NBA FINALS PREDICTIONS
OK...only one of my first predictions for Finals teams actually came true and I went backwards second time out. It was third time lucky though. However this is now it. The Finals are coming so what's gonna happen.
Mavs vs Heat:
As said before, both of these sides were set up as recently as the 1980s, both sides were cack in the early 90s and neither side has made the NBA Finals before. What the Heat in particular have though is load of Finals experience. Shaq played on the Magic side that contested the 1995 Finals and then won titles in his Lakers days. Gary Payton was on the Sonics side that contested the '96 Finals, Shandon Anderson played on the Jazz side that made the Finals in '97 and '98 while Pat Riley coached the "Showtime" Lakers that won back to back titles in the late 80s. The Mavs can only reply with Keith van Horn(a veteran of the '02 Finals with the Nets) and to an extent coach Avery Johnson who won a title with the Spurs in '99.
As for how both sides got to the Finals well the Mavs first swept the Grizzlies, before needing seven games to beat the Spurs followed by six to beat the Suns. The Heat beat the Bulls in six, the Nets in 5 and the Bulls in 6. Overall the Mavs needed 17 games to reach the Finals, same with the Heat so neither side should have an edge energy wise.
The main positive omen in the Mavs favour is that they beat the Heat on both occassions the two sides matched up in the regular season. Admittedly Shaq was injured in the first match but the Heat were full strength second time out and the Texan side left Shaq and Wade with no backup. As a secondary factor, the Mavs do have homecourt advantage, their 60-22 record beating the Heat's 52-30.
The problem the Mavs will still have is that isolating every Heat player but Shaq and Wade has proven easier said than done in the playoffs, with either Udonis Haslam, Payton or Jason Williams tending to come up with the goods when needed. In short they are too many factors in the Heat's favour for them to not win this series. They'll do it in 6.
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