Make money, money, take money, money! Finals prediction

I’m going to be honest with you. My selection of OKC to defeat Dallas in the Western conference finals was in part due to the fact I write for them. On paper, I could still make the argument the Thunder have a better team, and hold better matchup’s but Dallas is just in the zone right now. If you lost thousands of dollars because of me, I apologize. It huuurts me more then it huuuurts you.

Other then that tiny mistake, and choosing Orlando to beat the strawberry shortcake soft Atlanta Hawks, I’ve picked every series correctly. Yep, I’m sort of the new age Nostradamus. How many others promised a Grizzlies upset in round 1?? How many others selected Dallas to beat the Lakers? Take note of that, as I make my final prediction.

Miami VS. Dallas could end up being the most watched NBA finals in history, and for good reason. Check out Michael Wilbon’s recent article on how LeBron has brought the league back to prominence. Both of these squads have vanquished their enemies with relative ease up until this point, and now “Something’s Gotta Give.” Decent movie, if your into that sort of thing.

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Only time will tell in this matchup, as both teams have been hotter then fish grease.

My basic instinct tells me to ordain Miami as the probable victors but as I dig deeper then a mole in malleable dirt, and the more I ponder it, Dallas seems to have the advantage.

LeBron is the best player in the world, Wade a top 10 player, and Bosh a top 30 player but Miami will need some others to step up yet again. Will Mike Miller be a factor while having torn ligaments in his thumb, not to mention the fact that his daughter was just released from the hospital and is by no means in the clear to be OK. You have to assume this sort of thing weighs on a man’s mind, but Mikey has responded well so far, playing some of his best basketball of the season. Will Haslem be able to recapture the magic that he displayed in game 2 of the Chicago series, which pretty much turned the whole series around? Can Chalmers avoid being the definition of a “shook one” and hold onto the ball and hit wide open 3’s? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, Miami has a much more likely shot at winning the series……….Then again, LBJ or Wade could just go H.A.M. and will their team to victory.

My only question for Dallas, is who are they going to put Wade? I assume Shawn Marion will be d’ing up James and that leaves who??? Jason Kidd? Jason Terry? Stevenson? Kidd somehow did a nice job on Kobe and even Kevin Durant but Wade will blow by him every time. Former lottery pick and University of Florida legend Corey Brewer, will most likely get his biggest minutes of the season for the Mav’s as he is known for his D, but not much else. Big D could also choose to employ a zone and dare the Heat to beat them with outside shooting. If they are successful at this Dallas’s chances at victory increase tenfold. It should be much more difficult for Wade and Bron to finish at the rim with Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood helping on defense, but then again there’s no stopping what can’t be stopped.

The Mav’s biggest advantage is their incredible depth, as they bring in scorers in waves. J.J. Barea, who dates a former Miss Universe by the way, has been absolutely killing it in the playoffs and seemingly gets to the rim at will, even though he is a diminutive 5’9. Jason Terry is obviously looked upon as the Mav’s second most important player, as he comes off the bench and is highly capable of dropping 30 any night. The aforementioned Haywood provides defense and inside scoring and Miami has no one who should be able to stop him 1 on 1 if he gets deeeeep in the paint. Finally we come to former Sacramento Queen’s legend Peja. This Euro has been lighting it up in games as well as practice lately and could be primed for a big showing. The only problem is his defense, but if Dallas can play a zone when he’s in they should be fine. It’s just obviously not gonna work with him covering James or Wade. The thought alone scares me.

I haven’t even spoke about the starters yet. Dirk comes in, hotter then anyone and I see no reason this won’t continue. Bosh has played him pretty well in the past, holding him to under 40 percent shooting, but that’s in the past and Diggler is one confident German. James may be able to frustrate him a bit, but I’m guessing Dirk will be able to shoot over the top of him. If Jason Kidd can continue his incredible play, which has been his best stretch since coming to Dallas, it could push big D over the top. Trust me, I thought he was finished 3 years ago and they had talked about him not being a starter anymore at the end of last season. He is now somehow playing astute defense and hitting big 3’s, not to mention his usual spectacular passing. Tyson Chandler will also need to step up big, as Miami has nobody to match up with him either. Chandler is not highly skilled on offense, but he is an explosive athlete and will be hard to keep off the offensive glass and he can be a shot blocking machine at times.

Yep, I like Dallas’s depth, and see them coming out as champions. If it doesn’t happen this year, it never will. Desperation will win out!……I must admit, this is the most unsure I’ve been about a playoff pick, but I’m going with my gut feeling here. Plus the payout is bigger if you bet Dallas. It’s going down tonight. Tonight it goes down.

Dallas in 7!!