With the NBA Finals beginning next week, I just thought I'd like to see who everyone thinks will win. Personally, I've got Miami in six.
Miami hasn't been perfectly dominant in the postseason, but they've been wholly outclassing the opponents except for rare occasions. Their defense is nothing short of spectacular. Even with weaknesses at the PG and C, Spoelstra has made a team defense that plays great help defense and gets into passing lanes a bunch to force turnovers and to halt ball movement. And as we all know, Miami's offense rests in the capable hands of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's hands, with Chris Bosh as the safety release. With Udonis Haslem back, Miami becomes more physical and tougher and adds another option off the bench. But Miami does have trouble with offensive creativity, especially with shot selection at times.
Dallas on the other hand, is riding Dirk Nowitzki's incendiary play in the postseason with the Mavericks' ball movement getting the rest of the team involved. They take excellent shots and make them. And when you had Dirk playing at the incredible level that he just used to take down the Thunder in five games, you have an offense that dominates games. But Dallas isn't all offense. Tyson Chandler has become the anchor in the paint for the Mavs, despite encountering foul trouble from time to time. Jason Kidd isn't what he's used to be, but he's still a great passer, defender and rebounder. And Shawn Marion is quietly having a great postseason, especially on defense.
However, I think Miami matches up really well with Dallas and their defense forces the Mavs' ball movement to a slower pace than they want. This series will be a clash of styles that I think Miami will win.
The pick - Heat in six
WHO YA GOT?