JB on the NBA
2010-11 PLAYOFF PREVIEW--FINALS
HEAT (58-24) vs. MAVERICKS (57-25)
Season Series: 2-0, Dallas
This is a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, but of course, the personnel has changed. Still, there are two key players remaining from the previous matchup: All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, and they each could decide the outcome of this series if they play hard enough.
In recent years the Mavericks lost in the playoffs because they put everything on Nowitzki’s shoulders. That won’t happen this season, however. As the Trail Blazers, Lakers and Thunder found out, nobody has an answer for the future Hall-Of-Famer, and when he wants something, he gets it. The much-traveled Tyson Chandler emerged as a true x-factor in the playoffs, providing Nowitzki with the defensive counterpart he never had before. Players like J.J. Barea, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic make fearsome perimeter threats. And where the Heat do not have true point guards, the Mavs have two: Barea and Jason Kidd, who’s still as crafty and creative as he was in his rookie season.
The Heat started out as the league’s laughingstock as the team tried to meld Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh into a working unit. Well, guess what? The three All-Stars have surpassed all expectations, including their own. They made short work of everyone in their paths, including the Chicago Bulls, who were expected to be in this position instead of the Heat. But the upstarts do have one crucial weapon: Udonis Haslem, who returned from injury during the previous series and hasn’t let up since. As if that weren’t enough, the Heat’s defense has been the best in the playoffs.
This series, however, boils down to who wants it more. Nowitzki and Terry were there when the Heat celebrated their first title on the Mavericks’ hardwood five years ago, and it’s tough to forget things like that. Additionally, Kidd came close twice as a member of the New Jersey Nets in 2002 and 2003. James wants a title to prove all his critics wrong about taking his talents to South Florida, and Bosh wants one to validate his presence on the Heat. Ultimately the veteran Mavericks’ wounds run too deep to let another team snatch victory from them. Mavericks in 5