NBA Finals - Game 1 Recap - Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat

Game 1 is over.  The question is what did we learn during and after Game 1?  I sat and watched last night and I think that Jeff VanGundy and Mark Jackson enjoy their jobs way too much.  They get to sit and watch this firsthand and get paid to do it.  Now, let's get back to the game.

1) The Mavericks started Stevenson on LBJ?  I was thinking, oh my goodness, he might get 40 tonight.  But, I will go ahead and take a swipe at LBJ.  If you turn and they have Stevenson on you and you don't post him up and go over him or through him to the basket (no fall away jumpers on a smaller dude) I am going to scream.  Stevenson should have played a sum total of 10 minutes last night due to foul trouble.  Period.  Yes, the Mavericks are going to double you, but get him in the post and make your move.  Done.  (Memo to LeBron: Work on your post up game in the summer.  It's sure to help you dominate in the future).

2) Dirk had problems with Haslem, as I thought he would.  The surprise was that Joel Anthony played him well too.  I imagine that some of those calls go against Anthony when they head to Dallas, but they put a body on Dirk and kept those arms up.  It doesn't help the fact that Dirk tore a ligament in his non-shooting hand.  It should effect his shooting but it will definitely effect his limited ball handling.  Other than hurting like he77 (I've done this twice, both pinkies) Dirk should be able to get through this, but it will change his game a little.  Dirk had 27 pts, 8 rebs, and 2 asts, but he shot a miserable 7-18 (1 of 3 from 3) and as usual 12-12 from the free throw line.  

3) What happened to the Dallas bench?  JJ, Terry, Haywood, anyone? Only 12 pts for Terry (all first half), 3 pts for Haywood (did he get hung on a dunk by himself?) and 2 pts for JJ.  They gotta play better if the Mavericks hope to win this series.  I expected more from Terry, but he's gotta find a way to score and stop flopping all over the place.

4) LBJ and Wade.  Each of them took turns taking over the game for the Heat.  I'm note sure how you stop them, because normally you only have 1 defensive stopper on your team and that person probably is not built to stop a guard (quickness) and a forward (size and speed).  LBJ ended the game with 24 pts, 9 rebs, 5 asts, and 2 monster dunks (the oop from Wade and the one crossing over Marion).  Wade ended the game with 22 pts, 10 rebs, 6 asts, and 2 blks and several daggers at the end of the game when the Mavs thought they might sneak back in. 

5) Mike Bibby needs to hit a shot.  I mean, hit at least one shot.  He only took 4, but he wasn't even close on those.  If he can get it going, it might spell more doom for the Mavs than what we already see.  

So, all in all, the Heat are up 1 - 0 and looking good for the next game on Thursday night.  Can the Mavs make some changes in time?  Can the Heat get more out of Bosh and Bibby?  What did you think were the keys to the Game 1 win for the Heat? 

NBA 2010 Wrap Up 11-12-10

Golden State 90 @ Chicago 120 – The Chicago Bulls blasted the Warriors Thursday night.  The Warriors were coming off of a win against the Knicks the night prior and they were playing without David Lee.  Without Lee, the Warriors were led by Monta Ellis (24 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts, 1 stl, 4 to) and Stephen Curry (17 pts, 3 rebs, 6 asts, 5 stls, 5 to), but with no size the Warriors had no chance.  The Bulls pretty much had their way with the Warriors, with 6 players in double figures and they were led by an unlikely (based on last year) player in Luol Deng (26 pts, 11 rebs, 6 asts, 1 stl, 2 blks).  Deng has quietly (over a small sample) raised his level of play to average 20 points, 5 boards, and 2 assists (also 2 turnovers) a game.  If the Bulls can find a two guard that can shoot with range, they will be dangerous.  Write that down. 

Boston 112 @ Miami 107 – Round 2.  The Heat are having a rough time as of late.  Losses to the Hornets, Jazz, and the Celtics (again) have this Heat team in a Miami vice.  Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) was in rare form last night as he connected on 7 3-pointers and ended the game with 35 points and is probably hitting buckets as I type.  The Heat got down early and made this close at the end, but it wasn’t enough.  KG (16 pts, 13 rebs, 2 asts, 2 blks), Paul Pierce (25 pts), and Rajon Rondo (8 pts, 16 asts, 3 rebs, 2 stls) were the usual suspects for the Celtics.  The Heat were led by LBJ (35 pts, 10 rebs, 9 asts, 3 stls) and Udonis Haslem (21 pts, 10 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk), while D Wade had problems with the Celtic defense and ended a horrible game with 8 pts, 3 asts, 6 to.  The Heat’s problem can be spelled with one word, D-E-F-E-N-S-E.  When they buy in and get Marky Mark (Mike Miller) back they will be ok. 

Denver 118 @ LA 112 – This was a great game with lots of back and forth, but the Nuggets, to my surprise, pulled this game out.  I can honestly say this is about as bad as I’ve seen the Lakers this year, and yes this was their first loss, but they looked like they played down to their competition.  Kobe (34 pts, on 11of 32 from the field, 3 of 10 from the 3 point line) led the Lakers, but even his best effort couldn’t pull the Lakers out at the end.  That’s a lot of shots for 34 points.  The Nuggets were led by Melo (32 pts, 13 rebs, 2 blks) and a surprising small ball attack with Ty Lawson (17 pts, 5 asts) pushing the ball against a much bigger Lakers team.  The Lakers only outrebounded the Nuggets by 7, so this strategy seemed to work today.  We all know this was an anomaly because the Lakers are stacked at every position and barring an substantial injury to either Gasol or Kobe, this Lakers team is already playing in Game 4 of the NBA Championship in my opinion.  Note to NBA teams, if you can slow down Gasol, you have a real good chance of beating the Lakers.  Yes, Kobe is out there, but Gasol’s play is giving Kobe an extra 2-3 years on his knees.