Baseball betting will now take center stage as the Stanley Cup Finals winds down and the NBA Finals have concluded, but take a moment to reflect on one of the most intriguing matchups in the NBA in recent years, and the end to a wild season which ended with Dallas avenging their 2006 loss to Miami. Here is why the Mavericks came out on top. Dirk Nowitzki This is a no-brainer; Nowitzki was the best player in the series, although Miami’s Dwyane Wade did all he could to keep the Heat in it, but he was certainly better than LeBron James, who was invisible when it came to crunch time. He did get a lot of help from his role players, but when it comes to the Finals, you need your best players to be just that, and Nowitzki erased any talk of him being soft with his MVP performance. For years, Nowitzki was similar to an online horse betting option in that he had all the talent in the world, but came up short down the stretch. Now, he’s a Finals MVP and an NBA champion that will likely end up in the Hall of Fame. Pushing The Pace For the first four games of this series, these two played more of a Miami-style game, playing in the mid-80s to mid-90s. The Mavericks ramped up the tempo in the final two games of the series, scoring over 100 in both games, which is a phenomenal feat as the Heat have been one of the best defensive teams in the league all season. Those making NFL picks would compare this to a team forcing their opponents, who like to run the ball, to play a passing game, and the Mavericks did an excellent job of imposing their will on the Heat. Rick Carlisle A big reason for that is Carlisle, who outcoached Miami counterpart Erik Spoelstra with his adjustments. Carlisle and his staff made some adjustments in the second half of the series, and their ball movement was much more crisp. He also inserted J.J. Barea into the lineup to give the Mavericks more pace, and the Heat never figured out how to deal with him as Barea averaged 16 points over the final two games of the series. Meanwhile, Spoelstra never made any changes and always told his players to just do what they normally do, and you have to be flexible enough to go away from your comfort areas at this point in the season. Carlisle is now the 11th man to win the title as a player and coach (Carlisle played for the 1986 champion Boston Celtics), but he doesn’t plan on resting on his laurels; look for Dallas to be a popular option at your favorite online betting sites next year.
