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
Miami took back momentum in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 90-79 victory over Indiana on Thursday night. LeBron James looked more like Michael Jordan with his 30 point performance, 16 of it in the third quarter. (Should we be comparing them yet? Click for Chris Sheridan’s podcast on that subject.) Now, the series is back in Indianapolis for Game 6. The Pacers’ backs are against the wall. Win or go home. Below are the keys to Game 6 of the Eastern
I will be the first one to admit I’m late to the party on Kevin Durant. I drink coffee, not Red Bull. My headphones are Sennheiser, not Beats or SkullCandy. I didn’t have a Twitter account until nine months ago. I still don’t have a Smartphone. So when some new phenomenon permeates basketball’s pop culture, I’m not exactly at the front of the line. In fact, I didn’t even attend the parties for Harold Miner, Derrick Coleman, Glenn Robinson, Joe Smith, Damon
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Dwayne Wade recorded his 600th block tonight at the Pacers. At 6’4″, he is only the second player in NBA History to record 600+ blocks at 6’4″ or smaller. The only other player to do so is Dennis Johnson, who recorded 675 at the same height. Joel Anthony now has 2+ blocks in eight straight games. The last Heat player to do so was Alonzo Mourning in December, 2005. Pacers F Jeff Foster announced his retirement before
Greatness up in the air
Players such as rookie guard Norris Cole are providing quality depth for the Heat.
MIAMI — Midway through the third quarter of the Miami Heat’s 118-85 victory over Orlando on Sunday, second-year center Dexter Pittman got right in Dwight Howard’s face as though he wanted to start something. The result of the altercation was a double foul — one on Pittman, one on Howard — and a measure of respect. But it didn’t answer any questions about the Heat’s toughness in the middle. Miami’s four-headed center — starter Joel Anthony, Pittman, and power forwards Chris Bosh
