NBA Finals | Midwest Sports Fans

Dallas Mavericks championship an old school win for the ages

June 13, 2011 By Jon Washburn 4 Comments

“When are people going to talk about the purity of our game and what these guys accomplished. That’s what’s special.” – Rick Carlisle

“To realize that [getting revenge on Miami for 2006] today, right now, in this moment? Sweet vindication.” – Jason Terry

The NBA – where amazing happens.

There are a lot of reasons why I love basketball. When played right, there is no game on the planet that is nearly as beautiful. The artistry and grace with which literal giants play the game is unmatched in any other sport. The on-the-fly adjustments that impact every game make it a thinking man’s game.

And oh yes, there is that part about “team.”

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Filed Under: Featured Column Tagged With: dallas mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, NBA Finals, rick carlise

Humble, emotional, beloved Dirk finally gets his title

June 13, 2011 By Jerod Morris 2 Comments

Whenever big moments happen in the NBA, there are two writers I typically go to perspective: Bill Simmons and Adrian Wojnarowski. It is far too early for Simmons to have written one of his 10,000 word tomes on what we nowitznessed last night, but Woj’s, of course, was in the can long before I even woke up.

And it’s predictably spectacular.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: adrian wojnarowski, Dirk Nowitzki, NBA Finals

NBA Finals Game 6 Quick Preview: Prediction, Poll, and Commenter Picks

June 12, 2011 By Jerod Morris 8 Comments

Game 6 of the NBA Finals is tonight. Mavs-Heat, 3 games to 2.

This is one of the most genuinely epic sporting events that we have had in a while, because in many ways it is more than a decade in the making.

There are so many storylines, so much drama, and such a plethora of talents being taken down to South Beach tonight. I can’t wait, and I know you can’t either. So let’s kill a few minutes making some meaningless predictions that won’t matter a lick come 7:00 CT tonight.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: dallas mavericks, Miami Heat, NBA Finals

For Dirk, LeBron, and D-Wade, Legacies On The Line

June 12, 2011 By Devon Alexandre 4 Comments

For LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and for Dirk Nowitzki as well, it’s time to write the concluding words in one more chapter of each of their legacies.

With a much scrutinized off-season long gone and an uphill battle of a regular season now behind them, the Miami Heat find themselves on the brink in the NBA Finals. And this isn’t just any ordinary NBA Finals, because there is way more on the line than an NBA championship.

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Filed Under: Devon's NBA Beat Tagged With: Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, lebron james, NBA Finals

This Is All About The Dallas Mavericks

June 10, 2011 By Devon Alexandre 1 Comment

The Dallas Mavericks won last night’s Game 5. Again let me repeat that: the Dallas Mavericks won last night’s Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

In an NBA Finals series that features the much-hated Miami Heat, with their cast that includes of one of the NBA’s best ever trios in LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, any time Miami loses it is projected as being of their own doing. It is a continuing trend of LeBron James had a bad game or Dwyane Wade was injured or Chris Bosh played soft.

So it’s time to give the Mavericks the credit they deserve.

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Filed Under: Devon's NBA Beat Tagged With: dallas mavericks, Miami Heat, NBA Finals

LeBron underwhelms (again) in “biggest game of his career”

June 10, 2011 By Evan Schwartz Leave a Comment

I have seen LeBron James play in person just once, during his second season in the league. The Cavs were in town to play my hometown New York Knicks in a matchup of the most exciting young player in the league versus a team that featured Michael Sweetney, Moochie Norris, and Vin Baker. I sat down low around midcourt, craning my neck and standing on my tiptoes to watch LeBron warm up in layup lines. He was enormous, looking more like an NFL linebacker than an NBA forward, and he seemed to have boundless energy and springs for legs.

LeBron played an awful game.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: dallas mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, lebron james, Miami Heat, NBA Finals

Study: More hugs and high fives = more wins

June 9, 2011 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

Leave it to the Wall Street Journal to find a unique and enlightening way to look at these NBA Finals and sports in general. (It sure ain’t coming from these guys...)

Did you know that there is empirical evidence suggesting that the more “touchy-feely” a sports team is, the more likely it is to win?

I didn’t. But we all do now.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: dallas mavericks, Miami Heat, NBA Finals, wall street journal

LeBron’s Time To Shine Is Now

June 9, 2011 By Devon Alexandre Leave a Comment

It’s quite clear with the stats he left out on the court that LeBron James didn’t show up in Game 4 of these NBA Finals: Eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, 0-for-3 from deep, and 50% from the charity stripe.

Clearly these aren’t numbers of a legend, nor are they numbers of a LeBron James we are accustomed to watching.

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Filed Under: Devon's NBA Beat, NBA Tagged With: lebron james, NBA Finals

Reddit chimes in on Game 4 of the NBA Finals

June 8, 2011 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

I mentioned Reddit often. It’s with good reason. Reddit is one of my favorite websites, and I go there often to find the latest and greatest content being passed around the web.

Reddit can be an especially entertaining place in the immediate aftermath of a big sporting event. The aftermath of Game 4 was no different. Here are a few examples:

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Filed Under: Funny, NBA Tagged With: Dirk Nowitzki, lebron james, NBA Finals

NBA Finals Game 4 Quick Preview and Prediction

June 7, 2011 By Jon Washburn Leave a Comment

None of you are idiots – you know that this is a must-win for Dallas.

So what can Dallas do, tonight, in order to extend the series?

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, NBA Finals

Mavs-Heat: What You DIDN’T See on ESPN

June 6, 2011 By Jon Washburn 14 Comments

Let’s get a few things out of the way first:

1. Dwyane Wade is playing the best basketball player of anyone on the planet right now. There is a 92% chance that he is in that “there’s no possible way I’m letting my team lose” zone that we have only ever seen Kobe, Duncan, Shaq, Jordan, and Hakeem get into for the past 20 years. I don’t want to and couldn’t possibly take anything away from him.

2. LeBron James did what his team needed him to do in games 1 and 3 for the Heat to win the game. Sure, we could nitpick things like, “He’s a great passer, especially when it means he gets to give up the ball so he doesn’t have to take the deciding shot, thus absolving him from all responsibility,” but let’s be honest…this is what we have always wanted him to do. Everyone has said he’s more Magic than Jordan, and he’s finally playing like it. He’s a fantastic Second Banana.

3. Dirk Nowitzki is just unbelievable…and still the most unstoppable scorer in the world.

These are the things we should be discussing right now. Instead, ESPN has their own agenda of what they think is important.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: dallas mavericks, jason terry, jj berea, Miami Heat, NBA Finals

One video and two images that sum up NBA Finals Game 2

June 3, 2011 By Jerod Morris 2 Comments

I watched last night’s Mavs-Heat game at Frankie’s here in Dallas, and you can imagine how great of an experience it was. Once D-Wade’s three from the corner put the Heat up 15, the air was almost completely let out of the building, but what happened over the next 7+ minutes re-filled the room with emotion, optimism, and excitement like few sporting events I’ve ever seen.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: dallas mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, NBA Finals

Top 10 Individual NBA Finals Performances of All Time

May 31, 2011 By Devon Alexandre 16 Comments

Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals is only hours away my friends. This is where legends are made, champions are born, and dreams are broken.

Also be sure to check out my NBA Finals preview!

With a series destined to provide us with star power, amazing play, and two teams full of players who are dying to win a ring, I would like to toss out a little treat to whet your appetite.

Before we become engrossed in this year’s memorable Finals performances, let’s relive 10 of the all-time best individual performances from NBA Finals past