A legitimate contender
Riley has done plenty of winning, including four titles with the Lakers. He has also lost in four fruitless(沒有結果的) trips to the Finals.
And just when it looked like he would never win one in Miami, he drafted(選秀) Wade, traded for O’Neal and made a number of moves — including putting himself back on the bench this season**.
“We’ve had very good teams that I thought were championship contenders(角逐者),” Riley said. “But ever since Shaquille O’Neal showed up on the scene, this team has been a legitimate(正統(tǒng)的) contender, and we have put pieces around him. Obviously the drafting of Dwyane Wade has sped(加速) the whole process up.”
No stranger to the finals
Dallas coach Avery Johnson* is no stranger to the championship round, either. He hit the series-clinching shot(第7場最后一球) when San Antonio(圣安東尼奧馬刺) beat New York(紐約尼克斯) for the 1999 title. As the coach of the year(年度主教練), Johnson has had an excellent postseason with the adjustments(戰(zhàn)術調整) he made against the Spurs(馬刺) and Suns(太陽).
“He’s been great,” Nowitzki said of his coach. “He brought us to the Finals. We’re glad he’s with us.”
The rookie champion
The Mavericks have a super star in Nowitzki and a number of good players around him. After outlasting the defending champion(衛(wèi)冕冠軍) Spurs in the second round, Dallas beat Phoenix in the Western Conference(西部聯盟) finals. They are one of the few teams to match up with both O’Neal and Wade.
The Mavericks have won 10 of the last 12 meetings against Miami. But now the Heat are nothing like the team Dallas beat 103-90 in November, when O’Neal was out with an injury and Riley hadn’t yet replaced Stan Van Gundy*.
Nowitzki said, “Shaq and Dwyane play at their level, but it’s their role players*** that play really well — the Walkers*, the Paytons*.”
After the Mavericks hosted the first two games, the series will shift to Miami for Games 3-5. Which team do you think will become the rookie champion?
Riley has done plenty of winning, including four titles with the Lakers. He has also lost in four fruitless(沒有結果的) trips to the Finals.
And just when it looked like he would never win one in Miami, he drafted(選秀) Wade, traded for O’Neal and made a number of moves — including putting himself back on the bench this season**.
“We’ve had very good teams that I thought were championship contenders(角逐者),” Riley said. “But ever since Shaquille O’Neal showed up on the scene, this team has been a legitimate(正統(tǒng)的) contender, and we have put pieces around him. Obviously the drafting of Dwyane Wade has sped(加速) the whole process up.”
No stranger to the finals
Dallas coach Avery Johnson* is no stranger to the championship round, either. He hit the series-clinching shot(第7場最后一球) when San Antonio(圣安東尼奧馬刺) beat New York(紐約尼克斯) for the 1999 title. As the coach of the year(年度主教練), Johnson has had an excellent postseason with the adjustments(戰(zhàn)術調整) he made against the Spurs(馬刺) and Suns(太陽).
“He’s been great,” Nowitzki said of his coach. “He brought us to the Finals. We’re glad he’s with us.”
The rookie champion
The Mavericks have a super star in Nowitzki and a number of good players around him. After outlasting the defending champion(衛(wèi)冕冠軍) Spurs in the second round, Dallas beat Phoenix in the Western Conference(西部聯盟) finals. They are one of the few teams to match up with both O’Neal and Wade.
The Mavericks have won 10 of the last 12 meetings against Miami. But now the Heat are nothing like the team Dallas beat 103-90 in November, when O’Neal was out with an injury and Riley hadn’t yet replaced Stan Van Gundy*.
Nowitzki said, “Shaq and Dwyane play at their level, but it’s their role players*** that play really well — the Walkers*, the Paytons*.”
After the Mavericks hosted the first two games, the series will shift to Miami for Games 3-5. Which team do you think will become the rookie champion?