Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks Game 5 NBA Finals Pick

Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks Game 5 NBA Finals Pick: I would love to take the Mavericks here, and I could certainly find a couple reasons to do so. For instance, I’ve watched 4 NBA Finals games thus far (if you are into math, that’s all 4 games) and I haven’t seen the Mavs play a good game yet. It’s bound to happen one of these nights, and when they do, well, I’ll have wished I picked the Mavs. Also, the Mavs have the most clutch player in the series, Dirk Nowitzki. And since the Heat seem dead-set on making every single game a down-to-the-wire event, betting on the team with the coldest blooded super star has some value.

All that being said (and more) I have to take the Heat in Dallas on Thursday Night. I’m starting to believe that part of the reason Dallas hasn’t played well in this series yet is because Miami is just that much better than anyone else. When they play focused and up to their potential, they shouldn’t be touched.

Also, after the collapse of Game 4 (it really wasn’t that big of a collapse, not like Game 2 – but is still being recognized as a collapse because Lebron disappeared for the entire game) Miami should come out just that much more motivated. The question is, will we see the Miami team that couldn’t win big games earlier in the year? Remember, when they struggled to close games against good teams, seemingly terrified of what everyone was going to say. That could be the team we see tomorrow, and if we do, the Mavs are the answer here.

But I think we see the new Heat, the Heat team that responds well to a bad outing. Don’t forget that Lebron James is the best athlete ever, the best package of talent we’ve seen. That should count for something. There’s no “the Decision” this summer, and lord knows he doesn’t want to hear about his failure to win the big one for an entire year (or until he does). He plays well in this one, and that gets the Heat a 3-2 series lead heading home.

I hope I’m wrong.

Miami Heat (+1) @ Dallas Mavericks (6/9)