NBA PM: Dirk, LeBron Set the Tone
Injured fingers and fevers be damned.
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki told reporters that he’s healthy and ready for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. And seeing as how this is the last game of the season in Dallas, win or lose, the seven-footer is treating is as a do-or-die situation.
“You don’t want to give them two chances to close it out at home, so this is our Game 7 and the last home game for this year in this building,” Nowitzki told reporters including Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. “It should be a great atmosphere and hopefully we can pull it out.”
As for his various health concerns, Nowitzki isn’t actually concerned at all.
“The main thing is the fever is gone,” he continued. “There’s nothing to ever worry about other than that. The cough, the sniffles or whatever, all of that doesn’t matter. That’s something you just play through.”
For the Mavericks, Brendan Haywood (hip flexor) will be a game-time decision while Shawn Marion (calf) has said he’s ready to go.
Miami, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from a disappointing Game 4 loss in which LeBron James scored only eight points.
“I understand what is at stake,” James told reporters, including Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “This is a big game, probably the biggest game of my life. I’m approaching it that way. Not probably, it is.
“I’m my own critic,” he continued. “You’ve got to go out and do it yourself.”
James posted “Now or Never!!” on his Twitter page this morning.
Tip-off is at 9 p.m. on ABC.
LeBron Has Bounced Back Before
Judging from America’s collective whiplash, you would have assumed LeBron James’ Game 4 performance was the first time he struggled on a big stage. Of course, with four rounds in every postseason and as many as seven games per round, James has had ample opportunity to pitch a few stinkers in the postseason. Particularly during his time with the Cavaliers, when he didn’t have many teammates worth guarding, defenses occasionally had their way with James. Simply put, he hasn’t been an MVP in every single playoff game, and that’s not likely to change.
But even if James has made just seven of his last 25 field goal attempts and accumulated a paltry 25 points in Games 3 and 4 combined, there’s some evidence to suggest an imminent turnaround.
Here are a few examples of how James has responded in the playoffs:
How did James Respond?: Over the next four games—three of which were won by the Cavaliers, who went on to lose to the Pistons in the second round—James averaged 39 PPG while hitting 58 of 99 of his field goal attempts (58.6%). His best came in an overtime Game 5 victory when he finished with 45 points by muscling in a game-winning layup with 0.9 seconds remaining. At the time, it was considered James’ signature shot.May 21, 2007: James scored only 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting in a Game 1 loss to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. While he did struggle to score, it should be noted that he was just an assist away from a triple-double and he finished with four steals and a block.
How did James Respond?:After a mediocre 19-point performance in a Game 2 loss, James helped the Cavaliers win four straight by averaging 35 PPG in Games 3, 4 and 5. His best came at the Palace in Auburn Hills when he dropped 48 points, nine boards and seven assists in a two-point double-overtime victory. Most people will remember that James scored the Cavaliers final 25 points, but not everyone knows how beaten he was afterward. Said James, “I’m banged up. I’m winded. I’m fatigued.”June 7, 2007: In his NBA Finals debut, James was held to just 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Cavaliers lost the first of four consecutive games to the Spurs.
How did James Respond?: While Cleveland was getting swept, James did play better in Games 2, 3 and 4, averaging 24.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 7.7 APG. Let’s face it. The Spurs were just a better team.
May 6, 2008: James commits 10 turnovers while scoring only 12 points in a 76-72 loss to the Celtics. James fell a rebound and an assist shy of a triple double, but seriously hurt the Cavaliers by missing all six of the 3-pointers he attempted.
How did James Respond?: James missed all four of his 3-point attempts while committing seven turnovers in the following contest, but he did manage to score 21 points in Games 2, 3 and 4 as the Cavaliers evened the series at two games a piece. Over the final three games of the series he scored 35, 32 and 45 points respectively, but the Cavs ultimately fell to the eventual champion Celtics. He averaged 26.7 PPG, 7.6 APG and 6.4 RPG for the series.
May 30, 2009: After averaging over 36 PPG in his first 13 playoff games in 2009, James and the top-seeded Cavaliers were eliminated by the Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. James scored just 25 points in the final game to go with seven boards and seven assists.
How did James Respond?: Without any way to redeem himself on the court, James made the regrettable decision of leaving without congratulating Orlando’s players or talking to the media. In retrospect, this was perhaps the worst possible response.
May 11, 2010: With the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Cavaliers and Celtics tied at two games apiece, James delivers an absolute dud in a Game 5 loss. He scored only 15 points and made just three of 14 field goal attempts as Boston took control of the series.
How did James Respond?: The Celtics finished off the Cavs in Game 6, but not for a lack of effort from James, who finished with a triple-double. He struggled to hit shots from the field (eight of 21), but he did get to the line where he made nine free throws to finish with 27 points. James also had 10 assists and a remarkable 19 rebounds. Unfortunately, outside of Mo Williams, the rest of the Cavaliers managed to combine for only 36 points. James held Boston’s Paul Pierce to 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, but the Celtics had four other players reach double figures in the nine-point win.
James hasn’t always immediately bounced back from a bad performance, however, he’s too good to keep down for too long. Things aren’t going his way now, and that might not change during Thursday’s Game 5 from Dallas, but sooner or later the two-time MVP is going to show.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Do the HEAT Need a Hug?
The Wall Street Journal‘s Scott Cacciola wrote about an interesting study on the relation between human contact and success. Three researchers California Berkeley—Michael W. Kraus, Cassy Huang and Dacher Keltner—wrote the piece, titled “Tactile Communication, Cooperation and Performance: An Ethological Study of the NBA,” to study the concept of team chemistry.
By logging games from the 2008-2009 season, they noticed a direct correlation between winning teams and affectionate teams. That year the Celtics and Lakers had two of the top three records in the league, and also happened to be the two touchiest teams as well. On the other hand, the Warriors were chasing mediocrity for much of the season, and the researchers didn’t even have to look at the standings to know that was the case.
“I remember when we started doing the coding, we were watching a Golden State Warriors game,” Kraus told the Journal. “They were pretty bad that year, and just watching them and their negative body language—I mean, we weren’t seeing any touching at all even in the first quarter. We immediately thought, ‘This is going to work.’”
Through the first three games of the NBA Finals, the Mavericks made human contact with each other (slaps, hugs, taps, etc.) 250 times, as opposed to just 134 times for the HEAT. Of course, Miami had the lead after the first three games, so maybe there isn’t a whole lot to read into right there.
Most importantly, correlation does not imply causation. Just because a winning team does one particular thing doesn’t mean that it has anything to do with that team’s record. Logically, players that win together are more likely to bump fists, slap hands or even jump into each others’ arms when the moment arises.
What do you think? Can winning come from good team chemistry or is good chemistry the result of winning? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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