Around the NBA with the G-Man:

I don’t know about you, but I have enjoyed these playoffs as much as any in recent memory. There seems to be a transformation that is taking place that is making the game much more enjoyable. Gone is the thuggery of the past decade where teams played grind it out, low scoring, coach-controlled snooze fests. Now the game is much more wide open and high scoring, showcasing virtuoso performances featuring some emerging stars in the NBA.

The Finals features two teams, Miami and Dallas, that are both making their first trip to the championship round. This has not happened since 1971. I’m happy for the owners of these two franchises- Mark Cuban of Dallas and Mickey Arison of Miami- as both are very forward thinking people who care about the direction of the league. They deserve to have a title shot. I am also pleased for Alonzo Mourning. Zo was a teammate of mine back in the Charlotte Hornet’s days and I never played with a more intense competitor. He has battled through a lot and I am happy he gets a chance to compete for a title. Here’s my take on the finals…

Dallas- The season they have had can be attributed to a number of factors. Avery Johnson was voted as coach of the year for good reason, coming in and changing the culture of the franchise. Dallas could always score the ball, but Johnson now has them playing very sound defense. This is the primary reason why they are in the finals. To get to this level you also have to have a clutch superstar to lead you. Dirk Nowitzki was probably a superstar before, but now he has become a clutch player that can put his team on his back and win big games. Another individual who has become a key player for Dallas is Josh Howard. I did not think the former ACC player of the year would be this good, but he is critical to the Mav’s success. He can defend and rebound and when he scores twenty points or more, the Mavs are undefeated. They really thrive when he gets off to a fast start. The back court of Terry and Harris allows a lot of flexibility and lets Dallas play at a much faster tempo, something they need to do against Miami.

The bench has been very effective as well. Jerry Stackhouse has accepted his role on this team and is their leading scorer off the bench at 14 points a game. The emergence of DeSagana Diop has really helped Dallas’ interior defense. He and Erik Dampier will have their hands full versus Shaq. Adrian Griffin could also play a key roll defensively against Dwayne Wade.

Keys- Dallas must control the tempo against Miami, trying to get +110 points per game. They don’t want to hammer away against Miami in the half court with O’Neal roaming the paint. Nowitzki is a match up nightmare for the Heat and he must have a huge series. Howard is also a match up problem and must continue to get 20 per game. Finally, Diop and Dampier must be effective against O’Neal, using all twelve fouls if necessary.