"History just seems to be repeating itself" - Former NBA champion predicts Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals
Two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Chris Bosh already has his prediction for the 2022 NBA Finals matchup. Bosh believes that the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are destined to battle once again in the NBA Finals for the third time in history.
In a recent interview with "The Rich Eisen Show," Bosh was asked about his predictions for the winners of the Western and Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat legend noted that history is bound to repeat itself this postseason.
"History just seems to be repeating itself. Miami-Dallas again. I mean, part three. Why not? I think it's going to be a tremendous series... Why not have a Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat final part three? Do it again and let those guys duke it out," Bosh said.
Chris Bosh also shared his insighs about the matchups between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, as well as the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. Bosh pointed out that the Heat have more depth and shooting, while Jason Kidd's coaching will propel Dallas to the NBA Finals.
"Miami has so much depth and they play such a unique style... I think just the way that Miami can shoot the ball and the way they can penetrate and get some easy baskets. I look for Bam (Abebayo) to have a very productive series with the way he can make plays," Bosh said.
"Dallas has such a unique system. They did an incredible job in Games 6 and 7 playing Phoenix. I don't think anybody saw that coming... Playing Jason Kidd, he's always been that kind of a mind in basketball. He was definitely one of the main reasons why we came up short against them back in 2011," he added.
Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals
The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks have faced each other in the NBA Finals twice. The first matchup happened in 2006, with the Heat coming back from an 0-2 deficit to win their first NBA championship. The Mavericks won the rematch in 2011 as Dirk Nowitzki took over the series to beat the Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
In 2006, Wade was the main man for the Heat, winning the Finals MVP. Shaquille O'Neal was still a big factor, but it was Wade who carried the team to glory. Wade averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in six games.
Nowitzki and Jason Terry were the holdovers from the 2006 team that lost to the Heat. The German superstar made sure that there would be no repeat of five years ago as the Mavericks triumphed over the superstar-laden Heat in 2011. Nowitzki averaged 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in six games.
After their 2011 NBA Finals matchup, the Mavericks found little success afterwards. The 2022 NBA playoffs have been their most successful season since winning the title. Meanwhile, the Heat won two straight titles in 2012 and 2013, with two additional NBA Finals berths in 2014 and 2020.