- Miami starting Chalmers was the first sign of desperation from the Heat. They talked about playing "good enough to win" after the previous two games but this seemed to signal that they realized they couldn't win with the same group. Chalmers is a great example of a player who was performing at his maximum level coming off the bench. He wasn't being relied upon offensively, he was going against other second stringers, and basically anything he produced was considered a bonus. The fact that Bibby (a starter through 5 games) was taken completely out of the rotation reeked of desperation. I agree that Bibby was terrible during the series, but I think you still have to give him a few minutes if you believe in the team that got you to this point.
- DeShawn Stevenson was the most arrogant, boisterous, talkative, hot headed player on the court in Game 6 (and at other times throughout the series as well). He celebrated every wide open shot that he gets paid $4,151,786 per year to make like he had just found a buy one get one free coupon to his local tattoo parlor.
But here is the catch; when Stevenson was taken out of the starting line up following Game 3, he didn't complain or pout about it and came in to Game 4 ready to contribute however he was needed. When a team can use a guy who may be, umm, one of the craziest guys in the league as a key contributor then you know they get it. The Dallas Mavericks got it this year. The San Antonio Spurs have been known to surround a volatile talent with stable players to help him effectively find his role (see Stephen Jackson, 2002-03).
- I don't know where to find the specific stats, but Chris Bosh really seemed to disappear in the second half of games. He always seemed to come out confident and was able to knock down 18 foot jump shots with regularity in the first half of games. I don't know if he wasn't looking to get open as much or if the Heat just weren't finding him late in games but I often forgot he was on the court.
- The trade that never was. Remember this? Tyson Chandler to OKC
As I watched the Mavericks close out the series and Tyson Chandler play a pivotal role in the process, it was hard not to think of what might have been. If the Chandler trade to OKC doesn't get rescinded, does Chandler stick with the Thunder? If he does, do the Thunder then not go after Kendrick Perkins? (As a bitter Celtics fan I feel the need to bring 1 out of every 5 NBA posts back to the Perkins trade and how the Celtics cursed themselves).
- I honestly think that the worst thing the Miami Heat could do right now is panic and start making major moves. They definitely need to make some minor changes and add some pieces. However, I think it would be a mistake to trade any of their key players or make a coaching change. I don't like the Heat and I don't like the way they carry themselves. But I do recognize their talent and potential for basketball greatness if they will make some role and attitude adjustments.
- Mark Cuban deserves a lot of credit for having the trophy presented to the previous owner of the Dallas Mavericks. That showed class and maturity on his behalf. Of course, he was back to his old self 30 minutes later talking about how much better the Mavs fans were than the Heat fans this series. Come on Mark, anyone with a TV was able to see that the Mavs fans outatmosphered (I felt the need to create a word for what happened) the Heat fans throughout the series. There was no need to point out the obvious. Cuban really is at his best when he chooses to be silent and let his player and coaches actions do the talking.
- Dirk Nowitzki is one of the 25 greatest players in NBA history. He is also a poor defender. He is slow. He flails his arms and legs in an attempt (often times successful) to draw fouls. He takes ill advised shots and on Sunday night he wasn't hitting any of them. So why is Dirk treated different than LeBron? Let me offer a few reasons:
1) He performed in the clutch. This point about 4th quarter production has been driven into the ground but it deserves to be pointed out again. Everyone loves to see athletes produce under pressure and Dirk did it time and time again this series and throughout the playoffs.
2) LeBron is always going to be held to a higher standard because he has promoted and self-branded himself on a higher level than anyone else in the NBA ever has.
3) Dirk took the high road when LeBron and Wade made jabs at his sickness. Dirk took it all in stride. He addressed it for what it was: childish and ignorant. Then he moved on.
I honestly believe that when players play hard, perform in the clutch, and don't draw attention to themselves off the court, they are more easily forgiven for their shortcomings on the court. Again, Dirk is in no way perfect (on the court or off) but it is much easier to cheer for someone when they show a little humility.
- J.J. Berea played out of his mind. As in, I refuse to believe he can sustain that level of play over the course of a NBA season. I'm sure the Timberwolves will disagree and make an offer that the Mav's can't match. So the big question is: How can a lockout be looming when we have the potential of a Berea vs. Rubio battle in Minnesota?!?
- I want to finish with focusing on what the Dallas Mavericks accomplished as a team. Predictably so, the media has focused much of their attention following the game on LeBron, Wade, and more LeBron. I understand the reasons (the brand and person of LeBron has a cyclical relationship with the media) and I'm ok with evaluating the Heat in the coming weeks, but I think it is unfair to take away from what the Mavericks just did by not giving them proper credit.
Caron Butler was out. Rodrigue Beaubois was out. Brendan Haywood went down. Dirk tore a tendon in his finger and then got sick. The Mavericks rose to the occasion as a team. They collectively met every challenge that was presented to them and I couldn't be happier as a fan of the game of basketball. They won games when Dirk was cold, they won games with defense, they won games with incredible shooting, they won games with their bench, they won games with their second highest paid player in a nursing home (read: Peja Stojakovic), they won games when they were getting to the line and they won games when they weren't. Dirk deserves the praise he has received but so do the rest of the guys who all made significant contributions during these playoffs. I know the injured and inactive players will get rings too, but these are the guys who made it happen:
J.J. Berea, Brian Cardinal, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Jason Kidd, Ian Mahinmi, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, DeShawn Stevenson, Peja Stojakovic, and Jason Terry. I'm going to choose to remember these guys as the storyline for this NBA season, regardless of what the media tells me I should remember. Congratulations to the Big 11!
Great column.
ReplyDeleteYou made a good point about LeBron being held to a higher standard as a sports icon because he has made it such a point to market himself as such. I still think a large majority of writers and fans in general are forgetting some incredible clutch moments by LeBron throughout the years.
A. His 3-pointer from the top of the key against Orlando in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. He had one second to catch and shoot, and without that game-winner, the Cavs go down 4-1 embarrasingly.
B. His performance known as the 48 Special against Detroit. Scoring 48 points in a playoff game is impressive enough, but he scored 29 of the last 30 points for Cleveland. Let me repeat that 29 of the last 30 points in the game for his team. A double OT game in the playoffs. The leading scorer this season, Kevin Durant, did not average 29 points per game.
C. Did anyone watch the Bulls series?
LeBron failed multiple times this postseason, and specifically in the Finals. The media is terrible at taking one moment and applying to a player's entire career.
Dirk is probably one of the 25 best players all-time now with his championship. But in game 5, Dirk Nowitzki was on the bench with 4 seconds to play in the game. Read that again. Rick Carlisle, one of the best coaches in the game right now, did not play his best player for the final 4 seconds of the game. It's because Dallas was playing defense. I have a lot of trouble elevating Dirk in historical rankings of players because his coach could not rely on him on one end of the court.
And the Tyson Chandler to OKC thing is interesting. Being entrenched in OKC Thunder culture, I know that there are many who regret the rescinding of that trade. Obviously, the Thunder could have used Tyson Chandler this postseason, but there are moves that OKC might not have been able to make with Chandler's contract on the books. Eric Maynor, Daequan Cook, Thabo Sefolosha, Nazr Mohammed could easily not be on the Thunder's roster because of the money and flexibility that Chandler's contract diminished.
I'm looking forward to seeing more on the blog.
Thanks for the comments Hodges.
ReplyDeleteGreat points on LeBron. I was thinking about the Chicago series too and when LeBron shoots the way he did in that series, he really is unstoppable. Fair or not, his failures have been magnified and exaggerated to an overwhelming extent due to his perceived status in the league.
Hall of Famer Bailey Howell (name drop) once told me the difference between football and basketball is that every basketball player plays offense and defense. While the offensive end may receive all the glory, your point about Dirk is right on target. That's why I really wanted to stress Dallas winning as a team. Dirk deserves much of the attention and respect he has received but we can't lose sight of the fact that basketball is truly a team sport. Dirk needed help on the defensive end and your point about the difficulty in judging his greatness due to his defensive weakness is well made.
I love the Thunder insight. I've already got you down as my OKC contact when I start my Greens Acres podcast!
I forgot about LeBron and Wade faking the sickness act. If you do that at all, do it in the locker room away from the cameras. I totally agree with your point about how he deserves the criticism because of how he has made the efforts to elevate himself to global icon status. I just wish the media would allow these athletes to make mistakes or miss shots. It's like if a shooter goes 0-for-4 from 3 point range in one game, he's completely lost his stroke and he needs to be traded. It's a little obnoxious.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to fault Dallas in any way on their journey to this championship. Yes, Deshawn Stevenson is a goon, but you made a great point by saying that they were able to use him in a spot role and get the most out of him that they could. They played incredible team offense and defense.