CAPN CRUNCH said:
This should be a fun series...
Avery has done an incredible job , and of course Mark Cuban could make a million dollars out of human waste if given enough time.
I'm looking forward to this one...
We haven't had two teams that you could say are this evenly matched in a while, I didn't check old odds on the past several years but I can't recall two teams that were this close..
Does anyone have the past several years of NBA Chamionship odds?
This one has the Houston and Orlando 1995 series feel to it to me...that one ended up being a sweep though.
Mavs are the better team, and most important, matchups favor them, so does style of play. That speed on the wings, and behind the arc will eat up Miami's perimeter defense. Motown was tailor made for the Heat, with their stop and pop j's after running through screens and picks. Even when they got open shots, they missed. The only penetrator, Tayshaun had a great series, just like RJ the series before. Dallas has 3 or 4 burners that wil head to the rim. Even Dirk is driving. Plus the quality depth Dallas has is a difference maker. They may even be able to make Shaq a liability defensively as Dallas did with San Antone's bigs. I do not think the Heat faced a team nearly this good so far. Chitown were the hustling midgets. Nets were the usual annual foil, and Motown was exposed during Cavs, and should have lost that series. I would have taken either San Antone or Dallas, against Heat right now. where would that critical game #7 be played?
Best wishes...OF :howdy:
Best wishes...OF :howdy:
Firstly, Frog I never saw a poster say goodbye, and come back quicker than you do..
I cant disagree with you more..I like the HEAT because I think they have several advantages..The rest helps SHAQ..Glove, Zo, Walker, nice players who may never get back here again..
Johnson needs learning curve, and I give edge to Heat in sideline knowledge..
Harris, Terry, VanHorn..nice players but need seasoning under the microscope..
Harris-Rothstein..both been here..equal knowledge..
Just one mans opinion, but my $$$ on HEAT!!
I cant disagree with you more..I like the HEAT because I think they have several advantages..The rest helps SHAQ..Glove, Zo, Walker, nice players who may never get back here again..
Johnson needs learning curve, and I give edge to Heat in sideline knowledge..
Harris, Terry, VanHorn..nice players but need seasoning under the microscope..
Harris-Rothstein..both been here..equal knowledge..
Just one mans opinion, but my $$$ on HEAT!!
I never said goodbye, I said I would no longer be posting plays, and would be taking the summer off. So, nothing new. I will also work the Stanley Cup and The NBA Finals. So? I will stick with the Western Conference pedigree. Motown broke through with the Mailman getting hurt, in a down Laker year. The West is the best. I think Dallas can play excellent defense under Avery, where the Heat, well, they are no longer playing offensively challenged Motown. The better team, from the better conference, with the better defense, and home court advantage. That should be enough. The Heat paid back Motown, mission complete.
Best wishes...OF :howdy:
Best wishes...OF :howdy:
One other thing froggy..Collins said it on NBC..I think hes knowledgable..The underlying feeling is the MAV-SUN type of offense hasnt one the big one yet..he who scores the most points(Don Nelson)..his offense hasnt been embraced by lots of NBA hardliners..if Mavs win, puts that concept to rest..I just think the Heat have the edge..Cerebral hoops still the order of the day unless the Mavs triumph..And believe me, nothing wrong with Averys team..Shaq is asking himself now..Whats a DIOP??
Also..Padre Riles took over this club..he built it..sometimes during a series you search for working combinations..I just think hes the better coordinator..
Also..Padre Riles took over this club..he built it..sometimes during a series you search for working combinations..I just think hes the better coordinator..
Are we comparing Don Nelson and Avery the Little General? This Mavs squad is not a run and gun team, and they proved that against the Suns. They have multiple scorers, and will breakdown a defense early in the clock, but several times this last series Avery called a timeout to slow them down. I don't know if Collins knows anything, as Da Bulls had to get rid of him to win, and except talking on TV, the offers have not exactly came pouring in. This Mavs team is a very good defensive squad, not a run and gun Nellie squad. Most of my indicators are on Dallas. Occaisionally I get an NBA Finals right, and I do not like chalk. But the scales seemed tipped heavily on the Mavs. Looks like the lines across the board, Game #1, Game #1 $L and series are all taking Dallas action. I guess that was not the voters in this thread.
Best Wishes...OF :toast:
Best Wishes...OF :toast:
Wade watches practice with sinus infection
MIAMI -- Battling a sinus infection, Miami guard Dwyane Wade did not work out with the Heat on Tuesday.
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Picture Dwyane Wade at full strength, flying through the air -- back to the rim. That's only one of the visual highlights of the Eastern Conference playoffs. To see our Eastern Conference photo highlights in the Daily Dime, click here.
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Wade attended practice, "but didn't do anything ultra-live," Heat coach Pat Riley said. Wade went to team meetings and planned to fly with the Heat to Dallas later Tuesday.
Miami will practice in Dallas on Wednesday, then play Game 1 of the NBA finals there against the Mavericks on Thursday night.
"He'll be OK," said Riley, adding that he expects Wade will have a full workout Wednesday.
Wade is averaging 26.2 points in the playoffs, seventh-most in the NBA and second-most among those who reached the finals. Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas is averaging 28.4 points.
Wade was not on the Heat's practice floor when the doors opened to reporters Tuesday.
"He'll be ready," Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said. "Just getting some rest, getting some fluids. ... It happens. Just have to get his fluids and try to be ready. He'll be ready."
Wade scored at least 20 points in every playoff game until Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, when he managed 14 on a day where he visited a hospital to receive several intravenous fluid bags to fight dehydration. He got another IV in the arena at halftime, delaying his arrival for the second half by 2½ minutes.
"He had the illness, came home and was sick as a dog for Game 6," Riley said. "And he still hasn't shaken the effects of it. But he'll be ready for Thursday night. He won't be in the same state that he was, coming out of the hospital, having IVs and all that stuff. He'll be in a lot better condition."
Without Wade at his best for Game 6, the Heat got a 10-for-12, 21-point night from point guard Jason Williams -- who says Wade's health shouldn't spark any reason for concern.
"Not from over here," Williams said. "Not from anybody in here, really. I think everybody knows he'll be ready to play."
The Heat got healthier on two fronts Tuesday. Backup guard Gary Payton and reserve forward Wayne Simien were back at practice after missing the previous day. Payton missed Monday's workout with a migraine.
Payton -- a 16-year veteran seeking his first NBA title -- is averaging 6.9 points and 25.1 minutes during the playoffs, with only six turnovers in his last 11 games. Simien has appeared in two playoff games this year.
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MIAMI -- Battling a sinus infection, Miami guard Dwyane Wade did not work out with the Heat on Tuesday.
<TABLE id=inlinetable cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000"><CENTER>Daily Dime</CENTER></TH><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec" vAlign=top><TD width=184>
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Wade attended practice, "but didn't do anything ultra-live," Heat coach Pat Riley said. Wade went to team meetings and planned to fly with the Heat to Dallas later Tuesday.
Miami will practice in Dallas on Wednesday, then play Game 1 of the NBA finals there against the Mavericks on Thursday night.
"He'll be OK," said Riley, adding that he expects Wade will have a full workout Wednesday.
Wade is averaging 26.2 points in the playoffs, seventh-most in the NBA and second-most among those who reached the finals. Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas is averaging 28.4 points.
Wade was not on the Heat's practice floor when the doors opened to reporters Tuesday.
"He'll be ready," Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said. "Just getting some rest, getting some fluids. ... It happens. Just have to get his fluids and try to be ready. He'll be ready."
Wade scored at least 20 points in every playoff game until Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, when he managed 14 on a day where he visited a hospital to receive several intravenous fluid bags to fight dehydration. He got another IV in the arena at halftime, delaying his arrival for the second half by 2½ minutes.
"He had the illness, came home and was sick as a dog for Game 6," Riley said. "And he still hasn't shaken the effects of it. But he'll be ready for Thursday night. He won't be in the same state that he was, coming out of the hospital, having IVs and all that stuff. He'll be in a lot better condition."
Without Wade at his best for Game 6, the Heat got a 10-for-12, 21-point night from point guard Jason Williams -- who says Wade's health shouldn't spark any reason for concern.
"Not from over here," Williams said. "Not from anybody in here, really. I think everybody knows he'll be ready to play."
The Heat got healthier on two fronts Tuesday. Backup guard Gary Payton and reserve forward Wayne Simien were back at practice after missing the previous day. Payton missed Monday's workout with a migraine.
Payton -- a 16-year veteran seeking his first NBA title -- is averaging 6.9 points and 25.1 minutes during the playoffs, with only six turnovers in his last 11 games. Simien has appeared in two playoff games this year.
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Ailing Wade vows to be ready for NBA Finals.
DALLAS -- Dwyane Wade headed toward the practice floor Wednesday carrying his basketball sneakers in his right hand, a box of tissues in his left.
And for good measure, he sniffled a bit.
<!--------------------------START PLAYER CARD------------------><TABLE class=tableheadFixWidth cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD class=whitelink colSpan=2>Dwyane Wade</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>
Guard
Miami Heat
Profile</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=190 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR class=stathead align=middle><TD align=middle colSpan=6>2006 SEASON STATISTICS</TD></TR><TR align=right><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">GM</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">PPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">RPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">APG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FG%</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FT%</TD></TR><TR align=right bgColor=#bcbcb4><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">75</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">27.2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">5.7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">6.7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.495</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.783</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE MINI-PLAYER CARD ENDS HERE--------------------->
Wade is hurting as these NBA Finals loom, still suffering from a sinus infection that's bothered him for several days. But Miami's leading scorer insists he'll be ready when the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks open Thursday night.
"Feeling better. Finally trying to get this virus out of me," Wade said, his voice sounding much huskier than usual because of the illness. "It's something that I've got to deal with. Decided to get back out there and get my conditioning going today and a little bit tomorrow, also, before the game."
Wade began dealing with what the team originally said were flu-like symptoms in the early morning hours Friday, the day Miami hosted Detroit in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Wade spent seven hours in the hospital that day, getting intravenous fluids to battle dehydration.
He scored 14 points in the Heat's series-clinching win that night, and went through a usual practice Sunday -- shooting plenty of jumpers afterward, as per his custom. And maybe, he conceded Wednesday, that the workout wasn't the best thing for his ailing body that day.
"It kind of shut me down the next day totally," Wade said. "Yeah, I probably came back and tried to do too much, too early. But, I mean, that's what I'm going to do."
Wade didn't practice Monday or Tuesday in Miami, and visited a doctor again Monday. His illness aside, he was eager to get back on the floor for the workout in Dallas on Wednesday.
"I'm anxious. I want to get out on the court right now," Wade said. "I haven't been out there in a couple of days. I just want to get back and continue to work on my game like I always do."
Wade is averaging 26.2 points in the playoffs, seventh most in the NBA and second-most among those who reached the finals, 2.2 points shy of Dirk Nowitzki's average for Dallas. Wade is shooting 51 percent in the postseason, and hit 62 percent of his tries against the Pistons in the East finals.
And while there is some concern, Heat coach Pat Riley seemed confident that Wade would be fine.
"It always bothers you. But he seemed pretty good spirits today and we're trying to get him well, really well," Riley said. "And if we went out and practiced him two hours or whatever it was, that wouldn't help him. So we think he's gaining his strength back ... and hope that he's as close to 100 percent as he can be tomorrow night."
DALLAS -- Dwyane Wade headed toward the practice floor Wednesday carrying his basketball sneakers in his right hand, a box of tissues in his left.
And for good measure, he sniffled a bit.
<!--------------------------START PLAYER CARD------------------><TABLE class=tableheadFixWidth cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD class=whitelink colSpan=2>Dwyane Wade</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>
Miami Heat
Profile</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=190 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR class=stathead align=middle><TD align=middle colSpan=6>2006 SEASON STATISTICS</TD></TR><TR align=right><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">GM</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">PPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">RPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">APG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FG%</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FT%</TD></TR><TR align=right bgColor=#bcbcb4><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">75</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">27.2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">5.7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">6.7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.495</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.783</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE MINI-PLAYER CARD ENDS HERE--------------------->
Wade is hurting as these NBA Finals loom, still suffering from a sinus infection that's bothered him for several days. But Miami's leading scorer insists he'll be ready when the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks open Thursday night.
"Feeling better. Finally trying to get this virus out of me," Wade said, his voice sounding much huskier than usual because of the illness. "It's something that I've got to deal with. Decided to get back out there and get my conditioning going today and a little bit tomorrow, also, before the game."
Wade began dealing with what the team originally said were flu-like symptoms in the early morning hours Friday, the day Miami hosted Detroit in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Wade spent seven hours in the hospital that day, getting intravenous fluids to battle dehydration.
He scored 14 points in the Heat's series-clinching win that night, and went through a usual practice Sunday -- shooting plenty of jumpers afterward, as per his custom. And maybe, he conceded Wednesday, that the workout wasn't the best thing for his ailing body that day.
"It kind of shut me down the next day totally," Wade said. "Yeah, I probably came back and tried to do too much, too early. But, I mean, that's what I'm going to do."
Wade didn't practice Monday or Tuesday in Miami, and visited a doctor again Monday. His illness aside, he was eager to get back on the floor for the workout in Dallas on Wednesday.
"I'm anxious. I want to get out on the court right now," Wade said. "I haven't been out there in a couple of days. I just want to get back and continue to work on my game like I always do."
Wade is averaging 26.2 points in the playoffs, seventh most in the NBA and second-most among those who reached the finals, 2.2 points shy of Dirk Nowitzki's average for Dallas. Wade is shooting 51 percent in the postseason, and hit 62 percent of his tries against the Pistons in the East finals.
And while there is some concern, Heat coach Pat Riley seemed confident that Wade would be fine.
"It always bothers you. But he seemed pretty good spirits today and we're trying to get him well, really well," Riley said. "And if we went out and practiced him two hours or whatever it was, that wouldn't help him. So we think he's gaining his strength back ... and hope that he's as close to 100 percent as he can be tomorrow night."
Belch One said:
Agree, defense beats offense, 99% of the time. True in all major sports (though with MLB, it's "good pitching beats good hitting").
This time though, I gotta go with the Mavs and their deep lineup. Former all-stars like Stackhouse and Van Horn coming off the bench? Crazy. The Mavs' experience factor was obvious in the Suns series, esp. the final game.
The Heat don't have much after Wade and Shaq (Walker? Williams? nah...), but the Mavs have five bona fide stars.
All depends on whether Dirk continues his uncharacteristic playoff clutchness like in the Suns series...
Mavs being behind at half 5 out of the 6 games against the Suns means they really used up a lot of juice after having a tough go of it with the Spurs. Just have a feeling they will come up a little drained at some point. If the Suns had one more healthy weapon or had beaten the Clips in 6 the Mavs might not be here. Unless the Heat somehow run out of gas like the Suns did I think the Mavs won't be able to impose that second half will. In any case the plus odds on the Heat seem more than enough to offset the minor home court edge that comes from a 2-3-2 setup.
