What surprised me in the 2011 NBA finals.
By marvz023
@marvz023 (189)
Philippines
June 13, 2011 9:10am CST
Well, i gave Dallas a shot to win this year against the Miami but i never would have thought it would end this way. some of the things that surprised me for the past 2 weeks:
1) LeBron not being king james.
Game 1 was an exception but LBJ, known as the king and a self-proclaimed "chosen one", didn't live up to the hype and was a non-factor when it mattered most. Not what i've seen in the Bsoton and Chicago series.
2) Capt. Jack Sparrow must have told Kidd about the fountain of youth.
The kidd i saw in this series, with the exception of his turnovers, was the best jason kidd ive seen in the whole postseason. he hit 3's, found people for good looks and even guarded James effectively in the late stretches of the game. he kept up with both of them and defended them without much help from double teams.
3) Peja Stojako-bench and mike bi-bench
Both kings key players during the shaq-kobe era were nonfactors in this series. peja plyed 2 games as a bench player, didnt have his offense and was atrocious on D. he should have been a part of the mavs version of bench-mobs featuring barea and terry. Bibby on the other hand also played sparingly. Although he was a starter, he player a second-stringer minutes and was eventually casted out in the final game of the series. They were huge in the previous series, but what do you know? Maybe the kings didn't deserve to win that time after all.
4) Bosh-sistency at its finest
The heat should have given chris bosh more looks because personally, he was the most effective player in the series. TnT analysts says that they should put james as a 3rd option next year thanks to his performance not fit for a king. Wade was stellar at times but c'mon, bosh wanted that ring more than wade and james.
5) Surprise players
every team that are not expected to win the title always have a secret player that they hid in case they run out of cards. Detroit had okur in 2004, wade was 2006, james posey/eddie house for boston in 2008 and ariza for the lakers in 2009. I'd like to say cardinal in this year but seriously, he only showed up 1 game. JJ barea would that guy for the mavs. If miami did win, well i'd say eddie house.
6) Heat out in the last 6 minutes of the game
Having a reputation of choking in the last minutes during the regular season, they proved doubters wrong during the playoffs. Although against a mavericks team that are resilient as well, they feel inferior thus losing confidence on last second situations as evident from games 2 and 4. Not the heat team that plays down the stretch during the boston and chicago series.
7) Jet vs the king
i was expecting terry to struggle but he proved me wrong.
although there are things that didnt surprise me namely dirk's finishing moves, the big three working as one and a neck-to-neck battle that both teams are good at.
what surprised you in this year's finals?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@BestMomEver (46)
• United States
14 Jun 11
Before I say how I truly feel, I just want it to be known I am a Lebron James fan, not a Cavs or Heat fan. I follow the player, because of who is, what he stands for, and he is really cute I might add.
But last night was such a lost for the Heat. To me when Lebron was on the side line and Wade was on the court, the Heat scored better. Lebron just kind of seemed lost at times and didn't take enough chances. I was also upset about their free throws. I ended up falling asleep on the game, but last I heard there were 17 free throws missed...WOW, maybe that could have saved you guys.
Now, I know Lebron is catching a lot of heat about the game, and I just want to say to Lebron...when your turn comes for a championship ring, it will be absolutely wonderful. As long as you stay in God's grace you will beat and set records in your basketball career like no other. Everyone will know how great you are and no one will even remember this game. This is only first season with the "Heat" so keep your head up kid. Just be open minded and do better...
@shattered (1728)
• Philippines
14 Jun 11
I agree with you on this. LeBron seems like a fun guy, but he seems so naive and childlike at times. Where others see arrogance, I see a childlike naivety.
LeBron will win hi ring. But he has to gain that mental edge to win games. He has definitely the skills to be in the greatest of all time argument, what he lacks is focus and that killer instinct everyone is talking about. But he will get it in time, well at least I hope he does for the sake of the Heat. Dwayne Wade and Miami Heat fan here.
In the middle of the third quarter, the Heat were down I think around 12 and LeBron went to the bench, normally that would mean an increased deficit 
but in this case the Heat made a great run and went ahead. When LeBron came back he went on so many jump passes, it was mind boggling.
We don;t really know what was happening in his mind, maybe he was just overwhelmed by being in the Finals again after 4 years.
I do hope the next season won;t be shortened though and off course the Heat to finally win the first of many.
but in this case the Heat made a great run and went ahead. When LeBron came back he went on so many jump passes, it was mind boggling.
We don;t really know what was happening in his mind, maybe he was just overwhelmed by being in the Finals again after 4 years.
I do hope the next season won;t be shortened though and off course the Heat to finally win the first of many.
@mensab (4200)
• Philippines
13 Jun 11
for me, there were no surprises in the 2011 nba finals. i favored the dallas mavericks from the beginning. it did not surprise me that the mavs won this year. well, the mavs improved on their defense. there was no doubt that the mavs could score. but their defense was a suspect, until this year. they limited their opponent's score to less than a hundred, or even less than 90. for next year, i won't be surprised if the mavs can repeat (with butler in the line-up).
@shattered (1728)
• Philippines
14 Jun 11
Wow you are one of the few that bet on Dallas! Congrats
I'm a Miami Heat fan, but a part of me was rooting for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. It was good to finally see them win one after missing out on their previous attempts.
Dallas Mavericks had great ball movement which picked apart and scattered in a million pieces Miami's vaunted Best Defense of the post season. The Mavericks also had great defense. Despite missing a main player, they made the best of who they had. Rick Carlisle made all the right moves.
Congrats
I'm a Miami Heat fan, but a part of me was rooting for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. It was good to finally see them win one after missing out on their previous attempts.
Dallas Mavericks had great ball movement which picked apart and scattered in a million pieces Miami's vaunted Best Defense of the post season. The Mavericks also had great defense. Despite missing a main player, they made the best of who they had. Rick Carlisle made all the right moves.@marvz023 (189)
• Philippines
18 Jun 11
Well, dallas got lucky as well since LBJ partially showed up on late games. Kidd did some awesome D on Lebron as well.
Dallas showed a lot of guts as well, knowing they can be outmatched, they took the challenge and fought with their lives. They got immortality in the end.
@shattered (1728)
• Philippines
14 Jun 11
What really surprised me was the way LeBron James played.
I'm a Miami Heat fan and I know they have some holes in their line up which have been through the microscope this season the lack of a point guard and center won;t be missed in any Miami Heat related article.
I've got to admit though that even though I'm a Miami Heat fan, a part of me wanted the Dallas Mavericks to win the Finals, I truly believe the Heat will be contenders for many seasons and I also believed this was the last season for Dallas barring a trade miracle before the next season starts, well if there is a next season at all.
A part of me rooted for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. I followed them through their career, and hoped they'd both win one before they retire.
But back to King James, it was really surprising that the Heat were always getting into holes when he was on the court. He was not being a facilitator, it was like we was lost at times. I do hope he recovers and gains that mental stability, and gain a killer instinct.
I'm a Miami Heat fan and I know they have some holes in their line up which have been through the microscope this season the lack of a point guard and center won;t be missed in any Miami Heat related article.
I've got to admit though that even though I'm a Miami Heat fan, a part of me wanted the Dallas Mavericks to win the Finals, I truly believe the Heat will be contenders for many seasons and I also believed this was the last season for Dallas barring a trade miracle before the next season starts, well if there is a next season at all.
A part of me rooted for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. I followed them through their career, and hoped they'd both win one before they retire.
But back to King James, it was really surprising that the Heat were always getting into holes when he was on the court. He was not being a facilitator, it was like we was lost at times. I do hope he recovers and gains that mental stability, and gain a killer instinct. 
@asiacevillar (643)
• Philippines
14 Jun 11
what really surprised me is how lebron is playing. the way he played in the finals really was way off his usual form.
@shattered (1728)
• Philippines
15 Jun 11
This is actually true. It was worse than the way Dwayne Wade played in the Chicago series when he was obviously going through some injuries and fatigue.
For someone of his stature and athletic ability, it really appeared like he run away from the game.
I hope he recovers some mental edge after this. There are already recommendations from NBA writers for LeBron to be traded.
@asiacevillar (643)
• Philippines
16 Jun 11
I just read yesterday in a newspaper about the plans of getting Orlando's Dwight Howard in replacement for Chris Bosh instead of the King. Actually, could be a surprising news to all who are expecting Lebron to be traded next season.
@yoretiller0522 (142)
•
14 Jun 11
The only reason he turned up well during Game 1 was because his 3 point shots were falling, it didn't really mean that he was as aggressive as he should be. Then again, that's just my take on it.
Peja and Mike Bibby are basically shells of themselves from their time with the Kings. I mean, do you really expect them to have as much impact as they did? All those injuries? What they showed in previous rounds is similar to what Brandon Roy did this postseason: flashes of brilliance in a few spots, but overall, a liability on defense.
Jason Terry surprised everyone in the sense that he managed to beat LeBron this series. He did what D-Rose was not able to do, and that is to step up and overcome having LeBron do single coverage on him. I mean, did anyone expect Terry to come up big like this in light of how LeBron was able to defend Rose during the East Finals?
Oh come on, no love for Brian Cardinal? He came in and performed much better than Peja, which is something already, and two, his effective minutes provided spot rest for both Chandler and Nowitzki, which is bigger than any stat that he put across the board. Though, the threes were awesome.
1 person likes this
@shattered (1728)
• Philippines
15 Jun 11
I agree with you that LeBron was a shell of himself in the finals. King James was never aggressive. It was like he was deferring and asking Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to win him the championship.
Peja and Bibby really did what was expected of them, Peja is never clutch and Bibby has lost a step or two.
Terry was able to do to half-a-LeBron what D-Rose was not able to do to a LeBron with his swagger on. But yeah, terry took King James to school several times. I guess he won't have to take the Larry O'brien tattoo on his biceps off anymore.
And Brian Cardinal was the X-factor in this series. he provided Dallas the lift that Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller gave the Heat in the Chicago series.
