NBA Finals 2011: Time to Give the Dallas Mavericks the Credit They Deserve
The Dallas Mavericks won Game 5 Thursday night, which means possibly two more games remain in the NBA Finals.
But just about everyone continues to ask: Whatโs wrong with LeBron James?ย
Social media is buzzing with rumors that LeBron canโt concentrate because of trouble at home. ย Hoop experts say heโs playing too many minutes and doesnโt have the energy to be an effective closer as the game winds down.ย And again, he didnโt have many baskets when it matteredโonly two points in the fourth quarter.
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These are issues for sure, but enough already. ย What about Dallas?
Yes, itโs legitimate to wonder about LeBronโs state of mind or his physical well-being, but it suggests the other guys on the court donโt matter much.ย Well, if you are paying attention at all, you have to admit that Dallas may be largely responsible for LeBronโs less-than-stellar performance. ย
In fact, Thursday night, LeBron had one of the most ineffective triple-doubles Iโve ever seen.
The Mavericks proved in Game 5 that they did not get to the Finals by chance.ย Theyโve got good players, too, and not all of them are named Dirk Nowitzki.
Jason โThe Jetโ Terry finally found his shooting rhythm, bombing eight huge points in the closing minutes.ย Tiny guard J.J. Barea again sliced and diced his way through defenders, but this time his shots didnโt bounce off the rim, they went in.ย And the aging Jason Kidd nailed several key three-pointers as well. ย
Dirk, by the way, finished with another great gameโ29 points, including a ridiculously beautiful rainbow three-pointer that took forever to swish down through the nets.
This is the explosive Dallas team that swept the Lakers and toyed with the OKC Thunder.ย If they continue playing this way, the Heat will have trouble beating the Mavericks twice back home in Miami.
No, Iโm not saying that Dallas is definitely going to win Game 6 or even Game 7, if it goes that far.ย But the point I am trying to make is that all of us need to get over this obsession we have with the โdisappearanceโ of LeBron James and finally give Dallas credit for playing like a complete, and perhaps better team.
