2011 NBA Finals

  • Thread starter zooxanthellae
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Finals
In summary, the Mavs are facing a difficult challenge in the form of LeBron and Wade, while Bosh and Haslem provide some defensive firepower. Dallas has the ability to move the ball well, but they may struggle to contain Lebron and Wade. If the officiating is fair, Dirk will still be a major factor, but the Heat are likely to win this series.
  • #1
zooxanthellae
157
1
I imagine there are at least a few other people watching this, here.

No poll because predictions seem pointless without context, but who do you think wins (and why)?

It really pains me to say it (I've been a Mavericks fan since Finley-Nash-Nowitzki), but I think the Heat will win. Here are my reasons for concern:

1. Chris Bosh - Unlike Perkins/Ibaka or Bynum/Gasol, Bosh is a legitimate shooter from ~18 feet. This will be enough to draw out whomever is assigned to him (likely Chandler). The negative part of this is that Chandler is a big part of the Mavs' rebounding game and a huge part of their paint defense. The Mavs were able to get away with this in the first round, when Chandler was guarding Aldridge, but I am much more wary about a Heat team with two of the best penetrators in the league.

2. Lebron/Wade - Both are, obviously, great players. But the athletic-wing type has given the Mavs fits this season (remember how easily Westbrook drew fouls/scored for long stretches against OKC? And to a lesser extent Harden? I imagine Wade and Lebron as doing that, but better). The regular-season games here are not really applicable since I believe Caron Butler (IMO easily their best wing defender since he's strong and fast) was healthy in both of those games.

3. Haslem/Lebron - two of the relatively rare guys who are "built" to guard Nowitzki, Lebron being one of a handful who has a solid chance to block Nowitzki's fadeaway (although he'd certainly have to leave his feet to do so). This, I think, will come down to how physically they let the game be played. IMO Game 1 of the WCF was too tight, but the rest of the series, as if to compensate, was too loosely officiated. Collison played good defense, but he also often played illegal defense (mostly off the ball). Officiated well, I think Haslem/Lebron can certainly keep Dirk from going off (like 40+) but I don't think we'll see a repeat of Lebron's manhandling of Derrick Rose in the ECF.

Some things that give me hope for the Mavs:

1. Ball movement - the Mavs have been moving the ball amazingly in the playoffs (the Lakers series, I think, being the best example so far). Miami is a long and athletic defense, but I think the Mavericks' passers are good enough to cope. Thus far in the playoffs they've been able to limit turnovers against long and athletic defenses in the Blazers, Lakers and (to a lesser degree) OKC and I think this bodes well.

2. Veteran savvy/will to win/some other lame jockish cliche - the Mavs have surprised pretty much everybody 3 times this season. I have trouble betting against them again.

3. Dirk Nowitzki - dude is focused and absolutely killing it on the offensive end (and not horrible on defense; Dallas' zone kind of protects him). He was amazing at the end of games against OKC, and given the way games in this series will probably go, that could be big.

4. Bench - deeper than Miami's, which could be important given the minutes Lebron and Wade have played. There are murmurs that Wade was tired out toward the tail end of the Chicago series, and his numbers don't really contradict that.

Wild Card:

Refereeing. I really wonder how the NBA is reacting to the matchup of the 05-06 finals (where, I'm sorry, the Mavericks were just jobbed). If they call things close and accurate, Dirk will get his but so will Lebron and Wade. On the other hand, Dirk will probably be guarded by Lebron while Dallas' zone may spread fouls a bit better (my thinking is that Wade and Lebron are usually fouled while driving, where more defenders have a hand in things, while Dirk is often fouled during an iso).

In any case, I think this will be a fun series to watch, although I think the concerns outweigh the reasons for hope. I only wish that it wasn't going on the week before my college finals. I guess I'll have to limit myself to 4th-quarters :(

What do you think?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
I have only a one word reasoning as to why Miami will win: Lebron.
 
  • #3
WiFO215 said:
I have only a one word reasoning as to why Miami will win: Lebron.

I'm not a Lebron hater, but...that didn't work the last 5 times, did it?
 
  • #4
Well. Last time, he was the only person who could convert on the team. The others were too afraid to take big shots. Now he has Wade and Bosh by his side along with very good defense. They're going to thrash Dallas!
 
  • #5
If Miami doesn't take this finals, they are the biggest losers ever.

In Dallas besides Nowitzki they don't have anyone to help him offensively.
 
  • #6
Lebron is hungry for a championship, it's the only reason why he'd accept playing with a second superstar IMO. Yea, Heat will burn 'em!
 
  • #7
MathematicalPhysicist said:
If Miami doesn't take this finals, they are the biggest losers ever.

In Dallas besides Nowitzki they don't have anyone to help him offensively.

Dallas doesn't have a second superstar, but they do have a series of players of whom one or two will put up 15-20 in an arbitrary game. If Dallas is indeed as one-dimensional as they were in, say, 05-06, why haven't we seen rampant doubling of Dirk? Because there are so many other shooters on the team (see: LA series).

In fact, Dallas' offense (as stated before) is so dependent on ball movement that I don't think we necessarily need that hypothetical second guy to create a shot.

Also, "Lebron James wants it" isn't really a reason IMO. "Dirk Nowitzki wants it" too. There, we're even.
 
  • #8
This isn't going to be the prettiest series ever, apparently.
 
  • #9
Game 1 to Miami! 1 down, 3 to go.
 
  • #10
zooxanthellae said:
I'm not a Lebron hater, but...that didn't work the last 5 times, did it?

That was in Cleveland. You can talk about curses on particular teams, but no city has an overall sports curse like Cleveland.

1) The catch. Willie Mays incredible catch in the '54 World Series. There was actually more to it than just one catch. Dusty Rhodes set a World Series record for pinch hit RBI's. It was a four game sweep, but every game could have gone either way.

2) Ten cent beer night. The Indians tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with runners on second and third, but have to forfeit the game when drunken fans spill onto the field in a drunken riot and can't be removed.

3) Joltin' Joe Charboneau, the punk rock baseball player that won baseball's Rookie of the Year. He could sip beer through his nose with a straw. Need I say more?

4) The blown save. The Indians are on the verge of winning their first World Series since '48, but Jose "Joe Table" Mesa can't close out Miami in the 7th game of the '97 World Series. (Once again, alcohol plays a significant part of Indians history as Albert Belle was a recovering alcoholic and Carlos Baerga was a developing alcoholic. Belle was once suspended from 3 different leagues, the majors, AAA, and AA, in the same year and alcohol destroyed Baerga's career.)

5) The interception. In field goal range and down by 2 to the Raiders in the last minute of the game. Sipe throws an interception and the Raiders go on to win the Super Bowl.

6) The drive. Ironically, there were two drives. Bernie Kosar's incredible drive that beat the Jets gets forgotten because, the next week, John Elway leads the Broncos on an incredible drive to beat the Browns and go on to the Super Bowl.

7) The fumble. The next year, the Browns are about to beat the Broncos and get into the Super Bowl with their own incredible drive, but Byner fumbles inside the 5.

8) Ted Stepien, owner of the Cavs. He inspired the Thanksgiving Day episode of WKRP and inspired rule changes in the NBA that prevented teams from trading away 1st round draft choices 2 years in a row. (In Stepien's case, it was more than 2 years in a row. In order to get someone to buy the team, the NBA had to create an extra draft choice for the Cavs - they drafted immediately after the Mavs for several years, since the Mavs had so many of the Cavs draft choices.)

9) The shot. The Cavs were poised to become the team of the 90's, but Michael Jordan's 3 pointer at the end sends the Bulls on to the NBA finals and on to 6 NBA Championships in the decade.

10) The decision. Lebron James hosts a TV show to announce his decision to humiliate the Cavs and join the Heat.

Humiliating the Cavs was over the top, but leaving Cleveland was the smartest thing he ever did.

One example of what happens when you leave Cleveland? Art Modell. He escapes the Cleveland curse by moving the Browns to Baltimore and the Ravens win the Super Bowl - with Trent Dilfer as their quarterback, no less!

Lebron James winning an NBA championship with his new team is a lock!
 
Last edited:
  • #11
So I'm guessing the NBA won't be competitive again until Dwight and Chris Paul join forces.

FIGHT COLLUSION WITH COLLUSION
 
  • #12
Thank God Miami decided to stop running its offense in the closing minutes
 
  • #13
I don't believe what I saw. They just lost after having a 15 point lead. No. Way. They just fell asleep! IDIOTS!
 
Last edited:
  • #14
MathematicalPhysicist said:
If Miami doesn't take this finals, they are the biggest losers ever.

In Dallas besides Nowitzki they don't have anyone to help him offensively.
I'm still bummed that Caron got hurt.

BobG said:
That was in Cleveland. You can talk about curses on particular teams, but no city has an overall sports curse like Cleveland.

1) etc. etc.
I remember a lot of these, having lived in Cleveland during most of the '80's. Even went to a couple of Force games. The Cavs were pretty bad back then, it was not worth driving to Richfield Colliseum to watch them. Do you remember World B. Free?

WiFO215 said:
I don't believe what I saw. They just lost after having a 15 point lead. No. Way. They just fell asleep! IDIOTS!
That was amazing. Dirk is silencing a lot of his critics in these playoffs.
 
  • #15
Ugh. I wish school finals would be over already (last one is Thursday...) so that I can go back to watching entire games and not just the 4th quarter. It's giving me such a gross perception of how the games are being played (e.g. Dirk Nowitzki is apparently scoring all of the Mavericks points).

I think this will be a tight series, going to 6 or 7 games. There are a few odd factors for the Mavs (like JJ Barea's continued bafflingly poor play, Mike Miller apparently hurt) that could swing things their way and a few for the Heat (Haywood being out (?) for the rest of the series).
 
  • #16
Dirk deserves to win one
 
  • #17
fillipeano said:
Dirk deserves to win one

QFT. But the Mavs got to stop being reckless with the ball and missing open 3s.
 
  • #18
WatermelonPig said:
QFT. But the Mavs got to stop being reckless with the ball and missing open 3s.

Part of "being reckless with the ball" is, IMO, more a function of Miami's outstanding defensive work (and how long and disruptive they are) than Dallas' ineptitude, although Dallas did have turnover problems throughout the year.

The 3s I've got no answer for. I wonder if they're a little rattled.
 
  • #20
There's sure no love for Lebron James!

Dirk Nowitzki: Subpar performance described as a gritty performance by a player with a 100+ fever.

Dwayne Wade: Misses a critical free throw down the stretch, but every player misses a free throw once in a while (even Nowitzki). He was still the star of the game, even in a losing effort.

Lebron James: Led the Heat in rebounds and assists, but only scored 8 points - clearly the goat of the game!

Ironically, Nowitzki's fever may have been the best thing to happen to the Mavs. They need an entire team effort much more than the Heat and game 4 could have been the team's awakening. The Heat have 3 different players that can step up and take over the game and can handle one of those 3 having an off night. I don't think you can win a 7 game series relying solely on one player.
 
  • #21
What a relief and I still think both teams committed back court violations in the last minute or maybe my angle was terrible.
 
  • #22
LeBron sucks. He always folds during the big moments. If Wade wasn't on the heat then James would've been swept again! Hah.
 
  • #23
Lebron is getting on my nerves. He just isn't pulling his weight. With Wade down due to a hip injury, I'm not so sure that the Heat will win anymore.
 
  • #24
I asked LeBron for a change for a dollar but he only gave me 75 cents. Apparently he doesn't have a 4th quarter.
 
  • #25
Nice work, Mavericks. As a fan since 2002, I'm glad they won. I'm more glad that they won playing a well-coached, well-played and often beautiful brand of basketball. As for the Big 3? Meh, I don't like how much vitriol is directed there way. I look forward to seeing them maximize their talents (as they haven't now), and know that they could learn a thing or two from the Mavericks.

Now to wait for a cool enough commemorative championship shirt...
 
  • #26
battousai said:
LeBron sucks. He always folds during the big moments. If Wade wasn't on the heat then James would've been swept again! Hah.

The 2007 Pistons would like a word with you
 
  • #27
The 2007 Spurs would like a word with you.
 
  • #28
WiFO215 said:
The 2007 Spurs would like a word with you.

2001 Allen Iverson would like a word with you.
 
  • #29
battousai said:
LeBron sucks. He always folds during the big moments. If Wade wasn't on the heat then James would've been swept again! Hah.

This could safely be called one of the biggest collapses in NBA finals history. With a 9 point lead with 10 minutes to go in Game 4, Miami was on the verge of going up 3 games to 1. Their chances of winning the championship at that point was well over 80%. (Game 2 was a bigger comeback, but going up 2-0 wouldn't have been as big an advantage as going up 3-1.)

The only worse collapse was the Mavericks against the Heat in 2006. With a 13 point lead with 6:33 to go in Game 3, Dallas was on the verge of going up 3 games to 0. Their chances of winning the championship at that point was over 90%. Dwayne Wade scored 12 in the last six and a half minutes of that game, Nowitzki missed a tieing freethrow with 3 seconds left, and, most incredibly, Shaquille O'Neal made 2 free throws in a row! The Heat wound up winning the series 4-2.

What goes around comes around, I guess.
 
Last edited:
  • #30
zooxanthellae said:
2001 Allen Iverson would like a word with you.

RRRgggghh. I have this urge to say 2001 Lakers, but I'm not going to. I'll let it drop. :wink:
 
  • #31
The 2004 Pistons would like a word with Kobe.
 

1. What teams were in the 2011 NBA Finals?

The 2011 NBA Finals featured the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

2. Who won the 2011 NBA Finals?

The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Finals, defeating the Miami Heat in six games.

3. Who was the MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals?

The MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals was Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks.

4. How many championships have the Dallas Mavericks won?

The Dallas Mavericks have won one NBA championship, which was in 2011.

5. Did the 2011 NBA Finals go to a Game 7?

No, the 2011 NBA Finals ended in six games with the Dallas Mavericks winning the series 4-2.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
2
Replies
38
Views
4K
  • General Discussion
Replies
27
Views
4K
  • Set Theory, Logic, Probability, Statistics
Replies
6
Views
5K
  • General Discussion
2
Replies
65
Views
8K
Back
Top