Great game and group of cut-ups from Dallas

Now, that was a cracker, wasn’t it?

My mind’s a tad foggy – it is about 6 a.m. here so cut me some slack – but that’s got to be one of the best NBA Finals games I’ve ever seen in person.

I’m sure there have been other gems but for shooting, storylines, excitement and put drama, it’s tough to beat.

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LeBron?

Man, I wish I could figure it out. And I’m not alone. No one seems to have an answer.

Yeah, the triple double was good and he looked solid at times in the first three quarters but the fourth? He was oddly ineffective, again.

The thing with James is that good is not good enough and far below his capabilities. He’s got to be great because that’s the reason the team is structured the way and if he isn’t, the Heat cannot win.

And if that’s the way he reacts to what he called the biggest game of his life, I wonder how he’ll react Sunday, which really is the biggest game of his life.

Never before has James been a “favourite” in such a big NBA series. He dined out for seven years in Cleveland – getting the Cavs as far as a championship series – by being the supremely-talented guy carrying an underdog team to unprecedented heights. He was able to manipulate the hearts of fans all over the place into thinking he was doing wonderful things making lesser players better.

Now?

Now he’s the big bad wolf on the perceived better team and he’s not handling well at all.

Interesting.

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Remember when the big drama of the series was the torn tendon in the finger on Dirk’s left hand?

That was about six weeks ago, right?

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Let’s get this one out of the mail, shall we?

(And speaking of mail, I see a slow Friday night in front of the TV coming, so click here and send some greetings, would you?)

Q: I'm wondering if any other Finals had as many ex-Raptors as this one: Bosh, Marion, Stojakovic and Chandler (I'm counting him!)?

Dave A, Toronto

A: Peja’s in the series?

Well, counting Chandler’s a bit of a stretch but if you want to, go right ahead.

But as far as my mind goes, three is tops, anyway.

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Know what I like about the Mavs?

The bust on each other a lot.

Dirk’s willing to take slight jabs at Terry, everyone jokes about Jason Kidd’s age and they all get at JJ Barea for being, um, vertically challenged, as Kidd did in his post-game interview.

“He might be – what is he listed at, 5-10? Yeah, we’ll go with that.”

And Dirk on Terry.

“We all know Jet is a confident young man. He always has a lot to say to us in the locker room. He’s always talking. He’s just an energetic guy. He loves to talk and he loves to hear himself talk.”

Now, I’m going to stop short of calling the Mavs a bunch of idiots like my once-beloved Red Sox but they’re close.

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Hey, with Dave off to Miami and me on an Air Canada baby jet home, that makes that the last live NBA game I’m going to see for quite a while.

Nothing remarkable about that, just saying.

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List time, sort of.

I think it was Irregular Natalie Vancouver who brought this up the other night in the IGBT when the Talking Heads were anointing Wade as the third-best shooting guard of all time.

And, yes, I can quite well appreciate Wade’s abilities, they are extraordinary, but where’s he fit?

Not at three, that’s for sure.

Now, it is blatantly unfair to compare eras but what the heck, who said life was fair anyway?

Let’s do this: Here’s a personal Top Five, from No. 1 to No 5 and have at it:

Michael Jordan

In the words of the immortal Sam Mitchell:

Duh!

Seriously, if he’s not No 1 on this list, there should never, ever, ever be any more lists.

Kobe Bryant

All those titles, all those points, all that irascibility when it comes to holding teammates accountable? No. 2 by a mile over No. 3.

George Gervin

Sure, it shows my predilection for offence but the Ice Man was something special, wasn’t he? This might be too high but what the heck, it’s my list.

Jerry West

He’s the freaking logo! ‘Nuff said? I think so. And I know he lost eight of the nine finals he was in but still …

Dwyane Wade

Now, when the career’s over and it’s all said and done, maybe he moves up a notch or two but I doubt it. Great player right now, no question about it. All-time? He’s on the list perhaps only because he’s in the Finals this year and he’s on the mind.

Know how tough it was to leave off Dennis Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Pistol Pete Maravich, Earl Monroe and even Allen Iverson?

Really tough, that’s how tough it was.

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They do things differently down here.

You know how sometimes if you go to major sporting events, when you return to your car some enterprising nearby swinging hotspot has had someone put a flier under your windshield wiper and often it’s for an establishment where perhaps women disrobe for a living?

Well, in Big D they don’t do that.

What they do, as witnessed first hand during a halftime fresh air break, is have some of those hoofers who actually do the disrobing wander through the crowd handing out cards and posing for pictures.

Clothed. Of course.

And, no, I didn’t get a souvenir.

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For most of the first half, and for most of the series, truth be told, I though JJ Barea was a modern day Milt Palacio for his Adventures In Layups but after watching him turn into some Puerto Rican Reggie Miller, I’m sure the Mavs don’t care about his inability to finish as long as he’s making threes.

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Back to the entertainment world for a second, if you don’t mind.

I can dutifully report that Justin Bieber is about knee high to a grasshopper, having followed him into the arena from the loading dock a bit before tip off.

It wasn’t like sharing loading dock time with Kid Rock and Bob Seger, as some of us have at Finals games in Detroit and it certainly didn’t make me look twice but I guess at some level it was a little cool.

Nah. Wasn’t cool at all. Who cares.

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Okay, here’s the deal.

Mid-day flight back home and then an off-day story to either write or file so I’ll get to comments just as quickly as I can once I take off. No clue what the wireless is like at DFW so not sure how the morning will be.

Have a good day there.

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Comments

[Bernie T, Peterborough]

Hey Doug,

2004 Finals had a bunch of ex-Raps, though some weren't necessarily exes yet. Haven't checked other finals, but this one came to mind, due to the Detroit PGs.

Detroit: Chauncey Billups. Lindsey Hunter, Corliss Williamson, (Mike James)

LA Lakers: Kareem Rush, (Jannero Pargo), (Devean George)

[The J]

I know a lot of people want to see Lebron and the Heat fail, and the sooner the better, and that's fine. But to be honest, I love the redemption story, and would love to see him give us one great 4th quarter and victory. And wouldn't it be great if the Heat could at least pull out game 6 so we could get a game 7? This series has been pretty incredible (obviously some debate to that, but game 5 definetly fit the bill), and with all the back and forth lead changes and comebacks, and of course close finishes, wouldn't it be fitting that we get a 7th game? That's what I'm hoping for.

[Boko]

No to Dennis Johnson & Earl Monroe. Yes to Julius Irving (Top 4!) & Ray Allen.

[GM]

@Lorie, I love that book. And I, too, fall more to the SNOOT side.

I don't think I want a game seven only because I think the Heat could win it. And that would spoil things for me.

[Richard]

If the list is 2 guards/shooting guards, and my memory serves me correctly, I think Dennis Johnson was primarily a point guard, less sure about Jerry West (as he is slightly before my time) but I thought he was a point as well. My sense of him is playing alongside Gale Goodrich in L.A. who I thought to be the shooting guard so maybe West shifted roles somewhere along the way - but I could be wrong there. And a couple of commenters mentioned Cousy and Doctor J, and again, I'm pretty certain Cousy would be considered a point guard (or primary ball handler if the term point guard wasn't prevalent back then). And having grown up watching and emulating Julius Erving I am most certain he primarily played small forward. So that given, I could see Wade at number 3 on the list behind Kobe. And if he can stay healthy and come up with a few more rings, perhaps even passing him. If you can look past the LeBron James hype machine, I'd say it's completely arguable that Wade is currently - and has been through the entire season - the best and most complete player on the Heat.

As for this Finals, I have to say I have been enjoying it. I have no issue with tough defensive tussles that allow only the most poised, focused and creative players to be consistently successful - especially at crunch time. And that's what I think this series has been for the most part. Great finishes in every game. But for sheer excitement and entertainment value, last night's game goes into a class by itself. I knew Dirk Nowitzki to be a prolific scorer, decent rebounder and all around great player, but after this series he has been elevated in my estimation to one of the all time greats, no disclaimer or asterisk required.

I'd love to see Dallas finish the job, but they better get it done Sunday, 'cause I don't like their chances of pulling off a game seven win in South Beach.

[iphone repair parts]

hope mavs can take it.