Almost time to get this thing started

Yeah, another day of some digressions since it’s been about eleventy weeks since there’s been basketball news.

But don’t worry, it’s coming.

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I’m wondering how long it’s going to take Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to stop playing possum.

You know, and I know, and the Mavs should know, that he wants to use LeBron James to cover Dirk Nowitzki a lot in this series, just like he wanted James on Derrick Rose in the last one.

That’s going to be a very intriguing matchup because Nowitzki seems entirely non-plussed unaffected ho guards him and with that lethal fadeaway he’s got, even James isn’t going to be able to disrupt it very much.

That’s got to be the most interesting matchup of a Finals full of them and I hope we get to see it a lot. Don’t imagine we will because it strikes me as something the Heat would like to do as a bit of a surprise or tempo changing tactic

The other ones that will make a difference in the outcome?

I would think Jason Kidd should be able to scorch whichever of the two Miami point guards that are on the floor and I would at sometime Dwyane Wade’s going to move over onto Kidd and either Bibby or Chalmers will cover Stevenson.

And how about Peja-Mike Miller off the bench? Who might have the upper hand in that battle of one-dimensional backups?

This, in a lot of ways, is one of the most interesting Finals matchups we’ve had in a while and as I head into the Mother Star office to break it down for the paper, there’s lots to think about.

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I can’t believe I missed this for so long.

If this is summer, it must be international basketball time and, sure enough, the Canadian senior women are already playing.

It’s a bit of a screwed up schedule for them because their Olympic qualifier isn’t until September but in order to get much-needed games in, they had to head to Europe now to play; the European qualifier is in late June in Poland.

The Canadians lost a couple of tough ones on the weekend, to Cuba and Spain, but it’s early in the season for them.

We’ll catch up with them more later on, as we will the men when they get started, but with an NBA lockout looming, I’m hoping we get to do more than the usual amount of national team stuff.

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Okay, not sure many of you would have seen this because I presume many of you have lives and weren’t sitting around watching a bit of the Twins-Angels after Tigers-Red Sox were rained out.

Anyway, I was and when it came time for the seventh-inning stretch, they show a guy billboarded on the broadcast as Jim Grant singing an emotional version of It’s A Wonderful World at a ceremony for Harmon Killebrew.

It was really good and it took me about five minutes – and I might have even had a hint from the broadcasters – to realize it was Mudcat Grant!

One of the great nicknames of all time and the guy can croon.

Check it out here (if I can make video magically appear). Not sure why this one stuck with me, but it did.

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Can we get back to basketball for a minute?

Am trying to get a handle on which team captures the imagination of the casual fan more: Heat or Mavs.

I know people who follow the game intently are, for the most part, hoping Miami falls in its collective faces because of the way the roster was constructed but how about the people who only tune in at this time of year?

A brief canvass of a handful of my friends yields about an even split, which I find a bit surprising. A lot of it is “oh, I don’t really want Miami to win but they sure look good right now” but there is more support for them than I thought.

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So, Mighty Rockies get a couple of hours of work in on Sunday morning, first time I’ve been able to see ‘em in a couple of weeks thanks to travel and I have to tell you, we’re not bad.

Don’t even think I can screw it up tonight when we put the 1-0 record on the line.

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I see the Memorial Cup’s over?

And it was here in Hazelville?

Nice.

Anyway, I know the round-robin thing makes sense and has been around for a long time but I think I lost interest in the Memorial Cup right after lying around the house listening to the Niagara Falls Flyers play the Estevan Bruins way back in the day.

(And if any of you remember best-of-seven series that were actually eight-point series, give yourselves a pat on the back.).

Oh, and even back in those days, and we’re talking a very long time ago kids, the dude who did the play-by-play on CJRN had some pipes.

Maybe you’ve heard of him?

Guy named Jeanneret?

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Okay, so here’s the sked: Dave’s heading to Miami to do Games 1 and 2; I’ll pick the series up on the weekend in Dallas but, if there’s an appetite for it, we can do an IGBT for Game 1?

So mark it on your calendar, we’ll be here, or somewhere, tomorrow night.

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Comments

[David Morton]

Hi Doug; nothing to do with BB but your comment on the OHL brought to mind an announcer for the St. Catherine's Teepees OHL club who was like no one I have ever heard before. Believe his name was Rex Reimer (I was just a kid)or something like that and he used to scream out "five bell save" etc. when the goalie made a great save. I was a Marlie fan but it was always fun listening to Rex do the play by play of those St. Kitt's games. That was in the day of the Hull brothers and, I believe, Stan Mikita. Anyway, thanks for causing me to go on a nice trip down memory lane.

Blogger's note: I believe it was Rex Stimers and they named the arena after him.

[Lorie]

Hi Doug!
Thanks for the mention of the Canadian senior women playing in Europe (I was going to remind you about that this morning, but voila! You had noticed after all.) I was looking on the Canada Basketball website for a for roster information, but it only listed the 2010 team. Do you happen to have a link, or know where I can get more info about who's playing this year? (And are the Canadian senior women still ranked 12th in the world?)One other note about women in the game. Did you see on the news this past weekend that Margo Dydek passed away? Do you remember seeing her play for Poland at the Sydney Olympics? And the tribute to Harmon Killebrew? That song, in the right circumstance, is wonderful. And listening to Mudcat play it at the family's request...well, it doesn't get much better. Cheers.

Blogger's note: I remember seeing her somewhere; can't remember if it was WNBA or Olympics. A terrible story

[Gene]

Hi Doug,

I have heard the Cavs have applied for an extension on their trade exemption that is set to expire on July 9th because of the lockout. Have you heard about this? Is this something the Raptors would look at asking the league about as well?

[Peter]

Personally... I have an appetite. Quite hungry for this one actually. Would love to share my time with you and the game.

[Rob.V]

I agree it's going to be very interesting to see LBJ on Nowitzki.
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Nowitzki's one legged, off balanced, fadeaway J is probably the closest thing to this generations version of the "sky hook" I imagine (which also makes me think Dirk really needs a proper nickname for his shot).
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Personally, I dont think I've ever seen a more unstoppable shot than Nowitzki's. It's "pure". He's not breaking anyone down off the dribble, he's not an athletic force.
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It's more along the lines of, here it comes, and either it's going in, or not!... but there really isn't anything anyone can do about it.
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It will be interesting to see what LBJ can do.
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Now, I didn't get to see Alcindor play, would any irregulars on the "seniors tour" here agree?
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Dude, would you say both shots are on par with respect to potency?.

[John]

If Miami wins, 2 Canadians get rings which I would guess is a first and kinda cool, even though they may only play a few minutes a game. Bosh would also get one and while he lost all credibility for the way he left, he has proven that he can score if the other two guys on the court are double teamed. The Dallas connection includes two other previous Raptors (if you include Peja which i think you kinda have to cause he did play a couple games) They also have a unique big in Dirk which the Raps have in AB and if they win it will give us all hope that the AB unique big scenario could actually work!
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GO MAVS AND GIVE US ALL HOPE!!!!

[Dan]

Do you really think Jason Kidd will "scorch" the Heat PGs? He's not exactly quick or much of a scorer at this point, and neither Rondo or Rose was able to light those guys up.
Also, there's been a lot of attention given here and elsewhere to how/with whom the Heat are going to guard Nowitzki. But I've seen little or no mention of how the Mavs are going to guard LeBron, who happens to be the best player in the world and a matchup nightmare for anyone. Do you think it'll just be Marion? Can the Mavs afford to put Peja in the game if he'll be stuck guarding one of LeBron or Wade?

[Matt M]

Hopefully I'm wrong because it would be nice to watch a close series but I don't give the Mavs much of a chance at all. Three Stars is better than one and if the Heat shut down everyone but the big German then it will be a short series. I imagine the Mavs will be able to shut down two of the big three, which means one will have a big series and we will be talking how great the Heat role players turned out to be. Heat in four.

[Andre]

I want the Mavs to win.. but dang, Labron is that one player type of player that shuts down Dirk. Remember Golden state? Stephen Jackson KILLed dirk. But ya, i think the mavs bench is way strong, and the x factor will be my man SHAWN MARION. Should be a good series.

Who would you take in the draft? Do you have an early top 5 list? (You, not the raptors.)

Blogger's note: Total quick list: Irving, Kanter, WIlliams, Knight, and maybe Leonard or Vesely

[Mike kovacs]

The Memorial cup seems to have more relevance and interst in places like London ( that draw 9000 to regular season knights games ) and the smaller towns. All of these places, of course, do not have their own NHL team - and yes I undestand that neither does Mr or Mrs Sauga!

[m]

I think that it will be James who mlght be nonplussed by Nowitzki.

[joeu]

What has struck me about the playoffs is that many of the teams have 1 big scoring threat, and winning requires the team figuring out how to fill in the roles around that guy - clearing space, providing options, making stops, getting turnovers when needed, and avoiding the instinct to go solo.

This is where I see the Mavs as better than any other team during these playoffs: their ability to execute the team game.

Because of their talent level, Miami is less dependent on this part of the game, but they also worked this out during the season, and are pretty good at it.

I see a competitive series, with a lot of adjustments.

[Angela]

Hi Doug,

I read you every day and love the blog. I really appreciate your attention to good grammar and that you actually have a vocabulary.
This morning's comment about Dirk being non-plussed when he's being guarded caught me by surprise because I thought Dirk was not bothered by being guarded. Your next statement seemed like you contradicted yourself.
Check this out:
non·plussed adjective /nänˈpləst/ 

1. (of a person) Surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react
* - he would be completely nonplussed and embarrassed at the idea

Maybe it's one of those words that's come to mean its own opposite.

Anyway, thanks for your hard work keeping the blog entertaining and fresh day in and day out.

Blogger's note: Yeah, I messed that up pretty well, didn't I?

[Erik from Iroquois Falls]

Doug, you can get the SWNT national team info from Kim Smith (and teammates) blog at canadaball.blogspot.com. They play japan today in Madrid.

[511]

Looking forward to this playoffs series. And I’m going with Dallas, mostly because of Rick Carlisle (over Spoelstra). I liked Bosh for too long to be able to stay mad at him all the way up to now, so I won’t be SO terribly disappointed if the Heat wins but ... I like to think it shouldn’t be that easy. So, for the championship, go Mavs.

[Nick M]

My two cents,

I think the Mavs have a well assembled team and a great coach. I think the most interesting thing about the Mavs is how well their offense fits their players. I have not seen a team in the playoffs that keeps the defense spread as much as the Mavs.
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A few examples: everybody knows Barea is going to drive and Dirk is going to get it at the top of the key and somehow the team creates room for them to operate. Now, the Mavs do have good shooters, but they accomplish this with both Marion and Chandler on the floor as well.
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Combat this with a Miami defense that loves to crowd the lane and has excellent communication and help defense. I know the Thunder/Heat would have been a great series to watch based on individual talent, but the Mavs/Heat is going to be a great series for basketball lovers!

[Lorie]

@Erik from Iroquois Falls:
Thanks for the link! I'll make sure to add it to my daily reads. Cheers! And Go Canada!

[Steph]

I agree that this series looks like a great one. The Heat have been lauded for their defense, but those "defensive gems" have been agains eastern conference teams. The Sixers, an old Celtic team with a hobbled point guard and the Bulls who other then Rose you play 5 on 4, even 5 on 3.5. The Mavs played Portland, the Lakers and OKC. All of then good offensive teams. Defense, advantage Mavs.
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The Mav's may only have 1 star, but they have the best balance amonst the finalists. Jason Terry, Chandler, Barea and Jason Kidd. You can't sleep on this team. The Heat have the big three. But I think Chandler handles Bosh and if Lebron plays Nowitzki the Heat rely on Wade. And who better to rely on. Offense, advantage even.
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Carlisle seems to have the Mavs in a better place. The Heat, with the big three all seem to be able to dictate what they want. The Heat have best talent, but more disfunction. Spoelstra is destined to be the fall guy. Coaching, advantage Mavs.
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The Heat have the momentum, the talent, the presence. South beach might start to care about basketball and the six man then comes into play for the Heat, something they haven't played with much this year. The Mavs have an owner who can distract the team. Intangibles, advantage Heat.
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As Doug said, one very good series coming up.

[James]

I kinda feel sad for the raps. Each team in the Nba Finals has atleast 1 former raptor equally having a chance at a ring (Peja & Marion for the Mavs, and Bosh for the Heat).

The two things Im looking for in this series is the LBJ on Dirk matchup... most definitely happening in the 4th quarter maybe as early as the end of the 3rd and how aging players like Marion, Kidd and Stevenson handle LBJ.

[Dave]

Doug:
I will be cheering for the Mavs. I don't hold any anger against individual Heat players but I would like to see them fail the first year. I don't think it is good for the League if they win the first year. I believe the "decision" was taken during the 2010 all star game and that resulted in the weaker play by Bosh (before his face was busted) and Lebron for the remainder of that season and Lebron not showing up for some of the playoff games.It was much easier for both of them to move if their teams were not successful. In addition I am tired of the smirk or look of disblief on Lebron's face when he is called for a foul. He is mocking the Refs, but he never gets a technical for doing it - but most other players would.

I would also like to see the Mavs finally win. I don't have any issue with Mark Cuban because he is not playing the game. I would like to see Dirk and Jason Kidd get rings because they are class acts that represent the game well..

However, I still think ( maybe afreaid) that the Heat will win in 6 and that they will shut down the Mavs. They have a lot of experience on their bench and different players will play this series than played in the Bulls series. Haslem coming back will put the Heat over the top. Without him I don't think they would have beat the Bulls.

Everybody has opinions, but soon we will see what happens when they "play the games".

Have a great week at home.

[Dave]

@ Dave....Is JKidd really a "Class Act"? I'm not so sure...many NBA players have discretions off the court, but In my opinion beating your wife is unforgiveable. Forever doomed to be the opposite of "Claass Act" in my books.

[elwyn jennings]

non-plussed also means unperturbed

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Afternoon, Doug,
Guess no one's bit on this one so far, so I will: "But don't worry, it's coming." As in "basketball news". Is that, like, local HOTH news? And is it, like, solid news or more, like, you know, the usual small-time stuff we hear every early June pre-draft? Any hints? Any bones at all? You're killing us, Doug.
Will you be breaking down this finals match-up and giving us your Barcelona 3-1's worth? I'll go with Mavs in 7, based on nothing in particular. Don't care either way (okay, maybe a nod to a ring for Dirk and Kidd), just want to watch great basketball, and hopefully 7 games' worth.
Cheers. Go TOD! Best cellar dweller in the league!

Blogger's note: No bones

[joe]

Hi Doug,

Do you think Coach Spo might try to put Bosh on Dirk? If I recall, when Bosh played for the Raptors, he did a decent job on Dirk. I think his length and size along with having more quickness might cause Dirk some issues.

Also, has Coach Spo been vindicated across the league by the success of the Heat in these playoffs?

[jimmy]

Hey Doug,

Mike Miller - One Dimensional?

I think the Chicago series proved that he will "scorch" one dimensional players like Kyle Korver with his slashing ability. Furthermore, I think Mike Miller is one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA.

Is there anyway I can get you to at least agree that he's a two-dimensional player?

Blogger's note: One and a half, he's a pretty good passer