Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Van Gundy Observation

Game One of the NBA Finals is in the books, and the Heat are already looking good to capture the title. During the 4th quarter of last night's game, color commentator Jeff Van Gundy made an observation as the Heat were beginning to take control of the game and the Mavericks were trying to stay alive.

I won't get the wording exactly correct, but Van Gundy said something to the affect of: the difference in the game right now is that Dallas doesn't have Lebron or Wade.

Uh, no kidding Jeff. It was a mind-numbing observation that made me laugh when I first heard it. As I thought about it more, though, I understood what he meant. And I realized that Van Gundy's point is the same reason he and I picked the Heat to win the NBA Championship when James, Wade and Bosh decided they would team up in Miami.

Van Gundy's wasn't just trying to show that he was capable of differentiating the Miami jerseys from the Dallas ones. The point he was making (which, granted, could have been done more eloquently) was that Dallas just doesn't have the star power to stick with the Heat in those late game situations. In the NBA, perhaps more than in any other league, the stars make the difference late in the game.

Because they play offense and defense, fantastic athletes like James and Wade can summon up a little more effort on defense in the fourth quarter and be dominant players on that end of the floor. You just don't see it all game, because playing like that for 35-38 minutes would hurt their offensive production.

Just think about the last few games for Miami. Last night against Dallas, it was Wade making shots, getting steals, skying over bigger players for rebounds, and getting assists in transition. He was unbelievable. In game five against Chicago, it was James, hitting threes, hitting the go-ahead jumper, shutting Derrick Rose down (in game four in Miami as well) down the stretch, and of course getting the big block to close out the game.

Sure, the Mavs have Dirk, but he's not as gifted athletically as Miami's players are. Dirk is certainly capable of ratcheting up his defensive effort in crunch time, but he doesn't become a difference maker in the way the stars on the Heat do. His offense is incredible, but that is only going to be able to get his team so far in this series. I don't see a player on the Mavericks that is capable of changing the game on the defensive end of the floor when they need it most.

And that is why (sigh) the Heat are going to win this championship, and the future of the NBA will hang in the balance.