Sometimes Players Are Victims Of Their Own Success

The NBA finals are done and no one has received more scrutiny than Lebron James. James has become a target, simply because he is who he is. James’ success on the court had been charted and many think he has the talent to become the greatest to ever play the game. Whether he does or doesn’t isn’t really that important to me. As I look at how the man played in the finals, all I saw was a talented young man who trusted his teammates.

All my life I have witnessed players play selfish, uncontrolled basketball in pressure situations. We tell these kids over and over, trust your teammates, you are not out there by yourself, get your teammates involved. Never have I witnessed a superstar do more to set up his teammates than James did in the finals. Now everyone is chastising this man. Is it deserved? Maybe it is but let’s reflect on the game in general.

In the early years of my coaching experience, I didn't give individual awards (MVP, Most Improved Player, Best Defensive, etc) because I didn't think it was right to preach Team, Team, Team then on 1 night say “It is a team game but Lil’ Johnny is our best player.”

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Dirk Was Finals MVP But Jason Terry Was The Difference Maker

Every now and then in a finals game you get to witness someone getting their due diligence. In this case it was journeyman Jason Terry. All year at BCSOM we have proclaimed Terry as the best sixth man in the NBA and in this years finals he did nothing to disprove this theory.

Dirk was as clutch as a super star could be in these finals. Even when he was struggling he found a way to make big shots down the stretch. However Dirk's efforts would have been for naught had it not been for Jason Terry's heroics throughout the finals to keep the games close.

The simple difference between the two teams was simply defense. The Mavericks stuck to their zone principle and made sure they kept the other teams superstars shooting jump shots instead of shooting layups. The Mavericks seemed to always have three people around the ball and they just decided that the Heat were not good enough jump shooters to beat them from the arc.

One thing is of sure, Jason Terry didn't have a problem shooting. He made big shot after big shot and played some incredible defense on Dwyane Wade for most of series. He made Wade work incredibly hard to get shots off and he also pushed the ball side to side more than we are used to seeing Wade or even Lebron work.

The story of these finals will probably be what Lebron didn't do, but the real story should be what the Mavericks did. They shut down some of the most prolific scorers and possibly some of the greatest players of all time in these playoffs. Its a big feat when you punish the Lakers and then you hand it to the Big 3. The Mavericks should be commended.

Stay Breezy ~ I'm Out!

Where In The Hell Is The Real Dwyane Wade

For most of the playoffs, Dwyane Wade had been absent or tardy. Because of various injuries, Wade has struggled throughout the playoffs. His jump shot is flat and he has no legs when exploding towards the basket. Honestly Wade has been playing more like he’s the 38 year old point guard drafted in 1994. No doubt Wade has endured some injuries this season but the Heat needs him to be on his A game if they plan on winning this series.

Wade had looked lethargic for most of the playoffs and then all of a sudden last night something happened. There was about a minute left to go in the third quarter when Jason Kidd fired up a long three point shot. The shot came off the rim and ended up in a mini scrum. Dwyane Wade came up with the ball, spun out and exploded down the middle of the floor. Honestly, it is the fastest I have ever seen the man move in a couple of years. The explosion was great to see for Heat fans as he finished the play with a sweet dish to Bosh for the finish. The crowd went nuts. It was like the arena was filled with confetti as Wade has finally shown that he has arrived in the finals.

The early stages of the game were not so kind to Wade. He spent a large part of the game mulling around, drifting, playing weak defense and he seemed lethargic at best as he kind of just went through the motions on the floor. He got his shot blocked three times by Marion, Haywood, and even Jason Kidd got in on the action. I am not sure how much he is hurting, but he is really avoiding contact and is not playing like the Dwyane Wade we all have come to know.

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Sometimes A Backpack Is Not Enough: Kevin Durant Needs Some Help

Any parent with a little daughter knows a little something about the great backpack. The great backpack is the backpack that Dora the Explorer has. It has everything in it known to man, yet it is the size of a normal back pack. If you have never seen it, here it is:

I was thinking entering this series that Kevin Durant may have had some magic in his backpack as well. He seemed to carry it around everywhere he goes. Whether he is conducting interviews, walking into the arena, or just standing on the court before warm-ups, Durant has his trusty backpack on. It was a great strategy by Durant as Nike has began a campaign to sell Kevin Durant Backpacks.

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And The Best Actor Oscar Goes To ... James Harden

James Harden pulled off the ultimate flop during the Mavericks Thunder game on Saturday night. These NBA players are getting more and more crafty and their acting techniques have changed the game to a degree. Officials can only see reactions to most acts so they don’t always get the full picture.

Take a look at the play…

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