Posts Tagged ‘Lebron James’

LeBron’s Recent Play Reminded Me of Football

Friday, June 17th, 2011

By Jimmy Williams

I haven’t written about Football in a while and after watching LeBron fail to give full effort in the NBA Finals, it reminded me of a certain football player.

What’s on your mind Jay?

Mr. Cutler…or as he will be known for now on…“Jay Ramone Cutler”.  You sir, are a pipsqueak!  I’m not going say you were not in pain or bring up other players like Ronnie Lott cutting of a piece of his finger to get back in the game, or Phillip Rivers playing 6 quarters with a torn ACL, or Byron Leftwich having a broken shin and having his lineman carry him instead of not playing, or even Tom Brady playing with a stress fracture in his foot last season.

I personally don’t know your pain tolerance but I do know you appeared to mentally check out of the Chicago Bears’ game in the playoffs last season.  After leaving the game, you looked like your mind was on your second job at Vandelay Industries and you could care less about the NFC championship game.

Initially I heard you had an MCL sprain, then after it seemed as though the entire world called you a quitter, it became a tear.  By the time the lockout is over you will have a disease in your leg and need an amputation.

This isn’t the first time I have seen you mentally check out of a game.  I have seen you do it in college and I have seen you do it in Denver.  My co-host Dev can attest to how I have always called you a fraud and thought you were a horrible quarterback.  You have all the physical abilities but it appears that you think you are better than you are and don’t have what it takes mentally to be elite.  (Sounds like LeBron huh?)  You are becoming wasted talent.  Like Calogero’s pop Lorenzo told him in Bronx Tale, “the saddest thing in life is wasted talent”.

Anyone who doesn’t think you quit is either a delusional Bears fan or someone who has a low football IQ.  You embarrassed your family, your team, President Obama, Oprah, Kanye West, Common, Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, The Vice Lords, The Gangster Disciples, Al Capone, Larry Hoover, Mike Ditka, Walter Payton, Jim Belushi, Mayor Daley, or anyone else associated with the city of Chicago!

The fact that you are a complete jerk made your peers think it was cool to talk pork chop greasy about you.  That means you are a sub-par quarterback and a jerk as a person.  Hopefully you will rebound from all this and decide to work at becoming an elite QB.  That is if we actually have football this year.  If last season doesn’t make you stronger, you’ll always have your job at Vandelay Industries to fall back on.

I’m Nice!!!

Jimmy Williams

3 Reasons for LeBron’s Dysfunctional Performance(s)

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

By Bradley Anderson

Ryan Jones' book on LeBron James

(The reasons lie with us as much as they do with him)

1) Throughout his amateur and professional career, I have not seen enough emphasis put on developing all aspects of LeBron’s basketball skills.  AAU, High School, and now NBA coaches are so enamored with his talent and athleticism, and the fact that they have a center’s size and power (ok a PF), a PG’s speed and quickness, a wing players athleticism, body control, and grace, they lose sight of preaching and teaching.  Be it the big things, such as footwork, positioning, back to the basket skill, or intangibles such as never quitting, always giving maximum effort, good sportsmanship, etc. I understand that you can’t instill “the killer”….”the mass murderer”….”the genocidal cool, calm, and collected megalomaniac” that existed within Michael, Larry, Earvin, Isiah, Reggie, Kobe, or even A.I.  I get that you can’t MAKE someone into a clutch player; however, there are so many little chinks in our gladiator’s armor that we all are bearing “witness” too now.  Flaws that have been pointed to, but the roar of the coliseum drown out any reasonable ear and the lust for the worlds “next”, combined with the “knee-jerking” “Sportscenter highlight”-thirsty audience that left no room for constructive criticism.  And much like a child left to be raised by the television set he/she sits in front of, so was LeBron coached by the people of the coliseum of his Rome: “stanleys”, lemmings, fans, and the media as much as he was placed in a disciplined, nurturing, ethics-building, skill developing, integrity-fostering environment.  We celebrated him so much and so fast, anointing him to be the “heir apparent” to a throne once sat on by a man who put the countless hours into honing his craft and developing his skill.  A man whose body was dashed upon the rocks of Detroit’s arena…a man so consumed with greatness and even further consumed by winning, that his sheer will could get him wins, when his 48-inch vertical and cat quickness exited stage left.

To the masses, fans, “stanleys”, lemmings, yes-men, enablers, scouts, handlers, managers, and coaches; I ask: “What now?”…and “is this all LeBron?…or do you have some level of responsibility and accountability in this?”

2) Fatherless Boys:  I don’t know much about LeBron’s father or his “father-figures”, who raised him, or what their value systems look like.  I do know as an intelligent young man, he often understands what to say, when to say it, and to whom to say it, in terms of the media and how it will resonate with the “fans”.  He is very conscious of his image, sensitive to his brand’s direction, and cognizant of the need to “say the right things”.  He has (up until recent times) been very politically correct.  I attribute this to his “handlers” (shout-out to Maverick Carter, you may want to change your first name right now or go by your middle name though), but also LeBron is pretty savvy in knowing who to have guide him.  All this being said, there have been a number of moments where his character development comes into question.  There are those times when he walks off the court without shaking hands with the opposing team.  There is the dancing and shucking and jiving in other peoples’ arenas.  There are the moments when his Momma goes “HAM” and “acts a fool”.  Who is there to guide him?  Who is there as a confidant to listen and offer sound, non-“yes-man” advice?  Who is there to be the opposite of coach Mike “Stanley Fan” Brown?  Who counsels him?  Who yells at LeBron? Who tells him to get his big ass in the post and get mean, and get aggressive against point guards and shooting guards? Who does he look up to and respect?  Has he had to grow, groom, and learn on his own for the most part?  Has he had to figure this out on his own as we all look on, heckling, laughing, supporting, hating, and lambasting him?  I don’t know the answer to these questions, but if he has, I actually think he’s done a damn good job of raising himself.  However, without that influence, he will never get to that “next level”.  I use one of my favorite players of all time: Allen Iverson.  Prior to Allen submitting to Coach Larry Brown’s tutoring, mentoring, scolding, and chiding, Iverson was running amuck.  But the brief, stern, fatherly, guiding direction of Larry got him focused enough at 5’10” and 155 lbs to take a team consisting of invalids, failures, intramural players, and trash-truck drivers to the NBA Finals.  I attribute this to the “father-figure” influence…that wise and guiding voice that tells you what you NEED to hear, not what you want to hear.

3)  Global Icon & Brand versus Greatest Of All Time (Winner):  We’ve reached a point in society where everything…EVERYTHING (and I’m speaking both in the world of sports and beyond) is about what will generate revenues, profit margins, and drive sales.  From 5th grade on (yes they nationally rank basketball players from 5th grade on…WHO THE F%#K cares who is the top ranked 5th or 6th grader?), the engine of the great marketing machines are trolling for that one stand-out player they can latch their claws into and create “The Player”…”THE HEIR APPARENT”.  The shoe companies are the first level, the dirtiest, and with the least amount of shame.  They begin by pushing athletic wear and sneakers on the kids’ amateur teams (AAU and the like).  These scoundrels are to amateur athletics what tobacco is to us all.  Well okay…perhaps a little strong, perhaps a little harsh, but you catch my drift.  It then expands to include food and beverage companies, apparel companies, and the list of things to sell, brands, and companies grow exponentially on the backs of these young athletes.  And what suffers?  The purity of the game? Definitely the soul of basketball?  Absolutely!  Is Dr. Naismith turning over in his grave, thinking of how it got from a peach basket to this?  Of course he is.  Beyond that though, the sport which was crafted to be for fun, joy, growth and development, good health, entertainment, and camaraderie, becomes about endorsements.  No longer are we concerned with the purity of the game, or even winning (let alone the other more noble concepts).  Much like Congress is subject to the whims of special interest (lobbyists own the Hill, you ain’t know?).  The sport is subject to the whims of big money corporations and his brother commercial mass appeal. And where does LeBron James fit into all of this?  He is just the latest, and quite possibly the greatest example of that nest, “The Player”.  He IS the personification of the machine. Where Michael Jordan and his generation were merely concerned with getting to the marquee colleges and playing for the best coaches, giving them the shot at a National Title and perhaps an NBA look, LeBron and his generation are courted for AAU “contracts” as freshman and sophomores in high school.  Where Mike was signing endorsement deals 2 and 3 years into his tenure, LeBron was in a Hummer his senior year and signed a $100 million endorsement deal with Nike before he graduated high school.  And can you blame him?  Growing up in a single-parent home, low-to-moderate income, and your talent is assessed a value before you can drive, vote, or drink.  I credit LeBron for being an intelligent person in knowing that his talent and abilities were his ticket.  While basketball is great, what it brings the global marketplace and the ability to be the salesman for ANY product may be paramount to being the Greatest Basketball Player to ever live.  As long as he’s in the top 50 (top 10 currently playing), he is worth billions and will reap that reward and success.  And so, his value system and priorities may include advancing his net worth into the billionaire category, and is that his fault or the world/marketplace he grew up in?  Michael Jordan, Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Isiah, Dr. J, Bird, Dominique, etc…they got their just due financially from being the greatest, arguably the greatest, or on the list somewhere near the top.  The opportunity to be the wealthiest sports icon ever never really crossed their minds, or at least it didn’t inhibit their play.  They wanted to win worse than they wanted that check and the “lights, glamour, glitters, and gold”.  When the scroll unfolded, it was the beast that rose and conquered the courts (shout out to Nasir Olu Bin Dara Jones), not the endorsers.  But who can fault James for the times he has grown up in?  We are a product of our environment.  What is more valuable, the riches and rewards of being very good, even great…or the triumph of reaching full potential and striving with all ones might for “GREATEST OF ALL TIME” status?  It is a conversation only LeBron can have with himself, and perhaps a select few wise men.  But think about the time and place and you will understand the man.

Bradley “B. Austin” Anderson of The War Room, for War Room Sports

LeBron James: Performance Befitting a King?

Monday, June 13th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

A dejected LeBron approaches the podium after Game 6 of the NBA Finals

Last night as I watched the Dallas Mavericks win their third straight game and capture the first NBA title in franchise history, I still couldn’t believe how LeBron James wilted under the pressure in the biggest games of the season.  James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to “take his talents” to South Beach and join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in what was supposed to be a super power this season and for seasons to come.  I had no real problem with him joining the Heat. He had no shot of winning with the Cavs the way they were constructed and I thought it was big of him to go to a team where he wouldn’t be the sole guy.  It’s a known fact that it was Wade’s team and he had a proven track record of clutch play as he was the finals MVP in 2006. The only problem I had was with the whole “Decision Show”, and the WWE- like celebration the next day, like they had already won something.  He asked for all of the ridicule and verbal thrashing he received because of these things.

Everyone who has followed my sports blog knows that after LeBron’s performance against the Celtics and Bulls en route to the NBA Finals, I finally thought James had ascended to “that level” of a player.  I even went out and said he was now better than Kobe Bryant (http://warroomsports.com/blog/2011/05/12/lebron-scores-10-straight-to-close-out-the-celtics-is-that-clutch-enough-for-you/).
First of all, I would like to apologize to the “Black Mamba” for spewing that blasphemy from my mouth before LeBron even won a single title.  But I really thought I had seen him take it to another level.  He was closing out games down the stretch by hitting killer shots and after watching the way he defended Derrick Rose, I was sold.

But then came the NBA Finals and the unexplainable, passive play of the most physically talented athlete I’ve seen in my life.  It’s just a flat out choke job, no other way for me to explain it.  D-Wade said last night after the game that the phrase “choke job” is used too often in sports, and he might be right in some situations.  But in this case, his homie, his teammate, was a flat no show when the Heat needed him the most.  The Heat had a chance to take control of the series.  They were up by 15 points in the fourth quarter with seven minutes and change to play and coughed up the lead, being outscored 22-5 to end the game.  LeBron scored two points during the fourth period of the game, and didn’t make a single basket during the run Dallas went on to steal Game 2.

In six games, LeBron James scored 18 fourth quarter points.  He seemed to defer to Wade and even to his other teammate when he could have forced the issue.  He just seemed disinterested, passive, and scared to take over the game when he clearly was the most talented player on the court.  Last year in the playoffs, James clearly quit on his team in Games 5 and 6 against the Boston Celtics and I couldn’t believe it.  I can’t say he quit on his team this time around, but he wanted no part in making a difference in the outcome of this series.  Watching him drive and dump the ball off to the likes of Juwan Howard and Joel Anthony instead of taking the shot himself was frustrating to watch.

Scottie Pippen’s (who played with arguably the best basketball player of all time) unmitigated gall to say that LeBron James was (or could be) better than Michael Jordan was irresponsible.  I don’t know what personal vendetta he has with “His Airness”, but you see he later took those words back the next day. The lowest point outcome in an NBA Finals game by Jordan was 22 and I’ve seen him carry the Bulls to a victory and nearly pass out coming off the floor due to the flu. People also want to compare LeBron to Kobe Bryant, who might be the closest thing to MJ we will ever see, but Kobe never disappeared in the fourth quarters of games.  And one thing I can say about Jordan and Kobe, they never loss for lack of effort.  Yes, D-Wade made some costly mistakes in the 4th quarter of last night’s game, but he made those mistakes playing his game and going hard.

The bottom line is this: a player with his talent, the hype, the self-given nickname, the cocky attitude and arrogance, should expect to get ripped the way he is today and will continue to during this off-season and until he wins a title.  And his post-game comments aren’t going to help him either.  His whole “I’m better than you at the end of the day” attitude and the “my life is still better than yours” thing is just going to get him more” haters”.  He acts like the fans are the reason why he was out-played by Jason Terry in a Finals playoff series.  “Prince” James has no one to blame but himself for the lack of testicular fortitude it takes to win a title.  He had more talent than he had in Cleveland and he still couldn’t get the damn job done.  So until he wins a title, don’t dare compare this man to the likes of Jordan, Magic,Bird, Shaq, and Kobe.  He doesn’t deserve it.  You know what LeBron is?  He’s the equivalent of having a 12-inch penis (pause) that doesn’t get erect.  Ok, I’m done with this guy.  I’m looking forward to the NBA Draft and hopefully a full 16-game football season.

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports, Blogger for War Room Sports

The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

Monday, June 13th, 2011

By Jason Parker

The King is dead.  Long live the King!

Or should I say The Kaiser?  King James, with a little boot in the backside from Dirk Nowitzki and a brand of defense the likes of which Mavericks fans have never seen, has abdicated his NBA throne to the “Ghost-Faced Drilla” from Wurzberg, Germany.  That’s right, the man so many had perhaps unjustly labeled soft and unable to lead a team to a championship now sits in the top spot of The Association’s monarchy. 

Mavericks’ legend Mark Aguirre paid Dirk perhaps the highest compliment, “Answer me this: If you switched Dirk with Wade, or Dirk with LeBron, would the Mavs be in the Finals?  No way.”

I must admit, during the first half of the series-clinching Game 6 victory, I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to publish this article; what with Nowitzki languishing in an unfathomable 1-12 shooting funk.  But like so many times before, when the stakes were highest, Dirk was at his best, shrugging off the slump to seal the victory with five clutch buckets in the last 7:22 of the game.

“We’re world champions,” Nowitzki said after taking a private moment to wipe away a few tears of joy in the locker room.  “It sounds unbelievable.”

It wasn’t always this way.  I’ve been an avid Dirk defender over the years, but there have been moments when he just wasn’t able to put this team on his back and lead them over the hump.  In the final three games of the 2006 Finals, Dirk went 20-55 and missed a number of key free throws down the stretch.  In 2007, his MVP season, Nowitzki shot 38% from the field (2-13 in the clinching Game 6) as the Mavs became the first #1 seed to fall to a #8 (Golden State) in a seven-game series.  2008 saw another first-round playoff exit against Chris Paul and the upstart Charlotte Hornets.  The next two seasons would end with second and first round losses, respectively.

This year, there was something different about Dirk.  Perhaps galvanized by past failures, Nowitzki would not be denied.  After a pedestrian regular season by his standards, Dirk turned it up a couple of notches once the playoffs started, playing his best basketball when it mattered most.  When the Mavericks needed a big bucket or clutch free throws to overcome a huge deficit or seal a victory, Dirk delivered.  He was clearly the best player in a postseason that culminated in a championship.     

LeBron's series was sub-par by his standards

Now on to the man Nowitzki supplanted as king.  Last season, in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Lebron James looked up and came to the perhaps premature realization that no matter how good he played, no matter how many spectacular dunks he threw down, he could never win a championship with the collection of talent around him in Cleveland—so he checked out of the series mentally, and the Cavaliers quickly followed suit.  Lebron will deny it, but if it looks like a duck, sounds like and duck, smells like a duck…

Fast forward a little over a year to the NBA Finals, and the situation is very different, but it’s also the same.  Lebron is a member of the most talented (if not the deepest) team in the league, yet he frequently distanced himself from the front lines of this pitched battle for the NBA Championship, deferring to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh whenever possible. Actually, James’ fourth-quarter game of hot potato throughout the series was worse than deference, it was desertion.  Pat Riley, Wade and Bosh, are thinking of asking for a $14.5 million refund.  They’re thinking they recruited the wrong superstar.

James was not gracious in defeat, lashing out at his and the Heat’s critics:

“All the people that were rooting me on to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before,” James said. “They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want with me and my family and be happy with that.”

“They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal,” James said. “But they’ll have to get back to the real world at some point.”    

James’ latest big-moment disappearing act prompts us to reevaluate his motives for running out on his home-town-team instead of sticking it out through good times and bad, for better or worse (a-la a certain seven-foot German). Lebron claimed he joined Wade and Bosh in Miami so he could win multiple championships, but now there appears to be more to the equation than that.  It looks more like Bron-Bron couldn’t bear the burden of leadership, of being his team’s hoops messiah.  How else can you explain his habit of fading, no, sprinting into the background when the spotlight is squarely focused on him and him alone?

Compare this to the play of Nowitzki and his own teammate, Dwyane Wade, who combines physical brilliance with mental fortitude and inspirational leadership.  Wade demands the ball at the end of games and James is all too willing to give it to him, especially on the game’s biggest stage.  Confession:  I wrote two versions of this article; the one you are reading, and one proclaiming Wade king if the Heat had won the series.

To be fair, perhaps LeBron James never wanted this mantle that was foisted upon him at the age of 18.  He never dubbed himself “King.”  Whether he wanted it or not, as the most physically-dominant player this game has seen since Wilt Chamberlain, the crown was his to wear.  But now it appears that it was too heavy for those chiseled shoulders to bear.  Who knows, maybe by the time the Kaiser is ready to cede the throne in a few years, LeBron will be ready to take it back.  He need only look at the evolution of one Dirk Nowitzki to find a role model.

But until then, the Mavericks and their fans hope to win another title or two during Dirk’s reign.    

Jason Parker, Blogger for War Room Sports

What Can Dallas Do To Win Game 2 and Tie The Series Up?

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

The Dallas Mavericks lost game one of the Finals on Tuesday and there were plenty of reasons why they did.  The question is: what can they do to avoid going down 2-0 and tie the series up?  Here are a few things I believe they can do to have a chance to win tonight.

1. Rebound the basketball: They were out-rebounded 46-36 in game one and allowed Miami to grab 16 offensive rebounds.  Dallas held the Heat to 39% shooting from the field but they allowed too many extra possessions.  Part of playing defense is securing the rebound and ending the team’s offensive possession.  Tyson Chandler’s four rebound performance is a flat out joke and he needs to play better in the paint.  Dwayne Wade and Lebron James are great rebounders for their positions and the Mavericks’ guards need to commit to rebounding and not leaking out.

2. Better production from the bench: The Mavericks bench scored 17 points in the last game, 12 of them by Jason Terry who didn’t score a point in the 2nd half.  The Heat put Lebron James on Terry and took him right out of the game.  J.J. Berea went 1-8 from the field and had two points and 3 assists in 18 minutes of play.  The Mavericks need better production from him running the second unit against the Heat’s second unit.  The bench averaged 40 points per game during the season and 39 points during the playoffs and they are a big reason the Mavs are even here.

3. Stop Chris Bosh: Lebron and D-Wade are going to get theirs either way you put it, but if Dallas can contain Bosh and hold him under the 19 points and 9 rebounds he had in game one, they will have a way better chance to win.  Bosh had 5 offensive rebounds in game one and Dallas needs to keep him off of the O-boards tonight.

Yes, it’s easier said than done, especially when you have Lebron and Wade taking turns down the stretch making plays.  But hey, Dallas has to win this game tonight or they can chalk it the hell up.

Prediction: Miami is a 4 1/2 point favorite tonight and I like the Heat as a straight up winner tonight over the Mavericks.

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon On Sports, Blogger for War Room Sports

How Soon They Forget: An Open Letter to Scottie Pippen

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

 

Wilt "The Stilt"

Dear Scottie,

I have nothing but respect for you my friend as an athlete and knowledgeable basketball mind. But you are way off in your assessment of who is the greatest player of all time and the greatest scorer of all time.  Your comments are off because of your limited perspective. You obviously never saw Wilt Chamberlain play who undoubtedly was the greatest scorer this game has ever known. When did MJ ever average 50.4 points per game plus 25.7 rebounds? (Wilt in the 1962 season when blocked shot statistics were not kept). We will never accurately know how many shots Wilt blocked. Oh by the way in 1967 and 68. Wilt was a league leader in assists. Did MJ ever score 100 points in a game? How many times did MJ score more than 60 points in a game? MJ led the league in scoring in consecutive seasons for 10 years but he did this in an NBA that eventually expanded into 30 teams vs. when Wilt played and there were only 8 teams. Every team had the opportunity to amass a solid nucleus.  Only the cream of the basketball world got to play then. So MJ has to be appraised in perspective. His incredible athletic ability, charisma and leadership on the court helped to make basketball popular around the world — no question about that. But in terms of greatness MJ has to take a backseat to The Stilt.

In terms of winning, Michael excelled as both an emotional and scoring leader but Bill Russell’s Celtics won 8 consecutive NBA Championships. Bills rebounding average per game is over 22.5 lifetime, MJs best rebounding years was 8 per game (1989). But we will never know exactly how many shots Bill Russell blocked because again, they never kept that statistic while he played. However, if you ask anybody that played against Russell they will just roll their eyes and say he blocked all the shots he wanted to block in the crucial moments of a game.

Bill played on a total of 11 Championship teams and as you very well know, Scottie, the ring is the thing, and everything else is just statistics. So I would advise you to do a little homework before crowning Michael or Lebron with the title of best ever. As dominant as he is, Lebron has yet to win a championship. I must say that it looks like Miami has finally put the team together that will change that circumstance. Its my hope that today’s players get a better perspective on exactly what has been done in this league in the days of yore.

The change in style to the game is not any indication as to how many really talented players there are in the game. So the fact that skilled players come from all over the world does not change the quantity of outstanding talent. Simply put the number of players that could have stopped Wilt Chamberlain in his prime has not increased.

Affectionately, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer

p.s. If you want to see some real legends arguing about the greats of the game check out my new documentary, On the Shoulders  of Giants, the story of the greatest basketball team you never heard of.  It’s available to watch instantly on Netflix.

www.kareemabduljabbar.com/championshipseason

Taken directly from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.com, the official website of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

2011 NBA Finals Preview

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Well the NBA Finals start on Tuesday night and Lebron James and the Miami Heat will face off against Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks for the NBA title.  I will break down the series from my point of view and give you who I think will win it all.  I know everyone likes the Heat and believes Dallas will be pushovers, but don’t count them out that easily.

Coaching

Miami: Erik Spoelstra came into this season with the heavy task of getting his new players to mesh together offensively while earning their respect. Miami going through early season struggles and learning from them has paid off and he has his team in the NBA Finals.  He is a very good coach, especially defensively and I look forward to seeing what schemes he hatches to stop Dirk Nowitzki.  He has also been quoted as saying Lebron James will see time guarding J.J. Berea when the Mavs go to their small lineup, where they play Dirk at the 5.

Dallas: Rick Carlisle has the Mavericks back in the NBA Finals 5 years after their last appearance, a series in which the Heat defeated them 4-2.  But this is a different team Dallas will put on the court in this series and Carlisle wasn’t the coach then as well.  He has the Mavs playing with discipline, toughness and they now put forth effort on the defensive end of the court as well.  This is clearly the best team Dallas has put on the floor in the time Dirk Nowitzki has played for the franchise and Carlisle is a big reason why.  I’m looking forward to seeing how he defends Lebron James and the Heat, and how he utilizes Dirk offensively.

Advantage: Push

 

Frontcourt

Miami: Lebron James is playing out of his mind right now and he has taken his game to another level by finally deciding to be the lockdown defender we all thought he could be.  His size, strength, speed, and agility is like no other we have seen in the NBA and that allows him to defend multiple positions effectively.  Look for him to check J.J. Berea at times as well as Dirk Nowitzki.  But now that Udonis Haslem is back in the mix and they have Chris Bosh as well, the Heat will try to use them more on Dirk to keep James out of foul trouble.  We know what Lebron brings offensively and that’s a given, but Bosh’s production as the team’s 3rd scorer could be the difference in the series.  He should have an advantage against Nowitzki and should look to be aggressive and get him in foul trouble.  Haslem and Joel Anthony will do the grunge, dirty work on the boards and defensively, and Haslem’s championship experience will be big for the Heat.

Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki is playing the best basketball of his hall of fame career and a championship would put him in the class with the all time greats.  The Mavericks need him to show up and carry this team if they have any chance of beating Miami in a seven game series.  Shawn Marion will most likely draw the assignment of Lebron James and Tyson Chandler’s shot blocking, ability to run the floor, and offensive rebounding will be key for the Mavericks.  Chandler brings a toughness in the paint that Dallas has never had in past seasons.

Advantage: Push

 

Backcourt

Miami: Dwayne Wade is a former NBA Finals MVP (2006) and is a stone killer down the stretch of games.  Yes, Lebron James is the better player, but Wade has a proven track record in the finals.  I expect Wade to play better than he did in the series against the Bulls.  The Heat needs him to play much better than the 18.8 ppg and 40% shooting from the field that he produced against Chicago.  Dallas is a way better team than the Bulls and they have the ability to put up points.  Mike Bibby is the starter at the point and the Heat could use a better shooting performance from him as well.  He will get plenty of open shots and he needs to make better than the 30% of his shots he made last series.

Dallas: Jason Kidd is at the end of his career, but is still a very effective point guard, playing off of guile and smarts as his physical tools aren’t what they used to be.  He sets the table for this team, gets the ball to the right players in the right spots, and has become sort of a dependable shooter from the three-point line as well.  DeShawn Stevenson is a good defender who will spend the majority of his time checking Wade.  He is the Mavericks best bet to slow Wade down if it’s possible.

Advantage: Heat

 

Bench Play

Miami: After getting virtually nothing from their bench during the season, the Heat has gotten some solid contributions off of the pine in the last series.  After missing most of the regular season with a foot injury, Udonis Haslem has brought back the toughness, leadership, rebounding, and hustle the Heat had been missing all season.  Mike Miller has woken up and had a great game four against the Bulls, scoring 12 points and grabbing 9 rebounds as well.  The more production and solid mistake-free minutes they give the Heat off the bench, the better.

Dallas: The Mavericks have firepower coming off the bench and knock-down shooters as well.  Jason Terry is one of the best 6th men the league has seen and can get you 20 plus points off of the bench on any given night.  J.J. Berea is very effective getting into the lane creating for himself and for others.  When Dallas goes to the small lineup with Dirk at the center position, Berea is the key to that lineup working as well as it does.  Peja Stojakovic has been coming off of the bench and hitting open three-point shots for the Mavs on a consistent basis.  Brendan Haywood could start for most teams at center and provides another big active body for Dallas to throw at the Heat.

Advantage: Mavericks

 

My Prediction: When Lebron James decided to join Wade and Bosh in Miami, this is what they envisioned, playing for an NBA title.  They are now four wins away from accomplishing this feat.  Yes, Dirk Nowitzki is balling right now, but I don’t think Dallas has enough star-power to win 4 of 7 against Miami.  People think Miami runs right through Dallas easily, but I don’t.  I like The Heat in 6 games and Lebron James takes home the Finals MVP award.

Brandon Pemberton of “Brandon on Sports”, Blogger for War Room Sports

Mavericks’ Road Back to NBA Finals Reads Like a Hollywood Script

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

By Jason Parker

Mavericks vs Heat (2006 NBA Finals)

You can’t make this stuff up.  Death Wish, The Crow, Gladiator, Man on Fire, nothing gets a guys’ heart pumping like a good revenge flick.  Could Mavs vs. Heat 2011 join the list of great payback pictures?  

After five years of exile to a barren wasteland, a trio of men returns to avenge the loss of their collective manhood at the hands of the evil NBA Empire.  Sounds like the tagline for a movie, but it’s befitting the scenario that has unfolded in the last forty-eight hours of playoff basketball in The Association.   Make no mistake, Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, and Jason Terry have been in playoff purgatory for the past five years after being emasculated by the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals.  For those that have been stranded on a deserted island for half a decade or so, the Mavs were up two games to none over the Heat, and were well on their way to a three-game lead when Dwayne Wade (and maybe an official or two) went out of his mind and carried his team to four consecutive victories to steal the championship.  What followed was a downward spiral of epic proportions: four out of the next five seasons ending in first round flameouts, and the other ending in the second round.  Inevitably, Nowitzki and Terry were painted as good, but soft players that wilted under playoff pressure.   And now here we are, five seasons later, and the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat (pending the formality of their inevitable close-out win over the Bulls), are preparing to cross swords for the right to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.  It’s Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd leading their band of role players and refugees from the island of misfit hoopsters against the heavily-favored tropical triumvirate from South Beach.  It’s David vs. Goliath, Rocky vs. Apollo Creed, and Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader.   Most of those outside of Florida will be rooting against the Heat after Lebron’s unceremonious dumping of his hometown hoops bride, Cleveland, for better-looking trophy wife, Miami, last off-season.  Thus, we have our hero and our villain that everyone loves to hate.

Darth Vader vs. Luke

 

Rocky Vs. Apollo

You certainly won’t hear Nowitzki or Terry verbally acknowledge their thirst for retribution, but have no doubt, that fire burns within them.  It has forged them into a strong, polished blade with a keen edge that, in all honesty, was lacking in other deep playoff runs.  But will that edge be sharp enough to sever the grip Wade, James, and Bosh already seem to have on the NBA’s greatest prize?  Most will say no, but this Mavericks team has been proving us all wrong throughout the postseason;  first by beating the younger, more athletic Trailblazers in the first round, then sweeping the two-time defending champion Lakers in the second round, and finally by vanquishing the up-and-coming Thunder in five games.  Only time will tell if Dallas’ new-found mettle will prove strong enough to carry them to a championship, but we can all get our popcorn and soda,  and enjoy watching the underdog Mavericks try to defeat the villainous Heat in a good, old fashioned grudge match.  This writer can’t wait to see how the story ends.    

Will the Mavs win the next Trophy?

Jason Parker, Blogger for War Room Sports

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry

Gladiator

Chris Bosh Has Found His Place With The Heat

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Coming off of a 34 point performance last night in a 96-85 win over the Chicago Bulls in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s pretty obvious to me that Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh is playing with confidence and has found his place on this team.  Early in the season, Bosh looked lost, passive, and out of place on the floor.  He was often criticized for his timid play and lack of rebounding.  Playing in Toronto, most people hadn’t really seen him play much unless you are a big fan of hoops and had the NBA League Pass.

Bosh was used to being the man for the Raptors, having the offense run through him and everyone else playing off him.  While he averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game and made six All-Star performances, he’d never won a playoff series and he never was a legit superstar player.  A player like Lebron James or a Derrick Rose type, who has enough talent to carry a team to high places with fair talent around them.  There were plenty of basketball fans that thought Bosh was that kind of player but he wasn’t, and hasn’t been that kind of guy.

Now, playing with two legit superstars who have the ball in their hands the majority of the time, Bosh had a rough time early in the season finding his role on the team.  The injury to Udonis Haslem made things even worse for him, as the team needed him to play a more physical role, similar to what Haslem would play.  The Heat struggled with chemistry and Chris was one of the [main] culprits.

As the season progressed, Bosh and the Miami Heat have gotten better on the offensive end of the court.  The Heat use him in pick & roll situations, which fits his game perfectly as he has one of the best mid-range jumpshots in basketball (big man or not).  He also has been playing well, finishing off passes from James and Wade and hitting the offensive glass.  In the three games against the Bulls, he’s averaging 25 ppg and grabbing 7 rpg as well.  You can see the confidence that he lacked during the season as each playoff game goes by.

Finally, I’ve never been the biggest Chris Bosh fan and after the WWE type celebration he, Lebron, and Wade partook in [after signing], it made me dislike him even more.  Add in the fact that he’s a fake tough guy and it irks me when he scowls and yells on the court, but I have to admit that he is playing well and will be one of the key reasons the Heat win it all this season.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

What Have You Done For Me In The Last 5 Minutes?

Friday, May 20th, 2011

By Devin McMillan

Stop Flip-Flopping

I need to address the “quick to judgment” nature of the society we live in…and though this notion applies to MANY aspects of our everyday lives, I’ll keep it in sports.  Why is it that every night in sports makes the general public forget about the night before?  For instance, why do we (and when I say “we”, I mean YOU)…why do we jump to conclusions after every single game we watch?  For instance, the whole world castigated the Chicago Bulls for their struggles in both the Indiana and Atlanta series’ while concurrently lauding the Miami Heat for the efficient manner in which they dispatched the 76ers and Boston Celtics.

Then, after Game 1 of the Heat-Bulls series, everyone now wondered how the Miami Heat could ever possibly match up with the juggernaut, 85 Chicago BEARS-like defense of the Chicago Bulls.  Heat “wagoneers” were quiet, Bulls fans were crowing, the world was in immediate disarray.  I even heard several “experts” hinting that the series might be over after Game 1 and after the first quarter of Game 2, they were almost completely convinced.

Then the other 3 quarters were played (like they usually are in a basketball game).  The Bulls couldn’t score on the Heat’s stalwart defense, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller made significant appearances, Dwyane Wade was…Dwyane Wade, Lebron James scored a few clutch buckets, and the Miami Heat successfully snatched back control of the series by winning a game on Chicago’s home court.  The world was again turned upside down.  All I heard the day after Game 2 were Heat “wagoneers”…excuse me… Lebron protective cup holders…speak tales of legend in lure of their King.  I heard the SAME “experts” who had so adamantly proclaimed the day before that the series was over, now questioning the Bulls’ chances of winning the series.  Didn’t we just crown them Eastern Conference Champions after the prior game…GAME ONE?  On top of all that, I didn’t hear from any Bulls fans all damn day after Game 2.

So for all of YOU PEOPLE who flip-flop with the wind, IT’S A SEVEN GAME SERIES and it’s tied up at ONE!  Please folks, let’s allow it to play out and let’s refrain from making new CONCLUSIVE judgments after every single game…after every single quarter…after every single bucket.  Fans, “stans”, die-hards, and shameless wagon jumpers alike; try to see a bigger picture and stop basing your “moxy”, your fear, your sports knowledge, and anything else you have going on in those little brains, on one game.  Shut up and let them play PLEASE!

Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports