Michael Finley #4 Appreciation Thread - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

chumdawg · 08-31-2005, 11:14 PM

Very well put, FFM. Very well put. I suspect that Nash and Dirk both owe a debt of gratitude to Mike for his direction.

And I suspect that they know it.

alby · 08-31-2005, 11:18 PM

Thank you Michael Finley for being there when times were bad and bringing the franchise/city into respectability. Sorry your time with the Mavericks ended the way it did, but sometimes storybook endings don't and should not always occur in sports. Good luck with the Spurs, I will be rooting for you except during the times when you play my beloved Mavs. See you guys in the second round.

go mavs

FilthyFinMavs · 08-31-2005, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: chumdawg
Very well put, FFM. Very well put. I suspect that Nash and Dirk both owe a debt of gratitude to Mike for his direction.

And I suspect that they know it.

Yea I think Dirk and Nash give Fin his due for that. I think the fans are the one who seem to overlook it.

alby · 08-31-2005, 11:29 PM

As a professional athlete, that is all he should be caring about anyways. The respect from his colleagues.

jleefilled · 10-29-2005, 03:33 AM

Took me a long time to bring myself to post here cause the man made me bitter by going to the Spurs, but I guess I'm over it. Fin's last preseason game reminded me of his greatness when he is on. 5 for 9 from the field, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a couple of steals -- all in 33 minutes. Not his best by any stretch, but it is preseason. He always had me believing in him to the very last day he was a Mav. As I reflect, I feel kind of sad because I recall how many times I felt his "stepping back" kind of took away from his game. Dirk wasn't the only one getting better year by year. Finley may have been the epitome of what we call a player with good work ethic. I believe his three point field goal percentage of the last couple of years atests to this. When he was on, he was an outright star on the court. No one can take that away from him. He always had me hoping that one day he would be a player that was always "on". For some reason, he hasn't yet become that player. I always felt it was a confidence issue with Fin. I feel like if Fin had T-mac's confidence, he would probably get HOF recognition at the end of his career. I still think it's possible. He's an assasin so even when he does lose his athleticism, he'll still be able to reggie miller-it 'til he's finished playing. Anyway, here's to the man who brought me to tears by his play in that do-or-die game in Utah back in 2001. I'll never forget when he hit that impossible fade-away shot over the outstretched hands of Olden Polynice. Afterward, he pumped his fists and you could read his lips saying 'thank you'. I always believed he was saying 'thank you' to God after that shot. He was the ultimate underdog. And I love the underdogs. He was ridiculed by hall of famers, and he made those hall of famers eat their words. God bless him.

dude1394 · 10-29-2005, 10:34 AM

I'm done with him, he's a damn spur for goodness sakes. Maybe I can get little nicky to lean over and F'em for me. He's done.

Bookit · 10-29-2005, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: dude1394
I'm done with him, he's a damn spur for goodness sakes. Maybe I can get little nicky to lean over and F'em for me. He's done.

[img]i/expressions/thumbsup.gif[/img]

alby · 10-29-2005, 12:05 PM

this thread should be deleted

or be put in around the nba =]

#1MavsFan · 10-30-2005, 12:01 AM

nice post jleefilled and why does it say you have 0 posts [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

Quote:

As a professional athlete, that is all he should be caring about anyways. The respect from his colleagues.

He's been had that but what amazes me is how the fans here can literally hate him when he is probably the one that’s most responsible for getting us to a championship level team.

bernardos70 · 10-30-2005, 12:29 AM

Thank you Michael Finley, for sticking around when no one wanted to play for the Mavs, and helping take it to the level it is today. Seeing those pics make me miss him now [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

EricaLubarsky · 10-30-2005, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: FilthyFinMavs
I said I would stay away from this thread but what the hell. I can't let this thread die down. I think its a f$%king disgrace that there are only 37 replies in this thread but we can give 60+ to a Najera or Jason Terry appreciation thread. Unbelievable

I think the reason why there were only 37 replies here is the posters that gave everyone a bitter taste in their mouth. Most people appreciate Finley. Very few people were motivated after all this disgusting drama that has taken place over the last couple of months.

chumdawg · 10-30-2005, 01:18 AM

The order of people I want to see win a championship, because I think they deserve it the most for what they have done for the Dallas Mavericks franchise I have loved for twenty years:

1) Michael Finley - Perhaps along with Rolando Blackman, the most "professional" player to ever wear the Mavericks jersey. Probably gets the nod for the reason that it was more difficult to make a pretty face of a moribund, dreadfully embarrassing team like the one Finley came to than it was a young expansion team like the one Blackman was on. Based on his contributions to the franchise, the most deserving Maverick (past or present) of the ultimate recognition of his career. Extra credit for his fierce competitiveness and his extraordinary ability to lead off the court while stepping back on the court so other talents could thrive, yet step up himself and carry the team on his back at crucial times. If the current iteration of the Mavericks were to win a title, he would receive a share.

2) Steve Nash - The only Maverick to have been recognized as the league's Most Valuable Player. And even still, probably underappreciated for his contributions to arguably the best team in Mavericks history. Was the straw that stirred that drink, if you will, the salsa on that burrito. Like the top choice, always a good guy on and off the court. Played for under market value his last few years here and never complained about it. Extra credit for making Dallas fans forget about Jason Kidd. Might be third or fourth on list, but gets bumped to this spot by way of spite points, as Mavericks ownership did not extend him the same loyalty he extended to the franchise.

3) Dirk Nowitzki - Arguably the most talented player in Mavericks history. Would rank higher on this list if he seemed to want a championship for Dallas as much or more than he wants a championship for himself or his country. But the best, and only, chance for the current Mavericks iteration to win a championship, so the place holds.

4) Don Nelson - Edges Dick Motta as the best coach in Mavericks history for the fact that he did more with less. Unconventional designs and willing to take huge risks rocketed the Mavericks from national laughingstock to national prominence. Gets extra credit since the current iteration of the Mavs still bears his unmistakable stamp in the form of Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Marquis Daniels. Would be a top of the list if he were still coaching.

5) Donn Nelson - A quiet, but irreplacable, contributor to the success of the last several years. Extensive contacts around the league and around him the world make him perhaps the most valuable of all Mavericks going forward. Rising talent, and a championship under his watch would go a long toward keeping him here for a good, long while.

MrCheerios · 10-30-2005, 01:24 AM

Do most people really appreciate Fin? I feel that he's the least respected out of the big three. He certainly gets the least gratitude considering he stayed on board when we were the laughing stock of the nba. Just a show of hands, who here would still cut Fin with the amnesty? And who here wouldn't?

jleefilled · 10-30-2005, 02:01 AM

#1MavsFan: nice post jleefilled and why does it say you have 0 posts

thanks #1MavsFan, I decided to go with a different user name than the JLEEHASMUCHGAME thingy b/c I just got sick of seeing all those capital letters.

mr. cheerios, that is a tough question for me to answer. can I get back to you after this year? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]