Dwayne Wayne That was awful. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. And not sloppy in that Eastern Conference, Pat-Riley-coaching-the-New-York-Knicks kind of way. I guess look at it this way. I think one Maverick had a good to great game, Shawn Marion. I thought the Heat's big three -- Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh -- were all good to great.
A blood bath, low-scoring Eastern Conference type game doesn't equate to piss-poor rebounding, inopportune turnovers, sloppy, sloppy defense and timidity on the offensive side of the floor.
First, Marion. I thought he was good in the regular season, great in the playoffs and simply stupendous last night. If the Mavericks had any actual support and structure in its scoring output, we all look at Marion's night as really good. The SMALL FORWARD led the team in rebounding, second in assists and points. Plus, he guarded Lebron James with so-so results all evening. And there's little doubt about it: The Mavericks have one regular that can guard James, that's it. If Marion ain't doing it, it's getting done poorly by someone else.
Next, rebounding. For two straight series the Mavericks are being anally raped on the boards. PATHETIC. And you know my mantra: Rebounding is about effort. It's not height (although it helps) and it's not entirely about brains (although it can be). If a 7-0 power forward or center really wanted to get 15-20 rebounds per game, they could. Because it's about effort.
The fact that Marion was the leading Mavericks rebounder (10 ... in addition to other times he kept the ball alive) is the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed. The fact that Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler combined for 12 makes me throw up in my mouth. EFFORT!!!!!!!!! Chandler and Nowitzki didn't want to rebound, so they didn't. Meanwhile, big, dumb Brendan Haywood (who perpetually looks like he could give a shit) wound up with seven rebounds in 14 minutes. I hate Haywood, but if he's going to give you that effort, then start him.
The smaller Heat kicked the Mavericks' asses all night up and down the court. It was embarrassing!
To Chandler, I think he's had a pretty lackluster post-season, on the whole. He's had four double-digit rebounding games, including the 20-board performance in game 5 against Portland. Looking back, I noticed about three games where I thought Chandler was pretty awesome. Face facts: Chandler's here to play defense and rebound. He ain't really rebounding and, frankly, I don't think his defense has been that great. Good? Yes. Not great. Nothing to write home about. I have not really walked away that much the last month thinking "Man, Chandler played an outstanding defensive game!"
Per rebounding, Nowitzki and Chandler simply must crash the boards with little regard for life or limb. What happened last night is not OK, and it will be the ruin of this team if it continues.
As for the rest of my expert blogger analysis, let's look at the five keys I pointed to yesterday.
Ghosts
Gonna be perfectly honest with you, it was eerie watching that game in that dumb arena with those dumb fans. It was so reminiscent of 2006. Watching that dumbass Jason Terry shooting jumper after bricked jumped. Watching the Mavs get out-everythinged. Seeing Dirk disappear. Say what you will about ghosts, but as for me, I believe.
Chris Bosh
He was good. He's no superstar and it's a point everyone likes to make. Then again, why the hell do you think he got on a team with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade? I thought he killed it on the boards, he hit his shots, he rushed nothing, let the game come to him and looked perfectly natural in every setting. He flew under the radar, and was key in the victory.
Depth
Hahahahahaahha! Depth!!!! Let's check the math here. Hmmm. Mavs exalted, lauded bench shot 4-22 for 17 total points. Miami's bench wasn't great, but it seemed they hit big shots. They went 8-22 for 27 points. Now, I realize that's not a huge differential, but the point was that the Mavericks' so-called depth was supposed to drill the Heat's supporting crew into submission. Did not happen. Terry is in his annual post-season funk (happens every year ... a little late this year). Joe John Barea is fucking awful. And we seem to forget that Peja Stojakovic can be closed out on and disrupted. There's a big reason the Kings never made it to the Finals in the early 2000s.
Lebron James: Defender
I thought James and the rest of the Heat were spectacular on defense. The Mavericks ain't seen a monster like this in the playoffs. They close out, they're quick and athletic. They fight through screens well and any time you have a split second open, it closes up. I saw James on just about every Maverick outside of maybe Tyson Chandler. He absolutely kept Jason Terry out of the game. As did the rest of the squad. They turn the Mavericks on their hindquarters. A clinic.
Dirk
Gonna be perfectly honest: He looked shellshocked, beaten up and timid. He wound up with 18 shot attempts. Seems like he passed off more than anything. Seems like he didn't have the stomach for the fight last night. Seems like he was OK with Shawn Marion being "the man." Unfortunately, Marion's not as good as Nowitzki. He tore some kind of tendon in a finger, so I have no idea how that affected him, if at all. A different Dirk will need to show up the rest of the way. BOTTOMLINE.
In Conclusion
The series is not over and I fully expect the Mavericks to come back in game 2 and put up a great fight, a better fight than game 1, for sure. Dirk will be better. Defense and rebounding will be better. They are not a complete set of bums, but for a squad fully of savvy veterans, hungry for a title, they looked like the red-headed stepchild, getting beaten.
