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2011 NBA Play-offs and Finals
#21
Here is an interesting and funny article about the game:

Quote: Taunting or Not, Heat Fired Up Mavs - by Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports, 6/3/2011

Phi Slamma South Beach had rained down another 3-pointer, Dwyane Wade this time. Miami was up 15, about to be up 2-0 in the NBA Finals, about to all but start the victory parade down here. Seven minutes and change remained and LeBron James came charging over to Wade, who was holding his post-release pose in the air in front of the Dallas Mavericks' bench. Soon James was throwing jabs at Wade's chest in celebration, and the entire Finals spun on the Heat's preening....

...[The Heat] went right back to their worst tendencies. Oblivious. Cocky. Just unnecessary. When they play hard they reach seemingly unattainable heights. When they think things will be easy, even for just a moment, they can crater out with unfathomable fury.

...Dallas closed on a 22-5 run, sucker-punching the dazed, confused Heat, 95-93 to even the series 1-1 Thursday night....

Perhaps worst of all, Miami didn't even know what it had done. Dance? Disrespect? Wade and James were unaware. When the celebration was first broached in a postgame news conference, LeBron shot Dwyane a look.

What Miami couldn't remember, Dallas couldn't forget.

"It was no celebration at all," James said...

"There was no celebration," Wade said. "It was a shot made going into a timeout. Every team does something...." ...

"As far as celebration, that word has been used with us all year," James said....

"It really was disheartening to us," Terry said. "[i] looked specifically at Dirk and said, 'There's no way we're going out like this.'"

This was a shell-shocking loss for the Heat, the kind that has crushed teams in the Finals before. Yet, there was little outward panic. Maybe they're confident. Maybe they're clueless. The series will tell....

The blame was everywhere. On the players. On the effort. On the rookie head coach.

Why did Wade, who was brilliant to the tune of 36 points, get just two shots the final seven minutes? ("I'll have to look," said coach Erik Spoelstra). Why did the offense stall, too often leaving LeBron dribbling around aimlessly until just before the shot clock was set to go off? ("We just weren't in good rhythm," James said.) Where was the Hea's vaunted defense as the Mavs began lighting them up in the furious stretch run? ("A lack of execution," Spoelstra said.)

With a foul to give why didn't they hack Nowitzki on the final play? ("Mental breakdown," Wade said.) Why did they put Chris Bosh and not Udonis Haslem on Dirk? ("Yeah, that's a tough one," Spoelstra said.) Why didn't they double? ("It was just bad defense for me," Bosh said.)

And why in the world, after that big 3-pointer, did James and Wade not just jog back to their bench before honoring their brilliance?...

"First of all, every team in the league when they go on a run they do something," Wade said. "Whether it's a signal, whether it's a chest bump. It's part of the game of basketball. A celebration is confetti, champagne bottles."

He's not wrong, but it's not his opinion that matters. The wronged get to define the wrong.
#22
NBA Finals tied 1 - 1

Even it was happened on the home court of Miami.. still Dallas defeated Miami... and it would be much exciting.. since i think the next fight will happened on Dallas home court.. they will have a chance to win again.. GAME 3

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#23
Prisonbreak the playoffs are on a 2-3-2 set. Two games at Miami 3 straight at Dallas final 2 games at Miami. So the next 3 games are at Dallas. If Dallas can win 2 games at home they'll go back to Miami with a 3-2 series lead!:-)
#24
Why even go back to Miami? Wink
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#25
NBA Finals tied 1 - 1

Even it was happened on the home court of Miami.. still Dallas defeated Miami... and it would be much exciting.. since i think the next fight will happened on Dallas home court.. they will have a chance to win again.. GAME 3
#26
Game 3!!!!

The Game is ON.. since it was tied... it really hard to predict who's gonna win this season.. because they are really giving their ultimate best to get the champ...
#27
History learns that whoever wins third game wins the series... And one superstar can't beat three superstars... Dallas needs to put body on Wade and leave Barea on the bench. Is he a point guard for the team or for himself?!
#28
Interesting article. What if Caron Butler had been healthy this series. I'm guessing he'll come back next game.

Quote:Dallas Mavericks: Would a Caron Butler Return All but Lock Up Series for Mavs?

By David Daniels(Featured Columnist) on June 4, 2011 12,027 reads

2 comments

Use your (arrow) keys to browse more storiesNext Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Would a Caron Butler Return to the Dallas Mavericks Lineup Spark a Win over Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat?

The Dallas Mavericks have had their troubles getting the ball in the basket in the 2011 NBA Finals. In Game 1, the Miami Heat held them to just 84 points. If Dallas didn't come up with that miracle run at the end of Game 2, their scoring output probably would've been similar.

If Caron Butler can finally return from his New Year's Day knee injury, the Mavs scoring problems may just disappear.

Butler averaged 15 points a game before the tendon which held his knee cap to his shin bone snapped. He was having a career year from downtown, shooting an incredible 43 percent.

READ: Kemba Walker to Blazers?

Butler has been pushing himself to the limit for months in rehab just to get a chance to play in the NBA Finals. The Dallas Mavericks players have dedicated their play this postseason to him. Butler has been with the team since the day after his surgery and would provide the inspiration and the production needed to come away with an NBA championship.

He was always a good perimeter defender and that would come in handy against the Heat's duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Not that Butler needs any more motivation to return and play in his first NBA Finals, but he has just that.

Butler began his career in Miami. The Heat selected him 10th overall and he repaid their efforts, making the NBA All-Rookie team with his outstanding performance. After two years in Miami, they traded him away to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the blockbuster deal which included Shaquille O'Neal.

If he can come back, get ready to witness one fired-up Caron Butler.

David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter.
#29
Dallas almost had it. Lebron didn't have a big offensive night. Chris Bosh had a lack luster performance. Dwayne Wade was amazing and a true star. The game was a duel between Dirk and Wade. The Mavs out rebounded the HEAT and the Mav bench outscored the HEAT bench. The Mavs also had the favorable penalty calls. Still they couldn't win....
#30
If Caron could return that would definitely stir things up. Question is just in what shape he is... Being so long without basketball... I don't now... I just hope Dallas gets the next two games to make this series even more interesting.
#31
I have to say I hate bad or inconsistant reffing. Though I was "slightly" pleased with the way the game was called last night . I like it when the refs call travelling and don't give star treatment. Even though the refs were far from perfect. I didn't see any blatantly preferntial treatment to either team. Dallas had a definite edge in the calls department. Miami hasn't been to the line much all series. last night Wade drove the lane and scored in the paint all night BUT Miami failed to get Dallas in the penalty(as I recalll). I didn't mind that too much because i thought Dallas defense was awesome. Lebron has had at least 3 fouls in each game. he's been called for traveling and walking. It wasn't perfect but I'm liking the trend of fair calling.

EDIT: Jeff Vangundy said something during the game that I agreed with. The players have become experts at knowing where the refs are and contorting there bodies to "sale" the foul. Many times from the refs angle its virtually imposible to see if a guy was knocked down because of contact or pushed down. Other things are harder to catch like jason Kidds inadverdent poke of Chris bosh's eye(flagrant foul) or Chalmers back court violation. Maybe they need more refs on the floor.

The heats defense is amazing. One has to credit the heats defense its a marvel. After watchin Euroleague playoffs and finals, NCAA div 1 tourney(s) and now NBA playoffs. I'd say the HEAT's D is among the best in the world. It's beautiful the way the HEAT close out on shooters and deny the first opption on passing. gorgeous...
#32
What is your answer to your questions!?

NBA GAME #3: WHAT HAPPNENED??

Quote: The Miami Heat won the pivotal Game 3, taking a 2-1 series lead and regaining home-court advantage. What to make of their performance? What happened to Dirk down the stretch?

Here are 25 takes on Game 3 and beyond:

1. Which five words best sum up Game 3?

A. Wade, Heat got it done
B. Mavs didn't get it done
C. Heat defense was too much
D. Could have gone either way
E. [Write your own headline here]

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: D. Could have gone either way. We may want to act like the 48th minute of basketball Sunday tells us something deeply ingrained about either team, but the truth is we were a makeable Dirk Nowitzki lean-back jumper away from seeing an overtime and leaving with an entirely different impression.

Tom Haberstroh, Heat Index: D. Could have gone either way. What if Chris Bosh's jumper rims out and Dirk Nowitzki hits the game winner? For those who believe in the existence of the clutch gene, this game actually should have gone the other way.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: E. Wade and LeBron lead win. I know we like to often attribute 48 minutes of a team effort to one player winning the game, but that's not how Game 3 worked. Wade carried Miami in the first half with 18 points. In the second half, LeBron created 23 points -- with scoring and assists -- to Wade's 14 created points. The Heat's defense and duo were too much.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: E. Dallas nosedives with Dirk out. Dirk Nowitzki has played all but 20 minutes in this series. In those 20 minutes he's spent on the bench, Dallas has been outscored by 31 points. If the Mavs can't figure out how to generate offense when their uberstar sits, they'll continue to put tremendous pressure on themselves, and Dirk, to rally late against a very tough Miami defense.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: C. Heat defense was too much. Wade was as in charge and focused as I've ever seen him. But the Heat's D, to me, is still the biggest reason why they're constantly rolling up leads and could well have snared a 3-0 lead right now. The Mavs made it this far with an incredibly unorthodox construction for a team in the Finals: one star and a lot of specialists. Trouble is, Miami is good enough defensively to make that one star work hard for everything he gets and shut down all his helpers.

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2. Dirk scored 12 straight, then threw it away and missed a jumper. He …

A. Needed to close the game better
B. Can't do everything for Mavs

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: B. Can't do everything for Mavs. His turnover on the Mavs' second-to-last possession was regrettable, but the final shot he took was, for Dirk, a decent look. It's a shot we've all seen him make countless times, but it didn't fall that one time. It's disingenuous to act like the Mavericks didn't get a shot they wanted.

Tom Haberstroh, Heat Index: B. Can't do everything for Mavs. Rick Carlisle said it. Jason Terry said it. Jason Kidd said it. We all saw it. Someone else needs to step up. Nowitzki scored every point for Dallas after the 6:48 mark. He's as close to a basketball god as we have in this game, but as shocking as it may be, he is mortal.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: B. Can't do everything for Mavs. Dirk has been extraterrestrial with his fourth-quarter scoring throughout the playoffs. In Game 3, his teammates hung him out to dry with their execution. They were 3-for-11 in the fourth quarter and didn't attempt a single fourth-quarter free throw. Asking Dirk to close out a team in the Finals by himself is too much, even for him.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: B. Can't do everything for Mavs. Sort of. Dirk is incredible, so he actually can do everything for the Mavs -- but he won't be perfect every time. In the closing moments, Dallas relies on him to single-handedly catalyze their offense, whether it's as a decoy, distributor or scorer. He made a mistake on a great double from Wade and missed a shot, but was otherwise nearly flawless.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: B. Can't do everything for Mavs. Dirk played so well that you scarcely heard a mention Sunday about that splint on his left middle finger. I suppose there are folks out there who expect him to play mistake-free in every crunch time, but I'd say he's earned a little leeway this postseason to be pardoned for those last two possessions.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Which Chris Bosh will you remember most from Game 3?

A. Hesitant, 7-for-18 shooting, three boards
B. Scored seven late, sunk game winner

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: Secret Option C: I'll remember how violently he flailed on the floor after being poked in the eye, and how swollen it looked for the remainder of the game. But seriously, in the short term I'll remember his hesitancy throughout the game, but as time passes, we increasingly see NBA Finals games through the lens of the final few minutes.

Tom Haberstroh, Heat Index: B. Scored seven late, hit game winner. Everyone in the building didn't expect Bosh's jumper to go down -- except for the guys in red. The cool thing about basketball is that there are dozens of opportunities for redemption. And Bosh capitalized in the moment.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: B. Scored seven late, sunk game winner. Chris Bosh didn't shoot the ball well in the first three games of this series, but considering he played the majority of Game 3 with one good eye, I'd say his late "heroics" were pretty remarkable. If we're going to pretend the greatest stars of NBA lore can absolve bad games by closing out the game, why not Bosh, too?

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: B. Scored seven late, sunk game winner. Logically, I agree with those who say that points scored at the beginning of the game are just as valuable as points scored at the end. But our brains don't work that way. I won't forget Bosh's putrid play in Game 3, but the first thing I'll remember is his hand in the Heat's well-designed game-winning set.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: B. Scored seven late, sunk game winner. Bosh is a Dallas native who'd never previously won a game in his hometown. He deserves to enjoy his fourth-quarter moment, especially after the first-quarter eye poke.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. In 12 quarters, Mavs have won 5, Heat 4, with 3 ties. This proves ...

A. Series has been extremely close
B. Nothing; only final score counts
C. Nothing; Heat have been better
D. Mavs have been better, unlucky

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: A. Series has been extremely close. We're three games in and have yet to see a double-digit victory. Rather, we've seen a pair of two-point victories. Someone had to take a series lead in Game 3, but the Heat are only narrowly winning this war of attrition. However, we don't measure victories in quarters won.

Tom Haberstroh, Heat Index: A. Series has been extremely close. We can slice it up however we want, but the conclusion remains: These two teams are extremely good and we're all extremely fortunate to watch. Crazy to think that a few loose balls here and there could have made this a 3-0 series -- in the Mavs' favor.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: A. Series has been extremely close. While we're trying to figure out if LeBron or Wade is winning the NBA Finals for Miami or if the refs are trying to favor one team over the other, we're missing the main storyline that we've had three pretty incredible games so far. Both teams could easily be up 3-0 in this series.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: A. Series has been extremely close. Like both conference finals, these first three games have been hard-fought and entertaining. Dallas could easily be up 2-1 with a few bounces in their favor, and Miami has a legitimate claim that they should have won all three games. My only hope is that this fascinating series goes longer than five games.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: Can we add an E option? The series has been extremely close and Miami has been the better team. Defense, again, is the swing factor. The Mavs are guarding with a ferocity I've never seen them muster, but Miami's D still stands out.

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5. Which five words best sum up what you expect from Game 4?

A. Mavs bounce back at home
B. Heat take commanding 3-1 lead

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: B. Heat take commanding 3-1 lead. Despite the Game 2 collapse, in the playoffs the Heat have emerged as the ruthless closers many anticipated they'd be at the beginning of the season. Game 4 will be another excruciatingly close contest, but the Heat's superior defense and unparalleled combination of superstar talent will be the difference.

Tom Haberstroh, Heat Index: A. Mavs bounce back at home. Some 3-point numbers in this series: Peja Stojakovic, 0-for-4. J.J. Barea, 1-for-8. Jason Terry, 4-for-12. A Mavs 3-point downpour has to be just around the corner right?

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: A. Mavs bounce back at home. So far in the playoffs, we've been looking for the Mavericks to revert to a preconceived stereotype of not being capable of winning big playoffs games. They may not win this series, but I find it hard to believe they're going to lose their first two games at home in the Finals. I think they'll grind out a victory.

Beckley Mason, Hardwood Paroxysm: A. Mavs bounce back at home. I feel silly picking against the Heat. They are getting to the rim, have a solid plan for defending Dirk and have neutralized J.J. Barea. But it's only a matter of time before Dallas has an insanely accurate shooting night and so far they've been rather pedestrian, even considering the opponent.

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: The Mavs are due something resembling a breakout shooting game, so I lean toward A. Yet you wonder how discouraged they'll be after winning the rebound battle (42-36) in Game 3, shooting 27 free throws to Miami's 15 and losing anyway after Dirk racked up 34 and 11. They don't have much choice, though. Nowitzki wasn't wrong when he responded to Sunday night's defeat by describing Game 4 as a must-win.

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#33
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQoo1HUYm84
#34
BIG Z!!!!!
#35
Dirk Nowitzki! I don't think there is any apropriate word to describe him. Amazing is just not good enough. Agree
#36
IMPORTANT!!!

If anybody found Lebron James' balls, please let him know.
#37
Quote:IMPORTANT!!!

If anybody found Lebron James' balls, please let him know.

LOL

Dirk's big 2 @@ > Miamia's Big 3
Respect and thanks for everything:

Alvertis, Bodiroga, Jasikevicius, Radja, Wilkins, Vrankovic, Fotsis, Rebraca, Kattash, Gentile, Koch, Middleton, Kutluay, Rogers, Papadopoulos, Becirovic, Tomasevic, Siskauskas, Pekovic, Lakovic, Vujanic, Chatzivrettas, Maljkovic, Spanoulis and many more to follow in the near future.
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#38
Dirk is Amazing! The rest of the Mavs showed up! For Miami Dwade is equally amazing blocking 7ft tall players making back to back shots. Two great basketball players. Ummm did Lebron play last night? I don't remember seeing him.

A sick Dirk with 101.1F/38.3C fever is better than a healthy Lebron James....Explain that fact???
#39
Charles Barkley rips the Heat and their fans! I love Charles!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31751_162-20...91697.html

Quote: Charles Barkley expresses disgust for the Miami Heat and their bandwagon fanbase. Appearing on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000, Barkley said fans of the Heat are "the worst" and rather lukewarm when it comes to making noise.

"Yeah they have the worst fans. No question. It's not even loud in there. You're at the game and you are like, 'Man this place isn't even loud.' At least when you go to Chicago, it's loud in there, it's crazy down in Dallas but it's not even loud in Miami."

The Heat went from zeroes to heroes in the course of one season, so it's not surprising their fanbase is rife with dispassionate frontrunners.

Barkley, meanwhile, said he can't bring himself to root for Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Co.

"Listen, if the Miami Heat were playing the Washington Generals I would pick the Washington Generals," Barkley said. "It's something about that team that annoys me. They just a whiny bunch and I can't root for them."

Earlier in the playoffs, TNT had to move its pregame show from outside the arena in Miami to inside the venue, to separate Barkley from the swarming masses who engaged his attention by screaming obscenities and throwing the occasional towel. Barkley in turn shared a double middle-finger salute with Heat fans, assuring the discourse remained on an equal level.

(Source: ESPN)
#40
It's essential that the Mavs win this game tonight if they want to win the series. The chances of Miami winning two straight if they lose tonight is much better then the chances of the Mavs winning two straight if they lose tonight. As close as the series has been, Miami is still the favorites here and they have played like it this entire play-offs.

Expect everyone to play like there life depended on it.


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