Mavs success in NBA Finals against Heat hinges on defense, bench

Dirk Nowitzki will lead the Mavs, but he will need a lot of help to defeat the Heat and win the NBA Finals.

The Miami Heat trio has been an unstoppable force, with Chris Bosh producing alongside the duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Yet, despite the team’s superb record during the regular season and their success in the playoffs, their lack of production outside these three players could catch up to them against one of the deeper teams in the NBA, their Finals opponent, the Dallas Mavericks.

That said, the thin supporting cast hasn’t mattered for the Heat, and, considering the lack of pleasing options the Mavericks have defensively, yet another team will have a difficult time stopping James and Wade especially. There is reason to believe star Dirk Nowitzki can handle Bosh defensively, but no one else stands out as the Big Three’s superior.

JJ Barea is fast but too small to defend Wade, while fellow guards Jason Terry and Jason Kidd have never been renowned for stopping the opposition. DeShawn Stevenson has, and could frustrate Wade, but even he has had enough lapses in these playoffs to cause concern. Nonetheless, he will be one of their more important players defensively, especially given the injured Caron Butler isn’t expected to be ready to return.

Regarding Stevenson, there is the intriguing thought of him matching up against James, given their much-publicized feud years ago when his Wizards routinely did battle with James’ Cavaliers. That said, though Stevenson will surely be motivated, James also has a good memory, and is still too big, too strong, and too fast for him. I’m sure Stevenson can’t wait to take his cracks at him, but that certainly doesn’t seem like the mindset the rest of the Mavericks guards and forwards have.

Dallas may be able to make up for the matchup problems defensively. Any attempt to do so begins with Nowitzki, who has been much more than a fourth-quarter hero. With an unguardable shot, and an increasingly aggressive attitude, he will have to match the intensity of both Wade and James.

The length of Marion and center Tyson Chandler should be able to frustrate Wade and James, considering they certainly were maddening for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Yet, the Thunder’s duo isn’t on the level of Wade and James. This is why, ultimately, the only realistic chance Dallas has to stop them is to outscore them.

That said, in the success of Wade and James lies Miami’s problem. These two and, lately, Bosh carry so much of the load for a reason. Their supporting cast, overall, is dreadful. They are veteran-laden, but the two reserves who can even be considered scorers–Mike Bibby and Mike Miller–are far too streaky to be consistently counted on. Yet, they find other ways to affect the game. What everyone not named Wade, James, and Bosh particularly excels at is defensive, which is reason why the Heat have been able to prevail in many low-scoring games.

Given the Heat’s mighty trio has scored an average 68 of their 92 points per game this postseason, making sure no one else catches fire while getting efficient, consistent production from a far better supporting cast are the keys for the Mavericks, a team looking for revenge against a franchise that took the ultimate trophy in their 2007 Finals battle.

The aforementioned Barea has energized the group as the widely believed pesky gnat who just won’t go away. While he has breezed by defenders for layup after layup, Marion has had a reawakening offensively, reverting back to his glory days with the Phoenix Suns. He has also been aggressive around the basket. Sixth-man extraordinaire Jason Terry, in necessary contrast, scores from all distances and angles, tallying the second-most points this postseason for the Mavericks.

These three players are in a groove offensively, combining to average 37 points in the playoffs, but for Dallas to really outplay the trio-less Heat, Peja Stojakovic needs to look for his shot more. Throughout his career this hasn’t been asked of him, as one of the best and most prolific outside shooters ever. Still equipped with a quick release and perhaps the prettiest follow-through I have seen, he has played around 20 minutes per game but has only taken an average of six shots against the Thunder.

The Mavericks didn’t necessarily need to look to him all that often because Nowitzki, Terry, Marion, and Barea provided were so deadly. That said, Stojakovic and Kidd were infuriating in the opening round series against Portland, combining with the other four to overwhelm the Blazers. Gerald Wallace and LaMarcus Aldridge, and Durant and Westbrook are not on the same level as James and Wade. This will be a whole new beast for the Mavericks, which is why everyone has to assert themselves offensively to consistently keep the Heat on their toes defensively.

Despite the discrepancy in production by the supporting casts thus far, this will surely be a down-to-the-wire, very intriguing series. Does Miami have enough defense to keep the large collection of Dallas’s producers at bay? Do the Mavericks have a prolonged answer for James or Wade? Will Terry’s October trophy tattoo turn out to be a good investment?

These questions, and many more, will be answered soon enough. The NBA Finals are about to begin.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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