We're down to the final four teams battling it out for a Conference Championship that will grant them access to the big stage that all teams aspire to perform on - the NBA Finals. Each series provides us with a match between a veteran group that has been there before against a young up and coming force. Will youth win out over experience?
Dallas Mavericks defeat Oklahoma City Thunder
Experience wins out in the West, as Dallas continues their scorching streak through the postseason. After dismissing the crumbling Lakers in a 4 game sweep, the young, athletic Thunder team prevented a different kind of challenge for the Mavs. The veteran savvy and experience of the Mavs proved to be up to that challenge.
The biggest factor in the Mavs favor for this series was the dominant play of Dirk Nowitzki, whose 48 point outburst in Game 1 made Durant's 40 point effort look like a footnote in the game. Dirk put on a shooting clinic in this game, making it seem at times like it was impossible for him to miss on his way to a 12-15 night from the field. He also set an NBA record for most consecutive free throws in a game without a miss, by hitting all 24 attempts from the charity stripe.
You can argue that no player has been as dominant as Dirk has in this postseason. Even though his Game 5 performance may have made him look somewhat mortal (26 points), it was his 3 point dagger with just over a minute left in the game that gave the Mavs the lead, while his 2 free throws would later ice the game that clinched the series for Dallas.
Give credit as well to the supporting cast of the Mavs, particularly Shawn Marion, who has looked as good lately as he was at his peak in Phoenix. He actually led the team in scoring in two of their victories in this series, while also providing great defense against Durant.
The Thunder have been a great story in this postseason and clearly are a team on the rise that will be contenders for a long time. Yet this series showed that they just aren't ready for the next level yet. As I said before the series, it's incredibly difficult for a team to make the jump from first round fodder to NBA Finals in one season. That's especially true for a young team like the Thunder, but because of their youth you can count on them being contenders again. Often times young teams need to have some playoff heartache before they can taste victory.
Some of their struggles came down to immaturity and inexperience - two common traits among young teams. Russell Westbrook is one of the brightest young point guards in the league, but he's often been criticized this postseason for his shot selection and for being unable to get the ball in the hands of Durant more often. He saw some more of that in this series, and it nearly boiled over in Game 2 when Westbrook was benched for the 4th quarter in favor of Eric Maynor in the one game the Thunder actually one in this series. In fairness, all the Thunder starters sat on the pine down the stretch, except for Durant, as coach Scott Brooks stuck with a lineup that got hot and was working. The lineup was working too well to risk blowing it by making a change, so he stuck with them and it worked. However, we also saw how upset Westbrook was as he sulked to the bench after being taken out of the game following an ill advised turnover. After the game Westbrook said all the right things and claimed not to be upset about the coach's decision, but his body language said otherwise during the game. Winning can be a cure for many things though, so I'm sure Westbrook was just happy his team got the win and the team can move on from this mini-controversy.
Turnovers were also an issue that plagued the Thunder, particularly in Game 4 when Durant and Westrbrook combined for an inexcusable 15 turnovers. Both players played great for the most part in this series, but it was those miscues that led to the Thunder letting 4th quarter leads slip away in the final two games of the series. You may have heard, you can't spell choke without OKC. As unfair as it may be to criticize a young inexperienced team for failing to execute late in games, it's hard to overlook how their late game collapses cost them this series. The young Thunder team needs to use this as a valuable lesson, which will help them in the future. With a core of players still in their early 20's, the future is still bright in OKC.
As for the Mavs, they return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006, when they coincidentally lost to the Miami Heat. They will hope for a better result in their re-match this year (and hope to avoid a game officiated by Bennett Salvatore), as they attempt to capture the championship that has eluded them for so long.
Miami Heat defeat Chicago Bulls
The following night another young team coughed up a late fourth quarter lead to end a series. This time it was the Miami Heat going on a blistering 18-3 run to wipe out a 12 point deficit down the stretch to clinch the series in Game 5. Having been held to modest totals to that point, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade each scored 8 points during this run, knocking down several clutch jump shots. The Bulls defense forced the two super stars to settle for outside shots, typically the ideal game plan against the Heat, but if either of them gets hot and actually starts making the majority of those shots then they become very difficult to defend. If both of them have the hot hand then it's virtually impossible to stop them.
LeBron was a force throughout the series, yet those final minutes of Game 5 aside, Wade struggled against the tough Chicago defense. While he wasn't shut down in any game, he did not deliver the type of stand out performance that he typically produces at least once per series. His overall performance for the series seemed as mediocre as his below average shooting percentage would suggest. Throughout most of the series he failed to put his stamp on the game, but he saved his best for last, helping James clinch the series.
As for the third member of their All-Star trio, Chris Bosh had perhaps his best playoff series in his career. He responded to some criticism to start the series about him being too soft to play against this Bulls team by abusing Carlos Boozer for 30 points in Game 1, setting a trend that would continue later in the series.
Meanwhile, regular season MVP Derrick Rose struggled in this series, particularly in the final two games. As the only real offensive threat on his team, he of course still managed to post decent numbers, but he failed to bring his game to another level that they needed to get passed the Heat. Poor shooting and mounting turnovers from their star doomed the Bulls down the stretch.
While Rose may have been the most valuable player during the regular season, this series was an example that he is still a step behind LeBron and Wade in the conversation of best player in the league. LeBron in particular has answered several of the questions that have plagued him regarding his ability to finish in clutch moments. Now all he needs is a ring to validate his standing as not only the best in the league, but one of the all time greats.
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