Coffee Talk #357: Your NBA 2011 Finals Prediction

The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me…

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The 2011 NBA finals are set! It’ll be the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat. Who do you think will win? Who are you rooting for?!? As for me, I think Miami will take it in six…but I’m hoping that they lose. Yeah, I feel bad for not backing Pinoy coach Erik Spoelstra, but I’d love to see Dirk Nowitzki get a ring. I’m also dying to see David Stern hand Mark Cuban the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In my head Cuban accepts, waits for Stern to turn around, and smashes the trophy over his head. Cuban, Nowitzki, and Kidd put the boots on him for a few minutes and spray paint “NWO” on his back. That would be awesome.

Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you think will happen and what you want to happen in this year’s NBA finals.

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

91 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #357: Your NBA 2011 Finals Prediction”

    1. Ha! LOL!

      Just kidding. Seriously; looking back at our playoff record, I'd say Heat in 5, since that's what we've been doing all postseason, however, being a bit more realistic, I think we can take Dallas out in five games. I thought the Bulls were tough and that it would go to the 7th game. I've never been more happy to be wrong in my life.

      By the way, Mr. Padilla, you attributed the Heat beating the Celtics because they were old and/or injured. We beat them in five games. So, what do you attribute the Bulls losing to us in the same amount of games?

      I'm really shocked and amazed at how crappy the Heat can play and just light it up in the final minutes of a game and get the win. Part of me thinks that they do it on purpose just to get high TV ratings. Say what you will about LeBron. I admit that the stunt he pulled with the whole "Decision" think was a dick move and he looks like an arrogant S.O.B. for doing it, but hot-damn is he an amazing athlete. We wouldn't be were we are today without him. The guy is a beast. Wade may be the clutch player, Bosh is rounding out his game, Udonis and Chalmers are great support guys, but James is the workhorse. And, yes, that acting job he did last night for that one foul should get him a Tony award and a spot on any Broadway musical. If I was a Bulls fan, I would rightfully be pissed because that was a bad call on the ref's part. But it was still funny as hell when he winked to coach Spoelstra shortly after the call.

      That said; Dirk still scares me. The only game the Heat lost in December was to Dallas. I'm sure they are looking for some payback for the 2006 finals.

      -M

      1. The Bulls have no experience and for the most part are a pretty young team. LBJ + Wade combined have more playoff time than most of the Bulls team.

  3. Lol. I was at a bar a couple of nights ago and saw the Mavs win a game and everyone freaked out. I thought "damn these people are excited over a damn game" then I found out they won something big, not sure what it was but obviously it was big.

    I don't mind watching sports if it is on and I can't change it (in a bar or restaurant), but my TV has all of the sports channels blocked. So I don't really keep up with any of this, but it is always nice when a Dallas team wins.

    1. Slicky,

      I don't know if you're still a gold member on XBL, but if you are, you can watch various sporting events on ESPN through XBL, although I think that they have some kind of partnership with the local ISPs in the area. I'm not sure about where you live, but you should check it out anyway.

      I heard that the NBA playoffs were shown on ESPN through XBL.

      -M

      1. Only if they were originally shown on ESPN, the games the were on ABC & TNT were not on ESPN 3/ESPN on the 360.

  5. So now that Nintendo is revealing their new machine at E3, Sony let leak in a conference call that their next machine is under development. So I started thinking (possibly the bottle of wine i'm drinking) but it's about time! The 360 and PS3 are long in the tooth in my opinion. I need/want something with more graphics capability.

    Also, what do you think the largest part of designing the new machine is? Distribution method? It certainly can't be as radical as the current gen was when introduced. The 360 was boasting a x3 core processor while Sony was touting Cell technology along with IBM. So I'm not sure what they can add in their machines that is more relevant in terms of processing than Sandybridge tech. Then again custom chips can be made to do wonderful things…ask Apple.

    I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm glad the next gen will be here sooner rather than later, I think it's at least a year late already, but the technological leap forwards won't be nearly as exponential as before…more or less a 3G to 3GS.

      1. I'd have to go with time consuming. None of it is easy necessarily so that would simplify it too much.

      2. Traditionally R&D for new chips was the most expensive and time-consuming aspect of a new console. That appears to be changing. The Wii showed that you can sell with slightly improved tech. Sony has admitted that its initial costs for the PS4 will be lower than the PS3.

        Companies spend much more time than you'd think on branding, box design, logos, etc. In my opinion, they actually waste way too much money and time on this.

      3. I think content distribution and patent licensing will be most time consuming this round.

      4. Yeah, if PSN and Xbox Live go more cloud heavy — which is probably — then server coding and security will take much more time than in previous generations.

      5. @Ray

        Which brings me to what I think the biggest console refresh of the next gen will be…a box similar to an AppleTV. Strict cloud console. Nice experiment if you intend to go all in the following gen.

        Actually, one of them could be ballsy enough to release an appletv type box console sku in addition to a reg sku that uses optical disks or whatever means they deem appropriate for external media format.

        This to me is the more interesting way things will happen.

  6. So apparently in an interview with Mike & mike this morning, Scottie Pippin said that LeBron James was a better basketball player than Michael Jordan.

    I'm just gonna let the ludicrous nature of that statement hang there for a minute…..

    1. I've heard plenty of people make statements and comments like that before, and I think that it's a good argument.

      1. I completely disagree. Imagine MJ's numbers with today's defensive rules. LeBron never had to deal with that type of physical play. Despite getting mugged by the Pistons and Knicks, Jordan still excelled. Certainly James would still be a great player under those rules, but he wouldn't compare to MJ.

      2. According to what you are saying I think that Lebron would have grown up learning a different style of playing, which would have altered how he handled situations in the NBA. Lebron would have adapted to the style of play, and a straight comparison like that will be impossible to ever agree on. However, I do think there is more to being a great player than the number of championships someone has. Jordan having 6 will always be impressive and amazing; but there is more to being a great player, and I do think that Lebron has those qualities.

        If you're going to compare two people from different scenarios then yes there will obviously be stark differences in their playing style. If you are going to compare Lebron and MJ you can't dismiss Lebron for never having played in the style of games that MJ did—when did he ever have the chance to? Rules change over time, and players have to adapt to those rules. If Lebron were 15 years older he would have played under a different set of rules, which would change his style of play, and you can't dismiss him simply because he never had a chance to grow up and learn to play basketball under the same set of rules as MJ. If that's how you look at it, then we would have to divide the entire history of the sport up into sections based on the rules and style of playing that took place and only compare people within similar rules and styles of play (which is a far fetched and ridiculous idea serving to emphasize my point).

      3. @bsu

        Championships in basketball are a good measure more so than any other team sport. MJ won 3 rings in a row….twice. Had tragedy not struck his family Hakeem never would have got his.

        MJ is the best. Just like Magic is the best PG ever. Lebron needs to win multiple rings (6 at least) to be in the conversation. As it is I think Kobe is above Lebron and I put Shaq above Lebron. Maybe right above Kobe.

      4. I disagree wholeheartedly on Kobe, but that's a different discussion for a different day. I'm not saying MJ wasn't great or anything like that, but I'm saying there is more to being a great player than winning championships. I would agree with the argument that Lebron is a better well rounded player.

      5. LeBron’s hasn’t displayed a champion’s will or killer instinct. Kobe pisses on him in that department. I hate Kobe as a human, but he’s the closest thing to MJ in terms of determination and focus. Michael, Magic, Isiaiah, and Bird all had that killer instinct. LeBron will never be acknowledged as being as mentally tough as those guys, simply because he ran to play with other stars.

      7. The Pistons and the old Spurs came to mind first.

        MJ also beat so many HoF guys. Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Ewing, etc.

    2. Comparing LeBron with MJ is like comparing the Rock with Hulk Hogan. There are so many different factors to take into consideration just to form an opinion on the matter. People can compare stats, rings won, teammate contributions, coaching, etc., but at the end of the day, there are only two things that I know for a fact:

      1) LeBron is the best player I'VE SEEN since MJ (especially recently), however the book is closed on MJ whereas LBJ is still being written.

      2) MJ is the best basketball player that I've ever seen play, with Larry Bird coming in at #2.

      Again, these comparisons between modern players and past players don't seem fair for the simple reason that a current player is not done yet, therefore, you don't know exactly when of for how long they've peaked. Everyone knows where MJ, Sammy Sosa, Muhammad Ali, etc. have peaked because you can look back at their careers and see it clearly. Wade, James, Rose, Kobe still have lots of games left in them and you don't know how great any one of them can be.

      Also, the game changes about every decade or so. Imagine an all-star team today playing an all-star team of 40 years ago. You have to take into consideration of how aggressive the players were in their respective time periods.

      If we're discussing who is better than whom, we might as well ask if the Undertaker is better than Triple H.

      -M

  7. @Nightshade
    Tweet on ESPN said he gave that MJ was a better scorer but Lebron will be a better rounded player.

    Kind of a political answer I guess.

    6 Rings. Only argument I need!!

    1. I've never seen a better basketball player then MJ in my life. Whenever anyone makes these comparisons to him, be it LeBron, Kobe, or anyone else, it's absolutely ridiculous.

      1. I'd agree. Dr J was great. Showtime was amazing. There is only one MJ.

        You have inspired meto play 2k11 now.

  8. Heat in 5. They've done that all playoff season so far, no reason to change now. The Mavericks might put up a bit more of a fight, giving the possibility of the championship taking the Heat 6 games. This scenario is completely dependent on how the first two games go, which is still the hardest part for me to decide on. Either way I don't think it will take 7 games and I think the Heat will win, with the Mavericks putting up a fight all the way. One of the hardest parts for this series is the size of the Mavericks players. Rose was easy for James to guard because he had more height and reach on Rose (great example being the final shot of regulation play in game 4, the smartest thing for Chicago to have done would have been to give the ball to someone other than Rose). Nowitzki is much taller and has longer arms as well, meaning all match-ups between Lebron and Dirk will be more even and up to individual skill and drive at that particular time in the game. I also think it will (just like the majority of these games so far) come down to the bench points as a large contributing factor.

  9. I want to see the Mavs take it all but Miami got it in 6. I will official stop hating on the Heat now but I will not be pulling for them.

  10. I have 2 jokes for this and I'm not sure which one to use, so I'll post them both.

    2. What I would like to see happen is someone sinks a 3 pointer at the buzzer for just enough to edge out the victory, when the ref says it didn't count and they end up losing.

      As the heel team (most likely the Heat) are celebrating the victory, it turns out the ref was actually Earl Hebner's evil twin brother. This will be revealed when Earl Hebner (the real ref) charges the court after the game and then Hulk Hogan military presses the evil twin into the stands.

      1. Then, Lebron takes off his face that was really a mask all along and it is revealed to us that he is really The Miz.

        (We should keep this going and create the greatest basketball story arc epic ever)

        -M

      3. See now, I see Dwane Wade coming out doing air guitar to Jimi Hendrix while holding the championship trophy he already won, LeBron spray-painting on Derrik Rose's prone body, and Bosh is like Syxx Pac….just kinda there in the background.

      4. LBJ has to be Hogan because he was the hometown boy that did a huge heel turn and joined the faction ran by Pat Riley (of all people) and was then basically "I turned my back on them because I want to win championships, brother".

        Not to mention that this was a secret plan that was originally hatched like 2 years prior. LBJ was the 3rd man.

      5. But see Wade's the only one who's actually carried the big belt before, so that's why I see him as Hogan.

  11. @everyone
    Transcendent Man available for Neflix Streaming. I’d recommend it for anyone who understands Moore’s law or loves scifi/tech

  12. @Ray – I'm shocked we didn't get a story about Hulk Hogan's Kinect game today.

      1. OF COURSE it sounds like garbage. That's why it's so awesome. Besides, any opportunity to mock the Hulkster by breaking out the pic of him with Pikachu shouldn't be missed.

  14. So I was okay with Sony's outage before because I wasn't playing games all that much. I played a TON this weekend. Now I am getting irked at not having the store to get my demos and free games. The deal they keep talking about becomes much less impressive with each passing day.

    I am using the hell out of Netflix instant on my PS3. I am watching things I either missed out on or things I would never rent/buy, like stand-up comedy, independent films, and tv shows (invader Zim is pretty cool….for a Nickelodeon production)

    Speaking of independent films. I was recommended a movie by someone. We sat down to watch it and were taken aback by the sheer amount of nudity and sex. And it isn't HBOish sex, it shows EVERYTHING. So if you want to see it its called "9 Songs".

      2. Yeah, I still need 2 trophies (aside from the DLC trophies I can't get yet) though.

        I started playing the Fallout New Vegas Honest Hearts expansion last night for something to do while I wait.

        I tried going back to DCU… but the repetitiveness of that game is crippling me. I think I'm done with MMO's until a new format besides raid, raid, raid, raid, repeat is established.

  15. A combination of strong defense and bad shooting is making this an…interesting game. The casual viewer is probably bored, but I'm enjoying Dallas' zone defense and Miami's help defense.

  16. Meh. Miami had better rebounding and the better bench tonight. I'm not confident that Dallas will get another chance like this on the road. They could of had the game if someone stepped up.

    1. Dallas had a horrible night shooting. They missed a lot of shots they made all post season. I still think mavs win the series.

      2. This is true. There is absolutely no excuse for missing shots under the rim or within a foot of the basket. Wade missing dunks is totally unacceptable.

        However, it may all be part of what I mentioned in my post below (my first musing).

        -M

  17. Aww, shucks. Looks like my prediction of Dallas in 4 was wrong. Ha, ha, ha!

    I just got back from the game now and I have a few musings:

    I'm almost beginning to believe that the Heat put on a show of struggling throughout the game only to light up the scoreboard in the last few minutes of the game in order to make it a more exciting game. I've seen them do this quite a few times. I think they are trying to give everyone at the arena their money's worth and leading by 20 points for most of the game would make for a boring basketball game.

    I'm a bit concerned about Bosh's constant hesitation for this game. He's usually more fluid than that.

    Dirk is a machine from the free-throw line. I didn't even bother yelling when he was at the line because I knew he wouldn't miss. He's still the scariest player on that team (in more ways than one).

    I love how the crowd heckles the crap out of Charles Barkely because of his comments he made about the Heat. You should hear some of the things that are shouted and chanted at him while they are rolling the cameras. I wonder how they edit that out.

    Why is it that Mark Cuban is dressed like a bum with jeans and a grey Mavs t-shrt while everyone around him is wearing fancy suits? He looks so out of place. Oh well. I guess if you have that kind of money, you really couldn't care less.

    -M

  18. On my way to the Heat game. Anybody want to make any requests of what I should yell and when?

    -M

    1. Yeah, I was waiting for that. You can't even imagine how bad the air got sucked out of the arena last night. It's funny because at 7 minutes left in the game, my wife turns to me and says: "It's over." I then immediately tell her that "No, there's still plenty of time left and Dallas can easily sink a couple of 3-point baskets and get back in the game. Besides, notice how whenever Dallas calls time out, the Heat always go cold afterwards."

      Damn, I hate being right. I gave my wife such a dirty look after the game was over as if she jinxed it.

      Anyway, I take comfort from two things:

      1) I never had any such fantasies in my head of the Heat winning four straight games in this series.

      2) Dallas did not beat the Heat, Miami beat themselves. They had the game won and they shot themselves in the foot by not closing the game. It's happend plenty of times before during the regular season. They can bounce back from that, so I'm not too worried. The bigger concern I have is playing three straight games in Dallas. It's going to be tough, but Miami is a great team and has a lot of talent, so I know they can win out.

      I really wish that the Heat would have picked another game to honor Shaquille O' Neil with their crappy free throws yesterday.

      -M

      1. You can argue that in game 1 with Dallas only shooting 37% that Miami nabbed that game with LeBron's above avg 3pt shooting. Really Miami's above avg arc shooting lol.

      2. Isn't it amazing how critical games are decided by how well (or poorly) a team performs at the free throw line? It's crazy.

        LeBron is a forward, so it's kind of atypical of him to get 3-point shots, but hey, we'll take what we can get. I don't know what the hell happened to Bosh and Miller yesterday, but they better get their act together real quick. I've bitched and complained all season that Bosh is so damn inconsistent sometimes.

        -M

      3. I thought Bosh was overrated in Toronto, and I think he's overrated in Miami. I don't see any part of his game being top tier in the NBA. I'm not calling the guy a scrub, but I don't think he is in the same class as Wade and James.

        Yeah the FT line is a make or break when you look at the numbers. I think in one of the OKC games that Dallas had nearly 40 attempts at the line. That is insane if you consider half went to Dirk.

  20. How about them Heat?

    Ok, so game 3 was a really ugly win, but a win is a win. Miami is developing a penchant for causing mild heart attacks in their fans at the end of their games. They REALLY need to stop giving up 15-point leads like that. There is no excuse for that.

    Bosh is still hesitating on shots he should normally take, but he did do better last night than he did in game 2, so I guess that's a mild improvement.

    Also, Mario Chalmers is the man. I'd give him the MVP trophy if I wasn't so sure that Wade or LeBron would get it.

    @MJ vs. LBJ; Ok, LeBron is way too clumsy to be compared to MJ. He may be a good shooter and get some great blocks here and there, but MJ was smooth and fluid while LBJ looks like a three-legged elephant on ice skates the way he moves with the ball and travles all the time. (Yes, I know he travels all the time and only gets called out for it about half the time). That double dribble call on him yesterday was stupid.

    -M

  22. Don't want to hear ti… I just don't want to hear it.

    I guess the entire rest of the country got what it wished for.

    Hope you're happy, &#@*%!

    -M

    2. Ah I feel so good about the MAVS I feel like the C's won the championship!

      Miami strait gave up with 7 minutes left on the clock.

      I feel for House and Wade I really like those guys. I like Bosh as well but LBJ is like a poison in my eyes. Put Amore or Melo in LBJ's place and the Heat would be champs now.

      1. I wonder if you'd be singing a different tune had LBJ ended up in Boston and made it past the second round.

        -M

      2. Nah I genuinely don't like the guys actions, I didn't even want Shaq! But I don't make the moves lol.

      3. Well, reality is they didn't have the cap room for LeBron in Boston anyway, so it's kinda a silly argument. Even still, giving your hometown team the middle finger on live TV is either petty & callous, or shows a supreme lack of intelligence. In either case, it's not good. Add in the fact he has always wilted when it's mattered most and that's not the kind of guy you want on your team.

      5. He absolutely makes teams better overall. But he’s a liability in the clutch. Always has been.

      6. Sure, but you’d still want him on your team. In his current situation, Wade can be the man in clutch time. He can also grow out of his wilting ways.

    1. I never really thought it was much of an argument. The ones that will keep it alive will point to the fact that LeBron is still young. Wasn't Jordan 27 when he won his first ring?

      1. 28. However Jordan never looked that pedestrian or helpless in the big stage appearances he had prior to winning 6 rings

      3. I thought he was 28 when he did, the point being time is running out for LBJ to be in the Jordan table talk.

        He is a very skilled athlete and a freakishly amazing basketball player, but isn’t clutch in crunch time like Wade or even Dirk for that matter.

      4. One of the interesting arguments I've heard is that LeBron is so talented that he never developed a go-to move. I'm not sure if I buy it, but it's interesting.

      5. That is an interesting theory but It is kind of contradictory. If he is so talented he doesn't need a "go to" move, but I fully get where that thought is coming from.

      6. Wait what? He's so talented he doesn't know which talent to use? That sounds like hog wash. The guy is physically gifted and shots just fall for him like Kobe. Unlike Kobe though Lebron's basketball IQ seems to be in question.

      8. Driving to the lane to draw a foul? That's Rose's move as well. Lebron just gave up and dumped it off to Juann Howard last night a few times. Even Chalmers didn't dish it to James on a fast break. I think the guy is hiding some VY type of mental problems or something. The big stage is too much for him.

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