tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841361437254309340.post1825318005069715579..comments2023-06-15T10:49:50.190-05:00Comments on On the Dallas Mavericks: On the Linescootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14648062432937107093noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841361437254309340.post-46178863000413115482011-06-12T21:10:38.866-05:002011-06-12T21:10:38.866-05:00How do we have a lead at the beginning of the 4th ...How do we have a lead at the beginning of the 4th with Dirk shooting like that?JKnotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13567721786402019427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841361437254309340.post-33159033452748220222011-06-12T20:27:46.179-05:002011-06-12T20:27:46.179-05:00How are we ahead at halftime with Dirk shooting li...How are we ahead at halftime with Dirk shooting like that?JKnotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13567721786402019427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841361437254309340.post-84033390130912875782011-06-10T10:20:06.039-05:002011-06-10T10:20:06.039-05:00What I love about this playoff run:
I love that ...What I love about this playoff run:<br /> <br />I love that the Mavs had what was, for them, an only so-so regular season. They've never even gotten close to doing this well in the playoffs without a 60-win season behind them. For once, our expectations were very low. Every good thing that happens can be appreciated all the more because of that.<br /> <br />I love that the Mavs have had to deal with the most significant injury in the Finals, if not the playoffs as a whole: Butler's. And yet, rather than asking "what if?" we're celebrating their best run ever.<br /> <br />I love that they blew a large, late lead in the first round, prompting everyone to say "here we go again," only to win 10 of the next 11, and to win game after game by being better in the clutch than the other team.<br /> <br />I love that they swept the 2-time defending champs in the process.<br /> <br />I love that they are playing the Heat. I love that the Heat are the team with home-court advantage, who are blowing late leads, prompting commentators to talk more about their choking than the Mavs' late-game excellence. How does it feel from the other side, DWade?<br /> <br />Speaking of DWade, I love that he's having a monster series, and that it might not be enough. He's putting up Jordan-esque numbers, at least in scoring, and yet Lebron can't even come up with a passable Pippen impression when it counts the most.<br /> <br />I love it that Dirk and Terry, the only holdovers from '06, are the <br />4th quarter masters in this series, in spite of Dirk's injury and health issues. I love it that Terry is talking trash and backing it up.<br /> <br />I love it that every commentator said "You can't lose game 3 in this format and win the series!" after game 2. Who's saying that now?<br /> <br />I love it that Eric Dampier is on the Heat. Sure, he isn't playing at all, but the possibility of denying him a coattails ring is a delicious possibility. Especially after giving one to Gary Payton and Antoine Walker in '06. Denying Lebron his (first?) championship is good enough, but doing the same to Dampier, Bibby, et al would be gravy.<br /> <br />Given the choice, I'd take a game 7win over a game 6 one. Why? So I can add loving the fact that all the commentators have been saying that nobody wins an away game 7 in the Finals. Let them say that, and let the Heat believe it. If they pull out game 6, they might relax and get too confident. Either way, there is a lot to love about this Mavs playoff run!JKnotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13567721786402019427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841361437254309340.post-11368676723943508262011-06-08T09:32:13.469-05:002011-06-08T09:32:13.469-05:00"or the refs could have called a phantom foul..."or the refs could have called a phantom foul and given him three shots on the play."<br /><br />That would never happen.<br /><br />Your idea that really good teams don't play many Game 7s is interesting and seems true on the face of it. It seems that really good players might play a lot of Game 7s (like Dirk or AI or Cavaliers LeBron, thought I haven't checked to see how many these guys actually played) because they're dragging a lot of role players through the playoffs.<br /><br />A stat I was proud of coming into the Lakers-Mavs series is that LAL had won 7 consecutive close-out games (4 on the road) from 2009-2011, which meant something important to me (especially since the criticism of the Kobe-Shaq Lakers was that they were complacent and always took too long to finish series).<br /><br />Of course, they still have that streak. It just happens to exist alongside 4 straight losses to Dallas...<br /><br />As for last night, the series looks like two evenly matched teams that will go 7 games. Fascinating considering that "evenly matched" means "constructed according to entirely different philosophies with almost no strengths or weaknesses in common."Justin Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04532881461650705372noreply@blogger.com