Mark Cuban is a Straight Up G

Cuban only bought one item for the Dallas Mavericks party. Just a bottle of champagne. The nice guy he is, he even tipped 22%. The champagne bottle cost 90K and the tip was 20K. You wonder why Dirk looked tipsy in all those pictures posted.? Kid was sipping by the thousands.

Dirk vs Bird: I'll put this to rest!

Ok, before I even start I'm not saying Dirk Daddy is better than Larry Legend... they played in two different eras of basketball, so it is tough to compare, however I'm going to state my case of why I would take the 7 foot German over Bird if we threw all the NBA greats into a draft today and started them out rookie year to their careers finished... I break them into 6 categories of basketball, SCORING, PASSING, DEFENSE, REBOUNDING, INTANGIBLES, DURABILITY

1. SCORING: For their careers, Bird 24.3 points per game, Dirk 23.0. Dirk however has already scored more points in his career, and you know he has another few great years left barring injury, which hurt Larry. *Also remember* In the 1980's the number of possessions per game was much quicker back then, which gave Bird the better opportunity to score.. ADVANTAGE: EVEN

2. PASSING: Bird hands down. Not even a question. However being a SF and having Hall of Famers McHale, Parrish, and DJ never hurt Bird while dishing the ball. Who has Dirk had for a true hall of famer.. Nash (before he was great), Kidd(after he was great)... Never had them all at once. ADVANTAGE: BIRD

3. DEFENSE: Bird is only 6'9" while Dirk is 7'0". Bird got the luxury of playing SF and being the "floater" on defense because Parrish and McHale were both great defenders. Bird usually played a slower, weaker player on defense which allowed him to roam around. Bird was not a good on ball defender by any means. Dirk usually gets stuck on a PF or sometimes the Center in which again he isn't a great defender, but he can defend both well. ADVANTAGE: DIRK

4. REBOUNDING: It's basically a wash. Bird being smaller makes me want to take him, however generally players were smaller when Bird played. ADVANTAGE: EVEN 5. INTANGIBLES: (i.e. mvp, playoffs, championship, etc): This is the most interesting category, Larry finished his brilliant career with 3 MVPs, 12 All Star Appearances, 3 Titles, 2 finals MVP. Dirk so far has 1 MVP, 10 All Star Appearances, 1 Title, 1 finals MVP. ADVANTAGE: BIRD (at the moment)

Now: Contrary to common belief, Dirk actually becomes a BETTER player when it counts as he scores almost 3 PPG more in the playoffs than his career regular season average, grabs about 2.5 rebounds more than normal and shoots FT even better when the game is on the line. Larry Legend is still good, but not materially different from the regular season. In terms of raising your game during the playoffs….ADVANTAGE: DIRK

6. DURABILITY: What separates great players from really great players is the ability to be a superstar for a really long time. When it's all said and done Dirk will probably reach the 30,000 point plateau. Boston Writer Bill Simmons explains here. Who else is on that list, KAJ, Malone, Jordan, Wilt, Kobe, Shaq. By that time Larry Bird will probably be outside the top 30 scorers of all time. ADVANTAGE: DIRK

Results: IF, big IF, Dirk Daddy remains healthy for a few more seasons, he will surpass Larry Bird as one of the best basketball players. The guy does not get enough credit at all... I'm not sure if it's because he is foreign or if its people are just so amped about the dunks and flash of the current NBA. (aka LeBron, Wade, Durant, Kobe)

Do You Really Think Dirk is a Top 20 Player Ever

At the end of the game the announcer (pretty sure it was Mark Breen) said Dirk is a Top 20 Player Ever. Now don't get me wrong he's a surefire Hall of Famer, but no way near Top 20. I think the reason he isn't is because he's an average defender and a very very good scorer. In no way is he an elite scorer (speaking in terms of all time). Here's a list of guys better than him off the top of my head.
1. Michael Jordan
2. Bill Russell
3.Larry Bird
4. Magic Johnson
5. Kareem Abdul Jabbarr
6. Kobe Bryant
7. Jerry West
8. Wilt Chamberlain
9. Kobe Bryant
10. Shaquille O'Neal
11. Karl Malone'
12. Tim Duncan
13. Scottie Pippen
14. Isiah Thomas
15. Elgin Baylor
16. Bob Cousy
17. George Mikan
18. John Stockton
19. Julius Erving (UMASS holler at your boy)
20. Oscar Robertson
21. Hakeem Olajuwon
22. Moses Malone

Now those 22 I think without a doubt are better than Dirk. Other guys that a believe are better, but some could debate would include: Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, Reggie Miller, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, John Havlicek, Clyde Drexler, and George Gervin.

There's also young guys that I think will most likely become better than dirk including: Lebron, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and Derrick Rose.

Notes from Game 6 and Reason for the Downfall of the Heat

The Heat no longer know how to use Lebron James.

JJ Barea is silky smooth- He just finds open space so well and hits everything mid range and in.

The Mavericks offense sets up deep- They are handling the ball 35 feet away from the hoop, and I'm not talking about the last four minutes.

Dirk has a beautiful jumper.

If the Heat spent more time practicing free throws instead of speaking in microphones this game would have been very different.

How were the Heat struggling to score when Kidd was on Wade and Barea was on Lebron?

The NBA continuation rule is pathetic Chalmers took another step and then put up a lay up after the whistle in the fourth.

Bosh was the only Heat player with any sense of urgency on defense in the last minute and a half

Lebron Should Spend More Time Practicing Jump Shots Instead of Being Wade's Side Kick

Lebron is just a joke now. Wade sounds like an idiot, no doubt about it, but at least he's playing good basketball. I guess it's karma for him though, making fun of Dirk being sick and gets injured himself. But Lebron, what are you doing? Snickering in the background like a eighth grade girl. Then he tells the reporters its about time he steps up. Bro it's the NBA Finals! You shouldn't be able to step your game up anymore. Do you only get ready after game 4? He's a clown, should probably hire a life coach ASAP.

Put Me in the Studio with Magic and Barry!

Last night I talked about what the Mavs must do to win, and I basically hit it right on the spot of what actually happened. I'll go through step by step what I said last night:

1. Tyson Chandler needs to own the boards while making noticeable but not huge contributions on offense.

This is the only must that is iffy. Chandler was definitely a presence in the paint even if his rebound stat line didn't show it. On offense he put up 13, which is a solid contribution for him.

2. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, or Peja Stojakovic need to have a big shooting night, or all three need to do well.

Well I said only one of them had to have a big shooting night, but both Terry and Kidd shot extremely well from the trey zone as both shot 3-5.

3. Dirk needs to keep getting to the line for freebies (at least 8 ft attempts)
Again last night Dirk went 10-10 from the charity stripe. I believe this is essential because the line is his comfort zone and it helps him get in a groove.

4. J.J. Barea does not need to be dominant or tantalizing, but he needs to be effective at times.

Well we'll just say Barea was more than effective with his 17 points and 4-5 from three point range. Barea has been a pest the past two games and also dropped five dimes.

5. Lebron can score 20 points but needs to be limited to pull ups and cannot be effective around the rim.
 This was the biggest factor. Lebron settled for plenty of jumpers and I don't even know if he hit any of his shots that were outside of 10 feet. he was 8-19 shooting and 0-4 from the three point line. The most imporant stat is 1-2 from the free throw line. The Mavs obviously didn't let him bring it to the rack much because he barley got to the line.

I just absolutely crushed predicting this game. I'm expecting a call from Magic himself saying, "Jeff been reading the blog. Big Fan. Especially the Power Rankings, good job putting Cougar Bait where they belong. I see you're team is loaded at point but if you ever need an older guy to give you some minutes let me know. To get on track here, great job with the Mavericks evaluation of you ever wanna give this analyst gig a shot and be in the booth with me and Jon I can hook you up. I know a couple people in this business."

If anyone else tries to call me today get ready for my voice mail.

NBA Finals: Winner Takes It All Game

Tonight is game five of the series that is tied 2-2. I firmly believe tonight's winner is gonna have that trophy in the end. People can argue that the Celtics won a game five then lost both on the road to the Lakers last year, but they lost their starting center for Game 7 which they almost won anyways. Here's what the Mavs need to do to win.

1. Tyson Chandler needs to own the boards while making noticeable but not huge contributions on offense.
2. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, or Peja Stojakovic need to have a big shooting night, or all three need to do well.
3. Dirk needs to keep getting to the line for freebies (at least 8 ft attempts)
4. J.J. Barea does not need to be dominant or tantalizing, but he needs to be effective at times.
5. Lebron can score 20 points but needs to be limited to pull ups and cannot be effective around the rim.

If all ] of these things happen then there is no way the Mavs lose tonight.

Dirk Looks to Even the Series

The Mavericks couldn't pull out the come back in Game 3, but I just don't picture them losing two in a row in Dallas. Dwayne Wade has taken the reigns to the Heat's offense and is not looking back. The biggest need for Dallas is for Jason Terry, Peja, and Jason Kidd to each pick up their scoring just a little bit to take some pressure off of Dirk. Dirk has been unbelievable, but the man can only do so much. After this series, he's gonna have to get checked for scoliosis from carrying the Mavs on his back for so long. I just can't stand the fact that it's looking like Lebron is going to get a ring. I just hate that guy.