[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

These NBA Finals so far have brought what we’ve expected.  Epic comebacks, offensive battles, and defensive battles.  We did not expect is for Miami to dominate the series so much.  They are up 2-1 but Dallas is lucky they are not down 0-3.  Miami relaxed and took their foot on the pedal in the 4th quarter of game 2 and allowed Dallas to come back.  Miami has been dominating this series on both ends and Dallas only dominates in spurts.

Top 5 disappointments so far..

5.  Mike Bibby  –  5.7ppg,  33% 3PT,  35% FG

I didn’t expect Bibby to amount to 10 points in every game and he had a great game two, but I did expect him to shoot better than 33% off 5 attempts a game because of the fact that he has wanted this ring for about a decade.  His defense has been Bibby-like but guarding Kidd, you don’t need anything spectacular.

4.  Maverick’s Bench

This Mav’s bench has been completely outplayed by Miami’s 3 man rotation.  As expected, Peja can’t guard either Bosh nor James.  Terry can’t guard Wade.  Barea can’t guard anybody.  Haywood is overfouling.  Oh, not to mention, none of them can score at this point. 

3.  Tyson Chandler  –  9ppg,  7.3rpg,  4fpg

Aside from a game 3 where everything was a loose ball foul.  Chandler could not rebound to save his life.  4 boards in game one and 7 in game two.  That’s horrid when you are the tallest guy on the court and the most athletic big on the court, especially when you’re standing right next to the basket the entire game.  He’s picking up 4 fouls a game, much to the credit of Wade and Co.  I did not expect him to only have 22 rebounds in three games.  Not to mention, most of the rebounds he had in game three were given by the refs.

2.  Jason Terry  –  14.3ppg,  38% FG,  33% 3PT 

Aside from not being the 2nd option that Dirk has been begging for, the JET has completely ran out of fuel and is making himself look like a flopping fool.  I have never liked Terry in the first place, but now that he is falling down like a sack of potatoes after every contested three point shot that he misses, my dislike for him has grown.  He has flopped more often than he has hit a three in each game this series and he has the audacity of stand up and whine to the referees.  Just play.

1.  LeBron James  –  20.3ppg,  6.7rpg,  6.0apg, 3.7fouls, 3.3TOs, 3.3 FT/G

LeBron James has not been his LeBron James’ self.  Averaging severely less points, rebounds, and assists than his career average, LeBron has taken the back seat to Wade and not only that, he’s not being the aggressor he is known for.  He seems to be fouling too much to ever be comfortable and is turning the ball over too many times.  He has shot 10 free throws throughout the entire series.  He is used to shooting 10 FTs in a single game!  To think, Chandler is in foul trouble without LeBron going to the line.  He is also only scoring 3ppg in the 4th quarter in these NBA Finals.  He is actually shooting more three pointers (5) a game than free throws (3) a game.  He also played badly at the end of game 2 and was scolded by Wade in game 3.  I expected a couple of triple doubles from LeBron.  I wanted to see him go HAM in search for that first ring.  It seems as if he wants Wade to carry him and win the Finals MVP award.

Top 5 successes so far..

5.  Chris Bosh  –  16.3ppg,  6.7rpg,  7FT/G,  1 Game-Winning Shot

Chris Bosh hasn’t been shooting well enough from the field to be able to say he’s playing great ball.  What he is doing though, is getting Chandler in foul trouble.  He’s shooting 7 free throws a game, meaning he’s causing the other team to foul him about 4 times a game, if not more.  He’s been passing up shots and has struggled halfway throughout games.  What puts him on this list though, is his game winning shot in game 3.  Quite possibly, the most important game of his career and he hit the game winning shot.

4.  Udonis Haslem  –  5ppg,  4.3rpg  (Heat Bench)

He’s worth more than his numbers.  5/4 don’t sound like MVP type numbers.  They don’t sound like numbers from a guy that has left an imprint on this series.  He has.  He has defended Dirk far better than anybody has in these playoffs, and that’s pretty damn good, considering how he demolished Aldride, Gasol, and Ibaka.  Udonis Haslem’s hustle, energy, physicality and defense off the bench is exactly what the Heat have needed throughout the season, luckily, they got it right at playoff time.  He and Miller have brought this team together very well, not to mention, Chalmers is hitting the three ball at a high percentage.  This Heat bench is making up for Chris Bosh’s shooting percentage and LeBron’s lack of aggressiveness.

3.  Shawn Marion  –  15.3ppg,  7.3rpg,  3.3apg

Again, a player who’s imprint on this series that goes beyond numbers (which are pretty good).  Everytime the Mavs need a big rebound, a clutch steal, or a defensive stop on the best player in the world, Marion is there.  I’m not going to sit here and say LeBron isn’t scoring simply because he doesn’t want to be aggressive.  Shawn Marion has a lot to do with it.  Marion is defending LeBron very well.  He’s playing him physically and LeBron’s athleticism isn’t enough to blow by him.  Shawn Marion has also been the most consistent player on the Mavericks aside from Dirk.

2.  Dirk Nowitzki  –  28.3ppg,  10rpg,  46% FG,  55% 3PT FG,  100% FT,  1 Game-Winning Shot

If Dallas was winning this series, he and #1 would be switched.  Dirk has been on fire throughout these playoffs and he is riding that hot hand into the NBA Finals.  He has carried the Mavericks late in the fourth quarter and has keep them in the game in the first three.  Whether we see Haslem, Bosh, or Anthony on him, Dirk steps up to the challenge and does whatever he needs to do to score.  Whether it’s a cut, back door, post up, off-ball screens, pick and pops/rolls or spot ups, he can do it all at this point of his career.  Not only that, he’s rebounding better in this series than any other series in these playoffs.  

1.  Dwyane Wade  –  29ppg,  8.7rpg,  5.0apg,  56% FG,  40% 3PT FG,  7FT/G

Dwyane Wade is completely unstoppable in these NBA Finals.  He is a man on a mission and isn’t going to let anything get in his way.  I simply cannot see Miami lose any game this series if Wade continues to play this way.  If he would have touched the ball at the end of game 2, Miami would have been up 3-0 in this series.  He is making all the right plays and getting his teammates involved.  He’s rebounding and shooting extremely well from the perimeter.  The Mavs have nobody to guard him.  Stevenson is not atheltic enough.  Kidd is not fast enough.  Terry is not big enough.  Even when we thought that Kidd has great strength and is difficult to post up, Wade is making Kidd look like a kid down low.  Not only that, Wade is hitting all the big shots, getting key blocks, huge steals, showing his leadership, and is shutting down the 2nd best scorer on the Mavericks, Terry.  Wade is also scoring 7.6ppg in the 4th quarter in these NBA Finals.  Dwyane Wade is doing it on both ends of the floor and he is showing why he is the best two-way guard the league has seen since… Michael Jordan.  Yeah, let that sink in.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Dirk has been great.  Wade has been great.  LeBron is playing a good all-around game, but he is more of a Scottie Pippen with Wade being more like MJ.  Bosh has been fairly solid, his game winner might turn out to be the difference in the series.  No doubt Bosh is the third guy of the Big Three but if he can hit big shots then he will have earned his money.  His 3 rebounds was pretty sad though.

Kidd  and Marion have been solid.  The Mavs bench is a BIG disappointment.  JJ Barea can’t find his shot and neither can Peja.  Peja’s defense is bad which makes him a big liability now. The Mavs bench isn’t scoring enough. 

Mario Chalmers has been HUGE.  He hit the game-tying 3 in Game 2 then hit that halftime buzzer beater 3 and some other big three’s.  His production has completely neutralized the Mav’s bench.  A great backup and a very clutch shooter.  He and Bibby are more complete than the Mav’s point guard combo of Kidd and Barea.  Bibby is averaging 5.7 points which is solid as a fifth or sixth option.  35% on three’s is decent. 

The Mav’s bench has been the biggest disappointment.  The second has been Tyson Chandler’s inability to dominate the Heat’s interior players. 

 

Best guys in the series:

1.  Wade — barely over Dirk.  Heat is up 2-1 with a great game by Wade so Wade gets the nod here.

2.   Dirk — played out of his mind in Game 3.  Hitting big shots, and shots from everywhere, even though he missed the game-tying shot.  He also has been rebounding fairly well, and had 3 blocked shots in Game 3.

3.   LeBron — played a great floor game in Game 3.  No real hero ball shots.  Made the big pass.  Went in for some big dunks.  Really complementing Wade’s game.  Playing like a combination of Pippen and Magic with some Jordan mixed in.

4.  Marion — had big games in the first 2 games then only 10 in game 3.  The only real Mavs scorer around the basket.  Playing solid defense too.

5.  Chalmers — Hit a ton of big shots in game 3 including the big one to end the first half.  He also had 4 rebounds which was one more than Bosh along with 2 assists.  Turning into a perfect 4th option behind the Big Three.

 

Honorable mention: Kidd (playing solid, could score more).  Bosh (playing fairly well as a 3rd option but hasn’t shot well and only had 3 rebounds in game 3, but he hit the game winner which has shifted the momentum back to Miami).

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

"LeBron is playing a good all-around game, but he is more of a Scottie Pippen with Wade being more like MJ."

That perfectly describes these NBA Finals in terms of LeBron and Wade.

And yeah, Chalmers has basically been doing what Bibby was brought there to do. 

[Author]

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