It was a wild weekend, so let’s get to it. From the “7-Up Stinks Studios,” here we go…
Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem, foreground left, redirects the shot of Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, foreground center, as Heat’s Dwyane Wade, foreground right, watches during the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals basketball series on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, in Chicago. The Heat won 85-75. (AP Photo/Charlie Arbogast)NBA clarity
Two things have become crystal clear about these NBA Playoffs after this weekend:
First, there is no way to handicap the Western Conference finals; everytime there appears to be a trend — that trend ends and the exact opposite happens. Dallas dominated Game 1 (and Dirk Nowitzki looked like 1985 Larry Bird, minus the short-shorts and the whispy mustache). The Thunder stole Game 2 in Dallas without using four starters for the majority of the fourth quarter. So returning for Game 3 in Oklahoma City — one of the NBA’s most raucous settings that was hosting its first conference finals game — what did we expect?
Raise your hand if you thought Shawn Marion would be the difference in a surprising Mavs’ win. Yeah, we thought so.