2011 NBA Playoffs

[Argosh]

2011.06.12
Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks 95:105 (2:4)

Dallas Mavericks win these Finals, 4:2.

[Phantasee]

It was a great day. Vettel defeated by Button, LeBron and the Heat defeated by Disco Dirk and the Mavs.

[weemadando]

Hey LeBron, got change for a dollar?

Nah man, I only got three quarters.

[Phantasee]

Hey LeBron, got change for a dollar?

Nah man, I only got three quarters.

Still hilarious. It's all I heard before the game.

[weemadando]

A lot of folks are now making the joke of "I've now got the same number of championship rings as LeBron."

[Darth Fanboy]

The best one I heard is that now we can follow up The Decision with The Excuse

[Steve]

A lot of folks are now making the joke of "I've now got the same number of championship rings as LeBron."

It's my earnest hope that such remains true for the entirety of LeBron's career. Karmic justice for the way he left Cleveland.

[Darth Fanboy]

"Why did Lebron really skip college? He wouldn't have showed up for the Finals!"

I don't care how he left Cleveland, the Cavs outside of him sucked badly and their record after his departure proves it.

I don't even care about the big preseason rally the Heat held, because I think that on top of making a big media splash it was a calculated PAt Riley move to paint a target on his team's back so that they would realize the season wouldn't be a cakewalk, and after a slow start they snapped out of it.

What I dislike about LeBron is how he gives up when things don't come easy enough for his liking. I dislike how he says he doesn't care about something, and then responds later as if he obviously cares about it. He wanted to partner with Wade and Bosh so that he wouldn't have to carry a team to a championship because I don't think that Lebron thinks he himeself is capable of being a leader. He wanted to play with Wade no matter where they went so that Wade could be that guy. He doesn't want the pressure of being the team leader but he wants all of the accolades and attention normally reserved for those team leaders.

In the end, LeBron needs two things to win a championship. He needs to man up and be clutch in the playoffs, and he needs to learn how to handle his critics publically and privately so that they won't have anything reasonable to criticize him about.

[Darth Fanboy]

And before anyone brings up his clutch-play against Chicago, Chicago rolled over and died in four consecutive games they should have won, except for the fact that they are an incredibly young team and lacked the real veteran toughness that characterizes almost every championship team in almost every sport. Given this experience they now have the Bulls could be in the finals realistically next season.

[Phantasee]

Nate Silver on Twitter: For the series, Heat were outscored by 36 with LeBron on the floor. But they outscored Dallas by 22 with him on the bench.

[Havok]

Are people really blasting the Heat for making the Finals in their (Wade, Lebron, Bosh) first year together, with what pretty much every "expert" has described as a far below average bench?

Do people just like to gloss over the fact that it took Jordan 6 years with the Bulls to win a title? And that the Bulls were beat by the more veteran, experienced Pistons 3 years in a row before they won their first title?

Jordan made his first finals in 90-91. At age 27. LeBron made his first in 06-07 season at age 23 with a far inferior team and coach than what Jordan had. And now his second in 10-11 at age 26. He has been to two Finals before Jordan made one.

If the Heat stay together, and get a couple better role players, plus the cohesion that comes with time, they will surely be one of the best teams ever assembled and should match and surpass what Jordan and the Bulls accomplished. Especially with the age induced demise that is certain to befall the Lakers, Celtics and Mavericks.

[Argosh]

Jordan won all the Finals he was in (6:0) while LeBron didn't (0:2). Wade's 1:1 so far. And for Heat to be one of the best teams ever, they need to win 9+ in a row (like Boston in '58-'66).

[Darth Fanboy]

The Heat don't need to nine peat to be one of the best ever, although a back to back seems to be the standard that separates the great from the greatest in the NBA.

Hav I agree with many of your points but the Heat put the target on their own backs with their preseason rally and their onstage claim of being able to win 7 or 8 titles. The truth is that they have set the standard so high themselves. Personally I think it is good for a team to have those expectations but the team has to accept the inevitable criticism when that expectation falls short. The Lakers were destroyed by Dallas and blasted for underachieving herre in SoCal this year but take away the reputation and look at the team itself and they finished about where they should have. The expectations set in part from three previous finals appearances helped fuel that.

[Havok]

Jordan won all the Finals he was in (6:0) while LeBron didn't (0:2). Wade's 1:1 so far.

And that proves what? Oh that's right nothing. He is still further along in his career than Jordan was at the same age, which was my point. AND has all the time Jordan used to win his championships still at his disposal and at a still younger age. Plus we won't have to put up with the primadona retirement to play baseball, then come scurrying back because he sucks at it.