2014 NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Looks like the Spurs are going to weather the storm. The lead was down to 7 at some point but good composure from the Spurs. There is still time for Heat to take this but they are already in the penalty and it just doesn't look like it will happen. Impressed by Diaw today.

 

[kskate2]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

^ Heat definitely had their chance. It was down to 7 in the 3rd and 10 as recent as 6 min left.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

This game never got truly close. 7 is the cutoff where you either make a push or the Spurs rebound and keep a comfortable lead. Spurs built it back up to 10+ right away and the Heat made no more pushes. Anytime Leonard badly outplays Lebron the Heat are not going to have a prayer.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

The Heat's defense was laughable but that was quite the shooting performance from the Spurs. They've actually been shooting the ball so well (though obviously not as hot as they were in game 3) all series.

After looking like they rediscovered some depth these playoffs with Wade looking vintage, Ray Allen contributing, etc...the Heat suddenly look one dimensional again and out of depth.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

With Chalmers playing really really bad on both ends of the floor I wonder if they will consider benching him for Cole. Usually you let your players work their way out of slumps but this is the NBA finals and there are 4 games at most the rest of the season.

 

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Spurs playing well. Up by 9 after the first quarter. This is a must win for Miami and I am not seeing the intensity yet. Spurs are playing with purpose. Early days though.

 

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Spurs are playing such "correct" basketball that just a normal player like Diaw looks like a star.

 

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

20 point lead, 1.36 to go in the first half. Miami has to play the second half as if their life depend on it because it does.

 

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Beautiful follow up dunk by Leonard. The guy is becoming a player fast.

 

[kskate2]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

55-36 lead at the half. MIA getting their a$$ handed to them again. 3rd Q starting now. We'll see if the Heat can close the gap again like they did in game 3.

 

[kskate2]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

81-57 at the end of 3. MIA could not get it closer than 14. They just don't have an answer and they are getting killed on the boards (+17).

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

This was lost in the first half, for the life of me I don't understand how Lebron sits around and basically doesn't compete in the 1st half. 2nd half heroics were too little too late.

It's weird and scary to think it but Indy would have given SA more of a battle. They wouldn't have won but you are talking a much better defensive team than Miami.

 

[kskate2]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Better defensive and younger so probably would've seen a bit more energy. Heat look old and tired (the way most thought Spurs would look).

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Well now that this series is over the question this offseason will be whether Lebron opts out. Assuming the Melo rumors are false you have to wonder if Lebron will stay. I think he might but it'd be hard to blame him if he didn't. The Heat do not have a good team around him and they only figure to get worse.

 

[kskate2]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Interesting questions indeed.

 

[kskate2]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

107-86 final score. Spurs take a 3-1 lead and can close this out at home on Sun. Will they?

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Well now that this series is over the question this offseason will be whether Lebron opts out. Assuming the Melo rumors are false you have to wonder if Lebron will stay. I think he might but it'd be hard to blame him if he didn't. The Heat do not have a good team around him and they only figure to get worse.

They have never had a good team around him. In fact, it was worse when they won the championship two years ago. At least now they have Birdman, Ray Allen, and Rashard Lewis. A couple years ago they had nothing more than Chalmers, Battier, and Haslem.

Keep in mind that if it wasn't for the Game 4 SUPERMAN act from LeBron and Wade at Indiana two years ago and then, especially, LeBron's astonishing SUPERMAN act in Game 6 at Boston, that team would've been blown up after the 2011-2012 season; so they were one game away from Riley making big moves.

The Heat have never been good throughout LeBron's tenure. They have been riding him and Wade to do everything. Well, in this series, they are not able to (partially because of injuries, partially because they are worn down) and as a result the Heat are helpless. They basically have a mixture of Division II players and 40-year-olds (Bosh plays like he is 40) outside of LeBron and Wade.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

This was lost in the first half, for the life of me I don't understand how Lebron sits around and basically doesn't compete in the 1st half. 2nd half heroics were too little too late.

Well, I asked the same question about most of what LeBron did in last year's Finals, but you excused it simply because the Heat got the ring after the lucky conclusion to Game 6.

At the same time, I can't completely blame LeBron. He has so much pressure placed on his shoulders from Day 1 of the season to basically do everything that eventually he has to break down. No human being can withstand that much pressure without breaking eventually. You can't be Hercules indefinitely.

I would also like to make the point - since it is logically relevant to not only this series and our prior discussions, but also as a basketball principle in general - that in this type of situation LeBron and Wade could both use some of JR Smith's shooting & scoring talent. What you see in this series is defenders sagging off of LeBron and Wade each and daring them to take outside shots. LeBron and Wade are holding the ball and hesitating as a result, because they are drive-first players most of the time and are not very proficient when attempting a high volume of outside shots. Now if JR ever had the green light to be a #1 option (which he never will be, because NBA coaches are too wimpy to ever go along with it), he would never allow the Spurs to offensively dictate a series such as this. He would take over with his 3-point shot and send a message to the Spurs that their 87 swing passes into a jumpshot is not as forceful or powerful a way of scoring as his dynamic style is.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

^ No we agreed that Lebron could have been more aggressive last year but the way the series played out the Heat didn't have a real do or die game until game 6 (they won game 2 by 40 so Lebron hardly had to take over the game since it was over from the get go). This was season on the line and he took 7 shots in the first half and just watched the Spurs build a 20 point lead.

Ironically the only really good team the Heat had around Lebron was his first season in Miami. Wade was still a superstar back then and they were just stronger on defense. And then Lebron choked away the finals vs. Dallas...

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: NBA Finals: Miami vs. San Antonio

Lost in the shuffle is the fact that the Spurs are the greatest passing team I've seen in years. When your average role players look so good, you know you're doing something right.