Where have you gone, LeBron James? Before getting into the search for the Bron who averaged 30-8-8 in February, looking like a full peer of Michael Jordan, I’d like to make clear that I have nothing against the guy. This is important with so many fans who hate Bron, and so many press people who alternate between savaging him when he loses and prostrating themselves before him when he wins. Even if it means savaging him Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and prostrating
The San Antonio Spurs might be in trouble. On the surface, things appear to be OK. The Spurs have executed their defensive game plan, which is to turn LeBron James into a passer. They have prevented the Miami Heat from turning either game into an extended relay race. And most important, they secured a split of the first two games as the road team, which is practically mandatory in the 2-3-2 format of the NBA Finals. Beneath the surface, however, the Spurs
Even before a preposterous third and fourth quarter run, the Miami Heat had already gotten back into a great position in its NBA Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. Through the changes and adjustments made by the Heat during the first three quarters of Game 2, they had already erased the bad mistakes and trends that ended up haunting them in Game 1. Sure, the result was a 103-84 blowout win for Miami over San Antonio, but margin of victory
MIAMI — On Friday evening in South Beach, from about 8:00 to 10:00 PM, clouds covered the sky and rain flooded the streets. It was the typical tropical weather that Floridians are accustomed to; quick and power-packed storms that come and go with a minute’s notice. [Read more…]
Shane Battier was benched in Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers. Will he re-emerge as a key component for the Miami Heat, or will his minutes be handed over to Norris Cole — perhaps the only guard on the Miami roster who has the speed to defend Tony Parker end-to-end? And for the San Antonio Spurs, there has been a lot of talk about championship experience. But when you look a little deeper, that argument doesn’t hold water. [Read more…]
MIAMI — There are two players in the NBA Finals who have been nearly impossible to stop during the 2012-13 postseason, LeBron James, and Tony Parker. In 16 games, James is shooting 51.4% from the field, averaging 26.2 points, 6.2 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 41 minutes per game for the Miami Heat. And truthfully, the numbers don’t even do him justice because of the way he impacts the game at both ends of the court… [Read more…]
It is almost as if Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra knew this was coming all along and have been preparing for this two-week journey against each other for many, many months. Before we dive into our betting preview for the NBA Finals, it is important to learn how we got to this point. [Read more…]
MIAMI — Over Biscayne Bay, the skies are gray. And on Miami Beach, sunbathers are sparse. But still, in humid South Florida, the heat is on. And inside of the American Airlines Arena, the Miami Heat are on. The clock, that is. [Read more…]