2011 NBA Finals Preview

For anyone who's been tuning into SportsCenter over the past 7-10 days or so, think about the following: of the time allotted to the upcoming Finals, how much talk has been centered around LeBron James, and how much talk has been centered around Dirk Nowitzki? 80-20 LeBron, right? You'd think the Heat were about to take on a semi-pro team out of Pakistan or something. Does anyone realize the kind of post-season Dirk is having?

Through 15 games thus far, he's averaging 28.4 PPG on 52% shooting from the field, including 51% from beyond the arc, and 93% from the free throw line. They say that a great shooter goes by the following totals: 50% from the floor, 40% from downtown, 90% from the stripe. 50-40-90=180. Dirk's totals accumulate to 196. Guess how many times Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant have surpassed that magic number of 180 in the post-season? In the form of a question, that would be "What is zero?"

For a comparison, LeBron is at 46-37-79=162. Still very good. But compared to Dirk? Bland. Straight up bland. And it's not as though Dirk has been covered by a bunch of stiffs through the playoffs either. Sure OKC had no match-up for him, but prior to that he faced LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol. Not elite defenders, per se, but not terrible either. Dirk exploited Gasol so badly that talking heads across the nation are calling for his ouster from LA if the Lakers are to be taken seriously again. So now we're supposed to think Chris Bosh can handle Dirk? They say LeBron is going to cover him in certain situations, and I'll give credit where credit is due, LeBron has become a menace on D. But has he ever tried to cover a 7-footer who can shoot 3's?

And, moving away from the LeBron/Dirk angle momentarily, if we were to rank the 10 best players in this series, how many would the Heat have? Three obviously, but do you give them Udonis Haslem even? LeBron and Dirk are in a dead heat for no. 1, with Wade rather easily taking the third spot. Depending on the night, Chris Bosh would be 4, but he can certainly slide at any given moment. Dirk's supporting cast this year is the best he's had during his tenure in the Big D. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, JJ Barea, and Peja Stojakovic all compliment what Dirk does, which is everything, perfectly. You've got shooters, rebounders, and defenders stacked in there. Miami's supporting cast with Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Mike Bibby, Joel Anthony, and Haslem? Straight up laughable outside of Haslem.

Am I picking with my heart here a little more than my head? Maybe. But I definitely think I just talked myself into Dallas in 7. This could be Dirk's last real chance here. LeBron's got plenty more. If there is a God, he wouldn't vindicate "The Decision" so soon, would he?