MANY PROPS!!!!!!

[TheKid]

I wish LAMO was still here because I have a few things to say. Whereever he is, I know he's happy because I do know he's a Maverick fan. However I have to say this to all and anyone who has had something to say about Finley being a "solid" player and Dirk taking over this team!!! Last night showed everyone why Finley is and WILL be the leader of this team for sometime!!!!! The guy lastnight said to the team, "everyone get on my back, I'm taking you all somewhere?" However at the same time, HE NEVER lost confidence in his teammates, and that's what makes this guy so special! Dirk was broke, did he stop looking for him, NOPE!!!!

It's what I've been saying all year long, you can take all the stats you want but give me a winner anyday. Finley hasn't had the best stats all year, but guess what, when it counted HE STEPPED UP and big. Dare I say it, but his performance lastnight was "jordanesque"! I'm so hyped right now that I don't know what to do. I'm even more happy for Finley because maybe now he'll get the NATIONAL respect he deserves. I'm not taking anything away from what Nash or Dirk has done for this team, but FINLEY should get MAJOR props here.

I think he should be the MVP, even though BOOTH was SO FREAKIN HUGE lastnight. Actually the only consistent position in the entire series has been center. If it wasn't Bradley it was Booth and he was GOD lastnight in the fourth quarter!!!! However Finley is the man of the year right now in my eyes! I don't think anyone will agree with me, but he is the AMAZING!!!!!

[Murphy3]

thekid,
you're overlooking the fact that dirk did the same thing in the last two games,
you're overlooking the fact because it is convenient for you.
finley didn't show up until the third quarter of game four when he went nuts, but the mavs already had a solid lead because of the play of nash and dirk.

finley had a great series, but so did dirk
finley was key last night....but dirk and nash were the keys in games three and four (which were also elimination games).

so, i'm afraid that it might be a year, but dirk will be the best player on this team, and the playoffs aren't over yet.

do you remember in game three when it counted?
he managed 8 points.
i'm not saying he's not a great player, because he is. but your logic isn't solid

[ReggieThetaChi]

Murphy, in reference to your comment that Finley didn't show up and only scored 8 points. There is a quote that Vince Lombardi said "Great players aren't great all the time. They're great when the need to be". Finley didn't score much in Game three. But, his intangibles showed up. He played defense, he opened up the lane for Dirk to drive. By him simply being on the floor, he forced the Jazz to respect him, simply because he is one of those players who can explode at anytime and drop 4 consecutive threes on you. He made great passes, he set excellent screens, he played well. Did he shoot well, no, but I've played basketball my entire life, and I understand that scoring isn't everything.

I'm not detracting anything from Dirk or Nash or Juwan or the unlikely heroic combination Booth and Bradley. I am simply reinforcing that this was, is, and always will be Finley's team. Finley didn't have to be great offensively in game three. But, he did have to be outstanding in game four and five.
That right there, TheKid, is what makes Finley's performance Jordanesque.

[TheKid]

No, I'm not forgetting what they did at all. I've realized the difference in them lastnight. When Fin is off and not scoring, he shows up in other places. Do you remember in game three when I think Utah had a run and cut the lead, Finley came up with a big steal from Malone that lead to a break. He hit two clutch free throws that same game that raised the lead to three points. My point is that Dirk is a scorer, and when he doesn't score, his impact on the game is very limited in other areas. THAT'S why I'm skeptical in ready to pass the torch. Nash on the other hand, when he doesn't score he does make in impact on the game in other areas.

In saying that, don't get me wrong though, they're both important to the success of the team! However Fin's impact on that team has been FAR bigger (IMO) than an impact anyone else has had on this team. I'm really not into arguing this point right now because I'm sky high. I just had to voice my opinion! I think Fin made a statement lastnight and it was a big one. The Mavericks made a statement lastnight, and I'm just HYPED!!!

By the way, LONG LIVE MARK CUBAN!!!!

[Murphy3]

actually, dirk's turned into a very solid rebounder and a decent shot blocker.
he also received a vote for all defensive team.
my friend, you're biased opinion has caused your opinions to go astray.

i could also argue that it was dirk's third quarter fire and scoring that got the maverics going and was what was instrumental in getting the mavericks back into the game. that would be your type of logic with finley.

the bottom line is that finley is the best player on the team right now.. but that is very likely to change in the near future.
i do not know why you get offended by people stating otherwise because it is in the mavericks best interest for dirk to continue to get better and become the mavericks top player.

[Murphy3]

dirk had an outstanding game three and four, i guess he's jordanesque as well
reggie, i know that great players aren't going to play great all of the time...trust me, i know that. but sometimes you have to use the same type of logic against thekid that he tries to use against you.

both players are going to have off games and both players are going to have games where they carry the team.
even when either player is off, they will do things to help the team win. that is obvious.

finley's a great player..dirk is a guy that's going to be better. sorry, that's just the way it's going to be.

[Big Boy Laroux]

i don't think he said fin was the MVP of the series, just of last night's game, which is pretty obvious to me. our three-headed monster is the MVP. these guys are incredible. And if i had to choose one person, i'd say nash, even though he didn't score as much last night.

we can get into the whole "fin now vs. dirk in the future" debate, but i think we all agree on this. these guys play great together. you could see the chemistry of these players both during and (especially) after the game. these guys enjoy playing with each other.

[Murphy3]

yes, they do play great..
and i would personally give the mvp of the series to finley, probably.
but i just hate when someone makes a statement like that based off of one game...or says that someone is going to be this or going to be that off of one game when dirk did the same thing the previous two games...it's ludicrous. i know finley has been clutch all season, but what the hell have dirk and nash been doing? they were the two keys to the mavs first two playoff wins. now isn't the time to start this up so let's leave it at that. you cannot base it on one last nights clutch performance by finley because dirk and nash were the two keys in games three and four.

the mavs play great together and we should enjoy it while it lasts..because before we know it, it'll be offseason, and will have only the dismal rangers...and then the dismal cowboys...finally, we'll get back to the mavs.

[TheKid]

Well let me state a few things. I say Fin was the MVP of lastnight. In another post I said the MOST CONSISTENT position of the series was our center position! Someone showed up every game at that position!!! Also, my opinion is not based off of one game, one series or ONE YEAR!!! Everyone else's decision is based off of that. Finley has been remarkable for the Mavericks for four years now!!! He's been the cornerstone and like I said, he steps up when needed. Also, on one gets offended by anything anyone has to say about anyone else. I don't care if someone said the NEXT coming was Wang. That's their opinion. I'm going to tell them why I disagree though!!!

What I'm talking is fact right now!!! I'm saying he is the MAN on the team! He was the cornerstone and he is leading this team right now! He has for four years now!

NOW, IMO I believe he still will be the man for atleast for the next three or four years to come. You all believe that it's going to be Dirk. That's your opinion but who will be the leader is all speculation right???? So for now I'm talking fact and the fact remains that MICHAEL FINLEY IS the leader on this team. Right now, he's the best player on the team. As he goes the team goes right now. Can he do it by himself, no, as we saw that lastnight, HOWEVER without him, we're an average team! Is that understand La.... I mean Murph?

[Murphy3]

when you make a statement like:
"Last night showed everyone why Finley is and WILL be the leader of this team for sometime!!!!! The guy lastnight said to the team, "everyone get on my back, I'm taking you all somewhere?"

when you do that, you sound as if you making judgements from one night.
yes, i know finley has been a good player for four years.
but i also know that dirk is almost as good or as good of a player at the age of 22 than what finley is in his prime.

and you know what, dirk carried the team for a huge part of game three and through most of three quarters of game 4, each of which were just as important as game 5.
so when you make statements like,:
"Last night showed everyone why Finley is and WILL be the leader of this team for sometime!!!!! The guy lastnight said to the team, "everyone get on my back, I'm taking you all somewhere?"

you sound as if you're forgetting that dirk did the same thing the previous couple of games.

now, this is a team, dirk, finley and nash have all carried the team at times,...so get off of it. do you want me to say,
dirk was awesome last night, he showed why he's going to be the guy of the future. he said "jump on my back and i'll take you to the promise land"..

if you can't see your double standards, then that's ok
it doesn't matter. it will be clear enough over the next couple of years for you to figure out. and when you do, you can apologize for your mistakes

[TheKid]

Well for starters you can't say that Dirk put the team on his back lastnight because Dirk didn't. If you want to say he did that in game three, then you can because he did. Although the only person who was off that game was Finley.

"However I have to say this to all and anyone who has had something to say about Finley being a "solid" player and Dirk taking over this team!!!" That was a statement made to LAM before the playoffs even started. So it wasn't based on ONE game, or one series. This was something that went back over a month ago. I did direct the first post towards Lam, now unless your Lam I don't know why YOU would get all bothered by it. Secondly, I was referring to that as an example of what he's been doing ALL year long!!! When things have gone stagnet he's stepped up, when they needed him. (Refer to the statement made in an earlier post about what Vince Lombardi said) Lastly your reference to where Dirk is skill wise at the age of 22 means nothing. Finley was a ROOKIE at the age of 22! If you want to go there, let's put it this way, Finley was on the all rookie team and averaged 15 points as a rookie and played on a team as the third option behind two future hall of famers (Barkley and KJ). As a rookie Dirk didn't average double digits? This is Dirk's third year in the league correct???? Finley's third year in the league, he was part of a trade to Dallas in the middle of the season. In his first full season with the Mavericks, Fin averaged what Dirk averaged this year!!!! So if I want to look at the development of the two I'm sorry, but I think Finley has even developed faster than Dirk has. If Fin came into the same situation Dirk came into, do I think Fin would have taken off right away??? YES!!!! So am I saying that at the age of 22 was Fin where Dirk is now YES! Now if Dirk is going to be the next leading scorer in the NBA? Great! If he's going to be the greatest player to ever play the game, GREAT!!! If he's on the Mavericks, I HOPE he does accomplish what some of you on this board think he will!!!! However I'm just saying IMO I think Fin is better NOW, he was better at Dirk's age, and he's going to be better for some time to come. LET ME REITERATE, that's simply my opinion MURPH. Obviously you don't agree and that's ok really it is, I don't mind. I just wanted to voice my opinion, I really wanted to hear what LAM had to say???

[Murphy3]

because i am tired of the b.s. gripping. that's why i'm bothered by it.
i'm tired of reading things about you or lam or anyone else making judgments and saying that "finley carried the mavs and he showed why he's the going to lead the mavs in the future" or "dirk carried the mavs and he showed why he's the future leader of the mavs" when both of the guys have carried the team at times throughout the freaking series.

both of them carried the mavs when it mattered most, can you not see that? it's so freaking annoying to read the foolish arguments that are backed up by what someone did last night
although you might not mean it by what he did last night, you back it up with your statment about what he did last night being what proves that he will be the man that leads the mavs in the next few years.
it's freaking rediculous
we'll find out who will lead the team next year...next year

[Big Boy Laroux]

ok, i just have one point. and kid, i normally agree with you. but... you say this team goes as fin goes. games 3 and 4 were games dirk dominated. fin dominated game 5.

this team goes as the big three combined go.

[Murphy3]

and at the age of 22, dirk has put together a year as good or better than any of finley's years except for MAYBE one.

at the age of 22, dirk definitely had a better year, ..but that is comparing apples to oranges.

actually, most offensive players that play on a bad team seem to dominate the scoring...and when they move to a good team, their scoring usually drops.
...so, finley averaged alot of points on a bad team....so have alot of people. and now, he's averaging a similar amount of points on a good team.
that's awesome, most people can't do that.

but, to have a break out year like dirk has had each of the past two years on a pretty good team and then on a really good team is something truly special.

there's nothing wrong with having two really gifted players. and their's nothing wrong with dirk having a bigger upside than finley. it's ok.... you don't have to get upset about it

[Big Boy Laroux]

both players are awesome! if nash has another great year, he'll be up in my awesome list, too.

we do not need any "who's the man?" in-fighting like the lakers.

[TheKid]

Well Big Boy, just so you know. In game four Fin lead the team in rebounds, he was huge on the boards that game. As you all have stated, scoring the most points doesn't mean everything right? Game three now, you're right I said it, Dirk and Nash carried us that game. Can't take that away from them at all!!!! Without them, we lose that game! However my comment about as Fin goes the team goes, I'm talking about the entire picture, not just individual games.

Also, Murph I don't think I'm getting upset, I think that would be you. I said, I don't care if anyone agrees with me I simply voiced my opinion!

[Murphy3]

thekid, reading what you write would frustrate anyone.
you talk in circles and then back it something up with something you said who knows when and rephrase what you've said after you've posted it. your thought process jumps around too much without stating your opinion in a valid way. when you do that, you don't cover your bases and leave your views and statements open for criticism and then you back it up with something you said from some other board three months ago.

[TheKid]

OK, whatever you say Lam

[scooterj5]

You could have at least waited a week and changed the style a LITTLE bit

[ReggieThetaChi]

Apparently, the fourth quarter goes as BIG BAD BOOTH GOES! Come on, you gotta give the ugliest player on the Mavs squad some mad props. He stepped it up big. I want to leave it at that, my friends. Everyone played their asses off. The Mavs are the epitimy of what the team concept is. Reggie has spoken, so let it be written, let it be done.

[scooterj5]

Yes yes Booth will be getting serious minutes against the twin towers.

[Murphy3]

i guess i'm going to have to stop posting here. i can't even post without a couple of guys making remarks towards me that have nothing to do with basketball. i had thought that i had found a good place to post, but apparently i was wrong.

[MFFL]

Don't get so upset murph. When you defend LAM, everyone thinks you are LAM. And LAM was not well liked on this board. Your opinions are different than LAM's in several respects. LAM disliked Juwan, you DESPISE him. LAM wouldn't call Finley a star, you have done so on multiple occassions. LAM would regularly insult other posters intelligence for disagreeing with him, you do not. If you are LAM, you've toned down your act and that's OK. Keep posting!

[Murphy3]

you know. there are probably thousands of people out there that like dirk a little better than fin and that don't like juwan howard. i could probably name 4 or 5 people that post on this board that like dirk better than finley, and don't particularly care for juwan. it's a common occurrence.
as a matter of fact, most of the mavericks fans i know don't like juwan that well and like dirk better than finley.

trust me, i love debating basketball, but i do not want to have to deal with the personal insults on a daily basis.
talking, arguing,debating sports is greatness., can we just leave it at that though?