I hope at some point in my life, for whatever reason, I get to experience whatever it was that Dirk Nowitzki was feeling after the buzzer sounded and he jogged straight to the lockerroom. I really can’t imagine the feeling of penultimate triumph after dedicating over half of one’s life to a particular craft. The best victory celebrations usually come in the form of similar situations: the all-time great capturing his first title; it’s usually characterized by a look of complete shock and confusion. We saw it with Shaq. Who can forget Hakeem sitting peacefully at the scorer’s table in ’94? I couldn’t help but get choked up seeing Dirk, imagining what he felt; yes, Dirk, suddenly the most likable man in basketball.
I have a lot to touch on so I’ll start first with tonight and this series. The key lesson, I think: if you’re a child, or a teen, or anyone else desiring to achieve improvement in your basketball game…learn how to shoot. Learn how to shoot a basketball. Learn the proper form. Learn how to do it on the move. Don’t neglect it – learn how to shoot. I’m not saying to neglect the ball-handling drills or the jump training – do all that too. But learn how to shoot. When you watch Dallas spread the floor with Nowitzki, Terry, and Barrea, the hoop looks like an ocean. On the other end, when the Mavs went into their zone, it seemed almost hopeless to imagine Miami ever scoring. Learn how to shoot.
Thoughts on this series? I don’t even know what to say, really. I’m still speechless over what was, by Lebron James, maybe the greatest disappearing act in sports history. I have never been one to buy into character analysis, but I might just have to admit that the guy just might not have it. I can’t think of any other explanation. The rational part of my brain wants to attribute his struggles to Dallas’ zone–which played a large role in the outcome–but at the end of the day, he could have atleast tried to put his head down and force the action. There were times he didn’t even look like he wanted anything to do with the ball. Scratch that. By “there were times”, I mean “there were entire quarters.” You almost felt bad for him.
Some more random thoughts: am I the only person alive who actually likes hearing the game commentary and interviews? My AT&T U-verse was out so I had to resort to watching the game downstairs with several people whom I don’t know. I couldn’t have been more annoyed by the ruckus. Is it odd of me for wishing everyone would shut up so I could hear what Jeff Van Gundy just said about a crucial possession or what Jason Terry thought got them the win? Is it really that much to ask?
I was desperately hoping for a Miami win, just at the least to ensure a Game 7. It’s depressing thinking that this is all over. But wow, was it ever a struggle to suppress any fondness for Dallas. And another thought – it felt too right that the crucial part of the game was ended with Jason Kidd in the post. The NBA will miss Jason Kidd.
What we learned: my first inclination was to feel a sense of hope and optimism that Miami can be beaten. Then of course you remember that Dallas has an all-time great of their own–basically this generation’s Larry Bird–playing at maybe the highest level of his career, a future hall-of-famer in Kidd, and maybe the most clutch role player of this era in Jason Terry.
This postseason presented a lot of interesting questions and conclusions pertaining to how a team should be built. First there’s Memphis – you want to feel a sort of validation that success can be had without a true superstar; but they ultimately lost maybe because of the lack thereof. Are we shooting for the 2nd round or the title? Then there are the Bulls who taught us that despite having the league MVP, defense does not suffice: it’s absolutely imperative in the modern age to be able to put points on the board.
I think the Mavs had the right model. A shot-blocker in the middle with a gimmick zone and a plethora of deadly shooters on the other end. I’ve always felt that because two-way players are so rare, you target offensive weapons and leave the defensive end to a smart scheme and a good shot-blocker. You can’t afford to play defensive specialists on the perimeter in today’s NBA.
The scheme seems sound enough but then there’s the issue of going out and getting a Dirk Nowitzki. And we’re right back to square one with the Rockets’ biggest dilemma.
