BasketballNBA Finals pit the 'Superfriends' vs. 'The Veterans'

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Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat posts up against Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season. The NBA Finals between the two clubs begin Tuesday in Miami. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

It may be an unpopular viewpoint, but there's a case to be made for rooting for the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

LeBron James has had nights recently that featured the best basketball of his career. Dwyane Wade has been one of the most exciting players in the league for seven years. 

You can even feel for Chris Bosh; after three playoff victories in his first seven seasons as a pro, he's rising to the occasion, even if he was scared by the Boston fans one game. Hell, even as Canadians we should cheer for them - to my knowledge there's never been two Canucks on an NBA Finals team (even if Jamaal Magloire is mostly doling out high fives in a suit). 

It almost makes you ... nah, forget it. 

As far as I'm concerned, Flash, South Beach dash and CanCon can take a back seat to the veterans. The reason I hope the Mavericks win: Unlike James and Bosh and their Orwellian 1984 birthdates, like me, three of the Mavs' main cogs were born in the 1970s. 

Jason Kidd was drafted when I was in high school. I recall with nostalgia the rumoured love triangle between himself, Jimmy Jackson and Toni Braxton. After Don Nelson acquired Dirk Nowitzki on draft night four years later, we marveled at this seven-foot European power forward who could also shoot outside consistently (even if that prototype has since missed the mark numerous times - get working on those abs, Andrea).

Then there's Jason Terry. Roughly my age, he was the best player on more than one of my terrible fantasy teams. I have to bank that Dallas does whatever is possible for him to avoid a painful tattoo-removal. 

But enough self-pity about me feeling old. 

Miami is playing great defence in the playoffs, and there's a legitimate concern that a committee of Bosh, Udonis Haslem and Canadian Joel Anthony could force Nowitzki out of his comfort zone in this series. Haslem, the Heat's X-factor, held Dirk to 31 per cent shooting when guarding him during the NBA Finals five years ago. 

Rick Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the NBA, and is certainly capable of making necessary adjustments. On paper alone, the Mavericks have a 3-2 edge in starting lineup matchups. Off the bench, they have better options with Terry and J.J. Barea. But it always comes down to intangibles. Miami proved they could adjust as well against Chicago.

In terms of sheer talent on the floor, this Heat team can kill you. James is the best player in the NBA today - although unlike Michael Jordan's sidekick, I'm not yet prepared to say "best ever." 

Some suggested when the superfriends got together, that they would win multiple titles. Let's hope it's not this year. And who knows? If Dallas can bring this home - with a possible lockout and a possible apocalypse in the near future - maybe that denial will last.

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