One game away for the Heat!

Dwayne "Flash" Wade dunks one over the Mavericks. His critical free throws with 1.9 seconds left in overtime has Miami within one win of its first NBA title ever! It's exciting for me - I've waited a long time to see Miami win a title, but to be honest, I'm distracted with a potential Oiler Stanley Cup. However, I do tune in to watch. I'm just not up out of my chair flipping out over calls, victories, mistakes, defeats, etc. But, it's fun. I'd be a lot more excited if the Oilers were eliminated from the playoffs, but with the Cup run, the NBA takes a back seat, no question.

It will be cool to see Shaq win his 4th title (always been a big fan of his!), Riley's 5th, and Wade's first.

Pat directing the troops. It's amazing to see him having success after all of these years. (He hasn't won an NBA title on any level since 1988; ironically, that's the year the Heat came into the league.) He's still the master; he knows what he's doing, even when everyone else thinks he doesn't. Miami's playoff run has been improbable this year, just like Edmonton's has, but the Oilers run has been a far bigger surprise. At least Miami made the Conference Finals last year - Edmonton had not been that far in the playoffs in 14 years.

One other quick note on this series. Above is Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Is there a bigger douche in all of sports, owner or otherwise? This is an NBA owner, wearing a jersey to a game! He's reason enough to root against whoever the Mavs are playing. What a smackdass.

Go Heat!

And the Heat makes 2

I saw it, but I still can't believe it; the Miami Heat, in the NBA Finals for the first time in history. I guess it's even a little more unbelievable, because I've never had two of my favorite sports teams make it to their championship game/series in the same year. The early 1990s is probably the closest I came, when the Cowboys dynasty was just starting and the Oilers run was ending. It will be a busy next few weeks, rooting for the Oilers and the Heat.

I've always been a Shaq fan, and to see him blossoming with Dwayne Wade is pretty cool to see. What's really sweet about the Heat, and Oilers, is that both runs are both so improbable. At the beginning of the NBA and NHL playoffs, outside of Miami and Edmonton, you could not find ONE person in the media who picked either team to even reach the championship round, much less win it all. Terry Jones, a columnist for The Edmonton Sun, didn't even pick the Oilers to get past Detroit, predicting Detroit in 6. I'm very proud of both teams, regardless of whether they win titles or not.

It's also sweet to see Pat Riley reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years. He's probably my favorite NBA coach ever (there's just something about Phil Jackson that I dislike, even though he's won many more titles than Riles). There's just something about Riley I've always admired. And, since I have an innate tendency to root for the underdog, of course it's also super sweet that Riley returned to the bench after Stan Van Gundy stepped down early this season. He was lambasted in the media; just crucified. The heat the Riley came under was hotter than South Beach asphalt after Van Gundy stepped down. He had to endure rumors that SVG was "fired," "pushed aside," and a host of other unsavory phrases. And, as I've mentioned, Miami was given no chance this year with all the changes that Riley the GM made - bringing in Jason Williams, Gary Payton, bringing back 'Zo, the list goes on and on. Looks like Shaq has a little gas left in the tank after all.

It's pretty damn sweet that Miami went through Detroit to get to the Finals, too. It's tough to overstate how favored Detroit was in this series - they won 64 games this past season. And Miami came so damn close vs. Detroit last year - taking the Pistons to game 7. As Wade said last night following the game, it wouldn't have felt right if they would have made it all the way to the Finals without going through Detroit. And how can you not root for Alonzo Morning? His career has been nothing short of remarkable, having recovered from a potentially life-threatening kidney disease. He's a man's man and one helluva warrior.

It will be no small feat beating whoever Miami faces in the Finals - Dallas or Phoenix will make a very tough opponent indeed. But, as I've written, I'm so happy that the Oilers and Heat are in the finals; if they win, they win, and if they don't, they don't. Both teams are brimming with winners as far as I'm concerned.

One other quick thought - what a shitty year for Detroit! The Pistons? Mowed down by the Heat. The Red Wings? Slapped silly by the Oilers. Hell, even GM, Ford and Chrysler are going broke. (I'm not making fun of the Big 3 - I really hope they can turn it around; GM still may go bankrupt.) The Tigers had better look out for my baseball team, the Red Sox, the way my luck is going. I don't think the Cowboys have to worry about the Lions, though.

But, since my luck with sports teams is so high this year, I wonder... is this the year of the Cowboy? More on that in a minute.

The Heat is on!

Now those are cool pictures of one of the NBA's brightest young stars, Miami's Dwayne Wade, a.k.a. "Flash." I love the Heat, and I love cooler sports shots even more.

I still can't believe it, but for the first time ever, the Miami Heat could make it to the NBA Finals tonight. They are giving the Detroit Pistons fits. I'm a bit surprised by this, and I've previously blogged. The Pistons are the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champions, and I wasn't sure the Heat would have the gas to get past them in these playoffs. They still haven't, but they have to win one game in the next three to get there, and I sure like their chances of doing just that.

I've been a Miami fan since 1988, and there have only ever been three things to cheer about, in this order: 1. getting Pat Riley, 2. trading for Shaq, and 3. Drafting Dwayne Wade. Notice there is no mention of playoff success on that list, but that could all change this year.

It's also exciting for me on another note - I've never had two of my favorite teams play for their respective league's championship in the same season. This year, the Oilers are there, and the Heat could be on their way. Wow - I still can't believe it. I've always been a huge Shaq fan, so seeing him get another chance at a rock would be great, but seeing Miami get its first title would be very memorable and cool. I still think this series could go long, though. Detroit will not go easily.

One more cool picture...

Don't worry kid, I'll get you a fat bling ring when we get past these Pistons!

Go Heat!

Heat's cookin'

I'm a little overdue to talk about my other, "forgotten" team that has moved deep in the playoffs - the Miami Heat. To be honest, of all four major professional sports in North America, basketball is my 4th favorite. Family and close friends know that I've been a Miami fan since 1988, when they came into the league. They've never won anything, and I'm not sure if this will be the year that they do. I'm not a "frontrunner" or "bandwagon" Miami fan (incidentally, I hate the word bandwagon - so trite and hackneyed in sports fandom), but I'm not a crazed NBA fan, either.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited that they might make it to the NBA Finals for the first time ever, but getting past Detroit is a tall order indeed. Last night's victory was a start, but I think this is going to be one long series. The Miami fan in me says Shaq will get his 4th ring this year and his first with the Heat, but the realist in me says that Detroit is going to be very difficult to beat, and the Pistons will probably win this very close series. I hope I'm wrong though and that Miami takes the Pistons out.

Hopefully Edmonton will close out their series vs. the Ducks tomorrow night so I can watch some of the Heat games more closely. I'm very busy these days and haven't had a whole lot of time for basketball. Hockey gets all the spare time first - hockey will always be #1.

Anyway...

GO HEAT!