Maybe it's just me, but I am excited and thankful that we finally have some new meat in the NBA Finals. For the first time since 1971, the Finals will showcase two teams who have never seen the Promised Land from such a close up point of view.

The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat have exorcised the demons of the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs once and for all, and in doing so have reawaken my interest in actually watching the Finals from start to finish.

Now, I have the utmost respect for what Tim Duncan and Co. have accomplished, but if I would have had to sit through another dose of Spurs’ basketball, I may have resorted to extreme measures and began following NASCAR.

I’m even more delighted we won't be subject to the Pistons, the NBA's answer to insomnia and the most overrated championship team in recent memory. My disdain for this team was even furthered when Chauncey "Thank God I have Rip to lean on" Billups had the nerve to distinguish these Pistons as one of the top five teams of all time!

Ok, now that you've stopped laughing, I would say that even every one of the six teams the Chicago Bulls defeated in the '90s would out class Detroit. The Pistons were a product of good coaching, solid play from a couple all-stars and a depleted watered down league.

I almost lost hope when the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped out of the picture with a resounding thud, giving the Pistons new life in their quest to bore us to death in the Finals. When the Mavericks laid an egg in Game 6 with the Spurs, I figured the Spurs would pounce in Game 7 on their way to Phoenix and one step away from another title run.

Enough ranting and back to my rejoicing the dawn of two new Finals heroes to be in Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. Neither the Heat nor the Mavs has an answer for the two top stars on these teams, so be prepared for one great offensive seesaw battle.

And I'm not forgetting Shaq. Mr. O'Neal is obviously a presence and may be the X factor if the Heat win the title. No one has found an answer for Shaq, and yet teams have still been able to beat whatever team he is on, so Shaq is no guarantee of victory.

I believe the depth of Dallas' backcourt, along with the home court advantage, will be the deciding factor in what I feel will be a Mavericks’ NBA Finals victory.

So sit back and enjoy the new breed of NBA Finals teams. Revel in Wade coasting to the hole with ease. Be mesmerized by Dirk's ability to bang three after three, as he pulls his team back from the brink of defeat.

Enjoy the newness while you can NBA fans. For all we know, the Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Pistons or Spurs might drag us back into the abyss of a predictable Finals match-up next season.