NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks

[Panthers128]

I've never considered Derek Fisher even an above average player. He's a clutch performer and a leader but Nick Van Exel was a way better basketball player. They had to get rid of him so Kobe's ego could allow him to be the PG, SG and basically every other position on the team not filled by Shaq and that could only happen alongside scrubs like Fisher and Rick Fox.

[Mvp2014]

I've never considered Derek Fisher even an above average player. He's a clutch performer and a leader but Nick Van Exel was a way better basketball player. They had to get rid of him so Kobe's ego could allow him to be the PG, SG and basically every other position on the team not filled by Shaq and that could only happen alongside scrubs like Fisher and Rick Fox.

Yea Fish was good but not even close to GOAT convo. I'd say he's lucky to be in top 100 conversation. Regardless of rings he was not a dominant player and was lucky to be with the Mamba and Shaq.

[Mvp2014]

And again Lebron confirmed what I've been saying for 7 years. He doesnt have the Jordan gene, hes not clutch, hes not even the best player on the Heat. Yea he's an amazing physical specimen but lacks the killer instinct that the great ones have. He's Clyde Drexler.

[SuperMan]

So what kind of limp dick excuses is KTs punk ass making?

[SuperMan]

Congratulations to Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, JJ Barea, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks. They were the better team and they deserved it. 2011 NBA Champs.

Its not all tears KT we get to watch Cam Newton when the lockout ends :cheers2:

[GritsRgreat]

Its not all tears KT we get to watch Cam Newton when the lockout ends :cheers2:

And when he bombs like Akilli Smith??

[Implied Volatility]

Ahead of magic, Isaiah, steve Nash, and John Stockton?

I'd take prime Kidd over prime Nash without thinking twice.

[SuperMan]

And when he bombs like Akilli Smith??

My thoughts exactly :sifone:

[X-Clown]

I'd take prime Kidd over prime Nash without thinking twice.

Both players are HOFers, but I'd rather have the guy who wasn't an offensive liability if you needed him to score. Nash's accuracy from the field, FT line, and 3 point land dwarfs Kidd....and during Kidd's prime he was an even worse shooter, he's really developed that skill later in his career. Kidd makes up for some of the deficit with his defense, but Nash elevated his teammates in a tougher conference, plus has 2 NBA MVP awards.

[Panthers128]

And again Lebron confirmed what I've been saying for 7 years. He doesnt have the Jordan gene, hes not clutch, hes not even the best player on the Heat. Yea he's an amazing physical specimen but lacks the killer instinct that the great ones have. He's Clyde Drexler.

Except Clyde Drexler wasn't a douche bag and he has a ring.

[Panthers128]

James struggled throughout the Finals, averaging 17.8 points, which was 8.9 fewer than his regular season average. That dropoff from the regular season to the Finals was the largest in NBA history among players who averaged 25 points during the regular season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Shawn Marion, Stevenson and Jason Kidd took turns covering the two-time MVP.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=6657084

Quite a drop off. Largest in NBA history. That makes him the biggest choke artist in NBA history if you go by the stats.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

There's no doubt that Lebron wilted.

[Implied Volatility]

Both players are HOFers, but I'd rather have the guy who wasn't an offensive liability if you needed him to score. Nash's accuracy from the field, FT line, and 3 point land dwarfs Kidd....and during Kidd's prime he was an even worse shooter, he's really developed that skill later in his career. Kidd makes up for some of the deficit with his defense, but Nash elevated his teammates in a tougher conference, plus has 2 NBA MVP awards.

And I would still take prime Kidd over prime Nash. I think Kidd brought more to the table. He was a walking triple-double. Stat guys tend to underrate Kidd because he was not an efficient scorer. But who do you think made most of the big shots for the Nets during their Finals runs? It sure as hell wasn't the likes of Kenyon Martin or Keith Van Horn. And when those guys did make a big basket, it was because of Kidd getting them easy looks. More times than not though, Kidd stepped up and made big baskets/plays when his team needed him to. Despite not being a high percentage scorer. People also forget that Kidd at one point was the most feared player in the NBA in the open court. He would grab a rebound and fly down the court before the defense knew what hit them. And he has always been a solid spot up shooter. It just became a bigger part of his game since he can no longer run the fastbreak like he use to.

Those of us who base our opinions of him on what we seen him do, understand the impact he had on both ends of the floor. Not only that, but also his intangibles. He took a group of nobodies to the NBA Finals two years in a row. He carried those teams on his back like few players have carried a team before. There is no way anyone can convince me that Nash could have taken that group to the Finals. I also don't think the Mavs would have won a title this year with Nash instead of Kidd.

With that being said, I was never really a huge fan of Kidd until I saw him play in person back in 2002 in a 2nd round Playoff game against the Hornets. Kidd scored over 20pts and nearly had a triple-double. He didn't shoot great from the field, but every time the Hornets missed a shot you could see the fear in their eyes. They knew what was about to happen and there was nothing they could do. Kidd would grab the rebound or catch an outlet pass and push the ball up court right down the Hornets' throat. It was amazing how fast he was with the ball in his hands. It looked like everyone else was running in sand. And on the defensive end he gave Baron Davis all kinds of fits.

To me, that's what separates Kidd from Nash. His ability to control the game on both ends of the floor. I don't care how efficient Nash is as a scorer. They are point guards and Kidd was just as effective as Nash at controlling the game on the offensive end. And he gave you All-NBA defense to boot.

[Squirrel]

Dirk's new song.