June 03, 2011

I can't believe I just saw that. This may be the most exciting postseason I've ever watched. No lead is ever safe.

posted by rcade at 12:42 AM on June 03, 2011

I apparently turned it on at the right time--right before the Mavs scored the first points to erase the 15-point deficit. I'm not completely sure why I continued watching at that point, but I'm glad I did.

posted by bender at 09:22 AM on June 03, 2011

When the Mavs took a timeout after Wade's 3-pointer I contemplated turning off the TV and doing something else. Very glad I decided to keep watching.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:56 AM on June 03, 2011

If not for the size of their heads, Miami could be a Dynasty.

GO DALLAS!

posted by bo_fan at 12:26 PM on June 03, 2011

Interesting article. In watching the Heat during the regular season, make that watching games where the Heat were the opponent as the Heat make me want to puke, they definitely were guilty of concentrating more on celebration than being focused on the minor details that separate winners from losers on several occassions. Entering the playoffs I thought this was their achilles heel but this is the first game they've got caught by that behaviour.

Another observation is the Heat's "you da' man" antics are common only in home games. Dallas has to play better at home to have any chance of winning this series.

posted by cixelsyd at 12:26 PM on June 03, 2011

... the big three came together to manufacture a dynasty because deep down they feel the only way to win is a stacked deck.

I'm rooting against the Heat, but I think this line of reasoning will be wiped out when they win their first title. LeBron winning a ring will be the storyline, not LeBron winning only because he had big-time help. No one thinks less of Shaq for winning three rings with Kobe and one with Wade.

Three stars is hardly a guarantee of success. Last night shows they still have to bring their best game and get contributions from the rest of the team to win.

posted by rcade at 12:34 PM on June 03, 2011

Does anyone think less of Magic for winning with Kareem?

posted by rcade at 01:22 PM on June 03, 2011

Does anyone think less of Magic for winning with Kareem?

No but Magic was lucky enough to be drafted by a Lakers team that Kareem was already a part of.

I'll add that Wade has already won a championship without Lebron while Lebron has not. Kareem and the Lakers were not a championship caliber team until Magic joined the team.

posted by bperk at 01:54 PM on June 03, 2011

Back to the game: I am amazed that the Heat did not take the foul. I can understand the various strategies; yet still I am amazed.

posted by graymatters at 02:06 PM on June 03, 2011

Back to the game: I am amazed that the Heat did not take the foul. I can understand the various strategies; yet still I am amazed.

With you on that, seemed to be the obvious play. Sure, Dirk sinks the FT's but you'd have more time on the clock.

posted by dviking at 02:26 PM on June 03, 2011

I think winning the very first year will cement that line of thought among detractors

The cement is in place here, win or lose.

If LeBron nipped his arrogant "King" act today he'd still be 6 championships in arrears. What's even more alarming is the affect he's had on Wade, someone who has won and at one point must have realized it's the walk not the talk that defines winners.

posted by cixelsyd at 02:47 PM on June 03, 2011

These Heat schadenfreude threads are hilarious.

Lebron may be the most gifted player talent wise, when it comes to the big moments when it is time to be a champion so far, he is a bust.

Is this the first Heat game you've watched this postseason or are you just ignoring the Chicago series?

take a lesson from Dirk, the real stars of the league want to be the guy, relish the role and step up when the going gets tough.

I was thinking about this during the game. If Dallas wins this series they will be the closest thing to a one star team we've seen win the championship in a very long time.

posted by tron7 at 03:01 PM on June 03, 2011

I think an important thing to remember regarding Lebron is,he was paid in Cleveland to LEAD them to a championship and that was his stated goal. He did not succeed. Not because he was a great player on a crappy team, he was the star on a very good team that had the best record in the NBA. He failed a couple of years in a row to perform at his best when the pressure of the playoffs was on. Even against teams they should have beaten.

He stated that he did not want to have the pressure of having to score 30 points for his team to win. Thankfully Kobe, Michael, Magic, Bird or Dirk don't think like that.

I have heard a lot of arguments about how Magic had Kareem. That is true as most great teams had a great big man and a great guard or shooter. Most of the great rosters had guys like Worthy, Pippen, Cooper, etc. But those guys were not stars until a great player came and made them all better as a team. On the other hand Lebron could not help raise the level of the good players he has been with to greatness. Instead he may prove that Bosh and himself combined are not worth as much to a great player like Wade as Shaq was.

If Miami should win the title (and really they should based on talent and potential), it will mean little to the legacy of James, unless they follow it up with a few more. If they do not, James will live with a very large monkey on his back. The best thing for his career would have been to stick with his stated goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland, which he was close to doing. Had he failed he would have still been loved for trying and considered one of the best based on his talents. Now not so much.

Does anybody think that the big three opened up a can of worms? I mean if they win, won't a lot of other all star players and teams begin to collude to put together similar all star line ups to ensure the Heat don't become the dynasty they seem to think, albeit prematurely, they already are?

To tron7 - I have, Boston was old and tired, Chicago was close and had many opportunities but just did not have the playoff experience and composure to finish when they had chances. I am not saying the Heat are not talented or a good team. Their defense is great, and they typically have 3 of the best 4 players on the floor against anybody. So if they win, yeah it's an abundance of defensive and scoring talent, if they loose what would be the reason?

posted by Atheist at 03:51 PM on June 03, 2011

tron7 - Lebron has always been excellent on both sides of the ball, and he has been deep into the playoffs before. He doesn't have a ring and he hasn't been great in some critical spots where he could have gotten there.

No argument about his talents, but last night in the final 7 minutes he had numerous opportunities to put that game away and did not. Also more notably, he did not take the ball to the hoop and he did not get the ball to Wade, who had a hot hand all game. Wade scored 36 points up to the collapse and did not touch the ball in the final minutes. To me this demonstrates his lack of leadership. This is a recurring story with him and until he gets the monkey off his back will remain so. Had he just made a shot in the last few minutes, that elusive title would have been a whole lot closer.

Of course I am glad he did not. I just can't stand him anymore.

Maybe I am being too hard on him by considering him a star and team leader. Maybe team leader is not a role he wants. Who is the leader of that team when the big three is on the floor? Is that there big problem?

Magic Johnson said that his job on the Lakers during crunch time was to run the offense and get the ball to the whoever is the guy at the time with the hot hand, confidence, and had the best opportunity to make the big play. If that was himself so be it, if it was Kareem or Worthy, or Cooper then that is who he would look for. The Heat did not seem to have any plan, and when Lebron had the ball he couldn't be the guy or find the guy. In the case of last night that guy was Wade. How is it that Miami doesn't get the ball to Wade at all for the final 7 minutes when he was the teams hot hand?

posted by Atheist at 04:29 PM on June 03, 2011

I don't think anybody is down on Lebron for not winning the big one. I think they are down on him for acting like winning 6, 7, 8 big ones is a sure thing when he has yet to win one now that he has all this help. As close as he was in Cleveland he appears to want someone else to take the leadership and top player role off his shoulders. Lets face it, he seemed to love the star role when he was getting credit for Clevelands success, he shrunk away from it when he had to take the heat (no pun intended) for the failures, and blamed a lack of help when in fact he was also one of the players that did not have good games when they were close.

They do a lot of premature celebrating for a group who has still yet to prove they can live up to the expectations of themselves.

Superstars can lead a team to a championship. Championships make good players into stars. Role players become stars when they contribute to the championships.

Maybe getting beat in the fashion the did last night will make the Heat a much better team, slow down the premature celebrating, and focus them more on finishing games. They did finish games better than Chicago in the previous series, but Chicago is young not playoff experienced. The Mavs may not be a good but the are seasoned and have shown it during these playoffs.

posted by Atheist at 04:43 PM on June 03, 2011

at the end of the game, would you rather have Wade or James taking the last shot?

I'd rather have James taking and missing that shot:)

Seriously, Nowitzki is the best choice of the 3 for a big time shot.

posted by cixelsyd at 05:47 PM on June 03, 2011

LeBron is to Wade as Pippen was to Jordan.

posted by graymatters at 06:15 PM on June 03, 2011

Everyone always says it is unfair to criticize LeBron "at this stage of his career," but he is approaching a decade of professional play. I think people have gotten sustained criticism a lot earlier than that (fairly). I think that the "it is too early" card is about used up.

LeBron has almost doubled the average length of an NBA career now-how much longer do we have to wait? Ten, twelve, fourteen years? I'm not saying the intent behind the argument is invalid (b/c clearly this year could be the start of a lot of rings for him), but once he doubles the average length of a NBA career, I say that argument is over. For me personally, I think that we're there already.

posted by brainofdtrain at 07:33 PM on June 03, 2011