Ahh.. Once again we get to see these two fighting for an NBA Championship. The San Antonio Spurs are looking to continue their years of dominance, while LeBron James and the Miami Heat are looking to control the basketball world for a third straight year. Both of these teams are filled with future Hall of Famers, and seeing them go against each other on one of the biggest stages in sports is must-see TV. Can Tim Duncan ride off in the sunset with a fifth ring? Can LeBron James capture his third straight championship and add to his growing legacy?
San Antonio Spurs
When you look at the San Antonio Spurs, they seem to be counted out every year. Pundits are always waiting to pounce, wondering if this will finally be the year the Spurs take a step back. But as always, they continue to dominate in the regular season and playoffs. One of the main reasons they are able to dominate is the amount of time each player plays.
Without question, the superstars for the Spurs are older, so Gregg Popovich has made sure they are well rested; no player on the Spurs averaged more than 30 minutes a game this year, something that has never been done. It’s always important to make sure superstars are rested in preparation for a long playoff push, and Popovich did just that.
Tony Parker has been battling an ankle injury, but he seems ready to go; it’s the NBA Finals after all, and every player is banged up in some way (SIA Profile). Another huge boost for the Spurs this year is their role players. In one game you could have Tony Parker score 8 points and Boris Diaw with 25. The Spurs are a very unselfish team. They don’t care about dropping 30 points a night as an individual, they’re looking to have ball movement and getting everyone involved. That’s what makes the Spurs so dominant.
Look at Danny Green, a player who was cut by a few teams before finally getting a shot with the Spurs. He now owns the NBA Finals record for the most 3-pointers made in the finals.
Another player who has been huge for San Antonio is Kawhi Leonard. We all know he is a superstar in the making and is likely the future face of the franchise. He may be young, but he is always counted on by Pop and co.
In the end, the Spurs want to win this for Tim Duncan. He’s been the leader of this team for so many years. As it seems retirement for Tim is right around the corner, what better way to go out than winning a fifth championship? Only time will tell if San Antonio can get the job done.
Miami Heat
Of course their opponents, the Miami Heat, are going to do anything but roll over. It seems everyone wants to be in South Beach, and the team has a litany of stars and a quality bench.
Since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Miami, they’ve been nearly unstoppable. Only losing one playoff series in 2011, Miami just always gets the job done. This will be Miami’s fourth straight appearance in the Finals, a task that has only been done 3 times. It was felt around the league that this would finally be the year Miami would be taken down, but once again they prevailed, this time against Indiana, and are back in the Finals.
It seems that the Heat are starting to peak at the right time. LeBron James is locked in, and his teammates are letting him lead the way. Dwyane Wade is looking better than ever, and Chris Bosh finally found his rhythm in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ray Allen is still doing his thing at a high level, and we’ve also seen the resurrection of Rashard Lewis. Chris Andersen and Norris Cole always bring energy off the bench for this Heat team, which really gets them going. Miami wants this three-peat, and they seem more focused than ever–a scary proposition.
For LeBron James, he has to get the job done. It’s just that simple. If Miami doesn’t get it done, LeBron will be 2-3 in the Finals and 1-2 vs Tim Duncan. This would greatly hurt his legacy. To have a 3-peat would greater his legacy, as Michael and Kobe both have three-peated. If he gets it done, he has a very high chance of catching up with Kobe on rings. And we know that’s all LeBron wants to do now; win championships.
X-Factors
For the Spurs, their X-Factor has to be Manu Ginobili. Manu had a very disappointing performance in the Finals last year–he just looked tired and beat-up. In fact, there was speculation he would be retiring after last year. But instead he got in better shape, re-found his game and he’s looking like the old Manu. He took over in game 6 against Oklahoma City, which got the Spurs to the Finals. When Manu is on his A-Game, the Spurs take their game to a whole new level. They’re able to play so much better and efficiently. If Manu is able to play the way he’s been playing, it’ll be very tough for the Spurs to lose this series.
For Miami, the X-Factor has to be Dwyane Wade. Not because of how he’s been playing, but because of his health (SIA Profile). Wade sat out 28 games in the regular season, and it looks like it’s really paying off for the Heat. D-Wade has been putting up efficient numbers, taking a lot of pressure off of LeBron. When D-Wade is in rhythm, there’s no one beating the Miami Heat. We saw that in game 4 of the Finals last year. LeBron and Dwyane both had 30+ points, and they looked unstoppable. If Wade’s knees feel good, Miami’s going to complete the 3-peat.
And now, for my prediction. This was actually very hard, but I’m rolling with the Miami Heat in 7. The Spurs have a better overall team, but Miami just seems poised to get the 3-peat. It’ll be tough to see Duncan lose for a second straight year in the Finals, but I feel Miami knows the elite company they can join, which motivates them. San Antonio will try to avenge what happened last year in game 6, but I just don’t think it’ll be enough. Miami in 7. In San Antonio.
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