I have learned to hate comebacks in sports. The reason is pretty simple. The comeback usually spells the end of the upset. Let’s use college football as an example. If Ohio St. takes a 14-0 lead on Indiana in football, it is highly unlikely that Indiana is going to come back to win. But if Indiana takes a 14-0 lead on Ohio St., that is a different story. Because Ohio St. has more talent and more resources, they are unlikely to be dominated for the whole game. Even great teams have occasional stretches where they play poorly. But the great teams will rarely be out-played over the whole game. And so the comeback usually favors the favored team. The comeback usually snuffs out the upset.

But there was something a little different about the Dallas Mavericks' comeback to beat the Miami Heat on Thursday night. In most people’s eyes, Dallas is the underdog in the series. And with Dirk Nowitzki’s injury and an 0-1 series deficit, even more people viewed Dallas as the underdog on Thursday. When the underdog comes from behind to win, that is special.

Alumni Club

Watching the NBA Finals, it remains tempting to ask whether college basketball has any relevance. Eighteen players have played more than one minute so far, and five of the most well known did not play college basketball at all. (Specifically, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Peja Stojakovic).

Several others did not exactly have your prototypical college path. Joel Anthony of the Heat went to junior college and then he played one year at UNLV. Then Anthony red-shirted for a year. Then as a fifth year senior at UNLV, Anthony was not even a starter. He played less than 50% of the team’s minutes and he used only 15% of his team’s possessions while on the floor. How did a college bench player who was reluctant to shoot get to the NBA finals? Well, even in college Anthony’s 18% block rate was off the charts. Eventually his defensive athleticism paid off.

JJ Barea took an equally unconventional path playing for a Northeastern team that never made the NCAA tournament in his four years at the school. But he sure was a great offensive player in college. His 103 offensive rating may not seem that impressive, but on a bad team where he was using 38% of his team’s possessions, it was quite an accomplishment. He also had an assist rate over 50% as a junior and senior. Sometimes if you dominate, even against lesser competition, that is a good sign for your future. This may provide hope for those who love Morehead St.’s Kenneth Faried in this year’s draft.

Many of the other players in the Finals were well known in college. Jason Kidd was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year at California. And everyone knows about Juwan Howard’s days as part of the Fab Five at Michigan.

But the most fascinating college alumni in the Finals might be former Arizona teammates Mike Bibby and Jason Terry. Both Bibby and Terry played on the 1997 Arizona National Championship team. Terry was technically Bibby’s backup, but both often played on the floor at the same time. Now they are guarding each other in the NBA Finals. Lute Olson must be proud.

Mario Chalmers was another National Champion winner in 2008, thanks to his game-tying shot in the national title game. Florida’s Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller were teammates in a national title game, but they lost to Michigan St. Interestingly, Miller had a completely different role in college than he does today. While Miller is viewed mostly as a spot-up shooter today, in his final year in college he shot only 34% from three point range. In college, Miller was a dynamic wing player with great offensive rebounding numbers. Good thing (for Miller’s sake) that his shot came around in the NBA.

But not everyone was an NCAA success story. UNLV made the NCAA tournament in 1998 and 2000, but not in 1999, Shawn Marion’s only year with the team. And Chris Bosh posted great numbers at Georgia Tech, but not enough wins. Both players played only one year in college. But sticking around did not always lead to greatness either. Brendan Haywood had four solid years for North Carolina, but he probably hurt his draft stock by sticking around for his senior campaign. His shooting percentage (and offensive rating) plummeted as a senior and his team lost to Penn St. in the NCAA tournament. The Matt Doherty years were tough for Tar Heel fans.

Ultimately, everyone wants to leave college like Dwyane Wade. Wade posted great numbers at Marquette. Despite using 34% of his team’s possessions, he posted an impressive 115 Offensive Rating and 31% assist rate. But he also willed his team to the Final Four, scoring 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists against a highly favored Kentucky team in a regional final upset. Wade’s path is exactly what fans love to see. He dominated in the regular season, dominated in the tournament, and now stars in the NBA. It was the dream path for Wade.  But for most players in the NBA finals, the road had a few more bumps along the way.