When you play the San Antonio Spurs, there is always a risk of getting completely blown out of the game – sometimes by half time. You just don’t expect the Miami Heat to be one of those teams. In two consecutive games in the NBA Finals, no less. No matter how you predicted this series would go (I predicted Spurs in 6), no one could have seen this coming. The Heat were supposed to be the most formidable bunch for the Spurs after
With Thursday playing host to a critical Game 4 in the 2014 NBA Finals wherein the Miami Heat trail the San Antonio Spurs 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, a far more important game took place early in the afternoon. The 2014 World Cup. The host nation faced off against Croatia in the opening game of the world’s most anticipated sports tournament. The game, which ended in a 3-1 victory in favor of the Brazil. With many NBA athletes coming from countries all across the
Dwyane Wade is going to the Hall of Fame. Long before LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, Wade had won a title with the Miami Heat, virtually by himself. He is a multiple NBA champion, perennial All-Star and Olympic gold medalist. He even won a scoring title. Wade is an icon in Miami. And that is a problem for the Heat. Because over the last couple of years, it has become evident that Wade is no longer a superstar. And he
There have been plenty of speculation on whether the “Big Three” in Miami will remain intact beyond this season. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all have the ability to exercise an early termination option for next season to become unrestricted free agents. What they decide may depend largely on what happens in the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, but there is another plan possibly in play. Make it the “Big Four” by bringing in Carmelo Anthony. It almost sounds crazy,
You may not have noticed it, but Chris Bosh was perfect from the field in Miami’s Game 3 loss, going 4-for-4. Of course, that is a broad interpretation of the word “perfect” because Bosh only taking four shots is far from ideal. As the Miami Heat reviewed film Wednesday in preparation for Game 4, the need to get Bosh more touches was one of the paramount points. Also, Miami needs to get more efficient production from Mario Chalmers, whose nine assists
MIAMI — The proverbial “Next step.” When a young player scores a career-high 29 points on 10-for-13 shooting in a 111-92 win in Game 3 in a tied NBA Finals, takes that “Next step,” it’s a big deal (especially in the social media centric world we live in today). Normally he’ll shower, get dressed and head to the podium to answer questions from the media. That was not the case on Tuesday evening. Stone faced and serious, Kawhi Leonard headed toward the throng of media
When the San Antonio Spurs play their brand of basketball and stick to the game plan, there is virtually no team in the NBA that can hang with them. The Miami Heat included. After being criticized by Gregg Popovich in Game 2 for trying to take over the game individually – a formula he promised would ultimately fail them – the Spurs put on an absolute clinic in moving the ball, breaking down the defense and getting fantastic shots one possession after
Everyone likes a good movie, and most movies serve as great distractions from life. They invite us into a new world where we are engrossed in the lives of fictional characters that have some linear story in which they experience various plot turns and twists before finding a resolution. It’s storytelling 101, and it captivates us all. NBA athletes are no less human and enjoy movies all the same. After suffering severe leg cramps and incapable of helping his team as the