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.

Lebron Chokes, Mavs Win

While everyone thought that Lebron was gaining that big game status through the playoffs, once the Finals started he took the back seat and deferred everything to Dwayne Wade. Lebron was a Ron Artest-esque 3-13 from the field including 0-3 from three. Wade kept being the leader he's been all series rifling 32 points while shooting 65% from the field. Dirk didn't have jaw dropping stats, but what people don't realize is he always finds a way to get around the double digits in freebies from the charity stripe. Last night he was 9-10 and he's basically Ray Allen at the stripe. Tyson Chandler is doing great on the boards with 16 last night for a 13 and 16 double double. His presence is what took the Mavs from a playoff team to a championship team. Jason Terry gave a solid 17 which is what he needs to do to keep them contending, but the better part was that the 6'2 guard shut down the 6'8 ultra explosive Lebron in the fourth quarter. That's just unacceptable for the so called "king". I hope the Mavs pull it out, and if Lebron can't find some Showtime in him I think Dirk and his crew will take the ship.

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.