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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By J.E. Skeets at 12:38 am on 06.08.2006 — Tags: Shaquille O'Neal, '06 Finals, Dirk Nowitzki, Heat, Mavericks

Shaq Mauls Sigfried, Steals Tiger

shaq and tiger

Shaquille O’Neal showed up on the red carpet with a tiger cub for his 34th birthday party in Miami, Florida the other night. It was a star-studded event, and all of O’Neal’s closest NBA friends were there. Well, all except one: Damon Jones.

Yeah, apparently the Cleveland Cavaliers guard refused to attend the party after learning he wouldn’t be the one on the end of Shaq’s leash.

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By J.E. Skeets at 7:53 pm on 03.11.2006 — Tags: Heat, Photo Fun, Superstars

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