by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
I haven't been this excited for an NBA Finals in years.
First, there is the heroic Dwyane Wade who played through the flu to help the Miami Heat advance to its first-ever finals appearance, gaining him mounds upon mounds of Michael Jordan comparisons.
Then there's the much criticized Pat Riley overcoming Miami's slow start and coaching a bunch of perceived problems into a potential championship team.
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On the Dallas Mavericks side, there's the phenom Dirk Nowitzki, who may just be the most unstoppable player in the league this year.
However, the most intriguing story is what has to be boiling in the head of Mavericks' center Erick Dampier. Here's why:
For the past few years, Miami's Shaquille O'Neal has absolutely torched Dampier both on the court and in the media. O'Neal has a reputation for being a classic quote machine, but some of the funniest stuff to come out of his mouth has been the shots he has taken at Dampier recently.
I remember a while back O'Neal was asked about Dampier in an interview and referred to him as "Ericka" throughout it. He then went on to say that Dampier would be a good player in the WNBA, just not the NBA. Oh yeah, and he's also been quoted as saying, "I felt like Erick Dampier, and that stinks," after a poor playoff performance.
After hearing those disses over and over again on "SportsCenter," Dampier has to be going crazy, right? I mean sure, O'Neal has been the most dominant center in the league for the past decade, but still, Dampier must be steaming.
For that reason, I am hoping this turns out to be one of the most memorable series in NBA Finals history. If Dampier has even a shred of pride, won't he make it a personal mission to help lead Dallas past Miami for the championship?
However, as any casual basketball fan knows, Dampier doesn't stand a snowball's chance in you-know-where of outplaying or even slowing down O'Neal. The humor of watching Dampier pour out all his blood, sweat and tears on the defensive end just to have O'Neal post him up and dunk in his face would be off the charts.
Poor Dampier would have to drag himself off the court after the ball bounced off his face, followed by O'Neal giving him the "Yeah, that's why they call me the Big Diesel" look after every torturous slam.
I'm sure Dampier has already pictured this as well. The dude has probably ordered some Shaq voodoo dolls he dresses in women's clothing and yells, "You're the one who belongs in the WNBA," while fighting off tears.
That's why I'm not sure which team to root for anymore. At first, I was all for the Heat, because I am amazed by Wade's athleticism and O'Neal's power, not to mention my hatred for Nowitzki's haircut.
However, for the sake of one man, I'm not so sure anymore if I want to see the Mavericks lose. The look on Dampier's face while he's throwing a tantrum at half court Adam Morrison-style would be absolutely hilarious for a while, but then it would just be sad.
Laughing at a grown man lying on his stomach kicking and punching the floor probably wouldn't bring about too much good karma either.
Plus, after being absolutely embarrassed on the biggest stage in basketball, I'm afraid of what Dampier would do. After being humiliated like that, I can picture him retiring from the NBA and spending the rest of his life on a mission to hunt down and end O'Neal.
So, with all that nonsense being said, I've decided I'm just wishing for a close series. This year's postseason has provided the most exciting playoffs in a long time, and hopefully that will continue.
The games themselves should be extremely exciting with two different, yet talented teams going head to head. The fast, frenetic pace of the Mavericks has helped spark interest in the league again. On the other side, Wade is a nightly highlight machine complemented by the human wrecking ball that is O'Neal.
My belief is that in order for Miami to win, the role players must step up huge to help out the two superstars. Dallas is a much deeper and more solid all-around team - except for Dampier - and if Nowitzki keeps up his hot streak, I don't see anyone on the Heat who can guard him. However, if role players like Jason Williams, Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem can step up for the Heat, I say Miami will take it in seven games.
And hopefully someone will take away those O'Neal voodoo dolls from Dampier.
