump’ that nudged lebron when he was shooting a three over marion?! That was a foul?! If you guys think that’s a foul, it would be called hundreds of times a game.
When miami was on their run they were getting every call imaginable, and were on the free throw line all game. Dallas only receieved a few calls when the game was almost out of reach. Miami is playing like their on their home court, with EVERY F’in CALL IS GOING THEIR WAY.
EXAMPLE: Lebron traveling 3-4 times that the ref didn’t call. Wade not even being fouled 3 times driving to the basket. THE BACKCOURT VIOLATION ON THE CHALMER’s THREE WHERE HIS WHOLE BODY WAS in the backcourt as time was expiring, and the ref’s felt they couldn’t view it on the screen?? WDF?
June 6th, 2011 at 8:35 am
heckler says:
why is mike bibby starting for the heat? miami might as well start eddie house.
dime crew was at a rap concert on a sunday afternoon?..shame. yall must all be like 19yrs old or something. i bet not nare none of yall went to the polo match on the island. hoodrats (male/female) go to rap concerts; established folk go to polo matches. STEP yall game up DIME boys
June 6th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Skeeter McGee says:
I’d much rather see those people perform then go to a Polo match, just saying…
June 6th, 2011 at 8:44 am
dcyrilcasa says:
Some Dallas fans thought thatt the foul that wasn’t called in the final seconds of Game 3 cost Mavs the game
June 6th, 2011 at 8:54 am
DNice says:
The officiating was just horrible for both teams. This is the Finals!! by the way LETS GO HEAT!!
June 6th, 2011 at 9:16 am
JAY says:
D-Wade is a killer.
Does anyone want to argue that Lebron is the better than Wade now? As I was saying on Friday, they are AT LEAST on the same level. Skillset-wise, Lebron has the edge. But as a player, I think Wade gets the nod because he’s much more assertive when he does his thing. Lebron looks lost sometimes.
Re: refs.
They aren’t favoring anyone. The calls aren’t consistently one-sided. They fuck up calls for both sides. They’ll go 5 minutes favoring one side, then 5 mins for the other team. That’s why you have guys here complaing “the heat are getting all the calls”, and other guys complaining, “the Mavs are getting all the calls.” The refs are screwing up for both sides.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:31 am
Brown says:
That’s the worst lineup in the history of Summer Jam. Other than Busta, Mobb Deep and Jadakiss, that’s a whole lotta wack rappers.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Stylez G. Write says:
@Brown,I had to go back and re-read the lineup at SummerJam…….yeah,that was a pretty atrocious mix……
June 6th, 2011 at 9:51 am
jdizzle says:
@alf Mike Bibby?
I’ll take Fabolous Jada Busta Wale Mobb Deep and Banks. The rest of that lineup look like a damn Scream Tour concert. And why is P Shitty even still rapping?
June 6th, 2011 at 9:54 am
karmatic says:
great game. lebron travels ALL THE TIME, he finally gets called for it, and I loved seeing his ‘are u crazy?’ face. a VERY bad non-call on mario chalmers at the half- he had NOT put his feet down after crossing half court when he caught that pass, so that 3 pointer shoulda been waved off. a very good non-call on the ticky-tacky bump marion put on lebron near the end. basically, dallas lost cos barea/jason terry combined to shoot 7 for 21, 2 for 8 from deep – no way dallas wins if they keep shooting like that. gotta love the miami +/- numbers for the game- lebron/dwyane/bosh are a combined -10, the rest of the heat are +20!
June 6th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Soopa says:
@ kudos
Its just that every time a player on offense gets his defender in the air with a pump fake and then creates contact as the defenders momentum carries him into the offensive player used to be an automatic foul.
Its an NBA call which NBA refs call every game. In euro amateur ball that i play its a no call, but i think it should have been a foul. And thats the whole deal with the refs right now, its so hard finding a line in the calls and thats all every ball player wants from the refs.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Sam says:
The refs aren’t screwing up. They are doing what they always do: keeping games as close as possible. If Miami is up a little bit, they are suddenly going to call that travel on Lebron that 9/10 times is a ‘legal’ move. Or allow Jason Kidd to commit an up and down. Or call a loose ball foul on a rebound that seems perfectly normal.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:25 am
smoove chips says:
Dwade in takeover mode is wild.Dude knew what time is .
I hate diddy as a rapper.
Guilty pleasure=Racks by young chris. shitty verses but that hook rocks.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Suberzat says:
@brown
I wouldn’t say fab wack maybe u need to listen to some more hip hop or just some fab tracks
June 6th, 2011 at 10:50 am
dagwaller says:
*half a step inside midcourt.
Good game though, can’t really complain too much. I just wish Jason Terry had played.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:52 am
dagwaller says:
Oops, meant J.J. Barea.
June 6th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Kingboy D says:
Yeah, there were bad calls both ways, but that sequence of whistling about 6 loose ball fouls on Miami in a row when everyone was just going up for it, sending Dirk consistently to the line? That was straight up BS. Not just calling it scheming, but totally ridiculous and ruining flow. Refs controlling game again. Stoopid shite.
Bosh was mostly terrible yesterday, as was Haslem. A missed Dirk shot at the buzzer does not make it a good game for Haslem. And Bosh needs to stop hesitating once he receives it. Either shoot it or drive. Hopefully both will step it up next game. And LeBron still needs to go the rim more, especially in the 4th.
LeBron was right in his post-game comments – he is focusing a lot more on defense. Terry was getting into rhythm in the first half. Then LeBron covers him and shuts him down. He might not be scoring as much this series, but by limiting Dallas’ options, he is doing his job.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Me says:
chalmers 3 should have been taken away. wasn’t fully inside halfcourt.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Big Island says:
Skeeter – Nah, he only needs to apply for a number change if he ISN’T switching teams. It’s basically a clause so that the company making the jersey’s don’t get stuck with a year’s worth of the old number etc… Now he knew damn well he was leaving, but the number thing had nothing to do with it.
That is a pretty bad lineup for a concert. Jada, Mobb Deep, Busta for sure, I like Fab too I suppose. After that, wow. Um… yeah… Although I like Wayne on other people’s songs. Go figure.
That game stomped on my heart a little bit. I don’t want to talk about it. Congratulations Sporty.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:32 am
QQ says:
*waits for Austin Burton to assert that Lebron james is STILL the best player in Miami, instead of celebrating the Heat’s win.*
Also…
*waits for Austin Burton to be ABSOLUTELY SURPRISED that he is being called a Lebron apologist.*
About the finals…
Just realized this: These two teams play like juggernauts, and absolutely deserves to be in Finals.
I mean… Every ending so far is beautiful basketball.
Still…. GO MAVS.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Zpear says:
The games are not fixed stop crying. We are talking about 2 teams who are gonna get tons of calls regardless. Miami has 3 All stars who are gonna get more than their fair share and Dallas has a team full of veterans who know how to get a call. There is going to be tons more calls its just how these teams play.
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.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:47 am
CLAW says:
I don’t get not reviewing the 3, they are allowed to do that at the end of the quarter to make sure there is time unless they are not allowed to review if it was something else like over and back, which might be the case.
Flippin Marion’s numbers are near Lebron’s, this is Wades team he’s closing the game while LeDouche continues to jack up 3s in the 4th. Dirk had his shot, a makeable shot, I was hoping for Bosh but Haslem D’d him up and made it tough on him.
Alot of hype about Game 3, but if the Mavs can win Tuesday and tie this up Game 5 becomes pivotal. Was it me or was Kidd just plain missing guys and turning over the rock at a record pace and JT can’t see sh*t till his game shows up.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:52 am
Big Island says:
QQ – Couldn’t agree with you more. I HATE the Heat, but the games are just good. It’s like watching an old western movie where the old sheriff (Dirk) comes out against the train robbing gang (Wade and Lebron) and they just go at it. Win or lose, Dirk has gained a lot of people’s respect. And as much as I hate Wade, he’s been pretty filthy.
As far as the “who’s team is it” stuff, I think the Heat are like the Lakers in the 80′s. Lebron is like Magic, he’s the best player, it’s his team. But Wade is the guy (Worthy, Kareem) who he has to get the ball to for the buckets. Magic only led the team in scoring once (I think), but it was his squad, and everyone else scored the buckets (Worthy, Kareem, even Byron Scott). Bosh is Mychal Thompson, just happy to be there. HOWEVER, I give him props for hitting that shot last night.
June 6th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
LMNOP says:
Isnt the whole, Bron/Wade – Whos team is it? argument abit old and tired by now. I hate both of them, but the entire point of them teaming up is that they can alternate who takes over depending on who has a better matchup. So in a series where they’re up against Jason Terry and Shawn Marion on the wings, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that its Wade taking advantage of his matchup and taking on most of the scoring load.
June 6th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
KingboyD says:
I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy, because generally I say that’s crap, but this was an interesting note tweeted on ESPN:
@tomhaberstroh Of the final 11 foul calls against the Heat, 10 were not in the act of shooting. That’s not fishy necessarily, but it’s certainly odd.
June 6th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
dp33 says:
nice seinfeld reset… del boca vista! wade abused Jkidd in final minutes off the dribble with those clean looks from tha outside. have to bring the double and force the ball out of his hands and make bosh, haslem or chalmers make a shot.. which is what dallas did do late, but bosh nutted up and drained it. can’t leave Jkidd on an island to defend Dwade, ain’t gonna turn out pretty..
June 6th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Big Island – He’s have to apply for the number change if he was thinkin either Chicago or Miami…which he was.
LOL @ the Mavs’ fan basically throwin in the towel cuz his team lost by 2 and are down 2-1 in a 7 game series.
Shit, lakers were down 3-0 to the Mavs and I STILL thought we’d be turnin it on at some point…Oops
Damn shame that Butler, Roddy and Haywood are out, cuz if we bein real, then Dallas is SEVERELY shorthanded.
@ dagwaller – If JJ OR Jet had shown up, Dallas woulda pulled that game out. Jet was killin the homefans repeatedly. I think it was 86-86 n Dirk set him up with the wide open triple n it looked bad even leavin his hands. Jet needs to take advantage of this oppurtunity n just ball. I understand missin jumpers when Flash or Lebron is in your shorts, but when you wide open cuz all the attention Dirk drawin, you need to wet that.
@ JAY – Lebron fans don’t wanna hear it cuz they lovin the hilights n swats, but when it’s time to rip out throats, DWade is a beast. First time I seen Flash snap on LeBron cuz he passed the rock instead of attackin the tin. Lebron gets the ball on the wing with about 5 secs on the clock and flips it to Chalmers like a hot potato. Chalmers turns it over tryin to throw it off a Mav. Another time, Flash blatently refused to take the ball from Lebron n told him to run the play. Lebron gives it to Bosh and floats weakside as Flash meanmugs him. This shit is gettin good.
We just need Dallas to get the next one and hope this series goes 7.
Can Dirk pull a Jerry West and get Finals MVP with a loss?
June 6th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
CLAW says:
If Ifs were Fifths I would have loved to see Caron Butler available in this series, he was their second best player before the injury maybe he can make a return like Haslem get about 10 minutes of meaningful run.
Brian Cardinal siting: Why is he in the game for defensive situations? Who was the nearest to Chalmers for the mid court 3, a balding white guy nicknamed the Custodian.
Its not like either team has played flawless, but they have played hard and its been a fun series to watch. If Mavs can take the next two I’m all for a 7 game series!
June 6th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
JAY says:
@ Dizzle
“Lebron gets the ball on the wing with about 5 secs on the clock and flips it to Chalmers like a hot potato. Chalmers turns it over tryin to throw it off a Mav. Another time, Flash blatently refused to take the ball from Lebron n told him to run the play. Lebron gives it to Bosh and floats weakside as Flash meanmugs him. ”
I remember those two examples well.
Bosh got the “gas-face” from Wade too (3rd Bass reference, kiddies). Wade drove rightside, and threw a bounce pass along the baseline to a WIDE OPEN Bosh who is 5 ft from the rim, Bosh then up fakes and jab steps Chandler like Chandler is some subpar defender that will bite on fakes from a dude who was stone-cold up to that point in the game. Pan to Wade…. gas-face. and he was mouthing something to himself and I bet it wasn’t sweet nothings.
Last night, Wade gave his two lieutenants ‘the look’… I bet Lebron, who apparently is the best player in the whole world, I bet he NEVER gives that face to D-Wade. Wade just doesn’t play timid like LBJ does. Wade will never give Lebron any reason to meanmug him. Having an insane skillset like Lebron does is one thing, but it doesn’t indicate the mental aspect of the game. Wade is mentality stronger and more prepared for big games. He will never back down a la MJ. It’s that simple.
Yes, I compared Wade to MJ. He has more of that killer instinct than the poster child does.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Mt. Pleasant says:
Huge Wade fan and never really a Lebron fan. But I really respect that Lebron doesn’t care who is the “man” or has to take the last shot.
He seems willing to let Wade do his thing and work within the offence. Lots of superstars would balk at Wade closing.
And I think Dirk should get finals MVP even if the Mavs lose. He’d scored all their points in the last quarter and grabbed a ton of clutch rebounds. With a busted finger. If Terry could hit any open threes in the 4th they’d of won.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@jay,
For once we agree on something. I been declaring Wade as the best player in the NBA for 3yrs now. The guy can just do things he’s not supposed to do on offense and defense. Forget the chase down, Wade meets you face to face and blocks your big mans dunk at the rim!
All that bs about Lebron shutting down Rose, yet Wade was the one doing all the work. Rose was 1/6 Fgs with Lebron guarding him….thats 6 damn shots in 5 games!!! Clearly it was all hype. Wade was the one putting in work, which is whynhe was so worn out after every game vs Chi.
Wade has become a hollywood/diva acting homo in the last few years and i dont even like dude anymore even though he reps my city. But i can ignore his bitchassness when evaluating his game. Dude is still a monster and will be for another 2yrs.
As for the ref calls
The refs along with the announcers do a wonderful job of making you all believe that you are watching top notch basketball lol. 88-86 with a ton of missed open jumpers is just bad basketball on both sides. But somehow Dime claims this is “epic”….88-86 is epic? Lol gtfoh.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
First & Foremost says:
LOL… It would be nice to see Dirk get it in a losing effort but c’mon. We all know ANY sort of MVP goes to the best player on the best team. Regardless of a player’s value to his respective team. Dirk is making a great case but in order for him to get it, he needs to make a more “winning” argument.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Krayzie says:
I think Wade has been the best player in the NBA since 2006, LeBron gets a lot of attention for his defense cuz of his steals and blocks….but Wade averages more steals and blocks, go figure…….and his man-to-man D is better than LeBron’s (Ask Kobe). LeBron is a better passer, but not once he has decided to drive the ball…Wade is still better at passing out of a drive than LBJ. He doesn’t get that much love and I don’t understand why when he is the best player in the game.
LeBron is a great player and the most physically talented/gifted player.
Kobe is just as good as Wade but has been declining the last year or so.
Wade is the best player in the league!!!!
June 6th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
CLAW says:
What is hard for me to believe is how somebody at 6’4″ plays above the rim like him, jumping over Tyson Chandler for boards and taking it to the hole. He plays so much bigger without being big like Barkley around the middle. I can’t see how he can continue to play at this level he puts his body through the ringer no wonder he’s injured quite a bit.
Damn, Jason Kidd just turned the ball over again!
June 6th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
JAY says:
@ chi: “For once we agree on something…”
Dude, it’s been a weird month. Lately i’ve been cosigning your comments too.
And to keep with the trend, regarding the quality of play, I agree it’s been shit. Although it hasn’t been good ball, it has been entertaining.
And the comments about LBJ bringing the flashy game are spot on. Maybe they should trade nicknames… Wade = King. Lebron = Flash <– not referring to his speed, but his game.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
barons_beard says:
why does Jason Terry get a pass for being a big-time choke job? in games that matter, he folds like a bad hand
June 6th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
JAY says:
@ Mt. Pleasant: “But I really respect that Lebron doesn’t care who is the “man” or has to take the last shot.”
I’d agree with that statement if it that’s what has been happening. Lebron is too often not even looking to get his own shots. He’s playing hot potato. It’s not even about taking the last shot…. he’s gotta take some shots.
He’s reminding me of last year’s playoffs where he was criticized for not showing up. I thought it was because he found out his moms was riding West, but evidently it’s because he forgets his balls at home for big games.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@claw,
I dont know the measurments but Wade appears to have very long arms for a 6’4 player. add that to his 220lb frame of all muscle with very sneaky elite jumping ability/speed, tremendous heart and fearlessness, and u have Wade unique ability to play above the rim.
That guy has been the best finisher at the rim in the NBA for years now (i know Lebron leads in and 1′s but Wade doest it without the touch fouls on a 6’8 270lb frame). Wade still needs to improve his jumper to the level where is is the best mid range shooter in the game, and he’ll be able to dominate for years.
His diva-like/hollywood attitude has me questioning if he still puts in the work on his game and respects the game enough.
In the last year or so he seems to have adopted Lebrons attitude of being an entertainer rather than a ball player.
I guess thats one thing no one could take away from Kobe. That dude is a ball player to the core. Guys like Durant, Kobe, CP3,Rose, KG, Westbrook, Dirk, Nash, Arenas, Steph Curry, Matrix, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin and select others are ball players to the core. They would be playing ball even if they were a foot shorter, couldnt dunk, and were in some rec league or YMCA getting busy. Those cats just strike me as guys who play because of their obsession with the game, they just happen to be great enough to make millions doing it.
Guys like Lebron, Shaq, Dwight, Paul Pierce, Rondo, Bosh, Iverson, Melo, Amare,
B.Jennings, Tyreke, Starbury,TMac, Vince, Baron Davis, and a many others all seem to play because of what the game brings to them. They want to be much more than just a ball player, and aint nothing wrong with that, but if you take away their physical/DNA gifts they would probably be doing anything but basketball.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
UncheckedAggression says:
Wow. A couple good games by Wade and half of you are losing your minds.
I think this shows just how much people are willing to skew their views on what they observe simply because of some impressive offensive plays. It’s the same thing many of you do with Kobe–watch him make a couple tough shots and you forget all about the bad decisions. Lebron has controlled most games in these playoffs with his offense and defense. Wade doesn’t do that. Lebron does what his team needs to win. With Wade, it’s feast or famine and he’s lucky that the best player in the NBA has his back.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
jdizzle says:
@CLAW he was even more reckless earlier in his career. Remember those ”Fall 7 times, get up 8” commercials?
To have that killer instinct I think you have to be a little bit of an asshole IMO, and LeBron is not. (Yes there’s a difference between being an asshole and being a douche lol). But if LeBron channels Game 5 of the 07 ECF it could get real ugly for Dallas
June 6th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Mt. Pleasant says:
@ Jay
Hard to guess his motivation, but either way I think its better than lots of guys (Pippen when Kukoc had the play drawn for him) who would pout or jack.
And as much as I hate to say it Lebron has made some big shots in the playoffs.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
T-Skid says:
I love how everyone says the officiating was equal for both teams. yet miami was called for 27 fouls and dallas for 14. that seems a little lopsided in my opinion. especially letting dallas get away with a lot of questionable calls that weren’t made.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Austin Burton says:
Glad to see people aren’t being fickle or anything. This entire postseason has been like a game of Musical Nuts — first Derrick Rose, then Chris Paul, then Z-Bo, then Brandon Roy, back to Z-Bo, then Rondo, then J.J. Barea & Dirk, then LeBron, then Durant, back to Rose, back to Dirk, back to LeBron, back to Dirk, now it’s on Wade. Who’s next for Game 4?
June 6th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Big Island says:
Austin – Rose is the MVP, Dirk is playing as well as anyone, Lebron is in the Finals after his whole debacle and he is the best guy in the league, Durant is the leading scorer, and Wade is as good a player as you will find. Whether you like them or not, they are talked about.
Rondo is the key to the Celtics and we all watched his arm snap. Roy had a big game and everyone was pulling for him because of his injuries and getting jerked around by his team. Z-Bo played on a team we all thought was garbage and he had a great playoff run. JJ Barea played great against the defending champs and got assaulted by Bynum. Of course we will talk about these guys. I don’t think anyone is being fickle when they talk about the biggest players in the world, or the guys who came through, on the biggest stage in basketball. Of course if I misread your comment, disregard this whole post.
And if you are changing teams, you do not have to apply to change your number.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
the truth says:
im sure someone’s mentioned it already but i dont wanna read through all the bullshit comments. But D wade was gettin checked by jason kidd…no chance. Why the fuck wouldn’t they go to him? Bron vs. marion or Dwade vs. kidd, come on now.
June 6th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Big Island — I’m not talking about the aforementioned players simply getting attention following a good game or two. That’s natural. It’s the rush to overhype everything or make career-defining declarations following a good game or two. Dirk has a monster Game 1 against OKC, and suddenly we’re debating whether he’s a Top 10 player of all-time, if he’s historically better or worse than KG, if he should have won MVP, doing Sports Science segments on his fadeaway J, etc., until the next time somebody blows up. But I get it. That’s the byproduct of having 24-hour sports networks, 24-hour sports radio stations, and a million sports websites. You need something to talk about and there’s a lot of empty space to fill. Still, it can get annoying.
June 6th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Big Island says:
Obviously I am biased towards Dirk because I would take him balls deep, but I gotta disagree. I agree that the 24 hour everything runs every story into the ground and makes every little thing a huge deal, but most of the stuff here comes up pretty legit. If Dime runs one of their “who do you take” columns, or where does Player X rank all-time, then it automatically spills into the Smack column. This is one of the few places where the discussions are mostly basketball, pretty straightforward, and from the same solid contributors for the most part.
For a lot of the things, it IS career defining. Lebron gets a ring, Dirk a ring, Westbrook coexisting with Durant, Z-Bo finally living up to the hype he gets. A lot of this stuff is a turning point, or an exclamation point on a guys career. Do I need to know about Lebron and Wade’s Finals kicks? Nope. Don’t give a crap about those shirts either. Danny Granger and remote control cars? Hmm…pass. The only thing most of us give a damn about is the game and the teams/players in them so we go into long discussions/arguments/hypotheticals on those.
Did they really do a sports science on Dirk’s fadeaway? If they did, I bet it was just $100 bills falling from the sky because his shot is cash. Straight cash.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Austin,
First time in a long time I agree with you. Probably the first time since “the descison show”. But you are right, instead of just enjoying the way the guys are playing, everyone wants to prematurely ejaculate on their keyboards about how unstoppable or legendary someone or something was.
Unfortunatly your people (the media) are the head of this hype breathing dragon.
All during these playoffs im hearing Magic and Wilbon say Dirk like Bird or better, Scottie says Lebron is better than MJ, Barkley saying Noah is an allstar and Rose is better than CP3.
I know the media believes they created Michael Jordan. And they seem to be trying to recreate MJs legacy thru other players with Hype and no substance. Just last year Kobe was everything…he gets put out early for the first time in 3years and Dirk replaces him, then the NBA pays Scottie to jump the Lebron Hype right past Kobe and onto MJ lol.
June 7th, 2011 at 8:01 am
JAY says:
Great fuckin post chi. Cosign every you said in #68.
Now that I’ve agreed with you twice in one thread, I’m going to the hospital to get my head checked. Lol.
June 7th, 2011 at 8:16 am
dcyrilcasa says:
David Stern should do something about the officials. The series is becoming more like what happened last 2006