Finals Talk: Feel-Good Champions

First things first, congratulations have to go the the Dallas Mavericks for beating the Miami Heat in a series that they had no chance of winning according to the sporting public.

Dallas was playing with house money from Game 1 on because it seemed like people were beginning to make excuses for Dirk Nowitski not winning his ring, it was all set in stone that the Dallas Mavericks were set to be tragic losers once again. 

Well, it didn't happen and it didn't happen for a bunch of reasons and just to make the record clear, I picked the Mavs in seven game before the Finals began and it wasn't because of hate or LeBron or any of that, but rather because of size, depth and Dirk being the MVP of the postseason going into the Finals.

It's always a great sight to see a deserving superstar get his first ring and Dirk and Kidd and Terry all deserved to win this series because of the long fight all of those players put in over the years to get to this moment and they finally achieved it.

Game 6 may have been the least competitive game in this NBA Finals, the one thing it had going for ti down the stretch was the threat of someone stepping up for the Heat to make that last run, but it never really happened and the Mavericks kinda coasted to the win and it made the loss for the Heat that much more telling.

The fight was clearly gone from the Heat bench as they entered the last couple minutes and it was quite the sight.

Lebron James last night completed one of the worst NBA Finals for any superstar ever. It's amazing how numbers almost have to be disregarded to consider the way he played in this series. He had as many turnovers as he did assists.

Today is about the Mavericks and Mark Cuban and the terrific job they did in this series in proving their NBA worth to the rest of the world.

Photos Courtesy of Getty Images

Finals Talk: Never Say Die

Well, that was an interesting conclusion to a game that many people thought was over before it actually ended.

The Dallas Mavericks tied the NBA Finals at one game a piece when they were able to erase a 15 point deficit in the fourth quarter on the back of eight huge fourth quarter points by Dirk Nowitzki.

Many people said that the series was over after a dominant fourth quarter by the Heat and those proclamations would have gotten even louder if Miami had held onto that huge lead to make it a 2-0 series.

The funny things about last night's game is how people are talking as much about the Heat's premature celebration as they are about the dagger by Dirk.

Personally I find nothing wrong with what LeBron and Wade did after that three point make by Dwyane with 7:13 to go which put the score at 88-73.

The timing of the celebration may have been a little early, but it's something that all NBA players do and it's not the thing I would criticize the Heat for.

Chris Bosh defending Dirk on the last possession was puzzling and LeBron taking fall away jumpers when Wade had 36 points is questionable. Wade only took two shots after that three point basket and one of those shots was the last second heave at the buzzer.

With the series tied at one, the question is how will Miami respond going to Dallas for Game 3 amidst all the talk of the Heat's epic collapse.

One thing we do know is that this series is definitely not over.

Photos Courtesy of the McClatchy-Tribute and the Associated Press

Finals Talk: Game 1 Overreaction

Last night, the Miami Heat took Game 1 of the NBA Finals by a score of 92-84 and looked impressive in the fourth quarter when they finally pulled away from the Dallas Mavericks.

As always instead of talking about what the win means for the Miami Heat and speaking about what the Heat did well, everyone overreacts and says that the Mavs are done and the series is over...goodness, what is wrong with people?

It's Game 1 people, Game 1. The Mavs are still in this series all they did was lose Game 1 on the road, far from being a dagger in the hearts of Dallas.

The one thing that will hurt Dallas is the torn tendon in Dirk Nowitzki middle finger on his non shooting hand.

Nowitzki had 27 points on 7-18 shooting and wasn't as deadly last night as he was in the Thunder series and missed some shots that helped to kill whatever momentum Dallas was trying to build in the forth quarter to stay in the game.

The performance from the Mavs didn't sync up last night and it wasn't because of outstanding defense by the Heat, it was because of missed wide open shots that ended up turning the page in favor of Miami who was able to get some key transition baskets.

Jason Terry only had 12 points on 3-10 shooting and only 3-7 from three point range, while Peja Stojakovic went scoreless on three bad misses from beyond the arc and J.J Barea didn't bring much to the table either.

These guys won't remain bottled up for the duration of the series and while that won't guarantee a Mavs Finals victory, it at the very least shows that this series is not over.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press