12/21/24
June 06, 2011
Bosh Bucket Puts Heat Past Mavs: Playing with an injured eye, Dallas native Chris Bosh made a go-ahead jumper with 39.6 seconds left to put the Miami Heat over the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 for a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals. "We'll spit on it and patch it up later," Bosh said of his eye after the game.
posted by rcade to basketball at 07:10 AM - 15 comments
The Mavericks are playing alright, but they can't keep falling down by double digits and expect to pull themselves out. If they're going to win this series they need a game where they're hitting their shots from the opening tip and never let up.
Bosh did a great job playing hurt. It must have been a hell of an eyepoke for him to writhe on the court like a soccer player.
I'm developing a begrudging admiration for the Heat. They're incredible on defense and in transition.
posted by rcade at 01:50 PM on June 06, 2011
The heat are one possession from being down 2-1... you'd think they'd stop acting so cocky, like this is their coronation lap.
So rooting for the Mavericks... but Stern and his corrupt, bought-and-paid-for refs (yeah, I watched the Heat/Celtics with some suspicions) are going to make it a very hard battle for them to win.
Aside: hey, the / ' bug is fixed in the comments! When did that happen?
posted by hincandenza at 04:17 PM on June 06, 2011
but Stern and his corrupt, bought-and-paid-for refs
Didn't think the free throw advantage the Heat had in the Celtics series was warranted: 32-18, 36-22, 19-17, 28-29, 38-20. Boston does normally take their share of fouls, but not many teams have any chance of winning games shooting 14, 14, and 18 fewer free throws than their opponents.
Polls indicate that Wade and his crew's individual popularity has declined significantly this year, however NBA ratings as a whole have increased.
posted by cixelsyd at 06:18 PM on June 06, 2011
If the Heat win this series, the media is probably going to be all about LeBron. But this series really shows that he has become second fiddle to Wade.
posted by graymatters at 07:20 PM on June 06, 2011
The media coverage might focus on how LeBron finally won a title, but nobody in their right mind will say that he outplayed Wade this series (provided the remaining games are similar to those already played).
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:29 PM on June 06, 2011
Didn't think the free throw advantage the Heat had in the Celtics series was warranted
I hate the Heat, love the Celtics and assume NBA refs are slightly more corrupt than Boss Tweed's poker game, but that's not a good indicator. The way the Celtics play kind of resulted in the unequal free throws.
<heinson>YAW GAWNA CAWL THAT A HAHD FAWL?!</heinson>
posted by yerfatma at 08:43 PM on June 06, 2011
I don't think you get to be the next Jordan if you're the second-best player on your team.
posted by rcade at 09:03 PM on June 06, 2011
I don't think you get to be the next Jordan if you're the second-best player on your team
You can't. But maybe you can win a championship as a top tier role player, a la Ray Allen, James Worthy, etc.
Lebron has the size and physical ability to be better than Jordan, he just doesn't have Jordan's game ... nothing to be ashamed of, he's a pretty decent player.
I think the NBA and the media are largely behind the Jordan comparisons. In reality, he's nowhere near Jordan or players like Magic, Bird, Tim Duncan, and a slew of others - he has lower career playoff numbers than all of these players and in fact has worse numbers in the post season than regular season. Someone is looking for next marketing centerpiece which has been absent since Jordan retired ... LeBron is not the answer.
posted by cixelsyd at 09:22 PM on June 06, 2011
The heat are one possession from being down 2-1... you'd think they'd stop acting so cocky, like this is their coronation lap.
You could turn that around and say they're one possession from being up 3-0 too, though...they've been stifling on defence and they're making timely shots. So far, they've been the better team.
posted by dfleming at 09:27 PM on June 06, 2011
Someone is looking for next marketing centerpiece which has been absent since Jordan retired ... LeBron is not the answer.
From a purely marketing perspective, I thought he's been the answer?
posted by jmd82 at 12:12 AM on June 07, 2011
re: LeBron: article by J.A. Adande about how no matter how the series goes, LeBron doesn't win.
posted by boredom_08 at 03:04 AM on June 07, 2011
NBA playbook on the Heat's last play. More James/Wade P&R, please.
I'd respond to the Lebron stuff but the Adande article sums up most of what I'd say anyways.
posted by tron7 at 11:27 AM on June 07, 2011
Adande lost me at the very beginning with the Dirk comparison. He clearly missed all of the prior Dallas playoff games if the thinks Dirk became a hero in Game 2 of the finals. Dirk has been playing incredibly throughout the playoffs, and everyone has noticed. And, then to pick one minute of game play to compare to Lebron was just weak. Anyway, I think Adande is deliberately missing the point about Lebron. As soon as Lebron decided to go to Wade's team, he lost. I don't know what he would have to do to make up that lost ground or even if there is anything he could do. I do know he hasn't been doing it in the Finals. Wade is once again showing that he is the momentum changer on that team.
posted by bperk at 12:20 PM on June 07, 2011
This year's playoffs have been fantastic. Really sad Dirk's last shot didn't fall, he seemed to throw one too many moves before the shot.