Category: In the News

NBA Finals matchups

Express-News NBA writer Mike Monroe profiles the key players and matchups in the NBA Finals between the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks and the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat:

POINT GUARD

Mavericks: (9) Jason Kidd 6-4, 17th yr — He negated Russell Westbrook’s athleticism with guile and experience, but Bibby has been around nearly as long as he has. … His assists have increased in each series, to a high of 8.6 in Western finals.

Heat: (0) Mike Bibby 6-2, 13th yr — Bibby hasn’t scored much in the playoffs (3.6 PPG), but his scoring has increased, series to series to series. … He remains the worst defender among the 10 Finals starters.

Edge: Mavericks

SHOOTING GUARD

Mavericks: (92) D. Stevenson 6-5, 11th yr — A starter in name only, and only because he’s a disciplined, physical defender. So he’s well-suited to get first crack at putting clamps on Wade. … Rarely on floor in crunch time.

Heat: (3) Dwyane Wade 6-4, 8th yr — After dominant Eastern semis vs. Celtics (30.2 ppg, 52.6 percent shooting), output dropped vs. Bulls in Eastern finals (18.8, 40.5) and there are concerns about a sore left shoulder.

Edge: Heat

SMALL FORWARD

Mavericks: (0) Shawn Marion 6-7, 12th yr — Defensive work on Kevin Durant in Western finals enhanced his value and made him defensive key in these Finals. … He’ll harass James but has to stay out of foul trouble. … Quick rebounder.

Heat: (6) LeBron James 6-8, 8th yr — No question he has become crunch option No. 1. … His legacy at stake, he prepared for pressure of Finals with clutch performances in Eastern finals. … Expect him to help a lot on Nowitzki.

Edge: Heat

POWER FORWARD

Mavericks: (41) Dirk Nowitzki 7-0, 13th yr — Leading scorer in first three rounds of playoffs (28.2 PPG) and coming off 32.2 PPG in Western finals. … Hitting 51.6 from 3-point range. … Best foul shooter in the series and gets to line in crunch time.

Heat: (1) Chris Bosh 6-11, 8th yr — After breakout in Eastern finals, when he averaged 23.2 points, there should be no more references to Heat’s “Big 2 1/2.” … Will energy required to defend Nowitzki affect his offense?

Edge: Mavericks

CENTER

Mavericks: (6) Tyson Chandler 7-0, 10th yr — Offensive rebounding and defense at the rim make him a key player in series. … Goal No. 1: Stay out of foul trouble so he can stay on the floor. … Always looking to cut to rim for lobs that become dunks.

Heat: (50) Joel Anthony 6-9, 4th yr — Production and playing time dipped in Eastern finals because of Udonis Haslem’s return. … Must keep Chandler off the offensive glass. … Outstanding interior defender.

Edge: Mavericks

BENCH

Mavericks: Jason Terry is second option in crunch time, behind Nowitzki, keeping defenders from doubling on Dirk. … Peja Stojakovic is a long-range threat. … J.J. Barea is effective as a change-of-pace point guard.

Heat: Can’t overstate importance of Udonis Haslem’s return. He can body up on Nowitzki, as he did in 2006 Finals, when Nowitzki made only 39 percent. … Finally healthy, Mike Miller is their X-factor, capable of changing a game.

Edge: Mavericks

COACH

Mavericks: Rick Carlisle 3rd yr — Was Tom Thibodeau really the best defensive coach in the league this season, or was it Carlisle, who somehow turned a team that has Nowitzki, Stojakovic and Barea into one of the best?

Heat: Erik Spoelstra 3rd yr — Does anyone remember when his job was on the line back in November? … His message during Eastern finals was consistent and to the point: Defend, play hard and play smart.

Edge: Mavericks

PREDICTION

Mavericks in 6

Three ‘Heatles’ trump Nowitzki again in Game 3

The Miami Heat outnumbered Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki again Sunday night.

The balanced Miami offense took advantage of solid performances from Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James  to cruise to an 88-86 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It provides the Heat with a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Wade went for 29 points  and 11 rebounds. Bosh notched 18 points including the game-winner with 39.6 seconds left. And James had a solid 17 points and nine assists.

Their collective effort overcame a monster game from Nowitzki, who scored a game-high 34 points but received little help from the rest of his Mavericks team.

Nowitzki had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but he misfired on a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer that would have tied the game with Udonis Haslem providing tough defense.

“It was a good offensive play, and a good defensive play,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “And he happened to miss.”

Nowitzki pulled the Mavericks into a chance to win the game at the end by scoring 12 straight points down the stretch on six free throws, a layup, a dunk and a tough jumper that tied it at 86.

But on the Mavericks’ final two possessions, Nowitzki threw a pass out of bounds and missed off the back iron as time ran out.

Dallas players know they must provide more help for Nowitzki in order to square the series when Game 4 is played on Tuesday night.

“We have to have somebody step up besides Dirk,” Dallas guard Jason Kidd told reporters after the game.

Miami’s balance enabled them to reclaim homecourt advantage on Sunday. They can gun for much more when the series resumes for Game 4.

STUDS

Miami G Dwyane Wade: Notched 29 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the Heat’s 88-86 Game 3 victory over Dallas.

Miami F Chris Bosh: Despite playing with a painful swollen left eyelid, he produced 18 points including the game-winner with 39.6 seconds left in the Heat’s victory at Dallas.

Miami F LeBron James: Went for 17 points, nine assists, three rebounds and two steals in the Heat’s triumph over the Mavs.

Miami F Udonis Haslem: Scored only six points but was plus-5 and provided the defense to contest Dirk Nowitzki’s potential game-tying shot at the buzzer in Miami’s victory at Dallas.

Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki: Went for a game-high 34 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked three shots and was a game-best plus-12 in the Mavericks’ loss to Miami.

DUDS

Dallas G J.J. Barea: Went 2-for-8 from the field with four turnovers in the Mavericks’ loss to Miami.

The Dallas bench: The Mavericks’ backups went a collective 8-for-24 from the field (33.3 percent) with five turnovers and were a collective minus-23 in their loss to Miami.

Buck Harvey: Nowitzki’s turn to joke with Heat

Tim Duncan pulled LeBron James close and said a few things. “This is going to be your league in a little while,” Duncan said.

Then came the kicker. “But, uh, I appreciate you giving us this year.”

On June 14, 2007, about an hour after getting swept in the Finals, LeBron couldn’t help himself.

He laughed.

So another Texas team is in another of LeBron’s arenas tonight, with LeBron facing his first Finals elimination game since 2007. And if the Mavericks complete what the Spurs did before, Dirk Nowitzki should pull LeBron close and say the same.

This time, the joke would have more bite.

There are no guarantees Nowitzki will get the chance. These Finals have been so tight, there’s reason to believe the Heat could win two games at home.

Nowitzki knows what would follow, too. Lose now, after being ahead 3-2 in the series, and the Mavericks would become the Mavericks again.

“If you lose, you’re going to get hammered,” he said Saturday at a press conference in Miami. “It’s just the part of the business. I think we understand that. We’ve been around long enough. I got hammered the last 13 years, basically. So hopefully this year I can make the hammering go away for one year.”

He and the Mavericks have been flattened by a ball peen, if not a sledge. In 2006, with Mark Cuban in the lead, the Mavericks were whining when they weren’t paranoid. Three different Mavericks served various suspensions in that postseason, including Jason Terry and his infamous punch to Michael Finley’s shorts, and yet the Mavericks reacted as if they were being picked on.

The next season, culminating with Duncan pulling LeBron close, might have been Nowitzki’s nadir. The Mavericks, with Nowitzki as the MVP, were eliminated in the first round as the No. 1 seed.

Now it’s all turned around, and not just on the court. Nowitzki has won over everyone, partly because of his play, and partly because of the team he is beating.

The last few days played into that. Then, video taken following a shootaround the morning of Game 5 showed LeBron walking next to Dwyane Wade.

Wade coughed and said to LeBron, “Did you hear me cough? Think I’m sick.”

They laughed and pulled up their jerseys over their mouths — as Nowitzki had during Game 4 when he was fighting a sinus infection.

It might have been nothing more than a joke if it wasn’t for the history. Wade called out Nowitzki after the 2006 Finals for not being a leader, and there was a reported coolness between them at the 2007 All-Star Game. String it together, including how Wade dismissed Nowitzki’s illness after Game 4, and this was less humor than it was a jab.

Wade’s weak explanation Saturday added to that. “We never said Dirk’s name,” Wade said. “I think he’s not the only one in the world who can get sick or have a cough.”

Wade blamed the media after he had implied, in effect, Nowitzki had been feigning his sickness. Wade has always been immune to the stain of “The Decision,” as well as most of what followed; now he seems to be joining LeBron’s alienate-the-world marketing strategy.

Nowitzki’s reaction also suggests this was more than just a joke. “I just thought it was a little childish, a little ignorant,” Nowitzki said Saturday. “I’ve been in this league for 13 years. I’ve never faked an injury or illness.”

Nowitzki, though, didn’t need to say a thing. He’s not only winning with toughness and efficiency, he’s also doing so against a group even less likable than his Mavericks were in 2006.

I appreciate you giving us this year?

Yes, Nowitzki could say that.

bharvey@express-news.net