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| Dirk Nowitzki: Ay kalbo! Pendong peace. Source: link |
The Los Angeles Lakers defending their title against the Boston Celtics should sound good around this time of the year, however, this year's NBA playoffs left us with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.
I'm not one to complain though.
While seeing the purple and gold slugging it out with the green and white can make any basketball junkie drool in excitement, there's some interesting storylines that make the Heat-Mavs meeting in June just as exciting.
Worthy contenders
Both teams went through quality opponents before getting to the big dance.
The Mavericks swept the defending champs, the LA Lakers, who were heavily favored to three-peat as champs, before the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder literally gave 'em a run for their money. Don't let the series fool you. Though it says 4-1, watching the games, you know the Mavs didn't enjoy competing against Durant and company. The Thunder are full of youthful exuberance and athleticism that the veteran-laden Mavs would have been panting for air, if it weren't for some well-timed substitutions by Carlisle.
The Heat, on the other hand, ousted the bullies of the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics. The very same team that eliminated Cavs in last year's playoffs. So you know going into the succeeding rounds, Lebron was pumped up by the achievement. The icing on the cake is their triumph over the Chicago Bulls, a team led by this year's MVP, Derrick Rose.
So don't fret NBA fans. Your NBA Finalists will deliver a great show. They are, after all, better than the Cs and the Lakers. For now.
Common Ground
This isn't the first time these two teams will be seeing each other in the Finals. The Mavs and Heat faced off back in 2006, with the latter walking away with the Larry O'Brien. Due to personnel changes over the past seasons, only two players from the '06 lineup of both teams are still around to witness this reunion of sorts: Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem for the Heat, and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry for the Mavs. Coincidentally, both Haslem and Nowitzki play PF while the JET and D-Wade are both natural shooting guards who also spend some time at the point.
In addition, it's Erik Spoelstra's and Rick Carlisle's first time coaching in the NBA Finals.
Redemption
Since their '06 meeting, things weren't looking up for both teams.
After winning their first title, the Heat, poised to defend their title, were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in the first round the following season. The season after that, they clinched the worst record in the NBA after winning only 15 out of 82 games. They managed to make some playoff appearances in the succeeding seasons, but they never got past the first round.
Meanwhile, after their runner-up finish, the Mavs finished the '06-'07 season with a league best 67-15 win-loss record, and earned home court advantage throughout the post-season. However, the 8th seeded Golden State Warriors cut their playoff run short, and this was followed by a series of first round exits.
After all the frustrating seasons, the Heat and the Mavs are back on top. The former dying to prove that their first championship was no fluke. The latter hungry for the taste of victory they have long been denied of.
A tale of two veterans
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who now plays center for the Heat, was playing alongside James when the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals. Jayson Kidd wanted to win a ring for the New Jersey Nets, and he had two chances at the Larry O'Brien, but Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan ruined his plan.
For these two veterans, it has always been a case of "been there but haven't done that". Finally, one of them gets to go home a champion.
Critical Strike
The Mavs are yet to miss the playoffs that's why they are considered as one of the most talented teams in the league. But due to their inability to go the distance, many saw them as underachievers, and fingers point to 2007 MVP. Despite his production, Nowitzki, as the face of the franchise, gets blamed for his team's shortcomings. He get's called a bunch of bad things due to his his inability to lead his team to greater heights. Soft and choker to name a few.
Winning two MVPs, as it turns out, isn't enough to spare you from the choker label. Never mind that he wasn't able to will the Cavs to a title when they were facing the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 Finals. Lebron was highly criticized for his disappearing act in Game 5 of their series against the Celtics in last year's playoffs.
Now, these two former MVPs will meet in what would probably the biggest and most important series of their lives. One gets to silence the critics. The other, in turn, becomes a whipping dog.
Revenge
Oh, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Mavs want to exact some vengeance on the Heat. Dirk and JET would love to win their first title against familiar foes Wade and Haslem.
Meanwhile, Mark Cuban, who felt that his Mavs were robbed due to some bad officiating, would love to wipe that smile off of Pat Riley's face.
The Heat, upon the formation of the Big Three, became the most hated (or loved, depending on your preference) team in the NBA. They got called a lot of bad stuff for this union, even hearing some negative comments from retired NBA superstars. You bet the Heat would like to get back on the haters by winning a title so they can die of envy. In addition, the Heat lost their regular season series against the Mavs, so you know Dirk and company are in for some payback. Cuban also said some things last November that the Heat could use to add fuel to their fire.
There's a very, very, very, good motivation behind winning for the the players who'll be in the series. The problem is, there's only one trophy to hand out. And when the hunger factor comes into play, it will manifest into one physical and entertaining ball game. Let's just hope David Stern and his refs keep everything in check. We don't want people getting hurt, but we don't want to suppress the emotions that'll burst out of each Heat or Maverick.
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