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Heat fan here...

So we're basically in the exact same situation as you guys were last year (Except our team is very good at choking). I was just wondering how you guys felt going into Game 6 of the Finals last year at home.

Did you guys feel confident about the game? Confident that a win in Game 6 would mean a Game 7 win as well?

Also, if you remember, what impression did you get from your players/coach in the press conference(s) following that Game 5 loss in Boston? I'm not sure what to think about the comments our guys made. I felt like they really wanted this game with the comments they made pre-game, but weren't able to get it. That has to be crushing.

Just curious.

PS:
I don't speak for all the Heat fans, but thanks to the Laker fans that have come on the Heat board during this series and playoffs in general. IMO you guys have been the best/most reasonable fan bases that have dropped by.

Nice thread, I hope you get some good responses.

1st of all let me say, the thing you're doing with the sig/av, doesn't JET do that and sleep in the opposing team's shorts or something? Haha. Anyways..

I remember last year. Was **** pissed we went down 3-2. I know a lot of other fans honestly thought it was over, but I didn't. I wish I could find my posts from other forums, but M2's search sucks ass and I'm banned from TLN. I told everyone it wasn't over, the next 2 games were at home, and we could win them both.

A big difference between us and your Heat was that we had Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, even Derek Fisher. 4 rings each with the Lakers, and Phil had 6 more. We were defending champions and basically had the 2009 team still intact. It was our 3rd finals in a row, and I felt we could get revenge, even down 3-2. That played a big part in the confidence that we could do it.

I don't remember what Phil said or anything, but I remember nothing at all indicating that our players thought we were in trouble. I remember that I kept thinking, the next 2 at home. We can do this.

I was most terrified during game 7 when we went down double digits. But after Game 5, though pissed and disappointed (even scared), I didn't give up hope at all.

And really, I'm not a believer in Lebron, mentally. For as many times Kobe **** up our team (in random games and in the Finals), he's mentally on a whole nother level than Lebron, and that's what statheads can't see. Dwyane Wade is that type of player. His 06 Finals were legendary. If you guys can pull this off, I don't think Wade can do it with Lebron terrified. Lebron needs to wake up if you're gonna have a chance.


Any more questions?

I know I was mad as hell, but i never stopped believing. We just had to win vs Boston. Kobe had a monster game but didnt get any help, we should have won that game. I also knew it would be extremely hard to win 2 games in a row, winning 2 home games sounds easy, but it isnt.

The Press Conference gave me hope though, Kobe seemed relaxed and not that mad. He said something like "I'm not confident at all" with a smile, when a reporter asked him, if he thinks LA can come back.

The blowout win in Game 6 was impressive, but not that unexpected tbh, lakers alsways bounce back from losses [not this year though ;(]. When we fell into that 13 point hole in game 7 I was sitting stiff on my chair and didnt know what to do, but after all I knew we will beat this team, it just felt right that LA gets revenge over Boston.

Now to this year, honestly I have some of the same feelings. It just feels right that the Mavericks get their revenge on the Miami Heat. Although I'm not so sure Miami can be beat 3 times in a row, so maybe it's also bound for 7 and Game 7 is unpredictable. If it goes to 7 it will be very tense, look at last year. Have the Mavs someone like Artest last year that is willing to step up ? Kidd is willing to, but he is very old, Terry played one good game out of the last 8 or so. I am very confident in the Heats ability to win this in 7, but im rooting for the Mavericks and I hope they get the job done on Sunday.

And I also appreciate your post, glad the fanbases somewhat have cooled down after that rough regular season. The playoff ousting kind of brought me back to earth ;>

I didn't even watch Game 5 last year. I woke up, saw the score and thought like - it sucks to be down 3-2 as you can't make any more mistakes, especially playing against Celtics in the finals, but one thing that gave me confidence is that we had the last 2 games @ home, and I really believed in that team.

One part of me also said - down 3-2,, cool ! - if Kobe leads the Lakers from behind to win it all, he'll erase any doubts about his legendary status, and he did it. If LeBron wants to shout all his doubters, and I'm one of them, he'll have to play the last 2 games like the last ones of his life. He's folded enough. He, LeBron, not DWade. It's LeBron who has to prove he has the balls to lead a team to a title, be it with D. Wade and Bosh.

P.S. I just hope that Mavs will sneak one win in MIami. I just can't stand LeBron and Bosh, honestly.

Going into that game I felt good. I just kept telling myself there is no way these guys will allow themselves to lose to the Celtics again after losing to them in 08. During the post game interviews Kobe sounded really confident too. You just had to know that the Lakers would come out swinging while heading back home to L.A.

Lebron obviously needs to step up. I thought he was going to come out motivated in game 5 but he didn't have the Lebron James game I was expecting from him. With the extra day off and the media hammering into Lebron I'm going to guess your fan base is putting a ton of hope into him having a huge game. If Lebron was ever saving a huge game for the Finals the time is now. The Heat need him more than ever.

You're playing a team that is also historically good at choking. If you were a fan before this year, you'd know that.

I felt very confident going into Game 6, if for no other reason than hearing about the rampage that Kobe went on after his teammates failed him miserably in Game 5. I don't remember his exact words, but I recall that he was extremely vocal in the locker room following the loss and asked his teammates "who is ready to f'ing go to war with me?"

That's kind of what you expect from your leaders, and after hearing about Kobe ripping into guys I was absolutely convinced that we'd come out and smoke the C's in Game 6 -- and that's exactly what we did. Unfortunately, that kind of attitude/leadership was missing from the team this year for whatever reason.

Game 7 was a different story though. I knew it was going to be ugly as hell, and I was very nervous going into that game. I can't even imagine the kind of pressure that the players felt in Game 7. The two most successful franchises in the league who deeply hate each other and have one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports... yeah, that'll mess with your nerves as a player AND as a fan.

semi-sentient wrote:I felt very confident going into Game 6, if for no other reason than hearing about the rampage that Kobe went on after his teammates failed him miserably in Game 5. I don't remember his exact words, but I recall that he was extremely vocal in the locker room following the loss and asked his teammates "who is ready to f'ing go to war with me?"

That's kind of what you expect from your leaders, and after hearing about Kobe ripping into guys I was absolutely convinced that we'd come out and smoke the C's in Game 6 -- and that's exactly what we did. Unfortunately, that kind of attitude/leadership was missing from the team this year for whatever reason.

Game 7 was a different story though. I knew it was going to be ugly as hell, and I was very nervous going into that game. I can't even imagine the kind of pressure that the players felt in Game 7. The two most successful franchises in the league who deeply hate each other and have one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports... yeah, that'll mess with your nerves as a player AND as a fan.

this...i give kobe mad props for being a true leader and not giving a f**k about what the media thinks good leadership is. he tore into some ass*s but i give props to the other guys too for responding. they could have easily folded but their response let me know they were just as mad as kobe was,and that they believed they were the better team.

coolstorybro wrote:Did you guys feel confident about the game? Confident that a win in Game 6 would mean a Game 7 win as well?

Yes, and yes. And I'm about the most pessimistic fan you'll find.

Once they blew Game 2, all I was worried about what winning one of the next two games in Boston. Immediately bouncing back to take Game 3 relieved all the pressure, in my mind. I knew at that point we'd have at least one more game at home, and if you can't win a must-win at home, with a championship on the line, you don't deserve it.

I remember being a little surprised how poorly we played for the first three quarters in Game 7, especially after playing pretty well in Game 6, so that was frustrating. Like Portland in 2000 all over again. So I was definitely sweating like hell. But we came back, and we got to watch Rasheed Wallace foul out in his last NBA game as an added bonus, so no worries.

The Heat are in the exact same boat. Miami accomplished its goal after splitting the first two games by winning once in Dallas. Now, they've got two home games, in an arena where they're 39-11, with two of the very best players in the world, to win the title.

If they can't pull that off, they don't deserve to be champions.

Like James Worthy said in 88: "We're down 3-2, going home, and I don't think anyone feels too badly about that."

The Heat certainly shouldn't. They have everything to play for, with everything but momentum in their favor.

I was definitely nervous after we had dropped two in a row to Boston. But, I was pretty confident that we'd find a way to put it together and snatch the final two games. Especially after Kobe tore into the team after no one stepped up in Game 5. The one difference is that I was always confident in the Lakers' mental toughness, while I don't feel anywhere near the same with the Heat. Other than Wade, I don't see anyone on that team that can step up and really just rebound from this situation and bring their A-game when they need it the most. Especially not LeBron James, he is one of the most mentally weak superstars I've ever seen.

Also, this Finals itself is strange to me as it seems in damn near every game each team has given up a sizable lead to the opposition. Not once, but multiple times. I think the Heat have had like 8+ point leads multiple times this series only to relinquish them VERY quickly. Same can be said of the Mavericks. It's just been so up and down and unconventional I don't know what to think of will happen next game.

I think the Mavs might be able to close the Heat out though. They've been one of the most resilient teams I've seen in years, and Miami still has LeBron missing in action in the 4th quarter. Unless he steps up, or Wade drops 45+, I think Dallas can close them out.

200% confident. (Possible? YES!)

Boston had green neon lights visible from the Moon on their backs. We knew it, Phil knew it, Kobe knew it, all our players knew it. Our guys were not going to roll over at home for them even with a 3-2 deficit.

I do think you guys have different scenario here, though. I'm not sure Miami are the hunters in this series. The Heat lack the motivation and hatred fueling them to propel them over Dallas that the Lakers fed on a year ago.

Optms wrote:200% confident. (Possible? YES!)

Boston had green neon lights visible from the Moon on their backs. We knew it, Phil knew it, Kobe knew it, all our players knew it. Our guys were not going to roll over at home for them even with a 3-2 deficit.

I do think you guys have different scenario here, though. I'm not sure Miami are the hunters in this series. The Heat lack the motivation and hatred fueling them to propel them over Dallas that the Lakers fed on a year ago.

I agree... I never thought the series last season was as close as it looked...
I felt we had the more complete team, we wanted it more, and if we just played how we were supposed to, we'd win.

Phil Jackson always creates teams that expect to win... They never feel nervous or worried heading into any post season situation... And Kobe never thinks he's going to loose...

But they're not overly cocky either...

I think you guys lost game 5 before the shootaround when Bron and Wade were clowning Dirk... I don't think they were taking the Mavs serious. I don't think we did either. Look what happened to us...

So I don't think Confidence is your particular problem. I think the willingness to do whatever it takes to destroy the Mavs, is...

I think you're situation is different from ours last season. I think the Mavs are more like the 07-08 Celtics than the 09-10 version... I think they have the more complete team and want it a little more than the Heat.

I don't think I'd be too confident going into game 6... Because take it from a Lakers fan, the Mavs are going to come in hungry and ready to close you out. You're going to have to want it real bad to even up the series.

Last season, even when we won, Kobe looked pissed. He snapped at reporters, wouldn't answer stupid questions, and rarely smiled... He never said he thought we were going to win it all... He never even acknowledged any victory until we won it all...

If I was a Heat fan, that's what I'd be looking for from Wade and Bron... Particularly Bron... I'd be looking for a "Lets shut up and get to work" vibe from them, without them actually saying it like he did in Cleveland... Right now LeBron is talking too much and not backing it up...

He has 2 games to show you something.

Even down 18 in game 7 I was confident we would win. The question was just how hard we might make it on ourselves. There was nothing in the Celtics to surprise us.

Gasol was comfortably overplaying Garnett
Artest was making Pierce miserable
Fisher was clinging onto Allen like a drowning man hanging onto a branch in a flood
Kobe pretty much killed Rondo
Perkins was just being a waste of space

Oh I was pissed as hell, i immediately turned the TV off the minute the final buzzer sounded and i stormed outside my house, got in the car and went for a drive. I was so angry and upset that the series was probably over. Boston got us again. I didn't catch any post game conference because i avoided anything to do with the game.

I woke up the next morning feeling much better, i was no longer upset and i thought we had a good chance in Game 6. I do remember reading about Kobe laying it into his teammates and asking "Who's with me" and prior to game 6 I remember Kobe saying something along the lines of "If you told me before the season that i will have 2 chances to win 2 games to win the title I will take it" so he was very very very confident. It helped that Game 6 was a blowout in the first quarter or second quarter. Game 7 was very very nervewrecking, before, during and especially the final 6 minutes.

Someone above rightfully pointed out that the biggest difference is our superstars. Kobe and Lebron. While I believe Lebron has surpassed Kobe and is now the best player in the NBA, Lebron is mentally weaker. Kobe still believes deep down he's the best and his team will win, Kobe doesn't ever let anything affect him. This is why the Celtics didn't trash talk him like the Mavs are trash talking with Lebron....anything negative said about Kobe he'll make you pay for it, with Lebron not so much, Lebron seems to worry about his image a whole lot. Kobe doesn't, Kobe wants to go out there and make you look like an idiot. Lebron isn't poise that way, Lebron enjoys when things are going well but when things are going bad Lebron usually doesn't handle it well.

Also another person rightfully pointed out that 2011 seems like the story has already been written, the Mavs will get their revenge vs Heat from 2006 kind of like the Lakers got revenge on Boston for 2008.

With that said I can't stand the Mavs, I can't root for them, I can't stand Cuban or Jason Terry, and I don't want to see the team that beat us hoist up that trophy so I really really hope the Heat somehow go retro 2006 on them Sunday. It's doubtful it happens but hey craizer things has happened.

I felt a strange feeling of relief. Relief in the sense that at this point there was no way the Lakers weren't going to go out and give a complete effort. In games 4 & 5, aside from a few players, you just didn't feel the team was playing to their ability. I remember wondering where the team from game 1 was, the team that handily beat Boston. In game 6 I just thought it was now or never; either the Lakers are as good as they were in game 1 or they just aren't and the Celtics deserve to win. The Lakers went into game 6 and delivered their best performance. I felt confident about game 7 as well, but the ugly turn it took wasn't expected. I guess you can underestimate the nerves guys can have going into a do or die game in the NBA Finals between the two most successful franchises of the sport.

I liked what Kobe had to say about the situation. Something along the lines of just win the **** games. Blunt and straight to the point. That isn't James' or Wade's approach; they like to speak in clichés, which is okay as long as the focus is there.

I don't see the similarities between this year's series and last year's. I knew the Lakers were the superior team, they proved it in the regular season and when they played their best, you got impressive victories like in games 1 & 6. The Heat & Mavs have been close all series, dating back to the regular season. The fact that Miami allowed Dallas to steal two games where they shot terribly and played the Heat's type of game is a red flag. When you don't win games you should, it lessens your room for error and puts more undo pressure on your role players. Dallas has been due forever for a hot shooting night, but at this point would it shock you to see Dallas have another great shooting night with two games possibly remaining. Likewise, you're now asking an inconsistent Miami bench to produce again when they've had a few good games already. The laws of averages usually win out, it's going to be tough for Miami.

i knew we'd win it the whole time!! haha

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBXonB0NVQQ[/youtube]

I think the Heat has it easier than the Lakers. They are young and I felt they had more control of the series. The problem is none of them felt the need to play 100% like the Lakers did last year. The Lakers don't like the Celtics and have waited for a chance to take revenge. The Heat players need to put themselves in a do or die situation. If they don't have that hunger then they are not going to win.

I felt that if we won game 6, there was no way we'd lose game 7. When we won game 6, i felt the series was over.