Previewing the NBA Finals

For the first time in 4 years, the Finals will not be featuring Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead we have a very intriguing match up between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. These two teams met each other in the 2006 Finals and the rematch promises to provide more drama and excitement. Of course the last time these two teams met in the Finals both Rosters looked very different especially the Miami Heat. Bye bye Shaq, Hello Lebron James and Chris Bosh. As for the Mavericks they are getting great production for the crafty veteran Jason Kidd, and his backup JJ Barea has been a spark off the bench. Tyson Chandler also gives them a very nice presence in the paint. Lets now do a position by position comparison between the Mavs and Heat.




No shortage of Superstar players in the 2011 NBA Finals, featuring the likes of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Chris Bosh.

Point Guard
Jason Kidd & JJ Barea vs Mike Bibby & Mario Chalmers - Advantage Dallas.

By the Roster Bibby and Chalmers are the official PG's, however, expect to see James and Wade take the point at times during the game. For the sake of this comparison, lets stick to Bibby and Chalmers. Kidd and Bibby are each teams veteran PG's, personally give me Kidd over Bibby any day. Kidd has been hitting 3's better than ever, is also the superior passer to Bibby, and he is excellent at drawing in defenders and then kicking out to a shooter. While I like the energy Chalmers brings to the Heat off the bench, Barea has just been so good and so effective in the playoffs that I'd also have to go with Dallas here. Barea can provide immediate scoring and mismatches. Advantage Dallas.

Shooting Guard
DeShawn Stevenson/Jason Terry vs Dwyane Wade - Advantage Miami.

I like what both Stevenson and Terry can do, especially if either can hit some early shots then they can get hot and seem like they will never miss a jumper, however, the decision here is pretty easy, Dwyane Wade is a game changer, an excellent defender, impossible to stop offensively and has won the Finals before. Wade is just too quick, strong and talented to be stopped. Even if he is not having his best shooting night he will get to the line a lot, draw a ton of fouls, play excellent defense, and pass the ball extremely well too. Dwyane Wade is capable of making plays that can demoralize a team. Advantage Miami.

Small Forward
Shawn Marion vs Lebron James - Advantage Miami.

While I love how Marion has been playing, and really accepted being a role player, this is a no brainer. James is just a far far superior player. No doubt James is the better player, will put up better numbers, play better defense and do just about everything well, the Mavs need a Herculean type performance from Marion. Look, you don't shut down Lebron James, you just try to contain him, and hope he doesn't go for a triple double with 30+ points on you. I think this matchup, while widely in favor of the Heat, will be a pivotal point in this Finals. How much can Marion slow down James? We will find out. Advantage Miami.

Power Forward
Dirk Nowitzki vs Chris Bosh - Advantage Dallas.

Dirk's fadeaway is almost impossible to stop, preview of things to come for Chris Bosh?

Now this matchup is going to be a lot of fun to watch. While Chris Bosh has definitely stepped up his game the last few weeks, you gotta give the advantage here to Nowitzki. Dirk has been playing out of his mind lately, and he is essentially unguardable. If Dirk starts hitting that fade-away jumper then all you can hope if you're the Heat is that Wade and Lebron are hitting their shots. Not only can Dirk hit that fade away, but he is excellent at drawing fouls and getting to the foul line in bunches, and he is an excellent Free Throw shooter. Oh and did I mention Dirk can hit a 3 about as good as anyone? While I understand Bosh is a good talent, and will have a good series, Dirk is just better. Advantage Dallas

Center
Tyson Chandler & Brendan Haywood vs Udonis Haslem & Joel Anthony - Advantage Dallas.

Haslem had himself a nice series vs Chicago, definitely provided a presence that the Heat needed in order to get by the Bulls. Anthony while having almost no offensive game, is a better defender than you think, and is a high energy big man who gets the most out of his talent. While both Haslem and Anthony will play solid at worst, you gotta give the advantage to Chandler and Haywood. They are bigger and more athletic than their Miami counterparts, have a bigger impact on the offensive end, not only scoring more points but grabbing a healthy amounts of offensive rebounds too. Advantage Dallas.


So Dallas has the advantage in 3 of the 5 positions, and also at the 2 most important positions (PG and Center), I still gotta give the edge to Miami in this series. Wade and Lebron are just so dominating, and Bosh should be good too, that even if they can get mediocre performances from their other players that they will pull out the victory here. Dallas I feel will be relying way too much on players like DeShawn Stevenson and Shawn Marion to play out of their mind to take this series. I think it will be a lot of fun to watch, both teams play good all round basketball. My prediction is Miami in 7, with the big 3 getting a championship in their first year together. The question then will be, who can stop them in the East? (see previous post).


What I will be watching today:
San Francisco Giants (Madison Bumgarner) vs St. Louis Cardinals (Kyle McClellan).

MLB Power Rankings will be up on Wednesday. Lots of changes, so check back for that too.