James and the Miami Heat experiment has reached a level that I didn’t think it could get to.
I wanted to wait to write this post a day or two after the Heat loss in Game 6 so I could fully digest the outcome of the series itself, the implications of that outcome, and the media blitz that has ensued.
I don’t know if the Angel of Stern could have gotten a better NBA Finals. With a rematch of the 2005 edition between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks, the series pitted the two hottest teams in the playoffs against each other. With both teams coming off of impressive wins in the conference finals, the table was set for a spectacular finish to the season.
The “Headles” as they have been dubbed, came into the series as possibly the most criticized team in the history of basketball. Rightfully so.
They’ve been under the microscope since their formation last summer, beginning with LeBron making his decision to leave Cleveland in favor of Miami, thereby altering the current landscape and mindset of professional basketball as we know it. Any Cavs fan can tell you where they were the night James took his talents to South Beach.
The Decision, was no doubt a slap in the face to Cleveland. Unintentional, as it may have been, it wasn’t handled right by James and he now acknowledges that.
Then there was that pyrotechnic circus at American Airlines Arena in Miami when James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade came up through the floor and proceeded to talk multiple championships! If nothing else, it was a self-serving, ego-massaging, over-hyped event planned for a group of athletes who collectively had accomplished nothing together. Already they were setting themselves up for the harsh criticism.
Flash forward 11 months and they have a chance to silence all the doubters by winning a championship ahead of schedule. Standing in their way, a team looking for their first taste of championship gold – the Dallas Mavericks.
Led by the late game heroics of Dirk Nowitzki against Oklahoma City in the conference finals, Dallas entered the series with a veteran squad and the best bench in basketball lead by Jason Terry, the only other holdover from the ’05 team. Nowitzki, back to the Finals for the second time, had only winning on his mind.
The story of the series was clearly the Heat’s, and more particularly, James’ shortcomings in the final minutes of games and Dallas’ ability to take advantage of those Miami mistakes. Over the course of the series, the play in the fourth quarter defined who would emerge as the winner.
After taking Game 1 rather easily 92-84 and allowing Dirk to get his series average of 27 points, it looked as if the Heat were on the right path to take the series and after getting out to a confident 15 point lead in the second half of Game 2, it looked like Dirk would again be turned away from the only piece of NBA hardware that escaped him.
Just after a three pointer made by Dwyane Wade, capping a 13-0 run in the fourth, and some uncalled for chest bumping, a spark was lit under the Mavericks. The premature celebrating displayed by the Heat did not go unnoticed by the basketball gods, as the roles were then reversed.
In the final 6:19 the Mavericks outscored the Heat 22-5, coming up with defensive stops and key baskets during crunch time. A beautiful finesse move for a game winning layup from Nowitzki, fooling Bosh, would prove to be the difference in this one.
From that point on, the Heat was never the same team. With that comeback, the Mavs put just enough doubt in Miami’s mind to make them think maybe they weren’t destined to win.
Game 3 in Dallas was a bounce back for Miami. Winning on the road in tight fashion 88-86, Chris Bosh would shine, knocking down a 16-foot jumper with 39.6 seconds left, securing the victory. However, again, you could see the chinks in the armor of Miami. They almost let another lead get away.
Game 4 was a must win for Dallas. Despite a 32-point effort from Wade, the fourth quarter would spell troubles. The Heat struggled mightily from the field, going 5-15 with six turnovers, scoring only 14 points the entire period. Opposed, an ill Dirk Nowitzki battling through a fever and showing why he is the undisputed leader of the Dallas Mavericks organization. He went off for 10 of his 21 points in the final quarter including another game winning basket in the final moments just over the outstretched arms of Dwyane Wade.
With the series tied again at 2-2, a best of three games would decide the next NBA champion. In Game 5, the only real offensive explosion of the series occurred. With a modification to the starting lineup in Game 4, replacing DeShawn Stephenson with JJ Barea, and moving Jason Kidd to the off-guard, coach Rick Carlisle once again found something that was having great success against Miami. He stayed with the design in Game 5.
By starting Barea, Carlisle gave some energy to the starting five that it did not have prior to the move. Then, with Jason Terry off the bench, Carlisle was able to get instant offense from him. Off the bench, Terry scored 17 points in 35 minutes for the Mavericks in Game 5. In a game that was never really in jeopardy, the Mavs pulled it out 112-103.
Going back to Miami for Game 6, in my mind, was it. If Miami were to win and bring the series to three games a piece, I felt they would win in Game 7, given the home court advantage. The Mavericks gave Miami no chance. By the time the game entered the fourth, the Mavericks had a stranglehold on the game. James and Wade were never a factor and Bosh had already made himself a ghost.
For the first time in franchise history the Dallas Mavericks became world champions. They were extremely deserving, getting through a difficult Western Conference, sweeping the Lakers in the 2nd round and beating the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference finals.
Dirk Nowitzki has now solidified himself as truly one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It’s tough to put that into perspective but the career that this guy has had, even to this point, warrants the Hall of Fame calling five years to the second he retires. An NBA championship just builds the resume that much stronger.
So what now? Well, first and foremost, any notion that Dirk was soft or unable to win the big game is moot. On the other hand, LeBron and the rest of the Miami cast will have to go through another summer and an impending NBA lockout until they will get another chance to compete for a championship.
Questions surrounding the Heat now run rampant. Questions of LeBron’s dedication to the game have come about, trade speculation, and even if Erik Spoelstra is the right man to take the Heat to the Promised Land.
Some of these questions, well warranted, others not so much. One thing is for certain: Miami must find more depth. This series proves that a team will beat any “Big Three” any day. Veteran leadership from Nowitzki, Terry Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Tyson Chandler proved to be invaluable for a team who has been among the class of the West for a decade.
Miami must find a legitimate low-post threat that is able to guard the center position and provide some type of offensive relief to the other three. Miami’s supposed key role players Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem both had up and down seasons plagued with injuries and off the court issues that could have held Miami back. No doubt this will be the worst Heat team the Headles play on. They should look forward to the future and improving their own personal games while getting comfortable playing together with one another.
Forget how good LeBron and D-Wade were in quarters 1-3. It doesn’t matter. It’s an over used phrase in sports, but big players make big plays in big games. James and Wade combined for 62 points in the 4th throughout the series, while series MVP Dirk Nowitzki got that by himself. If the Heat hope to overcome their last hurdle, they’re going to have to come to play when it matters.
Written by Shane McFarland
Follow me on Twitter @mcfarlands412 or Email me at stmcfarland5@gmail.com
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