Four reasons why Dirk Nowitzki might prove to be the nemesis for the Miami Heat – Part 2
Link for part-1: http://www.senore.com/Four-reasons-why-Dirk-Nowitzki-might-prove-to-be-the-nemesis-for-the-Miami-Heat-Part-1-a72520
Support of his fanatical teammates
Miami Heat wants to double-team German sharpshooter? Fine enough, but the men from the South Beach have to keep it in mind that Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 2.7 assists per game in the playoffs. Double-teaming him will give the rest of the Mavericks cast some
open court space and most certainly some very clear shots at the rim.
Dirk Nowitzki might be the best shooter, but he is certainly not the only sharp shooter in the Mavs line-up - Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, and Jason Kidd are only some of the few. The Dallas Mavericks boast of a NBA-best 8.9 three-point average per game
during the regular season.
The LeBron James Factor
The situation is not so rosy for the Mavericks and Nowitzki though. In order to get their hands on the coveted Larry O’ Brien trophy, they will have to go through LeBron James; perhaps the most complete player of his era. After a defeat in the first game
of the Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls, James took over the next four games and led his team to the NBA finals.
James’ defense was fantastic against the league MVP Derrick Rose in the conference finals. Rose’s shooting from the field dropped drastically when James came across him in the last four games of the series. On the offensive end, the small forward posted
an average of 25.8 points with 7.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game.
Nowitzki has so far been unstoppable against the strongest teams of the Western Conference. The situation though might be a little different this time around as they will take on the Kings of the East, a team which lives to defend.
James though is wary of the Nowitzki threat "One thing you can't do is get discouraged about your defence when he makes a few shots." "He will make shots on anybody. It does not matter who you are. You can be first-team All-Defence. You can be Defensive
Player of the Year. He is a great player. He has a great offensive ability.
Conclusion
The defensive strategy of the Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to be simple – choke Nowitzki. He would probably send centre Joel Anthony, forward Udonis Haslem and even King James to stop Nowitzki. Haslem is a proven defender against the German giant.
He limited Nowitzki to 31 percent shooting during the 2006 NBA Finals. However, Haslem stated, "I don't think the same things that worked five years ago are going to work this year."
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