gpikeNBA Finals Preview Part 2
May 29th 2011 22:23
Here's the second part of a three part series previewing the NBA Finals which start Tuesday.
Starting Lineups:
Center- Miami starts Joel Anthony and Dallas counters with Tyson Chandler. While at moments during the playoffs, Anthony hasn't been a bad starter for Miami, Chandler has proven to be a huge reason Dallas is winning. The center has dominated opposing centers including Marcus Camby, Andrew Bynum at times, and Kendrick Perkins. He will continue this domination versus Anthony. Edge goes to Dallas.
Power Forward- Dirk Nowitzki has steamrolled through competition this postseason. Chris Bosh in comparsion has played better as the postseason has gone on. Bosh won't likely get the defensive assignment against Nowitzki as Lebron James is poised to grab it. James can't stop Dirk any better then Bosh could. Edge to Dallas.
Small Forward- If James gets Nowitzki then Bosh will match up with Shawn Marion. James has had his moments in the playoffs at times being unstoppable and other times disappearing. Marion has stepped up and been a great complement to Nowitzki and in taking over the starting job once Caron Butler went down to injury. He is a standout defender but his offensive skills lack. Edge to Miami.
Shooting Guard- When Wade and James are on then Miami is impossible to beat. He caught fire in the final stretches of game five with Chicago propelling the Heat to the win. DeShawn Stevenson is known for his defense. He will be asked to step up once again versus Wade. Stevenson slowed down Russell Westbrook in the conference finals. Wade grabs the edge here for Miami.
Point Guard- Even with both of these guys being aging veterans this position battle is very key to the series. Jason Kidd is having a great playoffs for the Mavericks, either by distributing the ball or knocking down key shots. Mike Bibby sometimes disappears on the court with Miami going with their other stars. Bibby needs to play up to his level. Edge to Dallas.
Bench: The Mavericks bench put on a show against Portland and Los Angeles but struggled against Oklahoma City outside of Jason Terry. The guard who will coincide with Stevenson against Wade will be counted on to score in bunches. J.J. Barea went wild against the Blazers and Lakers but the Thunder slowed him down. Miami has good defense on the wing and should be able to slow down Barea as well. Peja Stojakovic is very streaky much like Miami's Mike Miller. Udonis Haslem had one good game versus Chicago but the rest of the Heat bench is nonexistent. Edge to Dallas.
Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra has Miami peaking at the right time. But he is new to this sort of pressure and spotlight being in the NBA finals. Rick Carlisle has been around for a while but like Spoelstra is new to the finals. Carlisle seems to relate better to his team on a whole then Spoelstra does. Edge to Dallas.
Intangelibles: James, Wade, and Bosh each proclaimed before the season began how they are going to win title after title. Now is their first chance to do so. They will be under tremendous pressure from the media and themselves. Dallas is under a different pressure as this is likely one of their final runs as a team. They are aging rapidly with Kidd leading the way. This category I see is even as each team are facing pressure and neither had more rest then the other.
There you have it, Dallas wins the battle five to two with the one tie. Miami may have homecourt advantage but Dallas has the edge at nearly every position.
Starting Lineups:
Center- Miami starts Joel Anthony and Dallas counters with Tyson Chandler. While at moments during the playoffs, Anthony hasn't been a bad starter for Miami, Chandler has proven to be a huge reason Dallas is winning. The center has dominated opposing centers including Marcus Camby, Andrew Bynum at times, and Kendrick Perkins. He will continue this domination versus Anthony. Edge goes to Dallas.
Power Forward- Dirk Nowitzki has steamrolled through competition this postseason. Chris Bosh in comparsion has played better as the postseason has gone on. Bosh won't likely get the defensive assignment against Nowitzki as Lebron James is poised to grab it. James can't stop Dirk any better then Bosh could. Edge to Dallas.
Small Forward- If James gets Nowitzki then Bosh will match up with Shawn Marion. James has had his moments in the playoffs at times being unstoppable and other times disappearing. Marion has stepped up and been a great complement to Nowitzki and in taking over the starting job once Caron Butler went down to injury. He is a standout defender but his offensive skills lack. Edge to Miami.
Shooting Guard- When Wade and James are on then Miami is impossible to beat. He caught fire in the final stretches of game five with Chicago propelling the Heat to the win. DeShawn Stevenson is known for his defense. He will be asked to step up once again versus Wade. Stevenson slowed down Russell Westbrook in the conference finals. Wade grabs the edge here for Miami.
Point Guard- Even with both of these guys being aging veterans this position battle is very key to the series. Jason Kidd is having a great playoffs for the Mavericks, either by distributing the ball or knocking down key shots. Mike Bibby sometimes disappears on the court with Miami going with their other stars. Bibby needs to play up to his level. Edge to Dallas.
Bench: The Mavericks bench put on a show against Portland and Los Angeles but struggled against Oklahoma City outside of Jason Terry. The guard who will coincide with Stevenson against Wade will be counted on to score in bunches. J.J. Barea went wild against the Blazers and Lakers but the Thunder slowed him down. Miami has good defense on the wing and should be able to slow down Barea as well. Peja Stojakovic is very streaky much like Miami's Mike Miller. Udonis Haslem had one good game versus Chicago but the rest of the Heat bench is nonexistent. Edge to Dallas.
Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra has Miami peaking at the right time. But he is new to this sort of pressure and spotlight being in the NBA finals. Rick Carlisle has been around for a while but like Spoelstra is new to the finals. Carlisle seems to relate better to his team on a whole then Spoelstra does. Edge to Dallas.
Intangelibles: James, Wade, and Bosh each proclaimed before the season began how they are going to win title after title. Now is their first chance to do so. They will be under tremendous pressure from the media and themselves. Dallas is under a different pressure as this is likely one of their final runs as a team. They are aging rapidly with Kidd leading the way. This category I see is even as each team are facing pressure and neither had more rest then the other.
There you have it, Dallas wins the battle five to two with the one tie. Miami may have homecourt advantage but Dallas has the edge at nearly every position.
Rick Carlisle and Dallas have the edge over Miami
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