Through the first six games of the NBA Finals, there was just one really important thing the Miami Heat just could not seem to accomplish offensively: successfully integrating Dwyane Wade and LeBron James together on the floor. Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra found the right group of players to pair with LeBron to succeed offensively against the stingy San Antonio Spurs defense. James was put at the power forward position and paired with Mario Chalmers (who can handle, shoot and ably execute
In a way, history repeated itself in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. In addition to MVP LeBron James’ dominance and the Spurs’ struggles down the stretch, there was an unlikely hero. Shane Battier knocked down his first five 3-point attempts and finished with six, reminiscent of Mike Miller’s seven 3-pointers in the title-clinching victory over Oklahoma City a year ago. Dwyane Wade wasn’t bad either, after a series in which he was criticized and even ridiculed. This was the 18th Game
MIAMI — It was the Game 7 play that will haunt the Spurs throughout the summer, as much as their Game 6 collapse. And nobody will be more haunted than Tim Duncan. [Read more…]
2013 NBA Champions – Miami Heat MIAMI — As LeBron James stood at center court of the American Airlines Arena, he gazed up into the heavens and was bathed in white confetti in front of Bill Russell and David Stern. The king—now twice crowned—had a message for the world. “I’m LeBron James,” he said. “I’m from Akron, Ohio.” And as he stood tall, after a hard fought, seven-game battle in which he avenged his first Finals loss against Gregg Popovich
Slowly but surely, the legacy of LeBron James is growing and taking a more definitive shape with each passing season, each passing championship. James and the Miami Heat are, once again, NBA Champions for the second consecutive season after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in an epic Game 7 of the NBA Finals that went down to the absolute wire on Thursday. All the drama about LeBron’s inability to consistently hit jump shots – clutch ones at that – continued to
Some of you are familiar with who I picked in this series, some of you are not. [Read more…]
Tony Parker MIAMI — Instead of a championship celebration complete with champagne and t-shirts, it was unsweetened iced tea and sparkling water for the San Antonio Spurs. Sometime after 1:00AM on Wednesday morning in Miami, after the Spurs sputtered, and after Ray Allen and LeBron James combined to ensure that the Miami Heat would live to see a Game 7, the Spurs collectively participated in a scene that is customary in Europe but not so much in the
Let’s forget about the adjectives, the cliches and the hyperbole. Tuesday night’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals was the best Finals game in a really, really long time for many reasons. Clutch shots, transcendental performances, controversial calls and decisions and several signature moments all factored heavily into Miami’s 103-100 overtime win over San Antonio to force Thursday night’s Game 7. Here are several things we can take away from this unbelievable basketball night. [Read more…]