Found this from digging around Mav817s earlier posted link....
http://www.dannyb.info/category/donaghys-blog/
Donaghy’s Blog
The Key to This Series Is…
May 27, 2011 | Author admin
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy shares his thoughts, musings and insights. Check out his book, “Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA.”
And the winner is …..
Like Groundhog Day, all over again, The Miami Heat are going up against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. In 2006, The Heat won the Championship, four games to two, and Mark Cuban has been chafing every day since then. But this year, only time will tell if Dirk Nowitski and company can shut down the Dream Team. And while 2006 marked the year where LeBron James made his own Playoff debut with the Cavs, some say this year might have him walking away with a new shiny ring on his finger.
This matchup is turning into David Stern’s worst nightmare, as the league knows that Mark Cuban is going to be watching the officials like a hawk. Any call that does not comply with the officiating rules, as written, will be met with a huge outcry from the entire city of Dallas generally, and from Mark Cuban, specifically and loudly. Cuban will simultaneously bitch about botched calls and point out missed calls to anyone who will listen. Stern is already losing sleep over how to keep Cuban quiet.
The owner of the Heat, Mickey Arison, has Stern’s private cell phone number, and Stern always takes his call. Cuban, on the other hand, is dealt with by other league executives who can talk in circles without giving him a real answer to the hard questions. If Cuban ever did reach Stern, I imagine the conversation going something like this:
Cuban: Hey David, LeBron took three steps before he shot the winning basket!
Stern: C’mon, Mark, James is a global icon.
Cuban: David, you turd, I was screwed in 2006, cut me some slack here.
Stern: Oh Mark, don’t worry, just as I took care of Cleveland this year at the Lottery… once you learn to shut up, I’ll take care of you, too!
The way I see it, the edge goes to each team evenly, but for different reasons:
The Fans: Dallas has the edge, as the fans are both extremely knowledgeable and vocal, and the memory of 2006 is fresh in their minds.
The Owners: Miami gets the edge, as Stern does not like Cuban’s behavior. Stern will hand out fines like candy just to show everyone who is boss. Watch the front office stay very close to the officials.
The Starters: Miami has this edge with star treatment flowing to Wade and James.
The Bench: Dallas gets this edge, since Miami’s weakest link is their bench.
The Coach: Dallas has the edge with experience.
The key to this series is going to be the officiating, from start to finish. Miami’s physical style of defense always challenges the rules and if they are allowed to be as aggressive using their hands on defense, it’s going to be hard for Dallas to compete. If the rules are fairly applied and enforced the way they are written, Dallas has the best chance of a ring in the history of the franchise! And unlike 2006, any way you slice it, I don’t see Dwyane Wade walking off with the MVP title again. So, I say Dallas in 7.