Posts Tagged ‘Udonis Haslem’

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

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