NBA Finals 2011: Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Position-by-Position Breakdown
The 2011 NBA Finals are officially here with the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Miami Heat.
While the Heat are a team that is built through its big three, the Mavericks will look to cool them off with a more balanced approach with the depth that they've got on the roster.
It's going to be a hard-nosed, grind-it-out style of series for each team, and there will be no easy wins when the games have this much importance.
Let's take a look at how these two squads match up with one another.
Point Guard: Mike Bibby vs. Jason Kidd
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Jason Kidd is playing like he's in his prime for the Dallas Mavericks right now, and although his contributions to the team may not always show up in the box score, he has been a critical piece to his team's run to the Finals.
His ability to run the offense and open up shots for his teammates has been the driving force behind several of his team's wins to this point in the postseason.
On the other hand, the Heat don't rely on much from their point-guard position in order to win games, but that doesn't provide Bibby with a free pass.
Both he and Mario Chalmers have been absolutely atrocious for the team, and it's really not all that surprising given how inept each is at facilitating an offense.
Edge: Dallas
Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade vs. DeShawn Stevenson
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The Mavericks rely on offensive production from sixth man Jason Terry at the shooting guard spot, which allows the team to start defensive stalwart DeShawn Stevenson.
Although he's a poor bet to kick in anything on the offensive side of the ball, a strong defensive showing against Miami's alpha male Dwyane Wade would go a long way toward Dallas potentially cooling off the Heat.
Wade, like Stevenson, is capable of playing a lock down style of defense that will leave DeShawn wishing he was on the sidelines. But unlike his counterpart, Wade's team needs him to be a menace on the offensive end of the floor either.
Flash's ability to penetrate to the rack, as well as his unbelievable balance in mid-air, should provide far too much for Stevenson to be able to handle on his own.
Edge: Miami
Small Forward: LeBron James vs. Shawn Marion
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Shawn Marion has really blossomed in a starting role for the Mavericks after the team lost Caron Butler for the season due to a gruesome knee injury.
Since the postseason has gotten underway, Marion is averaging 11.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks, and although those numbers might not be all that impressive on the surface, his ability to do multiple things for his team has really aided them along the way.
For Miami, and really for the entire NBA, LeBron has been the story of the playoffs. After all of his critics continually chose to deride him for "The Decision" and his inability to win, James has effectively silenced them with one brilliant performance after another.
King James is averaging 26.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, so it really doesn't even matter what type of defense Dallas attempts to play on him, because there's nothing that's going to slow him down at this point.
Edge: Miami
Power Forward: Chris Bosh vs. Dirk Nowitzki
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Nowitzki has really done it all for the Mavericks. The guy has been a one-man wrecking crew and appears as if he's a man on a mission and won't settle for anything less than the ultimate success.
Dirk is shooting better than 50 percent from the floor and an astonishing 93 percent from the charity stripe, and he's successfully brought the lost art of the mid-range game back to basketball.
Chris Bosh has endured a lot of criticisms this year, but playing in the shadows of both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James isn't exactly the easiest thing to do.
Although he signed a mega-deal with the team and everyone expects him to produce like he did in Toronto, Bosh has settled in beautifully to his new role on his new team as the third option in the offense and seems to have finally found a comfortable groove as we enter the Finals.
Edge: Dallas
Center: Joel Anthony vs. Tyson Chandler
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Tyson Chandler has gone above and beyond what the Mavericks expected when they acquired him in the offseason, and has largely relegated Brendan Haywood to a meaningless role as a result.
His aggressive style of play underneath the boards and his willingness to do the dirty work down low has really aided the team, as it allows Nowitzki to play his perimeter-oriented, outside-inside game without having to worry about rebounding the basketball.
A lot of people like to rag on Joel Anthony as one of the worst starting centers in the league, but the fact of the matter is that he's playing the exact role that is being asked of him.
Although he's not a prolific rebounder by any margin and most certainly not a threat to score the rock, his natural proclivity to swat shots around the rim and be an enforcer in the paint is an element to his team's attack that they've really lacked all season long; he will not back down from any challenge.
Edge: Push
Sixth Man: Mike Miller vs. Jason Terry
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While Mike Miller has been somewhat of a disappointment during his inaugural season in South Beach, he's really turned up his game as of late and looks to be the player that the team thought they were getting when they signed him to a multi-year deal in the offseason.
He's not going to fill up the stat sheet in one particular category, but his ability to contribute across the board has been critical to stabilizing the play of the second unit, and there's no doubt that he'll have to be in prime form if the Heat want to win a championship.
Although Dirk Nowitzki might be stealing the spotlight with his extraordinary playoff performance thus far, there may not be a more critical X-factor to Dallas winning it all than Jason Terry.
When the Mavs win in blowout fashion, Terry typically has a very good game. The unsung hero of their postseason run is shooting better than 46 percent from deep, and he's playing starter's minutes, averaging almost 33 minutes on the court.
Edge: Dallas
Bench: Miami vs. Dallas
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Miami has been deploring a fairly strict eight-man rotation, and although it's been working for them rather well, the team simply has no choice because they don't have the depth at the end of their bench.
The team has plenty of players with playoff experience, but if the Heat are serious about winning a championship, there should be no point in the series where we see the guys who haven't been playing.
Dallas has taken a completely different approach with building their team, as they are arguably the deepest team in the entire NBA.
They usually send out a lineup that is at least nine guys deep, and they'd be even better if Caron Butler and Roddy Beaubois were both healthy enough to contribute.
Their depth certainly doesn't make them an instant favorite to win it all, but it's definitely going to help in what will undoubtedly be the toughest challenge they've faced yet.
Edge: Dallas
Coach: Rick Carlisle vs. Erik Spoelstra
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Both Carlisle and Spoelstra are two of the more under-appreciated coaches in the NBA.
Although some had been calling for Carlisle to be relieved of his duties after Dallas' disappointing playoff performance over recent seasons, the veteran head coach has really showed what he's capable of doing as he's led his squad to their first Finals berth since 2006.
Similarly, Spoelstra was long thought to be on the chopping block last season, and once again at the onset of this season when his Big Three led the team to just a 9-8 record through the first 17 games of the regular season.
Now, the two square off in what should be an epic NBA Finals rematch from the '06 campaign, and with both coaches providing a voice for their teams when they need to be heard most, it should be interesting to watch how one counters the strategy of the other.
Edge: Push
