// Do the Miami Heat have the momentum after their second straight NBA Finals win over the Oklahoma City Thunder? Not necessarily. I am not a big believer in momentum, because I believe each game in a series is an opportunity for each team to create its own positive forward energy. In Game 3, the Heat did make a concerted effort to get the ball inside. They held the edge in second-chance points and fast-break points, indicating an advantage in effort. And
MIAMI — LeBron James stares down at the stat sheet before the media brigade begins firing questions toward the podium. He’s glancing quickly, attempting to assess the game through the box score so that he can answer the public’s never-ending questions. Once Game 3 ended and the Heat took a crucial 2-1 lead in this best of seven NBA Finals series, LeBron James was already planning for the next one, trying to figure out how his team can further impose its
// MIAMI — The old cliché says that you’ve gotta have your heart broken before you can become a champion, and after their 91-85 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder may have just proven that they’re no exception to the rule. LeBron James’ Heat are attempting to do what Kobe Bryant’s Lakers did back in 2009—win the NBA Finals the very next year after losing them. Kevin Durant’s Thunder just
The Heat and Thunder tip off for Game 3 at 8:07 EDT, so if you’re looking for your NBA news fix until then, here’s the latest from around the NBA. Be sure to also check out Chris Bernucca’s column from earlier today on how Kevin Durant is the ideal NBA superstar and Chris Perkins’ Five Observations from Games 1 and 2 as well. Andre Iguodala is once again rumored to be on the move this summer, says Chad Ford in his ESPN
MIAMI — With Shane Battier draining nine 3-pointers through two games, it seems like an odd time to bring it up. But it is worth discussing: Zone defense. As the NBA Finals shift to Miami, I can’t help but remember last season: The Dallas Mavericks utilized all their parts and all of their schemes in an attempt to slow down the fast and powerful offense of the Miami Heat. If even for a string of possessions at a time, the Mavs made
When we decided to flush out the five best NBA Finals games of the David Stern Era, we didn’t think we would have so much trouble with Game 3. Since Stern became commissioner in 1984, no Finals game number has had more duds than Game 3. While other games had seven and eight candidates for our top five list, we had issues coming up with five truly great Game 3 showdowns. Three of the games making our list took place in the
