Dwight Howard trade cements death to small markets

By Kshell

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Dwight Howard it just continued a long going trend that has been happening in the NBA for a while. That trend being that small market teams simply can't compete in the NBA. Howard isn't the first Super Star to be dealt from a small market to a major market and he isn't going to be the last. In the NBA the rich continue to get richer while most of the league sits back and enjoys being not a factor. The Lakers roster now features six former all-stars in Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest and Antawn Jamison. Of those six all-stars they drafted none of them and only Bryant has played his whole career there. The Lakers aren't the only team doing that as they are just trying to keep up with their rivals the Miami Heat.

When Lebron James announced he was "taking his talents to South Beach" along with Chris Bosh the Miami Heat formed a "super team" who won a championship this past season. The Heat's roster has five former all-stars in Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Of those five all-stars only Wade was drafted by the Heat. James left a small market in Cleveland while Bosh left Toronto for Miami as well. Players want to play in big markets, great weather and win a title. Since teams in big markets and with great weather have players flock to them they are naturally able to win a title as most great players go play for them. The two overwhelming favorites in the NBA are the Lakers and Heat who feature 11 former all-stars and only one was drafted by that team. This is a scary trend for the NBA which back in the 1970's saw eight different teams win an NBA championship. Since 1980 to the present day only nine teams have won an NBA championship. Los Angeles Lakers(10 titles), Chicago Bulls( 6), Boston Celtics(4), San Antonio Spurs(4), Detroit Pistons(3), Houston Rockets(2), Miami Heat(2), Philadelphia 76ers(1) and Dallas Mavericks(1). There is no parity in the NBA that is for sure.

For a small market team to win the NBA title you need to get really lucky. First you need to win the lottery to draft a franchise changing player like a Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Dwight Howard, etc. Second you need that player to want to stay with your team which so far only Tim Duncan has done with the Spurs. Duncan led the Spurs to four NBA championships as he was the #1 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Duncan wasn't joining a terrible team either as they had super star David Robinson who had basically missed the previous season so they immediately became a success. The only other way to succeed is to suck bad enough so you are in the NBA lottery and strike gold. Also helps having an owner who is best friends with the commish so he can give you Kevin Durant landing the #2 pick in a year with Kevin Durant, then sucking again to draft Russell Westbrook with the #4 pick then sucking again to draft James Harden with the #3 pick which is what Oklahoma City did. Under this current format there is a good chance Oklahoma City won't be able to keep all three guys there. NBA history shows one of them will bolt and still no players will continue to go there. Nothing against Oklahoma City or any other small market but NBA players don't like small markets. They want to play in Los Angeles, New York or Miami. That is where the endorsements are, that is where the beautiful women are, that is where a lifestyle outside of basketball is. Tim Duncan stayed so the Spurs won four titles, remember when Kevin Durant is a free agent he'll be 26 years old so he'll be in the exact same spot in his career which Lebron James was in. 20 years from now nobody is going to remember that Lebron James played for Cleveland.

Let's go back to the 2008 "Redeem Team" roster shall we? You had Chris Paul(New Orleans), Kobe Bryant(Los Angeles), Carmelo Anthony(Denver), Lebron James(Cleveland), Dwight Howard(Orlando), Deron Williams(Utah), Chris Bosh(Toronto), Jason Kidd(Dallas), Michael Redd(Milwaukee), Dwyane Wade(Miami), Tayshaun Prince(Detroit) and Carlos Boozer(Utah). Of those 12 guys you see 10 guys not playing for Miami, Los Angeles, and New York. As of right now nine of those guys are playing in Los Angeles(Bryant, Howard, Paul), New York(Anthony, Kidd, and Williams) and Miami(James, Wade and Bosh). Boozer left for a big market as well in Chicago while Redd and Prince careers fell off so nobody really wants them. So that is 83% of the team is now playing in big markets which screams small market teams just don't matter in the NBA.

As a northwest fan this sucks I must say. It hurts knowing that when we do get a team and they are the Sonics again we are playing against a stacked deck. On this current 2012 team only Kobe Bryant was the only player not picked in the top 10. So the only chance a small market has is to suck for multiple years in a row like Oklahoma City while also being in a draft with a game changing player like a Tim Duncan or Kevin Durant. Meanwhile Los Angeles, Miami and to a lesser degree New York will continue to clean up on free agents. David Stern in the 1980's decided to feature the players with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird instead of the teams. Due to that the players have all the power in this league which means the teams don't. Lebron James set the stage also for if players are willing to take less money to join forces to create a super team. No the Howard trade didn't change anything at all just cemented the fact that the big market teams in this league are going to continue to get better. While the small market teams are going to have to continue to fight a stacked deck which is made to prevent them from winning championships. That is the NBA that David Stern built which sucks for all small market teams. Basically as long as David Stern is commish small markets teams don't stand a chance.

Mavericks win first ever championship! Eliminate Heat in six games 105-95

By Kshell

The Dallas Mavericks led by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki defeated the Miami Heat 105-95 in Miami to win the NBA championship in six games. For the Mavericks a team who most of America was pulling for because their roster is full of guys who came so painfully close to a title this day will last forever in their memories. For the super team known as the Heat who did their best to embarass the NBA this entire season they fall short. The main guy who created the circus Lebron James had a very average NBA Finals. The Heat scoffed at the notion of winning one title as they predicted seven titles will have to wait another year before they even win one title. For the Mavericks though this has to feel great exorcising the 2006 demons led by Nowitzki who scored 21 points today and was once again huge in the second half. One team led by their star had class throughout this entire season and in Nowitzki's case his whole career. They defeated the team who has shown no class and in James case hasn't his entire career.

In the first quarter Lebron James got off to a hot start scoring nine points in the first four minutes making his first four shots. The Heat went on a 12-1 run to lead 20-11 as it appeared they were finally going to take control of the series. Then with the Heat leading 22-15 the Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki picked up his second foul. It was the Mavericks not the Heat who responded with a 17-2 run to lead 32-24 before Eddie House hit a three pointer before the quarter ended to cut the Mavericks lead to 32-27. The Heat were led by James who had nine points on four for seven shooting including a three pointer and three assists. Chris Bosh scored seven points on two for two shooting. Wade had just four points on two for five shooting. The Mavericks were led by Jason Terry who scored nine points on four for six shooting including a three pointer. J.J. Barea scored six points on three for four shooting, Shawn Marion had six points on two for five shooting with four rebounds. While Dirk Nowitzki had just two points on one for three shooting. The Mavericks would continue their hot run into the second quarter.

The Mavericks extended their lead to 40-28 in the second quarter. Add it all up they were on a 25-6 run which had quieted the already pathetic Miami crowd. Then the Heat sat Lebron James and the Heat played their best basketball all Finals going on a 14-0 run to take a 42-40 lead. Eddie House who hadn't played hardly at all hit two three pointers during that run. Then after that it was back and forth as the Mavericks would regain the lead 53-51 at halftime. The Mavericks were up due to Jason Terry who had 19 points on 8-10 shooting and was three for five from three pointers. DeShawn Stevenson added nine points on three for four shooting from three pointers. Marion added eight points on three for seven shooting while Barea had six points. The Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki had just three points on 1-12 shooting and they led. The Mavericks continued their hot shooting making 21-43(48.8%) from the field and 7-14(50.0%) from three pointers.

The Heat felt fortunate to be in the game after yet another large run they allowed which almost burried their season. The Heat were led by James who scored 11 points on five for nine shooting but missed both free throws. Wade scored nine points on three for eight shooting but had six rebounds and six assists. Bosh scored nine points on three for four shooting with four rebounds. Eddie House provided a spark off the bench with nine points on three three pointers. Mario Chalmers making his first start of the postseason scored seven points on two for six shooting but had three free throws. The Heat one half to determine if their season would end in disappointment or continue.

In the third quarter is when the Mavericks started to put the Heat away extending their lead to 81-72 outscoring the Heat 28-21. Led by Nowitzki in the third who shot better going three of seven for eight points in the quarter. The Mavericks continued their hot shooting making 10-20(50.0%) from three point range. They were led by Terry who had 21 points 9-12 shooting including three three pointers. Barea was big with 10 points and five assists on five for eight shooting. For the Heat they had themselves to blame making just 5-15(33.3%) from three point range and 15-26(57.6%)from the free throw line. The Heat were led by Bosh who had 16 points on six for seven sh ooting. Role players like Udonis Haslem also stepped up scoring 10 points with six rebounds on four seven shooting. James had 14 points on 6-10 but was passive yet again. While Wade was struggling scoring 13 points on 4-12 shooting. The Heat had just one final quarter to avoid being the laughing stock of the NBA.

In the fourth quarter the Heat basically gave up as the Mavericks led by seven points or more the entire quarter. When the buzzer had sounds the Mavericks had won the title 105-95. Nowitzki once again the fourth stepped up big scoring 10 points on five for eight shooting. Terry added six points in the fourth as well. James scored seven in the fourth but three of which were meaningless. The Mavericks had won the title by making 11-26(42.3%) of their three pointers. They were led by Terry who scored 27 points on 11-16 shooting including three three pointers. Nowitzki scored 21 points on on 9-27 shooting but added 11 rebounds. Barea added 15 points on 7-12 shooting including a three pointer with five assists. Marion scored 12 points with eight rebounds and Jason Kidd scored nine points with eight assists. The Mavericks bench scored 43 points while the starters scored 62 points showing it was a total team effort unlike their foes.

For the Miami Heat their season was championship or bust not seen since the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers. Just like that Lakers team they lost to a team in the finals who had just one all-star. The Heat were led by James who scored 21 points on 9-15 shooting including two of five from three point range. He had four rebounds and six assists but six costly turnovers and was just one of four from the free throw line. Bosh scored 19 points on on seven for nine shooting with eight rebounds. Wade scored 17 points while shooting just 6-16 including missing all four three point attempts. Wade would finish with six assists and eight rebounds. Chalmers making his first start would have 18 points on 5-12 shooting including two three's and seven assists. Haslem gave the Heat 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench and House scored nine points. For the Heat when they had their celebration after winning the offseason championship didn't vision losing on their home court like this.

All in all, this will be remembered much like the 2004 Finals where the Heat lost more so than the Mavericks winning. Which is a shame since the Mavericks paid their dues. As a Seahawks fan who was also robbed by the refs in our only championship game I'd love to get that opportunity again to go against Pittsburgh. The Mavericks not only won the title but erased the stink of the 2006 NBA Finals and the 2007 playoffs. A team who most had picked to lose in the first round is now the NBA champions. A roster full of guys who have been so close and none of which had a championship ring. For the Miami Heat them losing brought the whole country together much like when Penn State beat the Miami Hurricanes(why is Miami full of dicks?) in the 1986 national title. The Heat will go down as one of the biggest flops in NBA history. For tonight though the Mavericks won their first ever title and for Nowitzki nobody is laughing at Rick Carisle now. Nowitzki probably moves past Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett and maybe even Karl Malone on the all-time power forwards list. For a guy who was loyal it was good to see loyalty pay off. See it doesn't always pay to run to chase a title. Sometimes it's best to just lure players to your team instead. That is what Nowitzki did and he has a ring now while James has to wait yet another season.

Observations:

- At the Heat's arena there was a ton of blue shirts there. The Mavericks had made the trip to Miami to invade the Heat's pathetic fan base. Back home in Dallas they sold out their arena as they freaked out when they won the title. The feeling those fans have well I can't relate as Seattle has never given me that joy. Dallas has had a good sports year and have won five super bowls but haven't won a championship in their city since January of 1996. For this fan base it must be pretty cool to see the Mavericks finally win the title.

My mom was recently in Dallas during their Western Conference Finals run. She even bought me a Mavericks coffee mug so I'll always have a story to tell. I'll joke how that is the $500 coffee mug(that's how much I would have won if Lebron James gave a shit) when I drink out of it. The city of Dallas deserves this more than Miami's horrible fans. Kind of a joke they have this great team and don't appreciate them. Move them to Seattle I'm sure we would actually sell out our games.

- Chris Bosh the only guy on the Heat who actually improved his perception after this season. Bosh had his bumps but for the most part stepped up in the playoffs especially on the big stage like the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals. He struggled the first two games in Miami but since then played pretty well.

In the NBA Finals Bosh averaged 18.5 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Bosh had shot 38-92(41.3%) considering he was 9-34 to start off the series that isn't that bad. He was also pretty aggressive getting to the free throw line making 35-45(77.7%) of his free throws. For the playoffs Bosh averaged 18.6 PPG and 8.5 RPG. He shot 138-291(47.4%) from the field including a finals game winner. He made 114-140(81.4%) from the free throw line. I think it would be a huge mistake to trade away Bosh which is why Bill Simmons is a moron.

- Lebron James and Dwyane Wade look by far the biggest horses ass in these playoffs. Wade took the Eastern Conference Finals off and James took the NBA Finals off. Both didn't play well in game six which was the most important game of the season. For Wade he had a great finals and already has a finals MVP. He'll take heat for celebrating too soon on his three pointer in game two and the way he made fun of Nowitzki for being sick. Wade though averaged 26.5 PPG, 5.2 APG and 7.0 RPG. He also added 1.5 steals a game and 1.5 blocks a game. Wade shot 59-108(54.6%) from the field and 34-49(69.3%) from the free throw line. Wade showed up these Finals so the amount of crap he'll take will be some but for James on the other hand.

Well for Lebron James he wasn't awful this Finals but at times you didn't know he was on the court which is just as bad. In the third quarter he would pass the ball to seldomly used reserve Juwon Howard despite being five feet from the hoop. Lebron in these finals was very average a far cry from the Boston and Chicago series where both teams are better defensively. James averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.8 APG which doesn't look bad to the naked eye. He shot 43-96(44.7%) from the field and 9-28(32.1%) from three point range. He attempted just 20 free throws in six games making only 12 of them for 60.0%. He also averaged four turnovers a game. In the fourth quarter James scored just 18 points counting his seven today. He scored zero "clutch" points which is points under five minutes when the game is within five points. James stats doesn't suggest he totally crapped the bed but he did. One thing to suck because shots aren't falling like he wants to pretend. When in reality he was scared often taking one dribble then passing the ball. His press conference after the game proves he is a loser. The great ones have it and right now today he doesn't. How many times do we have to blame his teammates or head coach when it's painfully obvious he can't get the job done when his team needs him. The whole nation is onto you Lebron and your days of fooling the nation are hopefully over.

- For Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion and of course Dirk Nowitzki who all came so painfully close they finally have a title. For Kidd he wasn't great this series but came along these playoffs after a bad regular season. In the NBA Finals Kidd averaged 7.6 PPG, 6.3 APG and 4.5 RPG. He shot 14-36(38.9%) from the field and 12-28(42.8%) from three point range. Kidd who had been to the NBA Finals back to back years with the New Jersey Nets finally has his ring.

For Jason Terry he had a monster series after a slow first three games. Terry averaged 18.0 PPG(21.7 PPG last three games) while shooting 38-77(49.3%) from the field and 11-28(39.2%) from three point range. Chandler averaged 9.7 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Marion averaged 13.7 PPG and 6.3 RPG plus helped contain Lebron James. For the Mavericks these guys paid their dues but with all due respect one guy really paid his dues for this franchise so he'll get his separate paragraph.

- Be careful about writing off Lebron James as everyone wrote off Dirk Nowitzki after the 2006 and then 2007 playoffs. He was "soft" and could never lead a team to a title many including myself thought. Now Nowitzki is finals MVP and I'd put him over Barkley and Garnett possibly even Malone. For this series Nowitzki averaged 26.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG. Nowitzki didn't shoot that well shooting just 52-125(41.6%) from the field. Nowitzki made up for it by getting to the free throw line. He shot 45-46(97.8%) from the charity stripe and 7-19(36.8%) from three point range. Nowitzki was really big in the fourth quarter scoring 62(10.3 ppg) points. It's not about how many points you score but when you score them. For Nowitzki the man who didn't bail on the Mavericks when times were down he scored plenty of big points.

In conclusion, the Mavericks proved that being classy does pay off in the end. The Mavericks flew under the radar all season long where nobody thought they could win the title. Now they are the champions and were the better team as the series wore on. The Heat had their chance to put this series away early like the 2006 Mavericks had done to the Heat. The Heat I'm sure will have another circus offseason which could include trading Bosh and firing Spoelstra who was badly outcoached by Rick Carisle. Like I said earlier we can blame the coaches and role players but ultimately Lebron James choked down the stretch. While the Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki came through even in their teams losses time and time again. Nowitzki will never have to hear how he's soft again. Crazy a year ago if you had a poll on best power forward most would say Pau Gasol. I think Nowitzki proved to every who the real best power forward is and was. For Nowitzki this is his night and he deserves it. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban bought a crappy franchise and made them winners. Now the Mavericks are the ultimate winners of them all. The Heat had the offseason championship parade but the Mavericks will have the championship parade the Heat can only wish they had. Nowitzki showed that staying loyal and having class is the way to go. Nowitzki acted like a champion and now he is a champion. While James acted like a chump since he's entered the league and still remains a chump without a ring. Funny how the sports gods once in a while throws the nation a bone. The Mavericks are the good guys and they deserved this championship especially Nowitzki.

Mavericks use three ball to defeat Heat 112-103 to move within one game of the championship

By Kshell

For the first time in franchise history the Dallas Mavericks are one game away from winning the NBA championship. Once again the Mavericks used a late fourth quarter rally to defeat the Miami Heat 112-103 behind 29 points from Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat lost despite Lebron James recording the franchises first ever triple double in playoff history but once again disappeared in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks unlike previous games finally started to knock down their three pointers making 13-19(68.4%) from downtown. What seems to be a theme this series the Heat grab a late lead in the fourth only for the Mavericks led by Nowitzki and Terry to finish the game off. The story that will dominate this game will be James who has scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter these Finals. Now the Mavericks must win just one game in Miami to be crowned world champions. For the Heat they'll return home but they have plenty of problems that need to be fixed or their season will end in disappointment.

The first quarter featured tons of scoring for both teams. It was a change of pace from the previous four games. The Heat led the first quarter 31-30 due to another half court three pointer at the buzzer by Mario Chalmers. The Heat were led by Dwyane Wade who scored eight points on one for three shooting but was perfect from six free throw attempts. Chalmers added six points on two three pointers in three attempts. Chris Bosh scored four points on two for five shooting while Lebron James scored just two points one one for four shooting. James did have four rebounds and three assists though. The Heat shot 11-20(55.0%) from the field and make three of four three pointers. The Mavericks were led by Tyson Chandler who scored nine points on three for four shooting. Dirk Nowitzki also added six points on two for four shooting. The Mavericks shot 11-18(61.1%) from the field and made two of three three pointers. The first quarter would set up another high scoring second quarter as well.

The second quarter saw more scoring and a major injury. For the Heat they received a scare when Wade was injured and went to the locker room. That is when James carried the team scoring seven points on three for six shooting. Bosh scored nine points in the quarter on three for four shooting including three for three from free throws. Chalmers scored seven points in the quarter making two three pointers. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki who scored 10 points in the quarter on four for five shooting. The Mavericks outscored the Heat in the second quarter 30-26 to take a 60-57 lead at halftime. The Heat who were shooting 20-39(51.2%) from the field and 5-11(45.5%) from three point range found themselves trailing. The Heat were led by Chalmers who had 13 points on four for six shooting from three point range. Bosh also had 13 points on five for nine shooting with five rebounds. Wade scored 11 points and had three assists on two for five shooting from the field but was seven for eight from the free throw line. James scored nine points, six rebounds and four assists on 4-10 shooting.

The Mavericks shot 23-35(65.7%) from the field and made five of seven three pointers for 71.4%. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored 16 points on six for nine shooting and was perfect on four free throw attempts. Nowitzki also had four rebounds. Jason Terry scored nine points on four for six shooting including a three pointer. He also dished out four assists. Chandler scored 11 points on four for five shooting with three rebounds. The Mavericks took the lead at halftime and for the first time all series were dictating the pacce as this was an offensive game. The Heat would suffer another big blow as Wade would still be hurting and would start the second half in the locker room once again. The Mavericks would waste a golden opportunity to put the Heat away in the third quarter.

In the third quarter the Mavericks would extend their lead to 84-79 as they outscored the Heat 24-22 in the quarter. The Mavericks continued to shoot red hot from the field in the third quarter. The Heat did great damage control as Wade started the third quarter in the locker room. Mike Miller started on the court in his place and knocked down two three pointers giving him nine points on the game on three made three pointers. James would step it up scoring six points giving him 15 points on 7-15 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki who after three quarters had 21 points on 8-15 shooting including a three pointer. J.J. Barea added 11 points including two three pointers giving him three for the game. The Mavericks shot 10-20 in the third quarter and four for seven from three's. After three quarters the Mavericks were shooting 9-14(64.2%) from three pointers. The Heat figured the Mavericks would slow down. Well the Mavericks had other thoughts in the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter saw both teams make a huge run late in the game. With the Mavericks leading most of the second half the Heat had kept the game within five to seven points. Then with the Heat trailing 95-90 they started to play team ball. First it was Wade who found a cutting Udonis Haslem to the hoop, then it was James who found a cutting Bosh to the hoop. Then James after a turnover made the pass to Wade to give the Heat a 96-95 lead. After another Mavericks miss Wade hit a three pointer to give the Heat a 99-95 lead. That is when the Mavericks would kick it to another gear. The Mavericks would go on a 10-1 run to go up 105-100. Then with the score 105-101 with under a minute to go Terry hit a three pointer with two on the shot block to basically put the game away. The Mavericks outscored the Heat in the fourth quarter 28-24 to win 112-103 ending the game on a 17-4 run. The Heat were led by Wade in the fourth quarter as he scored 10 of the Heat's 24 points. While the Mavericks got eight points from both Terry and Nowitzki while getting six from Barea. The Mavericks came up big once again and now are just one game away from the title.

For the Heat they still have homecourt advantage but that feels like the only advantage they have. The have now lost three games this finals all of which they led in the fourth quarter by more than one possession. The Heat easily could have wrapped this series up in four or five games with a play here or there. Now they find themselves for the first time all playoffs with their backs against the wall. The Heat today actually had good production from their bench. The Heat were led today once again by Wade who scored 23 points on 6-12 shooting while making a three pointer and 10-12 from free throws. Wade also had eight assists with two steals and a block shot. Bosh was the next highest scorer with 19 points on 6-12 shooting while making seven of nine free throws. Bosh also grabbed 10 rebounds as the Heat dominated the glass outrebounding the Mavericks 36-26. Lebron James scored 17 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds on 8-19 shooting but missed all four three point attempts. James also had just just two free throw attempts and was one for four shooting in the fourth quarter. He scored his only bucket with the Heat trailing by seven points with less than 25 seconds left in the game. Chalmers off the bench added 15 points making four of six three pointers. Haslem scored 10 points on five for eight shooting while Miller scored nine points making three of four three pointers. The Heat even got six points from Juwon Howard off the bench as he made all three field goal attempts. The Heat outrebounded the Mavericks, got production from their bench, shot well from the field making 37 of 70 shots for 52.9% and 8-20(40.0%) from three's. The Heat got to the foul line making 21-26(80.8%) from the charity stripe. Now the Heat must find the hardest thing to solve right now which is the Lebron James saga in the fourth quarter. I'll dive more into James later in this writeup.

For the Dallas Mavericks they did what they had to do which was win the final two home games. For the Mavericks to have had any shot at winning the title they had to be up 3-2 going to Miami. The Mavericks shot the three point shot extremely well making 13-19(68.4%) from downtown which would beat anyone in the NBA. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored 29 points on 9-18(50.0%) while making a three pointer and a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Terry was big again off the bench scoring 21 points including eight in the fourth on 8-12 shooting including three of five from three point range. Terry also had six assists off the bench. J.J. Barea had easily his best game of the Finals scoring 17 points on 6-11 shooting including four of five from three point range and five assists. Chandler finished with 13 points on five for seven shooting with seven rebounds and two block shots. Jason Kidd had 13 points on four for six shooting including three for four from three point range. Kidd also had six assists and three steals. Shawn Marion scored eight points on 4-11 shooting. The Mavericks offense finally erupted and now must win one final game to bring home the championshp to Dallas.

All in all, the Mavericks are so close to winning their first title. The team that almost everyone(not me) picked to get upset in the first round is now one win away from the championship. While the Miami Heat who had a championship type celebration are one loss away from being the NBA's biggest flop since the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers who lost in the finals despite having four hall of famers on their roster. The series will now shift to Miami as the Mavericks will have to win a game six or seven on the road to clinch the title which has only been done four times since 1985. The Heat instead of relying on homecourt or history must find a way to snap Lebron James out of his fourth quarter slumps. Is James slumping in the fourth or is this simply who he is? The Mavericks know they have their closer which Nowitzki has been amazing at scoring 10.4 points per game in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks led by the man who was loyal to his city are one win away from beating the "super" team. The series shifts to Miami now and the anticipation for game six will be extremely high.

Observations:

- Rick Carisle made a risky coaching move that has paid off. Usually coaches don't make starting lineup changes in game four of the NBA Finals. Carisle did replacing DeShawn Stevenson with the slumping Barea. Barea in the first three games coming off the bench was averaging just 4.3 PPG and just 1.7 APG while shooting just 5-23(21.7%) from the field and 1-8(12.5%) from three pointers.

Carisle made the switch which allowed Barea to take advantage of the slower more washed up Mike Bibby to get going early. That switch has paid off as Barea the last two games is averaging 12.5 PPG and 4.5 APG. He's shooting 9-20(45.0%) from the field and 4-7(57.1%) from three point range. The Mavericks are also 2-0 with this new starting lineup and as I'll suggest next Erik Spoelstra needs to do something as well.

- Now being down 3-2 coming back home is nothing to panic about at all. I do think Spoelstra should make a lineup change if not two. He already put Joel Anthony in at center over Zydrunas Ilgauskas who wasn't giving the team much. I think Spoelstra has to put in Mario Chalmers over Mike Bibby and just not play Bibby anymore. Bibby in the finals is averaging just 3.8 PPG which includes a 14 points high in game two. Bibby is shooting 7-20(35.0%) from the field and just 5-17(29.4%) from three point range. Most of which was in game two when he made four of seven three pointers. For the playoffs Bibby is averaging just 3.6 PPG on 27-96(28.1%) shooting from the field and 17-66(25.8%) from three point range.

While Chalmers is averaging 10.6 PPG while shooting 15-35(42.8%) and 12-28(42.8%) from three point range these finals. As you can see Chalmers at least is a threat to score while Bibby the Mavericks don't even guard. For the playoffs Chalmers is averaging 7.3 PPG on 49-112(43.8%) shooting from the field and 30-77(39.0%) from three point range. I think since there is only two games left in the season start Chalmers and play just Haslem and Miller off the bench. Maybe give Eddie House some of Bibby's minutes as Bibby has shown through 20 games this postseason that minus one game he is a liability for the Heat.

- It's raining three pointers for the Mavericks. Law of averages kicked in after the Mavericks went 0-13 in the second half from three point range in game four. The Mavericks more than made up for it this game making 13-19 three pointers. The Mavericks had six of nine guys who played hit a three pointer. Barea led the charge making four of five three pointers, then Kidd and Terry both made three for five, then DeShawn Stevenson made one of two three pointers, Nowitzki and Brian Cardinal each made their lone three point attempt. The Mavericks are almost impossible to beat when they are making that many three pointers.

No three pointer was bigger than Terry's three pointer. In the Mavericks three wins in the fourth quarter Terry is averaging 8.0 PPG while in their two losses he was shutout. Nowitzki is getting his points in the fourth quarter regardless while the Mavericks especially Nowitzki are winning because of Terry. Terry is that sidekick that Nowitzki needed in game one and especially in game three. Due to Terry's play (who ran his mouth but unlike Lebron James is backing it up) the Mavericks are now one victory away from the championship. They'll have two games to win one game to win the ultimate prize.

- Could you have two more opposite stars than Dirk Nowitzki and Lebron James? James a gift from god with his size, power, athletic ability, the ability to play all five positions. James is a 6'8" big buff black guy with tons of tattoos. James is a lighting rod which he mostly brings on himself. James isn't afraid to showboat and let everyone know about his "talents". James loves the hype that surrounds him and craves attention. James also bailed first chance he got on his original team because times were rough then made a huge circus this past offseason from the days leading up to the "decision" to the "decision" itself. Then the after math of the "decision" with the championship like celebration guaranteeing seven championships. To this finals were all the attention seems to be on him regardless of what he does or the Heat does.

Meanwhile in Nowitzki you have a guy who is tall and white. A guy who isn't from this country yet most americans can relate to him more than James. A guy who isn't as physically gifted as James but is the deadliest shooter in the league and lives on the free throw line now. Nowitzki like James has had his fair share of struggles in the postseason. That is the only similarity between the two players. Most probably didn't notice that Nowitzki was a free agent last offseason. Most didn't notice because A) we assumed he would resign in Dallas because he is loyal and B) he didn't hype himself up. Instead Nowitzki has hid under the radar all season long and then started to take down team after team. First it was the Blazers who were going to upset them while Nowitzki averaged 27.3 PPG as they eliminated the Blazers in six games. Next up was the two-time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers and Nowitzki averaged 25.3 PPG as they swept the Lakers. Then it was Oklahoma City Zombies who had the best young scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant and Nowitzki simply averaged 32.2 PPG. Now against the "super" team Nowitzki through five games is averaging 27.0 PPG and averaging 10.4 PPG in the fourth. Nowitzki isn't "flashy" but he just does what an athlete should do which is shut his mouth and just get the job done.

- This NBA finals was supposed to be Lebron James redemption. Nothing cures stupidity like winning. James had own the Eastern Conference on his way to the NBA finals. With the way James was playing he was going to win the Finals MVP in five or six games and all that "decision" crap would seem like a distant memory. Instead James is adding more gasoline to a never ending fire.

James in these finals is putting up decent numbers all around. He's averaging 17.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 7.0 APG. To the naked eye you'd say he's having a good series. The problem is that is a good series if he was Chris Bosh or a player on that level. For the best player in basketball his scoring should be increased by at least eight points which in this series is the difference of throwing a parade already and being down 3-2. James has really struggled from three point range as well. In game one he made 4-5(80.0%) from three point range. Since game one though he has shot just 3-18(16.6%). Another alarming stat is that against the Eastern Conference James averaged 9.1 free throw attempts a game while in the NBA finals he is averaging just 3.3 free throw attempts a game. Considering he's a 77.6% free throw shooter he's costing himself on average 4.5 PPG. Now by just getting to the foul line more he would be averaging 21.7 PPG which given his other numbers could be finals MVP worthy. Now in these playoffs he is shooting 35.0% from three point range. If he had made just 35% of three pointers instead of 3-18 that is another nine points over four games which is 2.2 points a game. Now he's averaging 23.9 PPG which doesn't sound that hard if he was playing like his normal self.

Now his fourth quarter troubles have been terrible. He has scored just 11 points(2.2 PPG) in the fourth quarter this series. In the last four games he's averaging 1.5 PPG which the Heat are 1-3 during that stretch. So if James just goes to the foul line like his usual self and makes his average amount of three pointers that is an extra 6.7 PPG which is huge in this series. James made a circus of this past season now he has just two games to avoid being the butt of every joke for an entire offseason. One thing for people to laugh at you about your "decision" that he can justify. Another thing though to be laughed at because he failed on the biggest stage. One more loss and James will have that label that haunted Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Romo and even Peyton Manning as anti-clutch.

Overall, the biggest winner in these NBA Finals is David Stern as I'm sure the ratings were high for this game five. The game six ratings will most likely be the best the NBA has seen since the early Michael Jordan days. If there is a game seven that could be the highest rated game since the Lakers-Celtics of the 1980's. The Mavericks are a veteran team and not like Miami is such a hostile crowd you can't win there. The Mavericks have what it takes to take care of business and clinch on the road. Just remember the 2-3-2 format is designed for the lower seed to be up 3-2 in the series. When the lower seed is up 3-2 heading into game six on the road in this 2-3-2 format in 1985 they are only 4-3(.571). When said lower seed won the game five to put them ahead 3-2 going on the road they are just 2-3(.400). Just ask the Boston Celtics last year how difficult it is to get that final victory on the road. This series as been great as there has yet to be a blowout. The Dallas Mavericks who are now America's team are just one victory away from the title. The Miami Heat are hoping that homecourt advantage can get Lebron james out of his funk. Should be a highly anticipated game six this Sunday.

Wade leads Heat in critical game three win 88-86 over Mavs to take 2-1 series lead

By Kshell

The Miami Heat survived two separate rally's by the Dallas Mavericks to win the critical game three to regain the series lead 2-1. The Heat won the game 88-86 behind the game winning shot by Chris Bosh who has struggled this entire series. The Mavericks had the ball last with 4.4 seconds left and unlike game two Udonis Haslem defended Dirk Nowitzki forcing Nowiztki to miss a tough jump shot. This was a huge game as the winner of game three in a 1-1 series is 11-0 since the NBA Finals shift to a 2-3-2 format in 1985. The Heat were able to win this game because of Dwyane Wade who scored 29 points including seven in the fourth quarter and pulled down 11 rebounds. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki who scored 34 points including 15 in the fourth quarter and he too pulled down 11 rebounds. The Heat got off to a great start then survived several rallies by the Mavericks to hang on for this win. This win is huge for the Heat as it guarantees them at the very worst a trip back to South Beach.

In the first quarter the Heat came out agressive and were attacking the rim. Unlike the previous two games Lebron James and Dwyane Wade didn't attempt a single three pointer. Then at the end of the first quarter the Heat led 24-22, James got fouled made both free throw's to give the Heat a 26-22 lead. The Mavericks turned the ball over which allowed the Heat to get a final shot off. The play was supposed to go to James but he was covered well so Haslem passed to Mario Chalmers who sank the mid court three pointer to give the Heat a 29-22 lead. The Heat shot well making 12-23(52.2%) from the field while making two of four three pointers. The Heat were led by Wade who scored eight points on four for eight shooting, James who had eight points on three for four shooting and Bosh who had five points on two for four shooting. The Mavericks shot 8-16(50.0%) and made two of four from three pointers. The Mavericks were led by Jason Kidd who had five points and three assists. Nowitzki was held to just two points on one for two shooting. The Mavericks would survive the following quarter due to Nowitzki coming alive.

In the second quarter the Heat extended their lead from 29-22 to 45-31 as they were led by Dwyane Wade again. Then the Mavericks caught fire and ended the half on an 11-2 run to pull within 47-42 at halftime. For the Heat Wade scored 11 of the teams 18 points and made four of the teams five field goals. The Heat shot 5-18(27.7%) from the field that quarter and take away Wade shooting four of five the rest of the team was 1-13. For the Mavericks they were led by Nowitzki scoring eight points and blocking three shots. The Heat let go of a chance to put the Mavericks away and there was another great finish coming. The Heat were led by Wade who had 19 points on 8-13 shooting including a three pointer and had six rebounds. James scored 10 points on three for six shooting and was perfect on four free throws. While Bosh continued to struggle scoring seven points on two for nine shooting. For the Mavericks Nowitzki had 10 points on four for eight shooting including a three pointer. Nowitzki also had five rebounds and three blocks. Jason Terry also scored 10 points on three for six shooting, Shawn Marion added eight points on three for seven shooting. While Kidd had six points, five assists and four rebounds. The Mavericks in the third would survive another big deficit.

The Heat would open up the third quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 55-42. Just like the entire postseason the Mavericks wouldn't go away that easily. The Mavericks would go on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 55-51. The run continued as the Mavericks even took a 59-58 lead as their run extended to 17-3. The Heat would immediately respond as James hit a three pointer then Chalmers drilled a three pointer to give the Heat a 64-59 lead. The quarter would end with the Heat leading 67-64. The Mavericks had outscored the Heat in the third 22-20. The Heat shot 8-21(38.0%) from the field but did make two critical three pointers. The Mavericks shot 7-16(43.7%) from the field including three three pointers. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored nine of his 19 points in the third quarter. While Terry scored five of his 15 points. For the Heat Wade continued to have a great game scoring 22 points on 9-16 shooting while James scored 15 points on 5-11 shooting with five assists. Bosh continued his struggles with 11 points on 4-13 shooting. The fourth quarter was another great finish like game two and an unlikely guy hit the winning shot.

The fourth quarter was a great battle between Wade and Nowitzki. Wade scored at one point seven straight points for Heat while Nowitzki scored 15 of the Mavericks 22 points in the fourth. The Heat also had seven points from Bosh and another huge three pointer by Chalmers. With the score tied at 86 with less than a minute to go James was facing a double team he passed to Bosh. Bosh who had been passing up open shots this time drilled the go ahead shot and by far the biggest shot of his life. The Mavericks then turned the ball over but James missed a three pointer with 4.4 seconds left. Everyone knew who was going to shoot the final shot and unlike game two Haslem was on Nowitzki. Haslem forced Nowitzki to take a fall away jumper that missed. It was a shot Nowitzki has hit several times but this time he missed it. The Heat pulled off the road win that they needed and will now look to control the series with another win in Dallas.

For the Heat this was a huge win to get after the collapse in game two. The Heat were led by Wade who scored 29 points on 12-21 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Bosh rebounded from a poor first two games to score 18 points on 7-18 shooting including the game winning shot. James scored 17 points on 6-14 shooting and dished out nine assists. While Chalmers off the bench scored 12 points on four for six shooting from three point range. For the Mavericks they lost homecourt advantage and now must win at least one more game in Miami to win the championship. Nowitzki led all scorers with 34 points on 11-21 shooting including three three pointers and grabbed 11 rebounds. Terry had 15 points on 5-13 shooting while Marion added just 10 points on 4-12 shooting. Jason Kidd had a good all around game scoring nine points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing six rebounds. The Mavericks didn't give Nowitzki much help while Wade received some help from his other two stars.

All in all, the winner of game three in a 1-1 series in the NBA Finals is a perfect 11 for 11 on winning the title. This was a huge game for both teams and came down to the final possession. This series is far from over but the Heat have a chance to control the series in game four where they are 2-0 these playoffs when leading 2-1. The Mavericks now have comfort knowing the next two games are still at home in Dallas and if not for a half court three pointer by Chalmers they win this game. The Heat easily could be up 3-0 or down 2-1 that is how close these NBA playoffs have been. The big advantage the Heat have going for them is Wade is playing like he did during the 2006 NBA finals. While the Mavericks can't count on only Nowitzki to bail them out. This was a great finish while the Heat snatched back homecourt with a huge win. This was a win the Heat desperately needed after the game two collapse. This was a win that a world championship team would win.

Observations:

- Chris Bosh played a slightly better game but still is passing too much in the fourth quarter. The Heat are hoping that game winning shot for Bosh is the start for him to playing well. Bosh did score seven of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

Bosh shot 7-18(38.9%) from the field which is better than he has shot so far but still below what he is capable of. Bosh had 18 points but just three rebounds. Bosh was terrific last series and the Heat are 2-1 despite him playing poorly through three games. If Bosh can play the game he is capable of the Heat can really put the pressure on the Mavericks.

- Dirk Nowitzki played a great game for the Mavericks in game three. Nowitzki scored 34 points which he scored 32 after the first quarter. Nowitzki finished shooting 11-21(52.3%) from the field, 3-5(60.0%) from three pointers, 9-9(100.0%) from free throws. He pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. In the first two games he hadn't really played well besides the fourth quarter in game two.

In this game Nowitzki was the best player on the court and scored 24 points in the second half including 15 points in the fourth quarter. He is destroying Bosh in the power forward matchup. Now Nowitzki must rally his team yet again as they trail 2-1 for the first time all playoff series. The Mavericks are 3-1 this postseason after a loss so we'll see how they respond after this tough loss. Nowitzki will have to continue to play great for the Mavericks to have a chance to win the championship.

- Dwyane Wade loves the NBA Finals and he especially loves the Dallas Mavericks. Wade had another monster game for the Heat scoring 29 points on 12-21(57.1%) shooting from the field while grabbing 11 rebounds. Wade like he was in game one was huge in the fourth quarter scoring seven points. Wade is the early favorite if the Heat win the Finals to win his second Finals MVP.

In these Finals Wade is averaging 29.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 5.0 APG. Wade is shooting 34-60(56.7%) from the field and 6-15(40.0%) from three pointers. Wade is also averaging 7.7 PPG in the fourth quarter as well. Wade is carrying his team and has the Heat just two wins away from their second championship in franchise history. Bosh and James have disappeared the last two games but Wade is playing like he did in the 2006 NBA Finals. If Wade were to win his second NBA Finals curious where he lands on this all-time NBA top 10 list. For now Wade and the Heat need just two more wins and they know they are at the very worst coming back home.

In conclusion, the Miami Heat like they have this whole postseason won the critical swing game in the series. The Heat are now 4-0 in the postseason following a loss. The Heat sustained two separate big runs by the Mavericks to pull off the narrow two point victory. Now the Mavericks know realistictly they have to win game four at home as beating the Heat three times in a row which would include two in Miami seems impossible. I actually expect game four to be an even better game than game two and three as both teams know just how important that game four is. For the Heat if they win game four they basically wrap up the championship. For the Mavericks a win turns this into a best of three series. This has been a great finals watching Nowitzki try and carry the Mavericks while Wade responds every time down. Now the Heat lead this Finals 2-1 but this Finals is far from over. Wade will try and do his best this Tuesday to put this series away once and for all.

Miami Heat take game one of NBA Finals 92-84 over Dallas Mavericks

By Kshell

The Miami Heat took game one of the NBA Finals over the Dallas Mavericks 94-84 behind good games from the famous big three. The Heat were led by Lebron James who scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Dwyane Wade scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Bosh scoring 19 points and nine rebounds. The Heat also saw some production from their bench as their bench outscored the Mavericks bench 27-17. The Heat also outrebounded the Mavericks by 10 and the Heat made more three pointers than the Mavericks. It was about as dominant as you can be in an eight point victory. For the Mavericks besides Dirk Nowitzki who scored 27 points and Shawn Marion who scored 16 points and 10 rebounds there just wasn't much production. The Heat have now won five NBA Finals games in a row over the Dallas Mavericks dating back to 2006. Now the Mavericks will hope to get the split in game two in Miami to even the series up. For the Heat they continue their home dominance improving to 9-0 at home in these playoffs.

The first quarter was a grind for both teams as scoring was tough to come by. The Dallas Mavericks led the first quarter 17-16 behind Jason Kidd scoring six points on two three pointers, Jason Terry six points on a three pointer and Dirk Nowitzki scoring four points. The Heat had Lebron James lead the way with eight points and Chris Bosh scoring six points. The other two points was by Dwyane Wade. The Heat didn't receive much production from their other two starters. It was a slow quarter for both teams as the Heat shot 6-20(30.0%) from the field and Mavericks were even worse shooting 4-14(28.6%) from the field. The difference in the quarter was the Mavericks made three three's to the Heat just making the one. In the following quarter the Heat would start to knock down some three point shots.

In the second quarter was a nice back and forth contest as both teams scored 27 points for the Mavericks to lead at halftime 44-43. The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki who scored nine of his 13 points in the second quarter. Nowitzki had 13 points on four for nine shooting from the field. Then Shawn Marion scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds. The Mavericks got 12 points off the bench including making three three pointers. For the Heat they were led by Mario Chalmers in the second quarter as he scored 10 points off the bench and made three for five from three point range. The Heat big three had a nice first half as well led by Bosh who scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. James had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists on four for eight shooting. For Wade he had seven points, five rebounds, three assists. The Heat in the second quarter made five for nine from three point range. This would set up a great second half in which the Mavericks blew a chance to put the game away.

In the third quarter the Mavericks began the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 51-43 lead over the Heat. That was a turning point as the Heat went on a run throughout the rest of the quarter led by Lebron James. Lebron James hit a fall away three pointer at the buzzer to give the Heat a 65-61 lead after three quarters. The Heat had outscored the Mavericks 22-17 in the quarter. For James he was three for three that quarter from three pointers to lead the Heat. Wade started to turn it around as well scoring eight points in the third quarter. The Heat after three quarters were starting to hit their three pointers making 9-21(42.9%) and outrebounding the Mavericks 36-30. That set up a a fourth quarter where the Heat's big three took over especially the 2006 Finals MVP.

In the fourth quarter the Heat pulled away outscoring the Mavericks 27-23 to win 92-84 to take game one. The Heat were led by Wade who scored seven points in the fourth quarter and James who scored five points. Chris Bosh also scored five points in the fourth. The Heat when it came down to it have three of the four best players on the court. The Heat for the game were led by Lebron James scoring 24 points, grabbing nine rebound and dishing out five assists. James shot 9-16 from the field and made four of five three pointers. Dwyane Wade scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and had two block shots. Wade shot 9-19(6-9 second half)from the field including two three pointers. Chris Bosh finished with 19 points and nine rebounds but shot just 5-18(1-9 second half) from the field. The Heat also got 12 points from Chalmers, seven from Haslem and six from Mike Miller.

For the Mavericks they had several guys let them down. Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 27 points on 7-18 shooting and 12-12 from the foul line. The Mavericks got just 12 points from Jason Terry who was shutout in the second half. In fact Terry, Peja Stojakovic and J.J. Barea combined to shoot 4-21 for just 14 points. The Mavericks big advantage on the Heat this series was supposed to be their depth yet it appeared the Heat were the deeper team. Nowitzki and Marion showed up but nobody else did. Jason Kidd finished with nine points all on three point shots and six assists. The Mavericks must regroup as they don't want to fall behind 0-2 in this series.

All in all, this is just game one of a very long series. I do think today's game represents why the Heat will win the series. The Heat at the end of games just have three great players to lean on while the Mavericks have just one. Like last series against the Bulls the Heat will make the Mavericks beat them by Nowitzki scoring over 40 points otherwise this will be a short series. The Heat bench stepping up won't last forever but whenever the bench steps up that is a win for the Heat. You also saw how great the Heat defense is today holding the Mavericks to just 84 points which counts Kidd hitting a three pointer with practically little time left in the fourth quarter with the game over. Now the Heat will hope to improve to 10-0 at home while the Mavericks with their backs to the wall will look to make this a series once again.

Observations:

- Lebron James is inching closer and closer to his first title. Today James carried his team until Wade finally came through. James hit the dagger three pointer at the end of the three quarter that felt like it turned the game around. He had two great dunks in the fourth quarter as well.

James finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists. James has been terrific these playoffs and hit four three pointers. James took a ton of crap about the "decision" but that will be forgotton if he can win the title this season.

- Nowitzki scored 27 points and was 12-12 from the foul line. Yet Nowitzki didn't have the impact he has had in the past three series. I think Nowitzki has to average 35+ points a game for the Mavericks to win this series. I just think the Heat's perimeter defense will shut down the Mavericks guards so it will be up to Nowitzki. Nowitzki shot just 7-18(38.9%) from the field and shot under 40.0% in that 2006 NBA Finals.

Nowitzki when facing the Western Conference was able to dominate but today wasn't the case. Nowitzki had a strange 27 point outing and he's bound to have a more productive game. Nowitzki was also terrible on the rebounds having just eight while Miami had 16 offensive rebounds including five by Bosh.

- Who would have thought the Heat bench would have been more productive than the Dallas Mavericks bench? The Heat bench outscored the Mavericks bench 27-17, outrebounded them 15-8 and shot better than the Mavericks. The Heat bench shot 8-22(36.4%) from the field, 5-11(45.5%) from three's and six from seven from free throws. While the Mavericks bench shot just 4-22(18.1%) from the field, 3-10(30.0%) from three pointers and 6-10(60.0%)from free throws. All around the Heat bench just out played the Mavericks bench.

The Heat bench was led by Mario Chalmers who scored 12 points on three three pointers. Then Udonis Haslem was big scoring sevent points and grabbing six rebounds. Mike Miller hit two three pointers scoring six points and five rebounds. Even Juwan Howard in just seven minutes of playing time added two points and three offensive rebounds. If the Heat bench is playing well then this will be a short series.

- Dwyane Wade ended his slump scoring 15 of his 22 points in the second half. Wade also rebounded from shooting 3-10 to finish 9-19 shooting. Wade struggled against the Bulls last series but the Mavericks don't have guys who can contain him. After playing yet another poor half Wade had a great all around game. He basically had a typical Wade game scoring 22 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out six assists and recording two block shots.

Wade also had a beautiful alley-oop pass to Lebron James for the dunk at the end of the game. In a game where Bosh shot 5-18 including 1-9 in the second half it simply didn't matter. James and Wade were just so good it didn't matter. At the start of the playoffs most people agreed that Wade is the third best player in the NBA. If Wade plays like Wade the Heat could be celebrating a title very soon.

In conclusion, the Heat's victory over the Mavericks was expected as most teams win game one at home. In fact the last time a team lost game one at home in the NBA Finals was 2004 when the Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. Winning game one is important though as the winner of game one of the NBA Finals since 1990-2010 has won the Finals 17 times. So game one winners in the last 21 NBA Finals are 17-4(.809). One of those four losses of course was 2006 when the Dallas Mavericks won game one but lost the series to the Heat in six games. The Heat looked tough at home and just appear to be clicking at the right time. The Mavericks though to their credit are tough on the road and this series is far from over. The Mavericks will have a chance to get the split in game two then have three straight at home. With the way James and Wade are playing though the Mavericks better get a move on it or their season could end very soon.

Western Conference Finals Preview + Predictions

By Kshell

The Western Conference Finals is finally here and what makes this year strange is that the Lakers aren't in the Western Conference Finals. In fact since 1980 only four years(1981,1990,1993,2006) prior to this year where a Western Conference Finals didn't have the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs or Utah Jazz. What also makes this series unique is that this is only the third time since 1980 that a conference finals didn't have a #1 or #2 seed. The other two years were 1981 when the 6th seeded Houston Rockets defeated the 5th seeded Kansas City Kings. The other year was 1990 when the 3rd seeded Portland Trail Blazers defeated the 5th seeded Phoenix Suns. I should say the Blazers did have the second best record in the west and against the 2nd seeded Spurs in the second round the Blazers had homecourt. So this is the first time the two best teams in the conference haven't been in the conference finals since 1981 in either conference. That still doesn't mean this series won't be a good series as most people had both these teams high up on their list of teams heading into the season.

This series features a matchup of the veteran Dallas Mavericks who have a roster full of guys chasing their first championship. For the other side you have the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics which feature the third youngest team in the NBA. The Zombies have two all NBA guys in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook plus a plethora of big men to throw at teams. The Mavericks will have that big game experience so it will come down to talent vs experience this series. Like I did with the Eastern Conference preview I'll give three keys for each team to win the series then I'll offer up a prediction. I'll start off with the Zombie Sonics(thanks Schultz!) who despite what morons on ESPN keep saying making their first conference finals.

Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics:

The city of Seattle right now should be buzzing with the Sonics instead due to idiots at high places we can only suffer. The Zombies feature a championship roster which has all the ingredients for a championship team. They feature a closer at the end of games and a top five player in the NBA in Kevin Durant. They feature a second star in Russell Westbrook which almost every champion needs. They feature good depth as seven guys give them 20 plus minutes a game this playoffs. They feature plenty of big men who they feel comfortable with. The only thing the Zombies don't have is experience but they are gaining experience from this postseason. Now I'll give my three keys they must do to win this series.

1. Give Kevin Durant the ball he's the best scorer in the NBA

Very rarely do you have a scorer like Kevin Durant if ever. There is no way to defend Durant as he can shoot over the smaller defenders or blow right by the bigger defenders. The problem this playoffs is at times like game four vs the Memphis Grizzlies where Durant went the final nine minutes of regulation without one shot attempt. Durant is a first team all-NBA performer as he averaged 27.7 points per game while shooting 46.2% from the field, 35% on three pointers making almost two a game and 88% from free throws on nine attempts a game. Durant is a scorer who can get to the rim or beat you on the outside. In the playoffs he has been even better averaging 28.9 points per game shooting 45.8% from the field, 38% on three pointers making 2.5 a game and 82.2% from free throws on 10 attempts a game. Durant is a dangerous player to go up against in a seven game series.

2. Zombie Sonics bigs must defend the three ball:

This will be a tough matchup for the Zombies as all four of their bigs in Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed are all bangers. The Lakers had that problem too as it became obvious pretty quickly that Andrew Bynum couldn't play that series. Well this series I don't know what the Zombies plan on doing to slow down Dirk Nowitzki but that will be a huge key. You can't stop Nowitzki but you also can't allow him to take over games especially in the fourth quarter like he has. I'm sure the Zombies will put the more athletic Ibaka on him as Ibaka is a great shotblocker as well. The Zombies don't really feature anyone who is capable of defending Nowitzki they might have to put Durant on him in late game situations.

3. Russell Westbrook must dominate the Mavericks point guards:

I just told you the Mavericks big advantage this series well the Zombies have a big advantage themselves in Westbrook. The Mavericks had the perfect storm to hide Jason Kidd the first two series. Kidd went up against Andre Miller then Steve Blake and Derek Fisher who Kidd is more athletic than. This series that won't be the case as Westbrook should be able to dominate that matchup and if he doesn't well this will be a short series. Westbrook was named second team all-nba behind MVP Derrick Rose as he scored 21.9 points per game, dished out 8.2 assists per game, grabbed 4.6 rebounds and had 1.9 steals. He also shot 44.2% from the field, 33% from three pointers and 84.2% from free throws. In the playoffs Westbrook has been criticized for shooting too much but he is a good player himself. These playoffs he's averaging 23.9 points per game, dishing out 7.0 assists a game and grabbing 5.6 rebounds. For the Zombies to have a chance Westbrook has to dominate the Jason Kidd matchup.

Dallas Mavericks:

The team who is best known for choking in the playoffs has yet to lose a game since blowing a 24 point lead to the Blazers in round one. The Mavericks shocked everyone by not only beating the Lakers but they swept the Lakers. In game four the Mavericks hit 20-32(62.5%) from three point range. The Mavericks feature tons of players who have been close to winning a title from Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry who were on that 2006 Finals team who blew a 2-0 series lead over the Miami Heat. They also have Jason Kidd who lost back to back NBA finals in 2002 and 2003. They also have Peja Stojakovic who was on that Kings team in 2002 who lost the Western Finals in a game seven. The Mavericks also have Tyson Chandler who was on the 2008 New Orleans Hornets team who blew a 2-0 series lead over the Spurs in the second round. The Mavericks have Shawn Marion who lost back to back Western Conference Finals with the Suns in 2005 and 2006 as well. As you can see this is a hungry roster trying to erase those horrible memories. Now I'll give three keys for the Mavericks if they plan on winning this series.

1. Continue to make Nowitzki a matchup nightmare for opponents:

The Zombies like I discussed earlier have nobody who can even come close to matching up with Nowitzki. Nowitzki has been a force these playoffs averaging 26.5 points per game while grabbing 8.4 rebounds. He is shooting 49.7% from the field, 60.0% from three pointers on two attempts a game and 89.9% from the free throw line. In the fourth quarter Nowitzki has hit tough shot after another on the Blazers and Lakers. Nowitzki is still capable of bringing the ball inside and drawing fouls which is an automatic two points. Nowitzki will try to bring out one of the Zombies shot blocking duo of Perkins and most likely Ibaka. By doing that the Mavericks will have more room to penetrate the hole. This will be Nowitzki's third conference finals. The first one saw him get hurt as the Mavericks lost to the Spurs in six games in 2003. The second one saw Nowitzki drop 50 on the Suns in a critical game five as the Mavericks won in six games in 2006. Nowitzki like the rest of the roster is hungry to prove the doubters wrong.

2. Make it rain three pointers:

The Mavericks have been draining three pointers these playoffs especially against the Lakers. In the playoffs the Mavericks are averaging 9.5 three pointers a game on 41.9% shooting. The Mavericks have plenty of people who are capable of burning you on three pointers. We all know about Nowitzki but he isn't the only one. Jason Terry coming off a game where he hit 9-10 from three pointers these playoffs is hitting 2.2 a game for 50.0% from downtown. Stojakovic coming off a game where he hit 6-6 from three point range is making 2.4 a game for 46.2% from downtown. Jason Kidd had a huge Blazers series for the playoffs he's hitting 2.2 a game and DeShawn Stevenson is hitting a three pointer a game. The Mavericks stretch the floor so well and always have four guys on the court who can drill the three pointer on you. They also get to the rim so they don't live and die by the three pointer.

3. Mavericks bench to continue playing great:

The Mavericks bench led by Jason Terry has been outstanding these playoffs. In the game four win over the Lakers the bench scored 86 points which is incredible. The bench features Jason Terry who is averaging 18.3 points per game, Peja Stojakovic averaging 10.7 points per game and J.J. Barea who is averaging 7.7 points per game. Barea changed game two of the Lakers series with his constant penetration and kicking it out. While Terry and Stojakovic have given the Mavericks huge lifts in these playoffs. Both veterans are shooting great and give the Mavericks a very deep roster. The Mavericks have eight guys who average 17 plus minutes a game which shows you how deep this team is. The Mavericks other than Nowitzki have several key pieces that can come in and out. If the Mavericks continue this production from their bench look for them to win the title.

Prediction: Mavericks in Seven games

You think I was going to pick the team that was stolen from Seattle? Child please! Actually I think this series will be a great series that will go the distance. I think the Mavericks could even lose tonight due to rust as they haven't played in nine days. I'm picking the Mavericks because I think the Zombies are too young and a year away. The Mavericks are hungry plus feature a deep roster. The Mavericks also have a great closer in Nowitzki who the Zombies have nobody capable of guarding him. I do think the Zombies will give the Mavericks some problems too why I said seven games. This should be a great conference finals just wish this was in Seattle. Also remember the only owner who flat out voted no against the Sonics move was Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. At the end though Nowitzki will prove to be the difference in a critical game seven.