Welcome to the latest edition of The “Buzz”: Basketball Roundtable. We pose several basketball related questions to our panel of life-long NBA fans for their candid opinions. We invite anyone to participate by answering the same questions in the “Comments” section at the bottom of this article. Our panel consists of Ben Young, Matt Fish (of “Fish on Sports”) and Kaine Elmy.
1) Who has really surprised you, and made a name for themselves in this series?
Matt – The shout-out has to go to Danny Green, having set an NBA Finals record for made three-point field goals and all. Plus, he’s also played good defense when called upon to do so. He probably won’t, but very much deserves to win Finals MVP if the Spurs win.
Ben- I think this has to be Danny Green, who has established himself as an elite sharpshooters/Defensive stopper in the NBA and a darkhorse for finals MVP.
Kaine – Danny Green. That guy has been beyond amazing. His emergence as an automatic perimeter shooter this series has got the Spurs exactly where they are right now, forty eight minutes from a championship. And let’s not forget the record he broke for most three pointers in a Finals series.
2) Where does game 6 stand amongst some of the best games in NBA history?
Matt – Of recent memory it was probably one of the best. It wasn’t just that both teams made shots that made it exciting – both teams were also vulnerable after missing shots and blowing leads. When you don’t know who’s going to win for almost every possession of the fourth quarter, that’s award-winning drama right there.
Ben – This was in my opinion, one of if not the greatest game in NBA history. The collection of talent/hall of famers, the storyline, the legacies at stake, the clutch plays/costly errors, all made for fantastic entertainment.
Kaine – My personal favourite game of all time is Game Seven of the Boston/Lakers series in 2010. However, Game Six between Spurs and Miami had me on the absolute edge of my seat. Props to Ray Allen. The Miami/Spurs Game Six would probably be in my top five.
3) We’ve seen both teams at their best now, what is the key to winning game 7?
Matt – The key to winning Game 7 will be a consistent, tenacious effort. Both teams have shown the ability to dominate the other and win by a large margin. For much of Game 6, San Antonio seemed right on the cusp of reaching that level. Unfortunately for them, close to that level of play wasn’t good enough to win. The Heat also know that, had they not made some ridiculous shots in that same fourth quarter, we wouldn’t even be talking about Game 7. It sounds clichéd but it’s true – it’s all going to come down to execution. “Winner takes all” will do that to you.
Ben – I think the key for the Heat is to close out the shooters. I think that when it comes down to it the Spurs’ big three cannot produce the way the Heat’s can. They must be contained as I don’t think Duncan is going to be able to play the way he did in game 6.
The key for the Spurs is for Ginobili to have a good game to take the pressure off of Parker, and if he plays poorly, he should be benched to prevent him from having costly turnovers as he did in game 6. The spurs need to show some resiliency after a devastating game 6 loss.
Kaine – Consistency. Miami need to be consistent and keep those Big Three going. Also, why not try blocking out Green for once? For the Spurs, they need to forget Game Six. Play exactly how they have been these entire series and forget the heart-breaking loss; they will out-perform Miami.
4) Prediction time, give me a final score, and the NBA Finals MVP.
Matt – I’m not going to waiver from my pre-series pick and I’ll say San Antonio, but it will be close. The Spurs win in South Beach by less than ten points. For MVP I’ll go with Green.
Ben – This series was as unpredictable as they come, but I’m predicting the Heat win 99-96 with Lebron as the Finals MVP
Kaine – Spurs by 6. I’m predicting a big game from Ginobli and series MVP.
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