“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships”.

— Michael Jordan

THOSE words, from a man who is oftentimes regarded as the greatest basketball player of all (though in basketball realms is often envisioned as much more than a mere mortal), provide a foundation on which we can build our thoughts as to who will take home the 2011 NBA Championship.

On Thursday of last week, the Miami Heat won the Eastern Conference Championship for the second time in five years by defeating the Chicago Bulls 83-80, and taking the series 4-1. This feat set up a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, as the Dallas Mavericks had clinched their place in the finals less than 24 hours before. Having defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavericks had claimed the Western Conference Championship with a similar 4-1 series win.

During the regular season, the Heat suffered severe inconsistencies that had many wondering if they had what it took to go all the way. In the end, they claimed 58 wins of 82 for second place in the regular season behind the Bulls.

Now, it has been repeated time and time again that the biggest story in basketball for this season, and possibly for the decade was Lebron James deciding to move to South Beach. Teaming up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade they were expected to make it through to the ultimate showdown. And though it was not all smooth sailing, they are now just four wins away from goal — if they can pull it off.

The Big Three, particularly LeBron James, has exorcised their fourth quarter demons to become the most decisive team down the stretch, which is much improved from their regular season performances where they were dismal in the closing minutes of a game. James’ efforts have even forced Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen to compare him to his teammate, the earlier mentioned Michael Jordan.

However, while that was the biggest story of the pre-season, the leading story of the play-offs has been Dirk Nowitzki’s amazing shooting, averaging over 30 points per game in the recently concluded series against the Thunder.

Interestingly, while LeBron’s “decision” was the most talked about, Dirk’s decision to re-sign with the Mavs, heading into this season, could prove to be the very integral, should the Mavs win the championship.

His Mavericks team managed 57 wins of their 82 games for the season, also enduring some setbacks along the way. Injuries to key players such as Caron Butler, and their worst losing streak since the new millennium caused many to write off their title ambitions, but they have been superb throughout the play-offs and are looking to avenge the 2006 defeat.

In 2006, the Mavs had a commanding 2-0 lead over the Heat, but let it slip away as D-Wade, in only his third season, inspired one of the better finals comeback of the modern era.

T Alan Armstrong once said: “champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.”

While this is true, the work is just about to begin for the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks.

With that being said, TEENage congratulates both teams on winning their respective conferences. However, with the Finals starting tonight, we eagerly await the two weeks that will allow us to move beyond speculation to finishing the pages of another unforgettable chapter in basketball history.