Still Fantastic

It is hard to fathom that the NBA Playoffs are over. They were great and we saw the emergence and dominance of Dwyane Wade as he led the Heat to the championship. He claims that he did not do it single-handedly, and if you know basketball, you know this is true. On the offensive side of the ball, one player in a five-man lineup definitely can take over a game... but defensively said one player cannot. You can talk all you want about how the referees blew calls during the NBA Playoffs & throw out your conspiracy theories, but the Mavs are primarily a jump-shooting team. And jump-shooting teams don't go the FT Line as much as teams that are more aggressive to the hoop. You take it to the hole, you get fouled more. It's a simple game. And the reason D.Wade's commercial says, "Fall Seven Times. Stand Up Eight."

But let's get back to Riley's defense. The Miami Heat ranked first in defense in the playoffs holding opponents under 43 percent from the floor. The defensive mentality of Pat Riley and the Heat was the reason that I picked the Heat in six games in the Detroit series and why I picked them again in the Finals against the Mavs. That coaching edge of a defensive mentality coupled with veteran play.

It's easy to say that GP, Toine & Zo were riding Shaq & D.Wade to the Championship... but each of those players are now crafty veterans, knowing to always box-out on a rebound, switch to the hot shooter, take the charge and make the extra pass. Experienced players know this, and experienced playoff players perform it during the high-pressure playoff atmosphere. It all adds up to why the Heat won in 6. Experience, defense, coaching and D.Wade's aggressive play. I love hard-nosed basketball. Aggressive basketball.

So when the Sports Guy worries about the state of the NBA (I'd agree that the NBA should let it's highest rated refs officiate the entire Finals), I say it's more about letting the hard fouls go. Throw back to the clothelines in the Playoffs. Hard hitting is why the NBA Finals are entertaining. Hard hitting is why Goose enjoyed his first World Cup experience this past Saturday when McBride's head was split open. I'm still an NBA fan and I love the outcome more than because I predicted it. But because I enjoy the game played at it's highest level.