NBA Power Rankings 1-5

1
Dallas
67-15
Is this Dallas' year? Only one team that's won at least 65 regular season games has failed to win the title. The other 10 all raised banners.

2
San Antonio
58-24
Can we all now put the whole Joey Crawford situation to rest and put focus where it should be ... on Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, etc.?

3
Phoenix
61-21
I'm going to say it now: Don't expect the Lakers to get up 3-1 on this Suns team. Not going to happen.

4
Detroit
53-29
I keep saying it: The Pistons won't sweep Orlando in the first round; It's not what they do. They'll lose focus and give up a game, as they did to the Bucks (twice) and Philly in each of the last three Playoffs.

5
Houston
52-30
A key to the Houston-Utah series: The glass. The Rockets are 38-12 when outrebounding an opponent, while the Jazz are 41-15 in the same situation.


Breakdowns are courtesy of Adidas

Whoa Nellie! Mavs, Warriors Meet

This isn't your typical one-eight matchup. Subplots abound when the Dallas Mavericks host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 Sunday, April 22 at 9:30 p.m. EDT on TNT. The Mavericks won 66 games this season, the ninth-best record of all time, and have a top MVP candidate in Dirk Nowitzki, but their opponent might make the better storyline. The Warriors ended the longest playoff drought of any team in the league, using a late-season surge and the tutelage of new coach Don Nelson to get to play in Game 83 for the first time since '94. Nelson meets his former team, led by protege Avery Johnson, and Nellie's familiarity with the Mavs' personnel paid off this year.

Golden State was the only team to beat Dallas three times this season, as it swept the season series. Ten out of the 11 teams with 65-plus wins in the regular season have gone on to win the title, but is the stage set for an upset?

Source:

NBA.com

It's Game Time!

The defending-champion Heat hosts last year's first-round opponent, the Bulls, and their big addition, Ben Wallace, to tip off NBA Opening Week on Tuesday, Oct. 31 on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. TNT’s coverage of the Heat-Bulls game, which highlights the ring ceremony for the 2006 NBA Champions, is the first of Premiere Week’s 12 nationally televised games including five straight nights of doubleheaders.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1
Cavaliers vs. Wizards (8 p.m. ET)The Cavs won their first playoff series since '93 when, last year, they beat ... the Wizards.

Suns vs. Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET)Phoenix needed all seven games last spring to beat a second L.A. opponent

THURSDAY, NOV. 2

Mavericks vs. Spurs (8 p.m. ET)Southwest Division powers square off early.

Clippers vs. Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET)'Melo and Elton were teammates this summer for Team USA. That changes tonight.

Mavs VS Heat

NBA FINALS


Mavs:

	Darrell Armstrong	G
	Erick Dampier	C
	Marquis Daniels	G
	DeSagana Diop	C
	Adrian Griffin	G-F
	Devin Harris	G
	Josh Howard	F
	Didier Ilunga-Mbenga	C
	Dirk Nowitzki - C	F
	Josh Powell	F
	Jerry Stackhouse	G-F
	Jason Terry	G
	Keith Van Horn	F

Heat:

	Derek Anderson	G
	Shandon Anderson	G-F
	Michael Doleac	C
	Udonis Haslem	F
	Jason Kapono	F
	Alonzo Mourning	C
	Shaquille O'Neal	C
	Gary Payton	G
	James Posey	F-G
	Wayne Simien	F
	Dwyane Wade	G
	Antoine Walker	F
	Jason Williams	G
	Earl Barron *	C
	Dorell Wright * F

Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heat VS Mavs

NBA FINALS
The HEAT cut a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to three with less than four minutes remaining, but could not close the gap before succumbing in Thursday's
90-80 Game 1 loss in Dallas in the opening game of the 2006 NBA Finals. Miami will look to even the series with the Mavericks in Game 2 on Sunday

MAVS MOVE ON TO NBA FINALS

Finishing the season with a record of 60-22 (tied record for franchise best), the Mavs claimed the fourth seed and made the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.

The Mavs continued their record-setting ways as they defeated Memphis 4-0 in the First Round. This was the first four-game sweep in a seven-game series in franchise history, which pitted the club against the top-seeded Spurs. Dallas fought through the tough, seven-game series to overcome their I-35 archrival for the right to face the Suns in the Western Conference Finals. In their third-ever Conference Finals appearance, the Mavs defeated the Suns 4-2, to make their first trip to the NBA Finals.

For complete NBA playoff coverage, visit www.nba.com/playoffs2006.

Heat Overcome Wade’s Illness to Eliminate Pistons

Miami 96, Detroit 78

Shaq was 9-of-11 for 19 points in the first half.

MIAMI, June 2 -- When Dwyane Wade came down with the flu, the Miami Heat had to be feeling a bit queasy. In the end, however, the Detroit Pistons were left feeling sick to their stomachs.

The Heat are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, overcoming Wade's untimely illness with a huge game from Shaquille O'Neal and hot shooting from Jason Williams in an affirming 95-78 victory over the Pistons.

The second-seeded Heat won the series in six games and ended the two-year reign of the top-seeded Pistons as Eastern Conference champions. They play at Dallas or Phoenix on Tuesday.

Miami avenged last year's disheartening loss, when it held the lead with less than two minutes to play in Game 7 at home but was denied by Detroit. Wade labored through that game with bruised ribs.

A sickening case of deja vu swept over South Florida when Wade missed shootaround - and was hospitalized - with a bad case of the flu. He showed courage in starting and playing 37 minutes but was not himself.

He didn't have to be, not with O'Neal unleashing a "Shaq Attack" and Williams finally finding his shooting touch. The Heat took the lead for good in the first quarter and took off in the third period, when Wade finally got into the act.

O'Neal scored 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds. Williams made his first 10 shots before missing his last two, finishing with 21 points. Wade had 14 points and 10 assists.


NBA TV highlights from
Pistons-Heat: Play
Press Conference: Play

NOWITZKI, MAVS DOWN SUNS IN GAME 5

Dirk Nowitzki totaled a playoff career-high 50 points on Thursday to power Dallas to a 117-101 Game 5 win over visiting Phoenix. After coming off a season-low 11 points in Game 4, Nowitzki was a man possessed, scoring 13 of his 50 points in the first period, shooting 14-of-26 from the floor and grabbing 12 rebounds. In the fourth quarter, Nowitzki outscored the entire Suns team 22-20 by himself. Josh Howard also stepped up, posting 23 points and making the Mavs 24-0 this season when he collects 20 or more points. Phoenix was led by Tim Thomas, who notched a playoff career-high with 26 points on 6-of-8 shooting from downtown. Steve Nash contributed 20 points and 11 assists, while Shawn Marion added 20 points and 10 boards. The Mavs will look to close out the Suns in Game 6 on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET on TNT) in Phoenix.