ARA! NBA FINALS NA!

So the NBA Finals is underway, sorry for a late preview, but I haven't had Internet connection for a time. Game 1, of course, is history as my Miami HEAT withstand the Mavs. But this is how I see the Finals with storyline everywhere with the 2006 Rematch is just a minor plot; Hall of Famers all over, mga veterano naga lagas sg ila una nga Championship rings; and streaks, Dallas' road wins, Miami's unbeaten at home; Dallas' regular season sweep since 2006, Miami's playoff wins against Dallas, basta ka damu lang.

Anyways, I'll break down the series and hopefully indi ako mangin bias. Sa backcourt, I think Dallas has a slight, yes slight, advantage with Kidd and Jason Terry. Indi na sya ang Jason Kidd of old. He may have lost a step but the court vision, the basketball smarts, and the defense is still there, kag isa pa, he is not Ason Kidd anymore because he already has a "J." Jason Terry on the other hand has been terrific, not only he has deadly three, but he can slash and make those extremely tough shots. Terry is the second leading scorer on that Dallas team. On the other side, unless you consider LeBron James as point guard, the HEAT only has Dwyane Wade that can really do damage there. Both Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers are streaky shooters, especially Bibby who has not been hitting his shots all playoffs. Chalmers however is better defensively and can hit those open threes if he is feeling it (see Game 1). Dwyane Wade, though can dominate games, but recently been struggling with the question of an injured shoulder (which I notice he had been nursing in Game 1).

The front court of both teams is a mystery to me. You see LeBron and Dirk there, probably the two superstars in this series. Either the famous unstoppable one-legged fade away of Dirk or the overall all-around  play of LeBron James, I think it's a toss up between them. Then we see Chris Bosh, the supposed odd-man-out in Miami, but Bosh has been a force through out the playoffs both in Boston and Chicago series. He has been the steadiest and I think him being aggressive could spell good things for the HEAT. With their so-called hole in the middle, the HEAT had been greatly helped with the return of Udonis Haslem. He has been the missing guy. His toughness and hustle is what was lacking the team all season, and he could have picked a better time to return. During the Bulls series, he has been closing out as their center. I see him guarding Nowitski and Bosh sliding to Chandler. Speaking of Chandler, he has been a welcome addition to the Mavs with his defense and athleticism. He could be the factor if he can take advantage of this strengths and expose Miami.

Dallas a deeper bench while Miami rely solely on their Big Three for offense and any contribution from her bench as a plus. Plus I give an advantage to coaching to Rick Carlisle simply because of his savviness and his experience with the Finals. This is not however to put down on our Fil-Am Coach Spo. He has been able to put together some line up here and there and he is a great defensive coach, but with three superstars that can handle themselves, what more can he do?

Okay, as much as I wanted to see Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Peja win their rings, I think they will be disappointed once again by the very same team that denied them 5 years ago. The key I think is Miami's defense. They have three superstars who not only are tremendous offensive players but great defensively too (LeBron in 1st, Wade in 2nd Defensive Teams). Dirk may have his fair share on offense but he will have to work double time in defense which he hadn't done in his previous three series. If he is shut down, though I doubt, who will take the slack? Jason Terry, maybe; Marion, likely. The HEAT has three guys who can take over a game any time, you shut down James, Wade and Bosh is still there and they have proven that.  Plus, remember when they cannot close out games? Well that's ancient history. At the end of the day, the HEAT has three stars, the Mavs has one. Defensively, Miami is one of the league's best in full throttle --  *cough Bulls cough Celtics.*

I pick Miami HEAT in 6 games, but indi ako makibot kung kaya nila matapos in 5. This is going to be an exciting series and I can see a parade in Biscayne Bay again.