Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
It all comes down to this...The Miami Heat look for a 3-peat, as they face the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the 2013 NBA Finals...Throughout the season, I have continued to say that the San Antonio Spurs are the best team in the NBA. I will not waiver from that statement here. However, I am picking the Miami Heat to win this series in 6 games. That may sound like an odd contradiction, but this is my reasoning...The San Antonio Spurs are the best team in the NBA. Last season, they lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, in 7 games. The series came down to a missed free throw by Kawhi Leonard, an offensive rebound by Chris Bosh, an incredible shot by Ray Allen, and then a missed bunny hook shot at the rim by Tim Duncan as Shane Battier pulled the chair on him, followed by a dagger jumpshot by LeBron James. It could be argued that the series could have gone either way. This season, the San Antonio Spurs are a better team. They still have Tony Parker setting things up, getting in the paint. They still have Tim Duncan down low. They still have Danny Green shooting 3s. Kawhi Leonard is another year more experienced, and continues to look like a star every single game on both ends of the court. His length, athleticism, and freakish hands cause the Heat trouble. The Spurs now have Patty Mills over Gary Neal. They also added Marco Belinelli, who has always hurt the Heat with his deadly outside shooting. Thiago Splitter has actually shown improvement in his game, though I'm not sure if he'll be a factor in this series. Boris Diaw is in incredible shape, and he has had a fantastic year, showing off his old PG skills at times and shooting a better percentage from 3. They also still have a guy named Manu Ginobli, who despite all of the short-sighted people that said he was done, is still just as good as he has been. They have other players on the roster, such as Matt Bonner or Jeff Ayers or Aaron Baynes, that could possibly see time as well. This team plays the game of basketball like a well oiled machine. It really is beautiful to watch. They get in the paint to set things up for themselves or others. They move the ball with precision, not letting their egos get in the way of taking the best shot available. They have a bunch of knock down shooters. They dont hurt themselves with turnovers. They play good defense and then get themselves out in the open floor. When you play the San Antonio Spurs, you know that they are going to give everything they have, and you are usually going to have to play perfect basketball to beat them...For the Heat to beat them, they are going to need to stay in front of guys, and not allow them to get into the paint. They need to close out hard to shooters, force them off their spots if possible, and not let the 3 point shot beat them, as it almost did in 2013. They are going to need to be active with their hands on the defensive end, be disruptive, and hopefully cause some turnovers, so they can get out in the open court. They need to play good transition defense as well, as you need to find shooters when getting back against the Spurs. Norris Cole, Shane Battier, Ray Allen, and Rashard Lewis are needed for specific things in this series. Battier is needed on the defensive end, with his savvy and ability to disrupt. He is needed to knock down shots when he is in the game as well. Ray Allen is obviously needed to knock down shots as well. Norris Cole is important, as the Heat try to make things more difficult for Tony Parker or others to get in the paint. The Heat bigs will need to come up and help on pick and rolls to not allow Spurs guards space to attack and get to the other side of the floor. Keeping Parker on one side of the floor is especially important. Rashard Lewis will likely see time in this series, and he has another pretty good matchup if both teams go small. Hopefully, he can bring the same defensive aggressiveness he showed against David West, while stretching the floor for the Heat. If you havent noticed it, I'm putting a lot of emphasis on the 3 point shot in this series. It is important for both teams. The Heat must not allow 2nd chances by the Spurs in this series. Offensive Rebounds by the Spurs in this series could lead to more 3 pointers. Another dynamic that is very interesting in this series is how the Spurs plan to guard LeBron James this time. Last year, and in years past, the Spurs played off LeBron, daring him to shoot. LeBron didnt take those shots early in the 2013 series, and then put the Spurs away taking, and knocking down, those shots in Game 7. LeBron has improved greatly from the perimeter in these last couple of years, and I expect him to take those shots this time if they are there. Leonard's length has given him some trouble in the past, but LeBron and Dwyane Wade's abilities to go in the post should help when in the half court...In truth, these teams are very similar, and very evenly matched. I call the San Antonio Spurs the best team in the NBA. At the end of the day though, the Miami Heat have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and the Spurs dont. Nobody has beaten the Heat since te 2011 Finals. They may lose, but I have to stick with the defending back-to-back NBA Champions
Miami Heat win 4-2
2014 NBA Champions
MIAMI HEAT
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