Your expectations for LBJ tonight?
Wade has dominated this series, so I see no reason to go away from him. He's been ripping the Mavs apart. He just needs a little more help.
LeBron just needs to be aggressive. He doesn't have to score a lot of points, but he has to attack.
I think he'll get 20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 steals and 2 blocks.
However, I still like the Mavs to win this game. I just think they get it done tonight. It'll come down to the buzzer, but I think the Mavs win by 3 points. 98-95.
@ASDF22
You know how this world is... They like to kick and join in on the jokes when someone is down.
I haven't always disliked LeBron. I loved him in high school. Loved him during his first few years in the league. I think I started disliking him when I felt he started believing his own hype. Like he really started to believe he was "The King". I got tired of the showboating... The dancing. Got tired of him refering to himself in the third person. I thought his arrogance went to a new level. Got tired of him flirting with teams before his free-agency even started. And then "The Decision" just topped it off for me. And just how he treated all of the fans from Cleveland... I had no problem with him leaving... I just thought he could've shown them a little more respect and appreciation.
All these "experts" on TV are trying to predict how many points he will get and what not. If I am d Wade, I go up to lebron and say shut down Dirk. If he even has the guts to guard Dirk, or even contain him, he will have a huge weight lifted off his back, which should help him have a big night.
Other than a couple of switches, LeBron hasn't defended Dirk the entire series. You'd think they'd put LeBron on him during crunch time, but that's not the case. He's defending Terry instead. It's like LeBron is always defending the little guy.
There were people saying LeBron would shut Dirk down before the series started, but like I said... There is no player that can shut Dirk down individually... Not even LeBron.
The only thing that can stop Dirk is doubling him and forcing him to pass the ball.
Of course he's defended his matchups. I mean, Paul Pierce, Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng are small forwards. That's who LeBron is matched up against.
And I don't think he defended Elton Brand and Kevin Garnett individually. He just made great defensive plays as a helpside defender, which he's great at.
Rose is 6' 2.5", so I consider him a little guy. He defended Rafer Alston, who's 6' 2", in 2009 instead of Turk and Lewis. This series he's defending Terry who's only 6' 2", instead of Dirk.
IF LeBron is the best defender in the league like a lot of people are saying, I'd like him to defend the best offensive player on the floor. He hasn't defended Dirk one time this series, other than a few switches.
Why would he defend a 7'0fter when Udonis Haslem has a history of guarding him very well. It's like asking the Rockets in 09 to put Ron Artest on Kobe instead of Shane Battier. You put someone who has a history of guarding them rather than gambling.
It makes perfect sense to me, then again, that's just me.
Dirk is seven foot, but it's not like Haslem is that much bigger than LeBron. As a matter of fact, he's shorter than LeBron. I know LeBron is listed at 6' 8", but I wouldn't be surprised if he was closer to 6' 9".
My thinking is that Dirk has had his way, especially down the stretch... He's gotten what he wanted against Bosh and Haslem. IF LeBron is that great of a defender, why isn't he defending Dirk? At least down the stretch? Why is he on Terry, when it's Dirk who will determine the outcome of the game?
I'm expecting him to play great in the biggest game of his career.
32pts, 12rebs, 8asts, 2blks, 2stls while shooting over 55% from the field, getting to the line 9 times, and hitting 3 three pointers.
I also expect him to close out the game as we saw him do in Boston and Chicago several times.