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I can't say enough about this year's NBA Finals and just how much I enjoyed watching them. In fact, I can't remember a more appealing and enthralling series with the story lines that we had in this year's Finals. This had to be my favorite NBA championship series that I can recall.
It wasn't just the presence of LeBron James and the Heat, or Dirk's quest for redemption, or how every game seemingly went down to the wire. It was the sum of its parts that made the Finals this year such a spectacle and so much fun to watch.
So to recap the series that was, I wanted to recognize the roles that certain players filled by handing some awards/accolades that I assure you are NBA-approved and sanctioned.
The Guy
Dirk Nowitzki
At the onset of these Finals I wrote that if Dallas is to win this year's title, Dirk will do something that LeBron didn't have the shoulders to do in Cleveland -- lead a team to a championship. Sure enough, that's exactly what the 7-footer did.
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Dirk Nowitzki was named NBA Finals MVP, not to mention "The Guy" of the Finals by some nitwit blogger. |
If the team-oriented Mavericks were the perfect foil to the star-laden Heat, Dirk showed he's the ying to LeBron's yang. Dirk didn't need to ride shotgun with another superstar -- he just needed a back seat full of reliable players like Jason Terry and Shawn Marion. Dirk showed he can be 'The Guy,' which is something LeBron couldn't do in Cleveland, and an opportunity he forfeited by signing with Miami.
Dirk could have left Dallas this past summer, but he opted to show loyalty to the team, organization and city that showed him so much of the same the previous 12 years.
While LeBron tried to take a shortcut, Dirk proved that taking the long road is well worth it. Along with Terry, Nowitzki suffered a painful collapse to the Heat in the 2006 Finals, for which he drew all types of criticism. That criticism reached a fever pitch after his top-seeded Mavericks were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the eighth-seeded Warriors in 2007.
But even after averaging 26 points per game against LeBron and the Heat, Dirk truly made his mark in the fourth quarter. The German power forward scored over 10 points per fourth quarter, including two game-winners. After struggling mightily in the first half (1-12) last night, he scored eight points in the third quarter and then 10 in the final frame to close out the Heat.
And as the final seconds ticked off the Mavericks' decisive Game 6 victory and as his teammates began their celebration, Nowitzki B-lined it off the court . Where was he going? Pulling a Herb Brooks (2:30) and taking a quiet moment for himself deep inside AmericanAirlines Arena.
Dirk said he's never been concerned with legacy, and after his performance in these NBA Finals, his legacy will surely take care of itself.
Jason Terry
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Jason Terry was played a huge role in coming off the bench and lighting up the Heat for 27 points in Game 6. |
Yours truly scoffed at Terry's brash statement. Was this dude really calling out the guy that had shut him down in Dallas' two defeats? But sure enough, Terry knew what he was doing. From that point on, "The Jet" played like a man possessed. He poured in 17, 21, and 27 points in the final three games of this series, respectively.
But how could he not play at that level? Especially after having the likeness of the Larry O'Brien Trophy inked up on his right biceps back in October.
And after I called his Game 5 performance the signature game of his career, he was an absolute assassin in Game 6, scoring 27 points on 11-16 shooting. Cold blooded.
More importantly, Terry carried the Mavericks with 19 points in the first half last night, as Dirk was marred in a 1-12 slump. "The big fella was struggling but he had his sidekick right there with him."
Sidekick? Yes, maybe so. Gamer? Absolutely.
The Goat
LeBron James
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Unfortunately, for LeBron James his post-game press conference won't be the only time his late- game struggles will be called into question. |
Perhaps I've gone soft -- now that Dirk has his title and the Miami Heat's reign over the NBA has been delayed at least a year -- but I almost don't want to crush LeBron as I've been doing so passionately since the start of these Finals.
Right as I'm teetering on the edge of sensitivity, I just cue up tape of "The Decision," or the Heat's obscenely lavish coronation last July or the footage of "Cough Gate," and I'm right back to enjoying my ice cold LeBron/Heat flavored Haterade.
As William C. Rhoden of The New York Times writes, "Superstars can talk all they want about not being obsessed with rings and championships. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing worse than ending a stellar career without one. It’s a haunting gap in any superstar’s resume — one that Nowitzki and Kidd have filled."
So LeBron spurned the entire city of Cleveland for the chance to play with super stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. With the Heat, LeBron figured he'd have the best chance to win multiple titles and forever cement his legacy.
Even with Wade and Bosh at his side, James' late game play plummeted to a level that we've never seen it dive. And for the next four-plus months, LeBron will face questions and criticism for these late-game struggles. Taking absolutely nothing away from the Mavericks, who proved they were the better team in nearly every facet, LeBron has to take the brunt of the blame for why the Heat did not get it done this year.
The Turning Point
Mavs' 15-point comeback in Game 2
You can make an argument for any number of huge moments when the tide of this series appeared to change, but you'd be hard-pressed to argue against the Mavericks' miraculous 15-point comeback in fourth quarter of Game 2. The Finals appeared as if they were already over when the Heat, leading 1-0, opened up its huge fourth-quarter lead in Game 2. But Dirk & Co. rallied for one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history, capped off by Nowitzki's game-winning drive to the basket.
The Unsung Hero
How can I possibly chose one?
Seriously, I can't possibly deem only one Maverick the 'Unsung Hero' of the NBA Finals. Quite frankly, the Mavericks as a team are chalk full of these types of players. Jason Kidd, who scored in double digits only once this series, did so much of the dirty work -- rebounding, D'ing up just about any Miami Heat player on the floor, etc. -- that led to this championship. Or how about Shawn Marion, who did a great job guarding LeBron James and once again proved why he's known as "The Matrix."
I'm not sure J.J. Barea even qualifies as an unsung hero, after such a breakout post-season, but following the point guard's insertion into the starting lineup for Game 3, the Mavericks didn't lose a game. Let's not forget about the Dallas bench, led by Terry, outscored Miami's bench by six points per game, including 40-23 in Game 6.
The Mavericks seemingly got contributions from everyone on their roster, even 24-year-old Frenchman Ian Mahinmi, who chipped in with two big baskets last night. While the Heat were fueled by star power, the Mavericks' greatest strength lay in their depth.
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