You weren't the only one wrong. I thought S.A. would have some rust, but apparently(I work evenings & didn't see the game) that was not an issue. It seems that if the Heat are gonna win, it'll be a bumpy road. The Spurs are surely off to a grand start.
It wasn't a blowout by any means. The Spurs won by 4 on an extremely pathetic 4th quarter by the Heat. It was a great game, I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the whole game. I told my son, when the Heat were up by 9, that it just wasn't enough. I wouldn't be comfortable with a 15 point lead. Thank God there's a lot of basketball left. If the Heat take 1 here, and 1 in San Antonio I can still keep the dream alive. I'll definitely be cracking beers for the next game.
Fans definitely tend to over react. There was a poll on ESPN.com & the whole world, including Florida, now say the Spurs are gonna win the series. And it wasn't even close, like 2/3 to 1/3 that S.A. will win. There's a long way to go, but I would think that Miami really needs to win the next game. I get to watch the next game thankfully.
It was an interesting game to say the least. LeBron got everyone involved early. Hell, even Wade did fairly well the first half. And I LOVED the officiating. They let these two teams play. Not many whistles at all. As a Spurs fan, I was disapointed with our shooting. They only shot 41% for the game. That needs to improve in Game 2. But I thought defensively they looked good. Duncan was always clogging a lane & LeBron couldn't drive in as much as he would like. I expect that to change on Sunday. I believe LeBron is going to push the issue. With that said, I hope the Spurs take Game 2 and finish them off at home! GO SPURS GO!!!!
The Heat do have to win the next game, no doubt about that, but then all they have to do is win 1 in SA and they at least get to bring it back to Miami to finish it off. Hopefully they'll win the next game and then give SA a taste of their own medicine by taking the first game in SA as well . Here's to good basketball!
Game 2 was ugly! Well, if you're a Spurs fan like myself. It was decent till about 3 minutes left in the 3rd Qtr, then it got nasty. Heat go on a 33-5 run in the next 8 minutes and Pop waived the white flag early in the 4th qtr during that run. Spurs went from 4 turnovers in Game 1 to 18 turnovers in Game 2 leading to 20 points for the Heat. That needs to get fixed. And Duncan & Tony were non factors. 20 points between the both of them combined. That's not gonna get it done. I think Pop made the mistake of doubling & triple teaming LeBron throughout that game. Maybe double a few times, but not the entire game. Miller, who can barely move, didn't need to move because he was wide open. So was Allen. It will be interesting to see what adjustments Pop makes for Game 3. Cause what he did in Game 2 did NOT work. LOL.
Yeah, that was just a stomping. The Heat brought out the best defense, and made sure not to look back after the third. So much for Chalmers being a non factor, then again he had a decent finals series last year too. It was good to see Mike Miller come out and nail a few threes too. Heat getting some good production.
I wanted to respond to this when i first read it: I have to totally disagree with the notion that Chalmers is "soft". He came up big in last years Finals & he is & will play well, in these Finals. No, he's not in Parker's class, but he's been pretty good.
Your post reminded me that I wanted to talk about Chalmers. The kid is a winner - he won at Kansas & he's been more than a solid contributor with the Heat. When the Heat play defense like they did Sunday, they're obviously tough to beat. I STILL very much like their chances in this series.
I think Chalmers blends with this offensive setup more than people give him credit. You are right though, I never thought he was soft. He goes out there and games every day, and is known as the "little brother" of the big 3. They get after him all the time, and I think he thrives off of it. What better players to learn from? I'm hoping he can continue to come up big this finals. He might not cancel out Parker, but he can at least do some damage.
Cynical EPV: San Antonio wins 2 games at home. Heat force Game 7 while in Miami. Heat rally to win Game 7. Best option for NBA ratings. Realistic EPV: Heat in 6.
This is how the Pacers series worked too it seems. The Heat would blow out one, then get blown out the other. If the Heat win the next game then it turns into a best of 3 with 2 of those games back in Miami. They're also 7-0 after losing in the playoffs, let's hope that continues. Great game for the Spurs though, Miami's defense was nowhere to be found. It's working out for Pop too, cause he gets to rest the old guys a lot more with 2 blowouts.
Game 4 winner will win the series IMO. If Miami wins, they tie the series with the last 2 at home. If the Spurs win, no chance Miami wins 3 in a row against San Antonio to take the series. Pop was brilliant last night with his adjustments. Running inside the Pick & Roll and daring LeBron to take the wide open jump shot. And Jalen Rose nailed it last night as well. Spurs playing small made it easier for them to defend the Heats outside shooters. With the exception of Miller, who was the second coming of Curry last night, the Heats outside shooters were non factors. I bet Pop plays Game 4 the exact same way to see if LeBron can make his jump shots. If he does, it will force Pop to play him differently. GO SPURS GO!!!!
The games will be interesting, but it's only a 1 game lead. That's the beautiful thing about getting blown out, it still only counts as 1 in the loss column. The series is 2-1, and the next game is a must win for the Heat. Considering their record after losses I feel good about their chances coming into game 4. If they lose game 4, then it's backs against the wall time. They've done it before, but it would be tough to stay optimistic.
Parker thinks he'll play, but they showed a mild hamstring injury. Lowest level, but if he decides to push it he could tear it all the way. I wonder what his status for game 4 will look like, and how much of an affect that will have.
dun dun dddddduuuuunnnnnn It comes down to a game 7, and it's going to be a nail biter. This has been a great series, exactly what I wanted. Last nights game was just nerve racking.
Last nights game kept me up late. LOL With that said, I sure do hope the pattern of this series stays the course. GO SPURS GO!!!!
Some interesting stats in favor of the home team. Either way this championship series was up to par, I am very impressed
I can't call it, although I tend to side with home teams (especially when said team had such a great year of basketball). The only thing holding me back is the wonder of which Heat team will show up tonight. Literally everything is riding on tonight, and watching some of their star players makes me wonder if they realize that. It took 3 full quarters for LeBron James to realize he'd better get in gear. People keep talking about how the Spurs "blew it", but I disagree... the Heat haven't been playing to potential. I'd like to see Duncan go with another title, but 4 is enough... and I'm pretty tired of hearing about how everyone hates LeBron. A loss would mean weeks of having to hear more of it.
Looks like we have our answer. LeBron shows up in full force earning both the regular season and finals MVP, another ring, and more validation. Amazing series. HEAT REPEAT!!!!
First off, congrats to the San Antonio Spurs & their fans for a great season & great Championship Final. They certainly gave the Heat all they could handle. As a Laker fan, I really don't like 'em, but I do respect the heck out of 'em. If I'm the Spurs, I don't think I change much, except for maybe keeping Manu's minutes down, unless he retires, of course. Duncan looked as good as ever, but I'd say they need another big to take some pressure (& minutes) off him. What can be said about LeBron? He's without a doubt the best player in the league, surely any wheres from a top 15 to top 5, player of all time, who is only 28. More Championships are most likely on the way. I would guess at least 2 more. I do believe Pat Riley has some work to do, so we'll see what happens next season. But for now, congrats to the best team in basketball, the Miami Heat.
You said it, the Spurs almost walked out with the trophy in game 6. In my opinion that was one of the best finals I've seen, which admittedly has only been mid double digits. However, there was everything contained in that series. Comeback, blowouts, missed calls, and great shots. I agree with your statements about the changes as well, good calls. LeBron has the talent and skill to definitely be in the top 3 of basketball players of all time. He was completely unstoppable last night. Hitting jump shot after jump shot, and mixing in some 3's. Just a great performance all around. To be honest, I don't know what changes really need to be made on the Heats end. Bosh has underperformed in my opinion, then again he wasn't amazing before. However, I don't really know what changes would need to be made. If I were them I might go for a real center, but outside of that the team looks good. The platoon of Chalmers and Cole is working very well, LeBron in a floating position, and the pieces around him are looking good too. If needed I think Ray Allen can bare a bit more of the load as Wade gets older as well, make that into a bit more of a platoon.
That game last night was frustrating for me. Not for the obvious reason that I am a Spurs fan, but of how the way that game felt to me. I would say at about the 8-9 minute mark in the 1st Qtr, I never felt that my beloved Spurs had a chance to win that game. Even though it was a close game throughout, it felt like a blowout to me. Even when the Spurs had a small lead late in the 4th, I never felt that they were going to win the game. I am actually shocked that the Heat didn't blow them out. I don't believe they got over throwing away the Championship in Game 6 with 28 seconds left in the game. Oh well, congrats to the Heat for winning a fun series to watch. I think it's time to look to the future for my Spurs. Even though Timmy said he is gonna come back and play (2 more years on his contract) I think we need to grab players for the future. Not try to reload and make another run. That core will never see the Finals again. Players that need to go IMO: Splitter Bonner Ginobili Blair McGrady Mills The Spurs should try to grab Al Jefferson. Or another big to play with Tony in the future.
