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2006 NBA Finals:
Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks
Game 1
Defense was the difference for both teams in the Conference Finals, as each found a way to hold two high-scoring opponents in check. The two head coaches deserve a lot of credit for that, realizing that was the best strategy against the Pistons and Suns, who both relied too much on their perimeter scoring and not enough on their inside play. This matchup will be totally different, with two of the most un-guardable players ever to play the game featured here in Dallas 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki and Miami center Shaquille O'Neal. Nowitzki presents all kinds of problems for the Heat due to his tremendous inside-outside game while the Mavs must realize getting Shaq into foul trouble early is their best bet. Regardless, Dallas head coach Avery Johnson and Miami's Pat Riley have found a way to defend the opposition's best players throughout the playoffs, and whoever does the better job will likely end up with the Larry O'Brien Trophy and an NBA title.
Insiders do not believe Miami guard Dwyane Wade will have as much of an impact in the NBA Finals due to the depth and size Dallas has in the backcourt. The Mavs can put any number of players on Wade and will try to tire him out like they did at times with Phoenix point guard Steve Nash and San Antonio's Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Nash, Parker and Ginobili had their moments against Dallas but could not consistently dominate games the way Wade has so far in the playoffs. Johnson has made outstanding coaching adjustments for the Mavs and will continue to find a way to prevent one player from beating his team.
Experts do not think the Heat have the balance offensively or defensively to match the Mavs. Outside of O'Neal and Wade, Miami needs a consistent third scorer in order to be effective. Antoine Walker has stepped up his scoring but will have the very difficult challenge of trying to guard Nowitzki along with Udonis Haslem. Those two key players may not even be a factor in this series due to Nowitzki's aggressive offensive prowess and ability to get them into foul trouble.
Defense, Nowitzki's offense lead Mavs: Dallas has earned a trip to the franchise's first NBA Finals thanks to outstanding defense taught by head coach Avery Johnson and the rise of star Dirk Nowitzki as one of the very best players in the league. Johnson has made stellar defensive adjustments throughout the playoffs, finding a way to knock out the defending NBA champion Spurs and the league's top scoring team in the Suns. "He's been great," Nowitzki said of Johnson. "He's brought some defensive intensity, and he ,brought us to the Finals. We're glad he's with us." Meanwhile, Nowitzki has proven to be virtually un-guardable in the postseason, failing to score 20 points just once in his last 45 games. The exception was an 11-point performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Phoenix, but he bounced back with 50 points in Game 5 to silence any critics. The Mavs also continue to be unbeatable when Josh Howard scores at least 20 points this season, improving to 25-0 after he had 20 in Game 6. They have dropped one home game in each of the last two series - including Game 1 against the Suns - but are 40-9 at the American Airlines Center overall. Dallas is 12-5 ATS in the playoffs with the total going UNDER in four of the last five. The Mavs won both regular-season meetings with Miami and have won four of the last five, going 5-0 ATS. The total has gone OVER in five of the last six meetings.
Miami's dynamic duo needs third option: The Heat have been able to get to their first-ever NBA Finals because of the team's role players stepping up to support stars Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. In the clinching Game 6 victory of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, it was point guard Jason Williams who scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting to compensate for Wade's below-average play due to the flu. Forwards Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem have also helped out during the team's postseason run but will have their hands full trying to contain Nowitzki. Will the play of Shaq and Wade alone be enough against the Mavs? Probably not, but Miami head coach Pat Riley certainly believes he has two special players who are the cornerstones of the franchise, both capable of leading the team to a championship. "We've had a lot of near misses, unlucky bounces, suspensions - we've had very good teams that I thought were championship contenders," Riley said. "But ever since Shaquille O'Neal showed up on the scene, this team has been a legitimate contender, and we have put pieces around him. Obviously the drafting of Dwyane Wade and what he's become has sped the whole process up." The Heat are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 playoff games since starting out 0-3-1 ATS vs. Chicago in the first round. The total has gone UNDER in their last six.
Dallas -5
Over 192
Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks
Game 1
Defense was the difference for both teams in the Conference Finals, as each found a way to hold two high-scoring opponents in check. The two head coaches deserve a lot of credit for that, realizing that was the best strategy against the Pistons and Suns, who both relied too much on their perimeter scoring and not enough on their inside play. This matchup will be totally different, with two of the most un-guardable players ever to play the game featured here in Dallas 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki and Miami center Shaquille O'Neal. Nowitzki presents all kinds of problems for the Heat due to his tremendous inside-outside game while the Mavs must realize getting Shaq into foul trouble early is their best bet. Regardless, Dallas head coach Avery Johnson and Miami's Pat Riley have found a way to defend the opposition's best players throughout the playoffs, and whoever does the better job will likely end up with the Larry O'Brien Trophy and an NBA title.
Insiders do not believe Miami guard Dwyane Wade will have as much of an impact in the NBA Finals due to the depth and size Dallas has in the backcourt. The Mavs can put any number of players on Wade and will try to tire him out like they did at times with Phoenix point guard Steve Nash and San Antonio's Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Nash, Parker and Ginobili had their moments against Dallas but could not consistently dominate games the way Wade has so far in the playoffs. Johnson has made outstanding coaching adjustments for the Mavs and will continue to find a way to prevent one player from beating his team.
Experts do not think the Heat have the balance offensively or defensively to match the Mavs. Outside of O'Neal and Wade, Miami needs a consistent third scorer in order to be effective. Antoine Walker has stepped up his scoring but will have the very difficult challenge of trying to guard Nowitzki along with Udonis Haslem. Those two key players may not even be a factor in this series due to Nowitzki's aggressive offensive prowess and ability to get them into foul trouble.
Defense, Nowitzki's offense lead Mavs: Dallas has earned a trip to the franchise's first NBA Finals thanks to outstanding defense taught by head coach Avery Johnson and the rise of star Dirk Nowitzki as one of the very best players in the league. Johnson has made stellar defensive adjustments throughout the playoffs, finding a way to knock out the defending NBA champion Spurs and the league's top scoring team in the Suns. "He's been great," Nowitzki said of Johnson. "He's brought some defensive intensity, and he ,brought us to the Finals. We're glad he's with us." Meanwhile, Nowitzki has proven to be virtually un-guardable in the postseason, failing to score 20 points just once in his last 45 games. The exception was an 11-point performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Phoenix, but he bounced back with 50 points in Game 5 to silence any critics. The Mavs also continue to be unbeatable when Josh Howard scores at least 20 points this season, improving to 25-0 after he had 20 in Game 6. They have dropped one home game in each of the last two series - including Game 1 against the Suns - but are 40-9 at the American Airlines Center overall. Dallas is 12-5 ATS in the playoffs with the total going UNDER in four of the last five. The Mavs won both regular-season meetings with Miami and have won four of the last five, going 5-0 ATS. The total has gone OVER in five of the last six meetings.
Miami's dynamic duo needs third option: The Heat have been able to get to their first-ever NBA Finals because of the team's role players stepping up to support stars Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. In the clinching Game 6 victory of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, it was point guard Jason Williams who scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting to compensate for Wade's below-average play due to the flu. Forwards Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem have also helped out during the team's postseason run but will have their hands full trying to contain Nowitzki. Will the play of Shaq and Wade alone be enough against the Mavs? Probably not, but Miami head coach Pat Riley certainly believes he has two special players who are the cornerstones of the franchise, both capable of leading the team to a championship. "We've had a lot of near misses, unlucky bounces, suspensions - we've had very good teams that I thought were championship contenders," Riley said. "But ever since Shaquille O'Neal showed up on the scene, this team has been a legitimate contender, and we have put pieces around him. Obviously the drafting of Dwyane Wade and what he's become has sped the whole process up." The Heat are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 playoff games since starting out 0-3-1 ATS vs. Chicago in the first round. The total has gone UNDER in their last six.
Dallas -5
Over 192