Quality Basketball for Quality Prices

What do you like to do for entertainment? What do you turn to when you need to get away from all the other things in your life? I want you to genuinely think about that for a second…maybe it’s reading, exercising, or hell, even drinking…whatever it may be, think about how much of a void there would be in your life without it. Well it should come as no surprise to those of you who know me, that for me, that outlet is basketball. It is my subsidence and has been for quite some time; playing myself, reading about it, looking up stats, and especially watching it are how I love to spend my free time, which these days is becoming more valued each day. And now right when I need it most, right when I will be reaching the apex of my stress levels in the upcoming year, the crème de le crème of my viewing pleasure, the NBA, is threatening to forfeit the entire season. Are you kidding me? I know this probably doesn’t resonate as strongly or even at all with many of you, but seriously think about your “thing” that you thought of earlier being gone for a whole year. And even worse, think of it being gone immediately after reading one of the best books of your life, achieving your first runner’s high, or finishing the last drop of Louis XIV. That is what I am going through right now. Even without having a personal team in it, the 2011 NBA playoffs were two of the best months of my young sports watching career, and watching Dirk take his talents to South Beach and come away with a title over you know who was the penultimate cherry on top of my incredibly exhilarating basketball sundae. But now it’s gone. Locked out. And why???

Well for starters, it is a broken system, and one which I do not fully understand (Bill Simmons wrote a great article about all that is wrong for those interested). One thing I do know though is that the owners think the players are making too much money and they want a hard salary cap. For those of you who don’t know, the NBA does (or should I say did) have a salary cap, but it was a “soft cap.” What that means is that there was technically a salary cap line (it was around $58 million last season), but teams had the option of going over it with a penalty if they crossed another threshold. This second threshold is referred to as the luxury tax line ($70.3 million in 2010), and again a team may have a total team cap over this but for every $1 they are over this line, they must play $1 in taxes. For example, the 2010-2011 Lakers had a team cap just over $90 million, which means that the Buss family must pay $20 million dollars in luxury tax. Now for a team like the Lakers who can make that back in TV money, ticket sales, and all else Lakers relatively easily, it is not that big of an issue. (An interesting note is that last season, 7 NBA teams were over the luxury tax, and each of the last 4 NBA champions were over. Guess the old adage is true that you have to spend money to make money, or in this case, win titles.) Now while the Buss family will willingly shell out that money to trot out a championship caliber team, the owners don’t want it to come to that, and have proposed a hard cap which is not to be exceeded. (I’m sure there are ways to exceed it, but that is above my head and interest level.) The latest I read was that the owners proposed a hard cap of $45 million, or potentially HALF of what the Lakers spent last season. Now while it will most likely be closer to $50 million whenever the final papers are signed, for the purpose of this post let’s assume there is a hard cap set at $45 million for the next season. When you consider that is how much the Big 3 in Miami make combined or that it is just about the salaries of Kobe and Gasol, it doesn’t seem very feasible to build a quality basketball team, let alone a title contender under such monetary restrictions. This got me thinking, and was the impetus behind this post. I wanted to put together the most talented 15 member man team I could under the new proposed $45 million dollar cap. Yes talent played a major factor in my decision making, but so did proposed roles and how well certain players would function with others. So without further ado (I apologize for the very long intro, just felt it needed the appropriate backdrop), here is in my opinion, the most quality NBA team you can put together for a mere $45 million dollars.

(FYI: The salaries were taken from ESPN.com and are stated as the 2011-2012 salaries, but in the Simmons article I just read he had much higher numbers for many of the players so maybe the salaries I got were wrongly labeled on the mothership website. Regardless, I had already done my research and I am not changing it. Also this is not supposed to be realistic as usually yes players 12-15 would never play and would be the likes of Mustafa Shakur or Pooh Jeter (I did not just make up either of those names), but for the purpose of making a point I selected 15 players who all cracked 8 man rotations this past season.)

The Starters

- PG- Derrick Rose ($5.5 million). Any time you can get the reigning MVP on your team for the right side of 6 million dollars I say you have to pull the trigger. I remember watching Rose at Memphis and then his first season in the league, and while I was impressed with him as an athlete I never envisioned him being a first team All NBA performer, let alone the NBA MVP. (When he was asked who he like for MVP before last season, he answered that he didn’t see why he couldn’t win it. At the time I laughed, but what’s that Ace, I’m sorry we can’t hear your laughing over the sound of Rose polishing his new hardware). Rose obviously made “the jump” this season, and it is truly a testament to a great player dedicating himself in the summer to filling the weaknesses in his game because he wants to be one of the all time greats. The page on Rose was that he was a freak athlete who could blow by anyone, but if you made him take jumpers he wouldn’t hit enough to make you pay and he wasn’t that talented of a passer. Well I’d say Rose rewrote his page this season as he is now a very capable long range shooter (made more 3’s this past season than Jordan ever did), making him damn near impossible to guard in the pick and roll, and he finished in the top 10 in assists (the only player in the top 10 in both points and dimes). So yeah while his team was exposed as the Derrick Rose show in the playoffs (not his fault management wrongly thought Carlos Boozer could perform in big games), he had a phenomenal season and while still only 23 years old, I’d have him start for my team any day.

- SG- Eric Gordon ($3 million). This pick might catch a few of you off guard but if it does than you clearly didn’t watch the Clippers last season…actually who am I kidding, no one watched the Clippers, so you are fully allowed to be surprised. But if you did (and NOT just the Griffin dunk highlights) then you would realize that Gordon was arguably their best offensive option. Yes Griffin was more electric, but his game is still a bit raw and he lacks the reliable jumper to be considered supremely elite yet, don’t worry he will get there. With Gordon though, you have a nice mix of long range shooting and attacking (he is deceptively athletic and even had a few monster dunks of his own this season). He is also a very underrated defender, which I wrote about last season after watching him shut down Wade and Kobe as well as anyone can in a span of week. Again he is still young and I think he would be a great compliment to Rose’s penetration and a very dangerous option on the wing on the fast break.

- SF- Kevin Durant ($6 million). Ok this is the one that might be the most off on this list comparing ESPN’s figures (listed above) and Simmons (says he will make $13.5 million), but like I said, it’s my column and I’m going with the numbers I found. That being said I would still have Durant on my team if he made that 13.5 mil. He along with Rose would be the cornerstones of my franchise, and I think we would be very good for a very long time. I don’t know if I can say anything more complimentary about KD than I have in the past, but isn’t it something when you lead your team to the Western Conference Finals and win your second consecutive NBA scoring title at the ripe age of 22 and people think you had a bit of down year. That is just how high the expectations were, and still are for Durant. Fair or not, we want him to the best, we want him taking those shots in the crunch time instead of Westbrook, we want him to somehow make yet another jump in talent, although I’m not exactly sure to where. Gushing aside, a lot of the criticism that Westbrook bore throughout the playoffs were a little misguided I feel. Yes there needs to be a pecking order established where Durant is the alpha dog, but the Thunder also need Westbrook to score efficiently to win. As for the late game situations, I blame everyone; Scott Brooks for terrible play calls, Durant for not demanding the ball and not getting open except for 35 feet from the basket, and Westbrook for trying to do too much. But they are still a young team and I am sure that the faltering this year will only make them stronger next season and beyond. (Although I will say that one of the more fascinating trade ideas I have heard is the swapping of Westbrook for Chris Paul…I think this would be a win-win for both teams. OKC would get an incredible “pass-first” point guard, and Westbrook would be given the keys to be the man in NOLA.) One last quick thing about the Thunder, a bit of trivia if you will…Do you know who the highest paid player on the team was last year? What about the second highest?...If you answered Nick Collison and Nazr Muhammed then you are correct. You are also a bald faced liar because there is NO POSSIBLE WAY you could have guessed that. And taking it even a step further Collison was paid more than double Durant ($13.5 million) and Nazr, who plays a grand total of about 12 minutes a game made the second most at $6.8 million. All I can say is that if you make the Western Conference Finals when your two highest paid players are Nick Collison and Nazr Muhammed, you better have some good ass young players, and the Thunder definitely do have that.

- PF- Blake Griffin ($5.4 million). As I mentioned in the opening of this post, last year’s NBA season was one of the best in recent memories, and a main reason for that was the gravity defying feats of Mr. Griffin. The runaway Rookie of the Year winner was a SportsCenter Top 10 mainstay and arguably one of the top 2 most exciting players to watch just on the sheer “what can he possibly do next” potential (with LeBron being the other.) From his first NBA basket, which was fittingly a long alley-oop, Griffin became a must watch at all times, and as with LeBron, if you were there live you did not get up or even look away briefly when they were in the game because there is a genuine chance that you might miss the most athletically spectacular thing anyone has ever done on a basketball court. I can’t wait for my first time to see him in person, and it’s reason #1238272 why I will be pissed about a lockout, as it will be one more year robbed of Griffin during his absolute athletic peak (remember we already missed one with his knee injury in his true rookie season.) I actually remember watching my first few Griffin highlights in the beginning of the season and then looking up the Clippers schedule to see when they played in Cleveland so I could possibly see the show live. The one time the Clippers played in Cleveland was on a Thursday night and just my luck I had an exam that next day. But to fully illustrate how excited and envious I am to see him play live, I actually looked up flights for that night and early the next morning, ultimately deciding that arriving back in St. Louis fifteen minutes before an exam might not be the best idea…but he at least made me think of about it, not sure anyone else in the league does that anymore. Of course that game Griffin went for 41, three highlight dunks, and the Cavs snapped their record 26 game losing streak…damn medical school, ruins all my fun. Entering his Sophomore (technically third) year in the league, whenever it may be (ughhh), I hope that we begin to see more of Griffin’s offensive game. I hope he dedicated himself to improving the fifteen footer, because as the season wore on he was baited more and more into taking that shot. I doubt in one summer he can become a knock down shooter from that range a la Tim Duncan, but even having a defender have to hesitate for a millisecond on a shot fake from there will be enough time for Griffin to blow by them and do what he does best in exploding toward the rim. I think he has the potential to be the best power forward in the league next season, and as he continues to develop, the ability to hold that title for many years to come. Just a few last Griffin thoughts…I think that ESPN needs to circle the first time the Clippers play the Wizards this season and put it on national TV. Wait? What?? Clippers vs. Wizards, why the hell would anyone care about that? Well I will tell you…I want you to think back to draft night when the Wizards selected Jan Vessely with the 6th pick. No, no get past the part when he awkwardly tongue kisses his girlfriend for a bit too long and go to the hilarious interview with Mark Jones. To his credit Vessely spoke English better than I can speak any other language so I will refrain from jokes in that regard, and will focus instead on the content rather than the delivery. After Fran Fraschilla predicted Vessely to win an NBA dunk contest one day (the guy can fly, I will give him that), Mark Jones remarked to Jan that some called him the “Czech Blake Griffin,” to which Jan smirked back, well “maybe he’s the American Jan Vessely.” Now I don’t know anything about Griffin as a person, but I’ve seen him on the court and he is an animal to begin with, but he takes it to a different level after an opposing player tries to get physical with him or challenges him in any way. He gets a look on his face and he shockingly crashes the glass harder, leaps higher, and finishes stronger…and these are on tough, proven NBA veterans. So you’re not telling me that when he heard that he didn’t take a mental note or two and can’t wait to add Vessely to the “Foreigners Whom I Have Absolutely Destroyed and Humiliated With a Dunk Hall of Fame” (Current members include Timofey Mozgov, Danillo Gallinari, and others who are not important enough to mention,) because I do, and I only pray that I am watching it as it occurs. Because that will be a moment that DVR was invented to capture and one I will rewatch over and over again. So yeah, he can be on the team.

- C – Marc Gasol, ($3.6 million). The current NBA superstar landscape is a guard and wing dominated club. Almost all of the major faces of the league (save Dwight Howard) are perimeter players and I think it would be a struggle for a casual NBA fan to name the starting centers on more than 5 NBA teams off hand, I think 15 would be a challenge for even a good fan. That being said, there is some good young talent out there at the center position not named Dwight, and I think we nabbed one of the top 3 upcoming big men in the league. Yes, the magical playoff run by the Memphis Grizzlies was highlighted and spurned on by the stellar play of Zach Randolph, and all the praise was warranted, but what fell in the cracks at times was the development of Marc Gasol. Just three years ago, he was a total after thought in what was then thought of as a train robbery of a trade in a swap sending his brother Pau to the Lakers and ultimately swinging the next three NBA Finals. But this season, he had slimmed down, losing upwards of 30 pounds and yet was still a very imposing force and a true 7 footer. He could bang inside with a hodge-podge of post moves, but he also was very effective in knocking down a jump shot out to 17 feet. He has the unique ability to clog the lane defensively and yet work effectively at the free throw line offensively (which would allow for a nice pick and pop partner for Rose and open driving lanes for Durant and Griffin…told you I thought this through.) I think it will be interesting to see what happens to Memphis this upcoming season, because you have to remember that they had their entire run with their alleged best, and don’t forget highest paid player, Rudy Gay, sitting out with an injury. Gasol is eligible as a restricted free agent and I think it is a must that they resign him, because as I said earlier, it is a tough to get a true center in the NBA these days. Unfortunately they overpaid Mike Conley in the previous season, and their owner is hemorrhaging money so I doubt they keep both Gay and Gasol, and I think that flipping Gay for a few middle tier wing players is the right move, but it’s David Wallace calling the shots so who knows?

Ok while I was taught to never apologize for length, I understand that was a bit much and I can’t keep up that paragraph a player pace for guys 6-15, so instead I will just list the players and write a broader paragraph on them as a whole.

Bench

G- Stephen Curry ($2.9 million)
G- Russell Westbrook ($4 million)
F- Danilo Gallinari ($3.3 million)
F- Kevin Love ($3.6 million)
C- Roy Hibbert ($1.7 million)

Now I don’t know about you but I think that is a pretty good starting five in the NBA, let alone a core of backups. First off the bench would be either Westbrook or Curry for Gordon. If Westbrook got the call, opposing guards would be met with the Rose/Westbrook pressure that was so effective in last summer’s World Championships. Along with the Westbrook sub, Love would also enter for Gasol as we went small and put the foot on the accelerator. Just think about it…missed shot rebounded by Love, outlet pass to Rose/Westbrook and then a break with Durant and Griffin filling the lanes. This combo, outside of Griffin, played together in the aforementioned WC’s and they developed a palpable chemistry that is essential for running an effective break. This lineup would be explosive to the nth degree and capable of pushing a 5 point lead to 25 quickly.
If facing a zone, Curry and Gallinari would get the nods as dead eye shooters who could effectively space the floor enough to allow for Westbrook penetration and kick-outs. I loved Curry’s game at Davidson, but as slight as he was and not really a true point guard I had my doubts about him duplicating his levels of success in the NBA. Well turns out Curry is a bit of an offensive genius. Because he plays in Golden State, the casual fan doesn’t get to see a lot of him, but he is a wonder to watch execute offensively (now defensively…bit of another story.) Everyone knew he could shoot the ball, but what makes him special is his ability to control the floor and he is a very talented passer. Again he has a hard time staying in front of bigger, quicker guards, but that’s why he would be paired with either Gasol or an even bigger defensive center in 7’3 Roy Hibbert. Knowing he has the protection at the rim from those 2 would allow Curry to gamble more into passing lanes for steals as that is his strongest asset on that end. As for Gallinari, to be frank, I really didn’t like him as a Knick. I didn’t have a real basis other than maybe Mike D’antoni calling him “the best shooter he’s ever seen.” Really Mike…didn’t you coach a guy named Steve Nash…I’m pretty sure that guy has a decent stroke. Also I thought Gallo was another soft European who could only shoot 3s and was torched by athletic wings all night. While that first impression may be valid at times, in his last month or two with the Nuggets Gallo played like a totally different person. He was attacking the rim (I even saw him dunk on a few people) and he showed flashes of having a more complete offensive game than I gave him credit for. (Shut up Greg, you didn’t tell me so!) I had a few choices here but I went with Gallinari because one, I like shooting, and two, I think he could have the potential to be in some All-Star conversations in the future. As for Hibbert, he is another big man who, like Gasol, lost a lot of weight, gained a few moves and transformed himself into a viable NBA center. The Pacers even started running plays for him in the playoffs. That’s quite a jump from his first few years in the league, because even then Roy Hibbert wouldn’t have run plays for Roy Hibbert in a video game. He wouldn’t have to do much with this team in terms of scoring, but if he could come in for a few minutes each half and grab some rebounds and protect the rim, then he is definitely worth the price. Because as the Lakers showed us, it never hurts to have multiple 7 footers when chasing a title.

Guys 11-15

G- Darren Collison ($1.4 million)
G/F- Landry Fields ($475 thousand)
F- Taj Gibson ($1.1 million)
F- Serge Ibaka ($1.2 million)
C- DeAndre Jordan ($850 thousand)

Each and every one of those players started for their respective teams this season, and while in theory of a true NBA rotation, none of them would play meaningful minutes, each still has their merits. Collison really impressed me in his first round matchup against Rose this past postseason. He was not scared of the moment or the matchup, and he even played better than Rose at multiple spurts in multiple games in the series. He could be a 5th guard to come and score points in a hurry if needed, and he is a very good free throw shooter. Fields is a quality role player who could fill in at a couple of positions and who could bring maximum effort each time he steps on the floor. Gibson should be higher on this rotation, but playing behind Griffin and Love it would be hard to see time. That doesn’t take away from him as a player though as I think he is already a very steady NBA player and has a lot more potential. If I were Chicago and I could get some sucker GM to take Carlos Boozer off my hands for a viable shooting guard, I would do it in a heartbeat because I think the drop from Boozer to Gibson is negligible (offensively Boozer is more skilled now, but defensively he is such a liability it gives Gibson the edge late in games, especially in Thibideau’s defense first system), while the SG situation in Chicago is abysmal. As for Ibaka and Jordan, these are two of the most athletic, young big men in the game. While both are very raw offensively, they are both excellent shot blockers (Iblocka is one of my favorite NBA nicknames, and he had 8 in a playoff game this year) both on and off the ball. It also doesn’t hurt that Jordan is Griffin’s best friend in the league, and Ibaka is very close to Durant and Westbrook…never hurts to keep your stars happy). Again, from a basketball standpoint they wouldn’t need to provide much other than defense and rebounding, but it gives even more options how to play, especially in an up and down tempo without losing size and defense as in the Kevin Love at center scenario.

So there it is…my belief on the best 15 players you can put together based on next year’s salaries (or very likely, last year’s mislabeled salaries from ESPN) considering multiple factors of talent, roles, and styles of play. Adding up the salaries of all 15 players and the grand total comes to $44,117,709, safely under the cap. I’m pretty sure that this team would not only make the playoffs in either conference but that they would be absolute favorites to win the title. So while again this team is a total pipedream, and many of these contracts are due for major escalators very soon, it was about making a point that it is possible to still have quality basketball at a reasonable price…so with that said, please don’t forfeit the season, because I can’t take a winter with watching “ice dancing with sticks” (That was just for you Tim)

If you have read this far then you might as well read the last few tidbits I found interesting when researching for this post.

- The highest paid player for next season will be Kobe Bryant at $24.8 million dollars.
- The lowest paid player will be Trey Johnson at $8,967 thousand dollars.
- Above is the best way to spend $45 million dollars on 15 quality players. The starters from my team had a total combined salary between them of $23.5 million. Below is the WORST possible way to spend way more money (around $75 million) on a starting five.

PG- Jose Calderon ($9 million)
SG- Gilbert Arenas ($17.7 million)
SF- Vince Carter ($17.5 million)
PF- Rashard Lewis ($19.6 million)
C- Samuel Dalembert ($13.5 million)

So to recap, you could have the reigning MVP, Rookie of the year, and two time scoring champion plus two emerging stars for under $24 million, or you could have Rashard Lewis, Gilbert Arenas, and Vince Carter’s limp corpses for a cool $54 million…I think I’m going to be sick…maybe we do need a lockout…but let us please choose the players who are banned. Do the right thing David Stern, I need it, and so does your lasting legacy.

Finals Game 2 Recap- Now We've Got a Series

Alas the long wait is over (I just looked at the date of the last post...5 months ago, I should be ashamed, I mean what excuse do I have...that med school was hard and took up all of my time, god what a cliche)...I’ve been done with school for two weeks now and have been meaning to write a playoff recap blog, and I still plan to, I just was busy (read: lazy), but last nights events were just too incredible a post was unavoidable...

Dirk. One word. One German. One big time stud. I will admit that I was starting to lean back to luke warm on Dirk for the first 3 quarters last night. (Ok well that isn’t true but I was ready to take him a level down from the outlandish Bird-esque comparisons he has been garnering this postseason. I should have listened to Jay from 40 year old virgin “you never put the German on a pedestal”...not what he says?, ok regardless... I did and I still stand by my decision.) In the last series against the Thunder, Dirk looked like he knew he was the best player on the floor, he knew there was no one that could guard him, and he knew he was going to score anytime he touched the ball. And he did. At a near historic shooting clip. But in the seven and half quarters of the Finals that look was missing. He was missing open shots, he wasn’t rebounding, he was playing terrible matador defense at the rim, and without Dirk playing at a consistently high level I thought there was no way for the Mavs to win at all. But then Wade hit that three, held his follow through up a little too long, was congratulated a little too loudly by LeBron, and you all know the rest of the story. The Mavs pulled off a quick 8-0 run with the first real Jason Terry sighting of the Finals and just like that it was a 7 point game with just under 5 minutes left. Enter the greatest German export since the BMW. Dirk’s teammates started playing with some passion and it seemed to ignite a fire within him, he hit a jumper off a screen and roll, he tied it on a transition finish, he hit a “there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this shot is going in to complete this incredible comeback and steal this game” 3 pointer to take the lead, and then most importantly he abused Bosh to the tune of a sweeping, game winning lefty layup. It is a word overused in sports, but in that run, both Terry and Dirk got their mojo back, and that only spells more trouble for the Heat as they head to Dallas for the next three games. Because those two guys, especially Terry with his silly “I’m a little kid flying around like an airplane routine” (and for the record, I love JT and have since his days of high socks at the U of A) feed off the home crowd and believe me that place is going to be rocking.

(Quick side tangent...I don’t truly know what owning the naming rights to a stadium does for a company in terms of marketing value or whatever, but if it does anything than American Airlines is gonna clean up these next two weeks...I’m assuming that other than 2006 when these two teams previously met in the finals that no other Finals in any sport for that matter have pitted two teams with the same arena sponsorship. Really American Airlines, you need an Arena and a Center..how about you sell the rights in which ever city loses and use the millions to not charge people 50 bucks a bag for a month or so for people flying out of or into the winning city?...seems like a genius marketing strategy to me.)

Now that we have talked about the good, we also need to talk about the bad. Because in the NBA, teams don’t just come back from late double digit leads without some serious help from their opponents. (Just ask the Trail Blazers, Lakers, and Thunder who all fell privy to the same fortune as the Heat last night in blowing a 12 point or larger second half lead on their home floor to these Mavericks.) So while the Mavericks got some huge stops, and made some even bigger shots, the Heat also continued their trend of premature celebration without actually winning anything. Now they can say all they want that there wasn’t a celebration, but I have been on the court in a moment like that, and believe me, they thought that was the dagger. They were already soaping each other up in the shower in their minds, half way to the Larry O’Brien trophy. This was already written on ESPN, but to borrow some words, those last 7 minutes highlighted all that was criticized about the Heat the entire season. First...Chris Bosh is soft and is not ready to perform on this stage. I actively wanted the ball in his hands for every Heat possession down the stretch because I knew he was going to either miss, turn the ball over, and curl up in the fetal position. Also I love it because it worked out in the Mavs favor but why in the hell was Bosh guarding Dirk on that last possession, and even worse why didn’t he foul him on the drive when they had a foul to give (or thinking back a few plays earlier, why not foul Dirk on the fast break layup to tie it...yeah I know Dirk is shooting like 108% or something from the line this postseason, but still...have to make him knock down two big ones.) Secondly, the Heat can’t close tight games. Yes they seemed to have figured it out when all of sudden LeBron started becoming a knock down shooter, especially in huge 3s, (quick pause while I exhale in anger and/or break something) but all returned to form last night. LeBron hitting those shots forced him into the false hubris to keep launching “hero” fallaway 26 footers. Can he make those...yes, is it a good shot by any stretch of the imagination, especially after he had just free reign to basket all night...NO! (Wait what am I saying, yes LeBron, keep shooting them, they have to go in sooner or later.) The Heat’s last 5 possessions they took 3s ( three of them were contested fall aways by James or Wade, the Chalmers wide open practice shot, and Wade’s last second heave.) They had no semblance of an offense and Shawn Marion (more on him in a bit) played great individual defense on LeBron, and they because of that they only had one field goal (the Chalmers 3) the last 7:44 of the game. Third, Spoelstra is over-matched as a coach on this stage. Why he doesn’t call plays at the end of games (even Scott Brooks could have designed a falling down 30 footer), why did he not have Joel Anthony in at the end of the game after he had protected the rim so well all night (including two big time blocks), and once again, not to harp on it, but it was only the biggest play of the entire series...WHY WAS CHRIS BOSH GUARDING DIRK?!?!?...It is truly “mind-bottling.” Like who thought that was a good idea, well except for Dirk, Rick Carlisle, and the collective states of Texas and Ohio, the answer is NO ONE. Bosh made Carlos Boozer look like Bill Russell compared to his effort (just to clarify, even I could score on Boozer and Russell was the greatest defensive center of all time, hope that makes it clearer). I don’t understand it, but some things better change for the Heat on the offensive end, because this is the best offensive team they have faced in these playoffs and you can only keep them down for so long.

Lastly, a major shout out needs to go to Shawn Marion. The Matrix isn’t going to get much national love because he does nothing pretty, but from a basketball standpoint he is playing at an incredibly high level on both sides of the ball. He has scored twenty plus points in both games, and especially in Game 2, he took it upon himself to rebound (the Mavs got absolutely killed on the boards in the first game), and he played as good of defense on LeBron in the fourth that I have ever seen. In the playoffs, yes you need your stars to play big, but titles are won by role players stepping up and swinging a series (why do you think Robert Horry has 7 rings??), and that’s exactly what the Mavs got from Marion, JT, and even little JJ Barea who last night scored some big early buckets to keep the Mavs in the game and then gets to fly home to a former Miss Universe, tough life huh.

Without a true team to root for I’ve just been watching these playoffs for the high level of basketball, and because I’m a hoops junkie who needs his fix. I got the Finals matchup I wanted (yes I did want the Heat to get there, just so they could lose to the Mavs for a 2006 vindication) but my plan almost backfired with the Heat taking a 2-0 lead. After Wade hit that 3, I tossed the remote in disgust, put the dogs away, and locked up the house. I didn’t want to watch they show off anymore, but because I am truly addicted I convinced myself that I would watch just a minute or two more. And no one is talking about this, but after the time out the Mavs didn’t score and the Heat had two 3 point chances (Wade and Chalmers) to push the lead to 18, and if either of those shots goes in, the game is over. But they both rimmed out, the Mavericks got two easy transition scores and I just had a weird feeling that something special was going to happen. Last night was the reason I spend hours watching sports. I had already given up on the Mavs once this postseason and missed their incredible comeback against the Thunder, and I knew I wasn’t going to again. So while I may need another cup of coffee at work today, it was all so totally worth it...can’t wait for Sunday. #cavsformavs