NBA FINALS: Heat-Mavericks

[Dave Gray]

Miami is winning in spite of getting screwed by the ref's whistle.  Miami had 6 loose ball fouls on rebounds in game 3.  It got Dallas (and Dirk, shooting pretty much 100%) in the bonus WAY early.  Meanwhile, Lebron is taking 4 foul shots a game.  ...Wade too, despite attacking the rim.  It was a very one-sided affair.  Bosh getting poked in the eye and missing both an offensive and defensive possession comes to mind, as well as a foul on Haslem, while he was boxing out Dirk.  I guess Haslem fouled Dirk with his spine.

I'm not suggesting that anything is rigged, but I think that the refs need to review the tape and not get tricked by Dallas' acting.  Dirk shoots awkwardly on his own, so he draws fouls because they assume, though body language, that he was shoved.  It makes me think that there's no way that Dallas will be able to get a win in Miami.

Also, this commentary on Lebron is nuts.  Basketball is more than just scoring points.  Wade is getting covered by Jason Kidd.  That's where you go with the ball.  In game 3, Lebron was very unselfish and did the things it took to win the game.  The guy can't win, even when he wins.  I feel better about it, because it appears that (most of) the media is getting back on his side.  After that one idiot reported asked that very loaded question, a bunch of people came to his defense.  ...so that's good.

[Phishfan]

I'm not really watching the series, but am keeping up with it. You are actually going to call out the refs for giving favor to the Mavs, when a bad call at the end of the first quarter gave the Heat three points they shouldn't have been awarded (in a two point game)? I'd say it looks like a give an get from this outsider's view.

[Dave Gray]

If you haven't been watching the series, I can understand you saying that.  It's everywhere in the media down here, too.  It's not one big call.  It's a slow drain, over the course of the game, allowing the Mavs to play at a higher level, and making the HEAT back off, with early, often, and tick-tack fouls -- the kind that aren't highlighted because they're away from the ball.

I'm not complaining about one call.  I'm not even complaining, really.  I'm just saying that I expect that kind of stuff to even out a bit, making it hard for the Mavs to compensate.

[mecadonzilla]

Wow.  Mr. Grey, I'm surprised at  your level of homerism.  This whole series, I've thought, the Heat have gotten almost all of the whistles that were 50/50 or worse.  AKA:  Wade and especially Lebron getting free throws whenever they decided to flop.   I've been lurking...as is my want...but I must speak up now.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I AM A DALLAS MAVERICKS FAN.    I've been rooting for them since the 80s.  I've sat through some of the worst basketball anyone has ever seen.  But as a Dolphin fan, I'm used to poor ability being displayed by my team in recent memory, and rooting for them anyways. 

Point 1)  Miami Heat fans should never complain about fouls.  You were given a championship based on fouls in 2006.  You have no basis to complain.  EVER.  Check history books for the proof.

Point 2)  This series is basically 51/49)% in terms of who's a better team.  Does Miami have better athletes?  YES.  UNQUESTIONABLY.
             Half the league has better athletes than the Mavs.  What that half doesn't have is determination and mental toughness.  The Mavs are a team based on their mental toughness.  But when it matters, which team is stronger down the stretch despite an obvious talent advantage?  The Mavs just beat 3 teams who were undeniably the better athletic teams.  Why did they win?  Each team was different, but in the end, the Mavs showed, they had the uncanny ability to make up for athletic deficiencies.  I have no idea if the Mavs are mentally tough enough to gut this series out, but I do know they will not go down without a fight.

Point 3)  Lebron James is a total bitch.  He has more athletic ability than any other player in recent memory.  But mentally, he is a child.  He's been given everything he's ever desired.  Star status?  CHECK.  Millions of dollars?  CHECK.  Adoring fans who disregard any flaw in his game?  BIG CHECK.  Lebron is what the Sopranos would call a mental midget.  When the going gets tough, he shrinks and defers all duties to other teammates...like to Wade, which is why I'm sure he signed in Miami (he didn't want the pressure of being the #1 guy).  I don't want to mince words here.  Wade is a man...a big, NBA player man.  He is everything said about him and more.  He is a truly great professional basketball player.  I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his game.  Lebron, however, is a bitch, and has the toughness (inside and out) of a 6 year old girl.

I expect a 7 game series from this Finals because these teams are so evenly matched.  I'm sure the Heat will go on to win many championships because of their talent advantages.  They are, after all, the best team player collusion can put together.  But for the sake of the NBA and the Mavs, I hope that is not this year.  This is a classic struggle between Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit.  Brer Fox sure has the physical ability to rend Brer Rabbit into pieces, but Brer Rabbit knows what needs to be done in order to outsmart his foe.  If the Heat win, they were supposed to, and nothing more is to be gained. However, If the Mavs are to win this series, they must show they were the wiser basketball team in the end.  Now if they can just hit their wide open shots...

I've been known to be wrong about this stuff before...I'm a Dolphin fan for crying out loud...I never know when to quit rooting against reality, but I just had to give my 2 cents worth.

[Dave Gray]

I don't think you're being honest with yourself about Wade or James getting fouls for flopping.  Lebron James is taking like 4 foul shots a game.

Fouls weren't a big problem last night.

I'm not frustrated with officiating, so much as I'm frustrated with my own players not closing, and abandoning their game plan every game, with about 5 minutes left.

[Sunstroke]

Wow.  Mr. Grey, I'm surprised at  your level of homerism.  This whole series, I've thought, the Heat have gotten almost all of the whistles that were 50/50 or worse. 

...FULL DISCLOSURE:  I AM A DALLAS MAVERICKS FAN.   

And you're surprised at Dave's level of homerism? Is that view perhaps skewed by your own homerism?

As someone who has watched every game and ISN'T a fan of either team (Phoenix Suns fan here), I'd lean more toward Dave's side of the argument, in regards to the officiating. I don't think it's been too bad either way, but I think more 50/50 calls have gone Dallas' way than Miami's.

[EDGECRUSHER]

For once, I think the calls have been pretty fair, with Miami getting the calls in Miami and Dallas getting the close calls in Dallas.

[mecadonzilla]

Hey, I'm just stirring the pot a little.  Too much Heat love around here.

I don't know what Lebron's deal was last night.  He was not there to play ball for sure.  Maybe another teammate is sleeping with his mom again.  Wade, himself, is an accomplished flopper, but I guess that's how ball is played in the Eastern Conference.  I have no major beefs with the officiating this series, actually.  Sure, they missed the over and back call on Chalmers' 3 pointer at the end of the 1st quarter in game 3, but the Mavs had 3 more quarters to win and couldn't do it.  If anyone other than Dirk could do anything at the end of that game, Mavs are up 3-1 right now.

This is a great series, though, and I'm looking forward to 3 more games.

[Pappy13]

And you're surprised at Dave's level of homerism? Is that view perhaps skewed by your own homerism?

As someone who has watched every game and ISN'T a fan of either team (Phoenix Suns fan here), I'd lean more toward Dave's side of the argument, in regards to the officiating. I don't think it's been too bad either way, but I think more 50/50 calls have gone Dallas' way than Miami's.

He does have a great point though about the Heat winning the championship against the Mavs a few years ago. It was the Mavs then complaining about the fouls and the Heat fans pretty much saying "that's the breaks".

I'm not a Mavs fan, but I do live in Dallas so I pretty much are forced to listen to Mavs talk on Sports radio. I remember the Mavs/Heat finals a few years ago and thought there was quite a lot of whining from Mavs fans about officiating, so I can understand where he's coming from. What goes around comes around.

[bsmooth]

I don't think you're being honest with yourself about Wade or James getting fouls for flopping.  Lebron James is taking like 4 foul shots a game.

Fouls weren't a big problem last night.

I'm not frustrated with officiating, so much as I'm frustrated with my own players not closing, and abandoning their game plan every game, with about 5 minutes left.

Both Wade and LeBron have developed a serious reputation this season for flopping for fouls. I have seen multiple writers even talk about. the FIFA rules on flopping to draw a foul needing to be put into the NBA as a whole. Are they Divac or Malone level? No, but they do seem to flop a lot

[Pats2006]

I don't think you're being honest with yourself about Wade or James getting fouls for flopping.  Lebron James is taking like 4 foul shots a game.

Fouls weren't a big problem last night.

I'm not frustrated with officiating, so much as I'm frustrated with my own players not closing, and abandoning their game plan every game, with about 5 minutes left.

Im glad you said this.. its almost sad to watch

[EDGECRUSHER]

Maybe the refs are apologizing to Dallas for 2006.

[mecadonzilla]

Are we forgetting Lebron's flop at the end of the 1st quarter of game 4?  He didn't even get touched and pretended like he was hammered.  He got 2 free throws and a technical assessed against Rick Carlisle for complaining about a blatantly wrong call.

I'll freely admit JJ Barea is a flopper.  He's looking to flop as a defender, and because he's so tiny, he gets some calls to go his way.  But then again, the refs know this and usually don't blow their whistles unless needed....mostly. 

I think this has been a pretty evenly refereed series so far.  I just think Wade, Lebron, & Heat fans are not used to to refs not calling ticky tack fouls against their opponents. 

[Dave Gray]

Are we forgetting Lebron's flop at the end of the 1st quarter of game 4?  He didn't even get touched and pretended like he was hammered.  He got 2 free throws and a technical assessed against Rick Carlisle for complaining about a blatantly wrong call.

I think that it's counter-productive to argue one play.  If it's an example of a larger problem, fine, but Wade and James just haven't been getting to the line, so saying that they've been flopping just isn't the story here.

[mecadonzilla]

Ironic that the only flopping was done by Dallas' backups.  BUT, none of them were called as fouls against the Heat, which was the correct call 90% of the time.  Of course, the refs did penalize spare part, Brian Cardinal, for properly defending Wade's charge that ultimately kept Wade from playing crucial minutes in the game.  The refs blew the call entirely, which can't be argued.  The Mavs got screwed on a call, Wade got hurt because he ran into a bigger player, and the Mavs overcame the bad call and won the game.  That being said, the officiating was very good tonight...and overall for the series.  Maybe, just maybe, the NBA is actually going to let Cuban's team win one because he is shutting up.

If I was a Heat fan, I'd be shitting in my pants.  The last 4 games, the Heat have not gotten the job done at all in the 4th quarter.  Period.  There is no such thing as an easy game between these two teams, but it's VERY clear who is the tougher team.