Mavs, Heat & TBJ Predictions
Dirk: Hey Jet, you ready to rock ‘n roll?
Jason: Heck, let’s get it.
Dirk: ‘Cuz I’m ready to rock. I’m– I’m ready to fire it up.
Jason: Light it up!
For the first time in a long time, there seems to be no consensus favori– blah, blah, blah– Mavs in 6.
Look, anything I could possibly say about this series has already been said ad nauseam, so I’ll just spare my keyboard the workout and keep this simple.
The Mavs have three things: home-court advantage, a coach who’s shown he can make the necessary adjustments, and a deep bench. I’m confident all three of these factors will play a key part in Stern having to hand good ol’ Larry over to Cuban.
But honestly, the real reason I’m backing the Mavs is because of Dirk. Now I know it sounds crazy – and dang, what a circus it would be – but I think Dirk just might have it in him to go out and average like a 35-15 this series. Seriously, who on this Heat roster can slow him down, let alone stop him? Udonis Haslem? Pleeeeease…
Dirk’s game right now is just head and shoulders (and hair) above the rest. Over the past 6 weeks we’ve watched him go from star (Griz, game-winner), to superstar (Spurs, foul and the throw), to super-duper-star (Suns, cool fifty and the game 6 comeback). Yeah, it’s pretty obvious Dirk has seen the bar, made the jump, and is clearing that shit like some type of freaky German gazelle.
Mavs in 6. Fire it up, Dirk. Fire it up.
– Skeets
Shaq: Can. You. Dig it!?
Forget about the match-ups. Forget about the tempo.
Sometimes this game comes down to will. The winner of this evenly matched series will be the one that is ready to own these games – the team that battles every last second of every last play because they understand the urgency they need to play with in order to win.
Miami is more ready for this series because of their experience. You could see it last week in two very different post game celebrations. The Mavericks were ecstatic – jumping around as if they’d won the entire thing. In Miami, the Heat were much more low key. They truly know they have more work to do while I can’t help but think that the Mavs are just a little too happy to get this far.
I know ‘The Little General’ is exactly that – a very influential leader that can keep his team focused – but on the other side of the floor is a man in his 9th NBA Finals as a Head Coach. However, in the end, a basketball game is won by its players. That’s why it’s even more important that the Heat are led by hungry players who know this opportunity is precious. ‘The Big Diesel’ is desperate to build his legacy and win his 1st ring without Kobe. Payton and Mourning know this may be their last shot. These men will instill their tooth and nail attitude needed to win the championship upon veterans like Walker, Posey and Williams to go along with the grit of Wade and Haslem. In big D, no Maverick has ever played significant minutes in the final round.
The Finals are a different animal. When the Mavs step on the floor for game 1, it will not feel like any other home game they’ve played this playoff.
As the Mavs eyes widen while they soak in the surroundings, the Heat will squint hard and go to work for something they’ve all been waiting for.
– Tas
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9 Responses to “Mavs, Heat & TBJ Predictions”
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The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Comments, questions and cold hard cash are always welcome and much appreciated. Contact us.
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That Dirk video is the best! Nice “dang what a circus” reference also, there’s nothing funnier than that. I agree with Skeets, Mavs are all over this series and will lock up the chronically ill Wade and old and slow Shaq.
Tas, of course I’m going to disagree with you, because I’m a Mavs fan. Regardless of my own biases, not everyone agrees with you that the Heat were cool as cucumbers after the ECF. Granted, the Mavs did jump, yell, giggle, carry-on, and what have you, but with the exception of Shaq, so did the Heat. Take another look at the photos on Yahoo. Zo looks every bit as wide eyed as Josh Howard.
I think your point about will is a good one, though. Shaq’s got it, and Shaq can exert it. Wade’s got it, too (even if that doesn’t fit the “they want it more because they’re older” motif). Where that argument loses me is with Zo and GP.
you can never go wrong when you side with a former arizona guard who uses phrases like “light it up”…trust me on this one
For the Heat, there’s just a sense of urgency for players who may never get back here. Payton won’t let another Finals appearance slip away. Shaq and GP promised themselves they won’t let 2004 versus the Pistons ever happen again. Mourning has been losing kidneys all over the place to get here.
I think that sentiment will roll over on to the other members of the Heat. While in Dallas, only coach Johnson truly understands what playing in June means. And it hurts the Mavs chances that one of their marquee players doesn’t have Finals experience.
I really hope Skeets is right and the Mavs send the Heat back to South Florida where they will spend the rest of their days driving around in golf carts, breaking hips and wondering where the hell they left their teeth this time. While I think that Nowitzki could go ballistic on Miami, I worry that Udonis Haslem has a plan.
apparently je skeets is the only one allowed to make predictions…no love for tas over at the ’spin
Plain and simple, I’m not famous like Skeets.
We can’t all be superstars ya know.
you just need to do one of those nba senior prom dealies
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