Jose's Breakdown of the NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks

Guards: Advantage Miami. Dwyane Wade is one of the best players in the league, so he alone gives the Miami Heat the advantage in the backcourt. That being said, Dallas' backcourt is crucial to their success in this series. If Devin Harris and Jason Terry are able to stay on the floor for long periods of time, they can wreak havoc against Miami. It is imperative that they drive to the basket and try and draw some cheap fouls on Shaq. Either Gary Payton or Jason Williams has to have a solid game every night to lessen the burden on Wade. Jerry Stackhouse is a huge source of offense of the bench for the Mavs, and it seems like he is their go to guy when their offense begins to stall.Much of the tempo will be dictated by each teams' guards. Expect Wade to continue his trend of raising his level of play when it matters most, and have a great series.

Forwards: Advantage Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki is playing the best basketball of his career. A major key to this series will be if Udonis Haslem, James Posey, and maybe Antoine Walker will be able to somewhat contain him, seeing as though shutting him down is nearly impossible. Josh Howard is also a huge key, considering Dallas is undefeated this season when he scores over 20 points. Adrian Griffin is expected to guard Wade a lot of the time. If this happens, expect Wade to have a field day because there is no way in hell that Adrian Griffin can guard Wade. Howard will most likely have the most success defending him, but the Dallas Mavericks do not want to get him in foul trouble. Also, Wade can play ample defense against Howard. Antoine Walker was able to outplay Tayshaun Prince in the games Miami beat Detroit. If he can outplay Josh Howard, the Heat are in a great position. James Posey needs to continue to play at a huge level. If Dirk can't be contained, it could get ugly.

Centers: Advantage Miami. Shaquille O'Neal has looked better than he has in a very long time, as he is motivated and determined to get himself a 4th ring. Alonzo Mourning is one of the top defensive players in this league, and he will become very important if Shaq finds himself in foul trouble. Shaquille can play off his man defensively just like he did agaisnt Ben Wallace, because Dasagana Diop and Eric Dampier are not good offensive centers. Avery Johnson may try and play neither of his centers and have a line up featuring Keith Van Horn and Dirk Nowitzki in an attempt to make Shaq play perimeter defense. This would play right into the Miami Heat's hands. Neither has a chance defensively against O'neal, and KVH may be the only player in the playoffs to shoot more airballs than Lebron James. The Heat must have Shaquille O'neal out of foul trouble, and in dominant championship form. Focus should not be an issue.

Coaching: Advantage Heat. Avery Johnson has done a great job of finally making a genuine contender out of a notoriously underacheving team. It makes me wonder, however, if this is more a reflection on their previous "clown coach"(as once dubbed by O'Neal) then on the fiery little general. Avery Johnson has a great work ethic and wants to win at all costs, but he may over think himself in this series. If he tries to match up with the Heat defensively by inserting Adrian Griffin into the starting lineup rather than Devin Harris, the Heat have a big advantage. Dallas should force the Heat to play their tempo, since that is their biggest advantage. Pat Riley has been a miracle worker for the Miami Heat. He has made Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and other spotty defenders into working parts in a good team defense scheme. He is the ultimate motivator and should have his players ready to win.

Idiotic Analysts: Greg Anthony picked the Bulls in 6, the Nets in 6, the Pistons in 6, and now the Mavericks in 6. I dont know why he dislikes the Heat so much, maybe because Pat Riley never played him much. Anyways, after watching Greg Anthony switch his prediction(that as listed on ESPN.com) from Heat in 6 to Mavs in 6, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. All that being said, HEAT in 6.

Enjoy it. It's going to be a good one.