The Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks will play each other for the 2006 NBA championship. With Shaq and Dwayne Wade being fan favorites and big time product endorsers it seems that everyone thinks they will win but when you look at the match ups for the series it is obvious that the Mavericks have the edge. The Mavericks are faster, younger, and deeper. They have Dirk which no one on the Miami Heat can guard. They also have Josh Howard, which no one on the Heat can guard. Analyzing their bench, they have a quick young point guard, Devin Harris, that can take advantage of Gary Payton on offense, assuming he is not in the starting lineup. Throw in Jerry Stackhouse and he can easily take advantage of the Heat's second unit. Not to mention Daniels, Armstrong, and Dampier. Now when you talk about the Heat they have the advantage at center with Shaq and at shooting guard with Wade but after that they fall off dramatically. Walker is a good player but he will be matched up against Josh Howard and that will be tough for him. Jason Williams has been inconsistent and is not a great defender. He was in foul trouble often during the Detroit series. Getting in foul trouble this series will mean Payton will have to play more which will only hurt the Heat. The only way for the Heat to win this series is to stay out of foul trouble and get more from their bench, which is not likely to happen. |
