NBA Finals Preview: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs in Potentially Epic Series

The upset hope for the Indiana Pacers ended last night as the Miami Heat powered their way to a dominating game 7 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now in their 3^rd straight NBA Finals, is their any doubt that LeBron James and his cronies will take home another title? There is a hope, although slim, and it comes in the form of Manu Ginobili.

 

The Argentinean shooting guard is the type of player that can awaken and shoot a team to victory, and against the dominating big bodies of the Heat, Ginobili will need to catch fire in this NBA Finals for the San Antonio Spurs to stand a chance.

 

The one aspect of this series that favors the Spurs is their experience winning championships earlier this decade, with 3 titles in 2003, 2005, and 2007. During those years, I recall Ginobili leading the team in clutch shots and terrorizing his opponents in the playoffs, which was often the Phoenix Suns.

Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Ginobili were a force back then, and while they certainly have aged, they are clearly experiencing a bit of resurgence late in their careers with this NBA Finals run. Although Ginobili is currently behind Danny Green on the starting roster, he still gets minutes and will need to come in and make the big shots in this series.

 

Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are still leading the Spurs well. This form will have to continue if the team is to compete in the series. Parker is scoring at the highest rate of his career and while Duncan’s numbers are down from his high point 5 years ago, he is still the leader in the paint for the Spurs.

By sweeping their Western Conference foes, the Spurs have now been able to rest ahead of this NBA Finals while the Heat has been forced into a long series with the Pacers. There is no doubt in my mind though that the Heat is the best team in the NBA. James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh (although he hasn’t been much of a playmaker these playoffs) are a monstrous force to be reckoned with. Additionally, they are young enough to handle the enduring schedule.

 

What inspires me to pick the Heat in this NBA Finals is their incredible game 7 domination. This was a tricky situation to deal with and Wade and James put the game beyond any doubt early in the second half. These players are big-game guys who thrive in close encounters. This is why I feel that Ginobili will need to emerge in the NBA Finals. When the Heat get going, he seems to me to be the one player capable of sinking a calm 3-pointer to slow those momentum shifts.

 

Another problem for the Spurs is that they haven’t really faced a powerful team in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers were a joke with Kobe Bryant, and were hopeless without him. Neither the Memphis Grizzlies or Golden State Warriors were really that talented, and now the Spurs will have to face the league’s best players. Therefore, I predict that the Miami Heat will claim their second straight title in 6 games, and LeBron will continue his reign as king of the NBA.

 

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San Antonio Spurs Sweep their Way to the NBA Finals

San Antonio Spurs Signature Court

The San Antonio Spurs have a perfect record in the NBA Finals, winning all 4 of the championships they have reached. Since 1999, the Spurs have been a true force in the NBA, and currently have a roster built around proven success. Having just swept the Memphis Grizzlies to earn a spot in this year’s NBA Finals, will the Spurs continue this impressive run, or will LeBron James and the Miami Heat prove too strong an opponent in the NBA Finals?

 

The majority of NBA fans will surely support the Spurs, and will wish to see King James dethroned. The Heat has built seemingly too strong a team around James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Their team would enter dynasty phase of they can win their second consecutive NBA title. The rest of the league has struggled to assemble a worthy competitor. The Los Angeles Lakers attempted the feat by joining together Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash but they never managed to live up to the hype as a worthy challenger to the Heat.

 

The Spurs on the other hand have already been assembled for a decade and are a finely tuned team that has proved to be capable of winning NBA titles with great success. Center Tim Duncan is an absolute force and has done it all. Point Guard Tony Parker showed in the Western Conference Finals that he can still take over a game, while shooting guard Manu Ginobili makes the big plays when the team needs him. This combination is deadly and has won multiple championships, becoming an NBA dynasty themselves in the mid 2000’s.

 

The one thing that makes this an intriguing matchup is the Spurs’ ages. Duncan is 37, Ginobili is 35, and Tony Parker isn’t exactly a spring chicken at 31. This could be the group’s last legitimate shot at a final NBA championship and they seem determined to earn it this year. Regardless of whether they complete the job, they will certainly be worthy competitors against the Heat.

 

Going in their favor is the fact that by sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs will have over a full week to rest and prepare for the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat has already given a game to the Indiana Pacers. Although likely to win the series, the Heat could be exhausted if the Pacers can win another game or two in the Easter Conference Finals.

 

Although the Heat’s stars are much younger than the Spurs’, the Spurs will have the edge in rest and veteran maturity. Although the recent Heat success has seen them evolve into championship caliber leaders as well, the Spurs will have the extra edge in the fact that this could be their last real shot at a final championship.

 

It all sets up for a fantastic NBA Finals that will begin in just over a week. Perhaps there could be a Pacers assault that would stun the basketball world, but my hunch is that the Miami Heat will be in the NBA Finals and ready to win. However, this Spurs team has proven time and time again that they are title winners, and I suspect that they could push the Heat to 7 games, and perhaps even snatch the NBA Finals title one last time!

 

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