Miami Heat take NBA Championship amid controversy
Let's get this out of the way first: Congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning the franchise's first NBA title in history. Dwyane Wade was spectacular again, and walked away with his first title and the Finals MVP trophy (much deserved). It's clear that Shaq is no longer the dominant force in the league and Wade is establishing himself as one of the elite players in the game. He elevated his game to another level in the NBA Finals.
There were questionable calls at the end of the game, such as Wade's elbow to the face of Dirk Nowitzki, or the holding call on Jason Terry's final shot (Payton holding jersey). Arguing these incidents is futile, but I think it's pretty clear that the referees have been giving the Heat the benefit of the doubt on all calls since at least Game 4.
Now to the juicy stuff... Miami DID NOT deserve to win the championship in 6 games.
I have no problems with any of the games except Game 5, which the referees single-handedly handed to the Heat via the charity stripe. Game 3 was a blown opportunity for the Mavs; they had the Heat on the ropes and blew it. No argument there... In Game 6, the Mavs again failed to deliver when it counted and ended up w/out their first championship or a Game 7. This series should be 3-3 right now w/ a Game 7 on Thursday - instead, Miami wakes up this morning w/ a new trophy in their grasp.
Game 5, based on the number of foul shot attempts alone, is a horrid example of the referees making calls for one team over another. I watched the majority of the game and Dallas was no-less aggressive at attacking the basket as the Heat were. Dwyane Wade played great, but 25 free throws for him compared to just 25 for the entire Mavs squad? Give me a break. Dallas was employing the Hack-A-Shaq strategy, but that only led to O'Neal visiting the stripe 12 times. I recall only 5 specific instances where they grabbed Shaq on purpose before he even had the ball (that's 10 of 12 foul shots).
I don't know the stats well enough, but I'll bet a team shooting 65% from the free throw line hasn't beaten a team shooting 84% (over 15 free throws minimum). The refs simply put Wade on the line enough to keep the Heat in the game. The Mavs kept fouling Shaq, but he shot 2 for 12... how could they stay in the game w/ him missing all those FT's? Again, put Wade on the line enough times (he is their best FT shooter), stop the clock, and watch the Heat catchup.
Had the referees not put the Heat on the line (2-to-1) for the game, there's no way that Miami is even in the game and Dallas wins it. The series should be 3-3 w/ a Game 7 in Dallas.
I have no bias for either team - had Miami been playing anyone else (except Suns) I would've been rooting for them. Had they won w/out the questionable referee involvement, I would be happy for the Heat and wouldn't say a word.
Mark Cuban had some things to say after the loss... I think he played it safely because he is an NBA owner and could risk losing his team or other consequences if he crosses the line too far.
Just an honest sports fan's opinion... Go Suns in 2006-2007.