The Decision

Funny to think about what if he had said that he would be staying in Cleveland. He would be adored right now

Mavs beat the Heat!

Great series! Great game! Interesting in that the story within the story regarding the stars.

Nowitski struggled early on missing nearly everything he threw up but when it came down to the 4th quarter and crunch time, the guy was money. He scored 11 points in the first three quarters but put in 10 points in the final frame.

Conversely, LeBron started out red hot but faded again and failed to deliver. He will be remembered by averaging just 17.8 points, nine fewer than his regular-season scoring average, passing the ball like a hot potato and not scoring much in the fourth quarter in these Finals. It was a stunning letdown considering that James has widely been viewed as the best basketball player pound for pound in the world. Just a couple weeks earlier Scottie Pippen said James could be better than Michael Jordan. Now, even the most die hard Heat fans could have a hard time wearing that No. 6 jersey they previously wore with pride and swagger.

You have to also appreciate the classiness of Nowitski. He always seemed humbled and even keeled. Never got too high or too low. He went out and did his job. In most cases, you'd expect a player to celebrate a moment like this one by soaking in the moment on the court. However, an emotional Nowitzki declined a public celebration and ran off the court to gather his thoughts in the locker room with still 1.2 seconds showing on the clock. After the game, Dirk explained his walk off the court in an interview with ESPN's Hannah Storm: "I had to get a moment. I was crying a bit. I was a little emotional. … I actually didn't want to come out for the trophy, but the guys talked me into it."

Whereas Queen James had the following quote after the game, "All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,” James said. “They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that.

“They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point.”

Nice. The guy knows he didn't deliver. He knows he didn't prove his critics wrong and instead of being humble, he basically says "so what. My life is better than yours so F you!"

Wade and James mocked Nowitski's illness the other night by coughing and then pretending to be sick...a clear jab at Nowitski. Dirk took the high road and basically said that he has been in the league for however many years he has been and has never faked an injury. He really didn't want to discuss it. I am not a Mavericks fan nor a guy that knew about Nowitski but after watching his play in the Finals, I have a ton of respect for the guy. He stepped up big and led his team through sickness and injury and was unbelievable. Great way to see him get rewarded for his efforts with the Championship and Finals MVP.

On the flip side, it will be interesting to see where the Heat go from here. Questions will persist about James all offseason and last through the playoffs next year. He will be measured by what he does in the playoffs and if he can lead his team to a Championship. Wade will be 30 next year. The Bulls and Hawks are young and talented and I expect will only get better.

At least LeBron can go home to his mansion.

Mavs push the Heat to the brink!

It's been a great series so far and it was another exciting game last night with the Mavs edging out the Heat to take a 3-2 series lead as the series shifts back to Miami for Game 6 Sunday night.

Probably the biggest story of the series has been Dirk Nowitski and how huge he has been in this series. He continues to shoulder the team and makes big shot after big shot. Last night, he did have much needed help from the rest of the team namely Barea and Terry who both came up big with some much needed 3 pointers.

Another big story has been the play (or lack thereof) from LeBron James. He was huge in the Boston and particularly the Chicago series but he has largely been mediocre in this series. He has certainly faded in the fourth quarters. If not for the tremendous play of D. Wade, these games wouldn't even be that close.

The interesting thing is with the Heat on the brink of failure and going back to Miami for the final games, LeBron has an opportunity to define himself. Scottie Pippen recently said "LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game." Personally, I disagree. How quick we are to forget the greatness of MJ. What made him so great was that he saved his best for the biggest games on the biggest stage. LeBron has never shown that he is that guy. He now has the opportunity to show he can be that guy.

The Mavs seem to be riding high. The bench players/role players seem more comfortable playing now and the Heat look to be pressing. I really question the mental makeup of James and Bosh. I believe Wade will be ready to play and give his best on Sunday but it will be interesting to watch James. Frankly, everyone will be scrutinizing his every touch. It's tough to be in that position but he put himself there and whether he is a star or a goat, he will make one heck of a story Monday morning.

The Mavs have shown great resolve in this series and they have shown that they are not intimidated by Miami. Each game in this series has been exciting and I expect more of the same Sunday.

Heat win Game 1

Didn't watch much of the game. The parts that I did watch it seems clear that the Heat's defense is the difference. They take away Dirk and the rest of the team struggles. Defense was the difference in the Bulls series. Can't remember seeing so many 24 second violations.

As much as it pains me, I expect the Heat to win it all. Hopefully the Mavs can pull out a few wins. If the Mavs win Game 2, they have to feel pretty good playing the next three in Dallas.

We'll see what happens.