Tuesday, June 14, 2011

My Top Ten Memories From the 2011 NBA Finals

10. Ian Mahinmi's 3rd quarter buzzer beater in Game 6. When Brendan Haywood went down in Game 3, there were a lot of questions about how they would replace him, and how that would factor into the rest of the series. Prior to Game 5 of the Finals, Mahinmi had logged 14 total minutes (8 of them in Game 3 when Haywood got hurt). He provided 8 quality minutes in Game 5 and 11 in Game 6 hitting a fadeaway jumper off one leg a la Dirk Nowitzki and then capping that off with a jumper from the just above the free throw line as time expired to push the lead to 9 at the end of the third quarter. The 24 year old Frenchman's ability to come through just epitomized what the Mavericks were about this postseason. If they ever needed someone to step up and make a play, they were able to get contributions from up and down the roster. Who would have thought that the former Spur who entered Game 6 with more fouls (11) than points (7) in the playoffs would come up with one of the more memorable baskets in the finals?

9. Dirk Nowitzki's Free Throw Shooting. Dirk was impressive throughout the entire postseason hitting 175 of 186 free throws, good for 94.1%. That included a 24 for 24 outing in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the finals he was equally impressive. Despite the pressure of big games, despite his finger injury, despite his illness in Game 4, Dirk missed just one free throw in the NBA Finals draining 45 of a possible 46. That's 97.8% if you're keeping track at home. Think free throws aren't important? Miami missed 13 of 33 in Game 6 and lost by 10.

8. Chris Bosh's Redemption. Bosh struggled through Games 1 and 2 hitting just 9 of 34 field goals, but bounced back for the game winning basket in Game 3 and hit 55% of his shots and averaged 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds over the final 3 games. That on top of a tremendous Eastern Conference Finals that saw him eclipse 30 points twice and shoot 60% from the field after just an abysmal showing against the Celtics really said a lot to me. But more than anything it was reaction to losing that really changed the way I view him. After the loss, you could tell he was devastated. At the press conference he said all the right things, and he just came across as a much more likeable person. Conversely his fellow Big Three members didn't exactly convey that same humility in this series, these playoffs, or this season.

7. J.J. Barea's Heart. He's listed as 6'0", but he's probably not much bigger than 5'9". The smallest guy on the court in the finals just showed all kinds of heart and hustle in this series. The spark he provided to the Mavericks starting lineup from Game 4 on, the fearlessness he showed driving the lane against much, much taller players and his ability to knock down big shots really stands out as one of the key reasons the Mavs won this series.

6. Game 2, 88-73 Miami with 6 minutes to go. I'll remember this as the moment when I just about stopped watching the series. When Dwyane Wade hit the three from the corner, I changed the channel to watch the Astros and the Padres, the two worst teams in the National League. Then I kept flipping back and suddenly it was an 11 point game. Then a 9 point game. Then a 7 point game. Then it's tied, then Dirk hits a 3 to put them ahead and finally blows by Bosh for the lefty layup to win the game. It was unbelievable, and you could argue that this game cost Miami the series. Instead of going to Dallas up 2-0 with all of the momentum, they had to go there tied at 1 and even though they won Game 3, they never really recovered the momentum of the series.

5. Jason Terry's 3 in Lebron's grill in Game 5. No one can ever question Jason Terry's confidence. He tattooed the Larry O'Brien Trophy on his arm before the season started having never won a ring. After getting more or less shut down by LeBron James through the first three games, he called out the league's premier player and said let's see if he can guard me like that for seven games. If you're going to talk to the talk, you'd better be able to back it up, and that's exactly what Terry did. There he was as Game 5 wound down and the shot clock about to expire putting up a deep three right in Lebron's face. BANG! Ballgame.

4. Dirk playing injured and ill. When it was announced after Game 1 that Dirk had torn a tendon in his shooting hand, I'll be honest, I thought the series was over. But there he was winning Game 2 with a lefty layup. Then he comes out with a sinus infection and 101/102 degree fever in Game 4, and there he is draining a big time right handed layup to put the Mavs up 3 in the closing seconds. Dirk's ability to overcome everything in this series is one of the things I'll remember most which ties directly to...

3. Dirk is CLUTCH. In 6 4th quarters in this series, Nowitzki finished with 62 points. That's the same amount of points that Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had... COMBINED. It didn't matter what kind of game he was having, when the 4th quarter came around and the Mavs needed him to come through, he was there. Sure he missed the jumper at the end of the game 3, but other than that, the guy was money. Layups, jump shots, free throws, rebounding... He was the superstar the Mavs needed him to be and he deserves everything that comes with his being a champion.

2. LeBron's being MIA. LeBron James averaged 26.7 points a game during the regular season. Against Dallas, he averaged just 17.8. This was the largest drop off EVER for a player who averaged at least 25 points a game during the regular season. It wasn't just the scoring though. LeBron just... wasn't there. Arguably the league's most gifted player, LeBron James wasn't impacting games when it mattered. He averaged something like 3 points a game in the 4th quarter, and some of those points came after the game was out of reach. What's even more puzzling about it was that he was so proficient in that area against the Celtics and Bulls. For whatever reason, Dallas made him a non-factor. Add to it 'The Decision,' the pre-season celebration where he said they were going to win 8 or more championships (whoops), the premature celebration in Game 2 when they subsequently went on to blow a 15 point lead, the mocking Dirk's illness prior to Game 5 (classy), and the horrible finish to his press conference after Game 6 (my life is better than yours) and his image has taken a pretty good hit as well. It's going to be a long offseason for "The King."

1. Seeing Dirk and Jason Kidd finally win a title. Much in the same way I felt good for John Elway when he finally won, it's great to see guys like Nowitzki and Kidd, who have meant so much to the league and worked so hard over the years finally win a title. Nowitzki's running into the locker room after the game because he was so overcome by the emotions of the situation really says all you need to say about how much this meant to him. And for Kidd at 38 years old to still be an impact player on a championship team is just awesome. I'm 30 and my body can hardly keep up with recreational softball and soccer. The guy's a warrior and he deserves to be a champion. Congratulations again to the Dallas Mavericks.

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