NBA Final Preview.

I'm having a hell of a good NBA playoffs this year. I've picked the winner in 13 of 14 series (I missed the Cavs beating the Wizards in the first round). The final is going to be very tough though with dallas having home court advantage.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat

It's tempting to go the route of going with the team with the best player. In this series that is Miami and Dwayne Wade. Yes, Wade is better than the Mavs Dirk Nowitzki because Wade can play some defense while Dirk couldn't defend a pot of Earl Grey at high tea. But Dirk is playing phenomenally right now and the rest of the team is feeding off of that. Meanwhile his teammate Josh Howard is turning into a superstar on national television. This guy does everything and he is the reason this series is so tough to call. Both teams go about eight deep and all eight contribute to their team. The Mavs will look to run more and the Heat will try to take advantage of the fact that nobody will be able to guard Shaq in the paint. The Mavs will realize though that Shaq can still run a bit and has a lot left in the tank. He is playing like this is his last great shot at the title and and other guys like Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and Alonzo Mourning can help redeem their reputations a lot by performing well. Then there is Heat coach Pat Riley. After submarining Stu Van Gundy at the start of the season he knows he has to win this. On the other side Avery Johnson has done a great job coaching the Mavs and instilling some defensive intensity in them. Jason Terry and Devon Harris will play well but I think the Mavs are a year away. I think as well as Shaq and Dirk will play this is Dwayne Wade's coming out party, not that he hasn't had one already. The Heat know this may be the last chance for a lot of their roster and their coach and that urgency will carry them to the title.

Prediction: Heat in 6


Other NBA notes....

The Pistons need to stop whining about their coach. They are the ones who wanted Larry Brown gone and were more than happy to play for Flip Saunders all year. If they didn't step their defensive pressure during the playoffs that is their fault not Saunders. And it's not Saunders' fault Rasheed Wallace was utterly useless against the Heat. This team just wasn't good enough to beat Miami. They should drop the arrogant attitude they showed all year and get someone on the front line who can put the ball in the hoop consistently.

My Raptors own the number one pick in the draft and I want them to trade it. There is no franchise player in this draft and I think they can trade down to the eight or nine spot and still get a good player. They would still be able to draft Point Guard Marcus Williams out of UConn in those spots and let him run the team for 12 years. He is the perfect fit for them. He is pass first, plays tough defense and likes to take the big shots. In trading down they could also get a proven front court player to add depth to Chris Bosh and Charlie Villeneuva. They could then take a run at a strong shooting free agent like Peja Stojakovic (who loves Toronto and the large European population there). That puts them in the playoffs next year for sure.