Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat:
Teams that will threaten Dallas Mavericks next season (Pt-3)
Los Angeles Lakers
In the last season of an exceptional coaching career, the hall of famer Phil Jackson was determined to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a three-peat. After clinching the Western Conference semi-final berth, the two-time defending
champions Lakers went on to oppose the spirited Dallas Mavericks. Instead of giving Mavericks a tough time, the Lakers entirely collapsed against the brilliance of the German sharp-shooter Dirk Nowitzki. The Dallas Mavericks swept the Lakers out of the play-offs
and raced away into the Conference Finals.
The wound of a regular defeat can be healed however a blotch of a sweep being the defending champions is not easy to forget. Jackson won’t be a part of the Lakers in the next season however the legendary Kobe Bryant will be looking
forward for a payback time. Bryant has been the dominating force since more than a decade and spearheaded the franchise for a number of championship titles.
Nobody likes to be swept out at the peak of his career having the reputation of the best player in the league as returning the favour can only make things better. The Dallas Mavericks are in the same conference with the Los Angeles
Lakers as the Mavericks must watch out for a strong reply from Lakers in the next season.
During the off-season, the Lakers are focused on infusing a star power in the line-up to help their superstar Kobe to run the offensive system of the court. Bryant was seen running the show almost single-handedly which became
a big reason for their demise.
Miami Heat
There is no doubting that the runner ups Miami Heat will be coming back hungrier and more determined in the next season to clinch their first NBA title since 2006. Miami has been the top offensive threat for any opposition with
the presence of the invincible trio Dwyane wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. However the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks revealed a different story. The two-time MVP champions James who is the reason for Miami’s offense melted down surprisingly against
the veteran power of the Mavericks. Wade was the only man running the show for the Heat as he failed to sustain the action down the stretch.
There were a number of times when Miami were not only looking good in the game; they even had a comprehensive lead over the opposition. However, Dallas inflicted a number of melt downs in the fourth quarters to eliminate the Heat
from the Championship contention.
Miami missed the action from James in the final stages of the play-offs when Heat’s success was largely depending on James performance. The All-star LeBron will be looking forward to improve his game at the big stage and provide
support to the team in the crunch time.
James failed to put a championship ring on his finger this time however the defeat will make him to strive for the goal more aggressively. Wade and Bosh will also be coming with a different game plan to overpower the Mavericks
if they had to face them in the next season.
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