NBA Finals - Game 5 Preview

With the series tied 2-2 and this now becoming a three game series. "It's Now or Never" is what LeBron James posted on his Twitter profile and after a nine point performance in game 4. Scottie Pippen is eating his words now because there is now way Michael Jordan would have scored only nine points in an NBA Finals game and loose.

If the Miami Heat want to win tonight LeBron James needs to play like the 2-time MVP that he was. The problem with LeBron is he becomes too passive in the fourth quarter and relies on Dwayne Wade to carry the team. There is no way Shawn Marion or any other Maverick can guard James 1-on-1. Moments like this is when superstars need to dominate and take over games. I know Wade will do this but also Bosh needs to become more assertive as well. Chris Bosh needs to return to the Toronto Raptor form because he's been inconsistent all year long. The Heat also need great point guard play from Mike Bibby & Mario Chalmers to set up the offensive. The last time I check James Jones was the reigning 3-point champion. I bring this up because Miami should use him the way the Chicago Bulls use to use Craig Hodges. Put James & Miller in the game strictly for 3-point shooting.

What about Dallas? The key for the Mavericks is something Miami has had trouble with all year which is strong point guard play. Future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd must continue to dictate the offense for Dallas and score when necessary. Jose Barea & Jason Terry must continue to knock down shots and push the tempo when Kidd is not in the game. Speaking of knocking down shot, Peja Stojakovic needs the confidence he had in Sacramento and when open, provide long range shooting. Since Caron Butler is not available this series, Shawn Marion must also continue to provide garbage buckets, rebound, and run the fast break. The Mavericks need another strong defensive game from Tyson Chandler who has been a monster on the boards. Last but not least all roads start and finish with Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk is the offensive that keeps this team alive and they need his scoring if they want to be champions or else, they'll suffer the same fate they did back in 2006. In order for the Mavs to win tonight, the veteran Mavs club must stay in the half court offense which Miami has trouble defending but if they try to make this a transition game, the Mavs are done.

It's a toss up tonight but I still see this series going seven games. 

Florida and Texas...Best NBA Teams?

Tonight in America Airlines arena the top two NBA Teams in the Western Conference squared off in TNT as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks. Not only are these two teams the best in the West but they make a strong case for who is the best pro team in Texas? Further east in the state of Florida the new look Orlando Magic led by Dwight Howard claim they're the best team in the NBA but the triple three in Miami claim that the Heat are not only the best team in Florida but also the NBA.

All four teams make strong cases for best team in the NBA but for now lest decide who's the best team in Florida and Texas:

Heat vs. Magic: With the addition of Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas, the Magic added additional scoring for Dwight Howard. Most Improved candidate JJ Reddick is improving every game and even regained his long range shooting. The biggest advantage for the Magic is Jamer Nelson. Miami has been unable to contain calaber point guards all year and Nelson and drive and dish all day. For the Miami Heat, it starts and ends with The Big 3. James, Wade, and Bosh can score any given night but the with the return of Mike Miller, he must provide the long rage shot when the triple threat are in trouble. Without a quality point guard I give the edge to the Orlando Magic.

The Texas Showdown: Tonight we saw the San Antonio Spurs victorious and I believe they're still the best team in Texas for reasons why. The Spurs are the smartest team in the NBA. The veteran team that's won 4 titles since 1999 has the same formula working since they won their first title. This team breathes defense and never takes any bad shots. Tony Parker is still one of the quickest point guards in the league and Manu Ginobili provides the additional scoring for Tim Duncan. Richard Jefferson has secured his role which is attacking the basket and having DeJuan Blair is a huge plus. Dallas is getting older and still does not practice defense. Jason Kidd can no longer guard the speedy guard and Dirk is still soft on the defensive end. Kidd's guard play, Dirk's scoring, Marion doing everything, and Tyson Chandler rebounding & blocking shots is still not enough for Mark Cuban's crew to win Texas.

Iverson Retires...Jason Kidd #2

With all the Thanksgiving Tournaments televised on college basketball, the NBA has grabbed the headlines for this past week. Carmelo Anthony giving the New York Knicks 50 points would have been a huge story this week but two individual topped Melo for newsworthy stories of the week: 

• Jason Kidd: I've seen Hardaway, Thomas, Stockton, Jackson, Strickland, Anderson, Johnson (Magic & Kevin) all play in their prime but what separates Jason Kidd from the rest is that he periodically finishes the game with a triple double. A stat line of 15 points 12 assist and 11 rebounds is normal for Kidd. He's never been the quickest point guard he's the greatest passing point guard I've ever witnessed. Kidd is so good that under his leadership at the point guard slot, the New Jersey Nets had back to back NBA Finals apperences. He's been a winner every where he plays and is a guarntee lock for first ballot 6 years after he retires. 

• Allen Iverson - The Answer has decided he no longer wants to crossover other players after 14 season in the NBA. If Allen Iverson decides to hang turn over his crossover card after 14 seasons in the League then I'm disappointed. All the front office general managers refuse to put up with his late coming to practice, taking all the shots, not making his teammates better, and only concerned about his stats. On the positive side he has played with heart, passion, and talent ever since he stepped into the league 14 years ago. His role in Memphis should have been helping the development of Mike Conley and OJ Mayo become better NBA Guards not worrying about this guys stealing your shine. AI is at the stage in his career where he should help those fairly new to the League and teaching them not to make the same mistakes you made on and off the court. The Grizzlies won't win that many games this year but he had the respect from all the young ball players who honed their game after watching you crossover helpless defenders the past 14 season. AI has influenced this game pretty much the same way the Fab Five did. Multiple tattoos, braided hair, shoot first point guard with crazy hops, arriving to the game iced-out.  If those were the final three games of Allen Iverson's career then good luck with the next phase of your life.