Things Learned From Almost Beating the Heat

[timvp]

1. Nando De Colo is a point guard. That should be clear as day now. When it came down to ballhandling and running the offense late in the game, the other guards turned to De Colo to guide the ship. And while he needs improvement in some areas (like shooting wide open layups), he has some intangibles that you can't teach. Oh, and his defense is pretty darn good considering his newness to the NBA.

2. Patrick Mills is a 5-foot-11 shooting guard. Great guy. Great teammate. Not a point guard. He's literally the worst passer on the team and isn't very good at dribbling in a crowd. Mills is young enough that he can improve but he's simply not a point guard right now.

3. James Anderson is useful as a 15th man. The Spurs might as well keep him around. He's not a star in the making or anything but his skillset works well in an emergency role: unselfish, willing defender, hustles, plays within the offense, competes. His weight loss and the subsequent regaining of explosiveness in his legs definitely helped him make a positive impression last night.

4. Boris Diaw on LeBron James is a viable option. If the Spurs are fortunate enough to advance to the Finals this year (say a little prayer), Pop should be confident that Diaw can buy some minutes defending LeBron. The closing lineup would still likely involve Jackson and Leonard at the forward positions ... but Diaw can buy time at the beginning of the halves.

5. Can the Heat defend the paint? I'm not sure they can with Chris Bosh at center and LeBron at power forward. Yes, their perimeter defense is fantastic and by far the best in the league, but if you are able to get in the paint, I don't see how they could be considered anything but subpar when it comes to guarding the rim. Considering that Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker can all do work in the paint, that could be a weakness the Spurs look to exploit in future matchups. Don't get me wrong, the Heat are the massive favorites to win a second consecutive championships ... but the Spurs matchup pretty darn well against them relative to other teams in the league.

[JRHernandez88]

yeah I'm sure we gained a lot of confidence last night against them. Spo looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown on the bench :lmao

[Mugen]

Ray Allen is going to be an issue if the two teams somehow meet in the Finals. The spurs aren't the best at defending players who move constantly without the ball, outside of maybe TP.

TP and Manu are going to have a tough time getting into the pain with the perimeter defenders that MIA can throw at them (LeBron, Wade, Battier)

Tim and the bench would pretty much have to dominate for SA to have a chance in a dream series against them. Not out of the question tho.

[polandprzem]

Spurs played very simple basketball and were able to make MIami run on half court D.

And you can harm them inside and when they cloging 3sec area pass the ball.
Spurs are good passing team.

Next game vs Mia is early April ..

[polandprzem]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year

[Obstructed_View]

Battier should be back by then. It'll be an interesting matchup. I hope it's not on national TV.

[Obstructed_View]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year

I've seen teams without a point guard make the finals. I've seen teams without superstars make the finals. I've never seen a team without either get that far.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i think the spurs at full strength can sweep the heat in a 7 games series....

the problem isnt our roster, its got more to do with there frontline defense and the regressing of wade

[JRHernandez88]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this yearhttp://imageshack.us/a/img171/3094/d0sxg.png not sure if serious???

[Mugen]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year

Are they still showing the 2000 NBA Season in Poland?

[Cane]

Wade looks slow

Bosh is like a feminine Antonio McDyess (please Spurs don't get both Finley and McDyess back, just McDyess if you have to get one of them...)

LeBron is god damn outstanding

Stern is a character from Catch-22. So he's going to punish the Spurs because of the quality of competition? Even though the Spurs have had the best record for the past couple of seasons and one of the best this year? And on top of that nearly won vs the goddamn Heat? You don't want to feel our wrath Stern. Gifting Pau Gasol was enough dammit.

[mingus]

I think de colo if he improves his shooting can be a pretty lethal pg. Outside of jack and the big3 he's probably the only other player than can create for others. In a few years I can see him being on Drajics level.

[timvp]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year
You need to clean out your nose and smell again.

[mingus]

Spurs wouldn't sweep the Heat. You are crazy.

[Cane]

I like De Pespsi Cola (lol Reggie Miller and TNT). He even played decent d on Wade although Wade isn't Wade anymore

[timvp]

i think the spurs at full strength can sweep the heat in a 7 games series....
Yesterday, the Big 3 should retire so that Splitter and Kawhi can get more touches. Today, the Spurs would sweep the Heat.

Meds, find them and take a double dose.

[polandprzem]

Are they still showing the 2000 NBA Season in Poland?

1993

MJ is really good player!




East is kinda weak
The only strong team there is Heat and IMO Indy can defeat them

screw that - my prediction!

[Paranoid Pop]

3. James Anderson is useful as a 15th man. The Spurs might as well keep him around. He's not a star in the making or anything but his skillset works well in an emergency role: unselfish, willing defender, hustles, plays within the offense, competes. His weight loss and the subsequent regaining of explosiveness in his legs definitely helped him make a positive impression last night.

To me his ceiling is so much higher than someone like Danny Green. He's the best passer outside of TP/Nando/Manu/Boris/Tim, he can make plays and create by himself unlike Danny while still having the body to play good D, call me crazy but I can see him starting alongside Kawhi in the future, he has way more game than the other "work in progress", his head just wasn't in the right place before imo... Hopefully he's not cut to make room for someone, we could do without one of the 4 flawed back up PG before parting with him tbh.

[Boomersgold]

6. Cory Joseph isn't at NBA level yet. He's close, but clearly isn't there yet.

[Paranoid Pop]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year

Strong post but still quickly upstaged by the master :


i think the spurs at full strength can sweep the heat in a 7 games series....

the problem isnt our roster, its got more to do with there frontline defense and the regressing of wade

[polandprzem]

Hopefully I will not get punished for my statment

[Boomersgold]

What was wrong about his statement about Wade? Wade HAS regressed. He's shooting at a lower percentage and isn't getting the same looks as he has in past seasons.

[timvp]

To me his ceiling is so much higher than someone like Danny Green. He's the best passer outside of TP/Nando/Manu/Boris/Tim, he can make plays and create by himself unlike Danny while still having the body to play good D, call me crazy but I can see him starting alongside Kawhi in the future, he has way more game than the other "work in progress", his head just wasn't in the right place before imo... Hopefully he's not cut to make room for someone, we could do without one of the 4 flawed back up PG before parting with him tbh.

Eh, I don't think his ceiling is that high. First of all, having pins in both of his feet limits his upside. Even though he's in better shape, his gait is still like someone with glass in their shoes.

A second major flaw is he has a slow release with a low release point. For a shooter, that's tough to overcome.

I see Anderson as a good "break glass in case of emergency" swingman if he's kept the rest of the season. Going forward, I think his ceiling remains as a 9th or 10th man.

[Mel_13]

2. Patrick Mills is a 5-foot-11 shooting guard. Great guy. Great teammate. Not a point guard. He's literally the worst passer on the team and isn't very good at dribbling in a crowd. Mills is young enough that he can improve but he's simply not a point guard right now.

Everyone should see this by now. So many here wanted a better backup PG than Neal that they convinced themselves that Patty was a PG. He's not. Barring injuries, he'll be limited to garbage time and towel waving.

[Boomersgold]

Everyone should see this by now. So many here wanted a better backup PG than Neal that they convinced themselves that Patty was a PG. He's not. Barring injuries, he'll be limited to garbage time and towel waving.

Not just injuries. If Pop feels the need for an up tempo game, he'll bring in Patty. I can't imagine De Colo guarding Ty Lawson on the perimeter. Or if De Colo's play starts to deteriorate, he'll switch with him with Mills, like he did Mills with De Colo when Mills started to play bad.

Everyone knows Patty and Neal aren't passing point guards, so what we expect from them when they're on the court is scoring. When Patty or Neal don't score, they're pretty much useless. It's the same with a one dimensional player like De Colo. If De Colo can't make great passes, he's also pretty much useless.

[polandprzem]

timvp - when do you plan gthoughts?

[Mel_13]

Not just injuries. If Pop feels the need for an up tempo game, he'll bring in Patty. I can't imagine De Colo guarding Ty Lawson on the perimeter. Or if De Colo's play starts to deteriorate, he'll switch with him with Mills, like he did Mills with De Colo when Mills started to play bad. Everyone knows Patty's not a passing point guard, so what we expect from him when he's on the court is scoring. When Patty doesn't score, he's pretty much useless. It's the same with a one dimensional player like De Colo. If De Colo can't make great passes, he's pretty much useless.

Once Leonard and Jackson are back, both DeColo and Mills will be outside of the 10-man rotation, but DeColo will be the 3rd string PG. Patty is the 4th string PG and the 4th string SG.

[Bill_Brasky]

JA was such a better idea than Witherspoon. Glad he did something with his minutes, I'm sure he turned at least a couple of heads.

[phxspurfan]

Among the competition last night, De Colo was probably the only PG, true. He's looking to pass all the time and can shoot FTs (which I think is a really important skill for the guy with the ball to have). His D was pretty good, but keep in mind the Heat were not playing their A game last night and nobody had a scouting report on our deep bench guys like they have on guys like Duncan, Manu and Parker. So I'd hold off on just handing the backup PG duties over to De Colo until we know how the league adjusts defensively to him.

And I think Mills is probably just a garbage time all star in the NBA against the best teams. Against the worst teams, he may be able to soak up some more regular season minutes (a la Blair) but he's by no means a rotation player at this point.

[timvp]

So I'd hold off on just handing the backup PG duties over to De Colo until we know how the league adjusts defensively to him.


When everyone is healthy, Neal remains the backup PG.

[Chinook]

Boris Diaw on LeBron James is a viable option.

:king I told you Diaw would be the primary Lebron defender, although Pop helped me out with that by not playing anyone else who could possibly do it except for Anderson (who did a hell of a job, by the way). I found it interesting that he let Splitter switch onto James when Miami ran the PnR. Lebron didn't really make him pay for it, either. So I guess Pop may trust big men to guard James more than people thought.

Yeah, but I also thought Blair would spend some time on him, so what the hell do I know? Although Blair might well have done so if he hadn't been so awful at pretty much everything last night.

[Spursfanfromafar]

1. Nando De Colo is a point guard.

2. Patrick Mills is a 5-foot-11 shooting guard. Great guy. Great teammate. Not a point guard.

3. James Anderson is useful as a 15th man.

4. Boris Diaw on LeBron James is a viable option.

5. Can the Heat defend the paint? I'm not sure they can with Chris Bosh at center and LeBron at power forward.

Just to add, the Spurs after this game, IMO, have some sure indispensables apart from the Big 3 and some long term assets that they wouldn't want to give up in a trade to address their remaining weakness (athletic defensive minded big). I think Patty Mills and Dejuan Blair's limitations make them prime candidates apart from Bonner as assets in any mid-season trade.

[Kidd K]

I agree about James Anderson. I think he's worth keeping around. I never disliked him even though he didn't produce a ton. He always tried at least. You never got the idea he was slacking off. With guys like that, they will eventually fall into a nice specialized role and be reliable if you keep at it with them.

He looked good last night too. I really liked the chase down block he got. He displayed pretty nice agility and proved he can hit shots in a big game. Needs to work on things of course, but I wouldn't be upset if he was around as a reserve guy for the next few years.

I hope we keep him, though I understand letting him play in the D League and getting extra experience so he gets further along faster. Still, even if they do that, I hope they don't cut ties.

[Sean Cagney]

Ray Allen is going to be an issue if the two teams somehow meet in the Finals. The spurs aren't the best at defending players who move constantly without the ball, outside of maybe TP.


YEP, and it's been that way since Bruce Bowen! They used to be able to use him to chase guys around.

[hater]

agree with everything except "almost beating the Heat" in the title. Heat were bullshitting till last 4 minutes of the game.

[freetiago]

we learned pop still wont play splitter over 30 minutes even when he doesnt really have the choice not to
ship his ass out for a draft pick and a 3rd-4th level big and we all win
spurs get some talent back and get rid of a player they wont play
the other team gets a 20/10 caliber big

[Norris Cole]

agree with everything except "almost beating the Heat" in the title. Heat were bullshitting till last 4 minutes of the game.
This

IF the Spurs are to meet the Heat in the finals I expect the Spurs to give them a run for their money. The Spurs present match up problems for the Heat. Quick PG, post presence and 3 pt shooting. With that being said, I don't think they could beat the Heat.

Miami plays great defense (when they want), has a bench full great 3 pt shooters and the best player on the planet. Last year Wade started the season off poorly as well and then came around. I wouldn't write him off and of course Bosh is getting a lot more consistent. Bosh has actually played well this season.

[hater]

This

IF the Spurs are to meet the Heat in the finals I expect the Spurs to give them a run for their money. The Spurs present match up problems for the Heat. Quick PG, post presence and 3 pt shooting. With that being said, I don't think they could beat the Heat.

Miami plays great defense (when they want), has a bench full great 3 pt shooters and the best player on the planet. Last year Wade started the season off poorly as well and then came around. I wouldn't write him off and of course Bosh is getting a lot more consistent. Bosh has actually played well this season.

don't forget about the coaching superiority by the spurs. But let's just face it. It Lebron and Wade actually try and the rest of the team gets on board, nobody is beating the Heat

[Arcadian]

Miami is beatable. I honestly believe the Spurs' best performance is greater than the Heat's best performance. The trouble is getting our best performance at the best time.

[Norris Cole]

Miami is beatable. I honestly believe the Spurs' best performance is greater than the Heat's best performance. The trouble is getting our best performance at the best time.
Having LeBron go for 45/15 or Wade go for 30 while drops 40/18? :lol Spurs wouldn't have a chance in hell against that. Just wouldn't go down easily and can possibly sneak it out. Doubtful but the chance is there.

[superjames1992]

When everyone is healthy, Neal remains the backup PG.
I hate that. Neal is a good SG that can fill up the bucket, but he shouldn't be our PG, IMO.

On a side note, if feels like we have a million shooting guards on our roster and only two true point guards (and one of them is a rookie!).

[playblair]

timvp why no mention of cojo's defense .....


also

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A8-gvHeCYAExmLH.jpg

[freetiago]

lebron isnt grabbing 15 board vs the spurs
even while theyre struggling theyre not as bad as the celtics are on the glass
and in game 2 vs okc
durant/westbrook/harden combined for over 90 pts on 50+ shooting and SA still blew them out

and wade is done
without his athleticism and his calls he looks worse out there then turnobili

[Cry Havoc]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year

I thought I was upstairs, not in "college sports". wtf?

[TD 21]

I agree about James Anderson. I think he's worth keeping around. I never disliked him even though he didn't produce a ton. He always tried at least. You never got the idea he was slacking off. With guys like that, they will eventually fall into a nice specialized role and be reliable if you keep at it with them.

He looked good last night too. I really liked the chase down block he got. He displayed pretty nice agility and proved he can hit shots in a big game. Needs to work on things of course, but I wouldn't be upset if he was around as a reserve guy for the next few years.

I hope we keep him, though I understand letting him play in the D League and getting extra experience so he gets further along faster. Still, even if they do that, I hope they don't cut ties.

The other thing is, if they make a trade, his contract could come in handy. If not and they give up one of the depth guards, he could fill their spot. It's not like they couldn't use more depth of size on the wing anyway.

They probably intend to send him to the Toros, whether they cut him or not. That could have been why they traded Witherspoon.

As for De Colo, I don't care that he played relatively well up to that point, he had no business finishing the game. That one turnover late, where he had pretty much an uncontested layup, yet inexplicably attempted to pass back to Splitter, was an absolute killer. The instant it happened I knew it was over.

Anderson should have closed. He's more under control and a more willing and probably better shooter, plus he could have defended James and sparred a gassed Diaw (him and Splitter were done for with about 6 minutes to go) from having to do so.

[Norris Cole]

lebron isnt grabbing 15 board vs the spurs
even while theyre struggling theyre not as bad as the celtics are on the glass
and in game 2 vs okc
durant/westbrook/harden combined for over 90 pts on 50+ shooting and SA still blew them out

and wade is done
without his athleticism and his calls he looks worse out there then turnobili
Wade is struggling and still averaging 19 ppg :lol He struggled at the beginning of last season too and that wasn't coming off knee surgery.

Spurs blew out the Thunder but lost still lost the series. The same team was beat by Miami 4-1. The last two seasons should've taught you not to read too much into the regular season.

[freetiago]

19 ppg doesnt mean anything when he looks like ass out there
should i post quotes from all the heat fans saying the same thing
he cant finish layups anymore and he has no jumpshot
hes not kobe or jordan where he can develop a postgame
all he does is throw himself into defenders and look at the refs
even charles and reggie were calling him out on it during the broadcast
and game 2 wasnt a reg season game it was a playoff game
the post i was referring to was saying that the spurs at their best are better then the heat at their best
and game 2 is the perfect example
spurs played a well all around game and blew out okc playing at basically their individual best

[Norris Cole]

19 ppg doesnt mean anything when he looks like ass out there
should i post quotes from all the heat fans saying the same thing
he cant finish layups anymore and he has no jumpshot
hes not kobe or jordan where he can develop a postgame
all he does is throw himself into defenders and look at the refs
even charles and reggie were calling him out on it during the broadcast
and game 2 wasnt a reg season game it was a playoff game
the post i was referring to was saying that the spurs at their best are better then the heat at their best
and game 2 is the perfect example
spurs played a well all around game and blew out okc playing at basically their individual best
Your takes are based off what the commentators of one game said? :lol

Spurs won game 2 then proceeded to lose the next 4...

[freetiago]

the 2 commentators who happened to be hall of famers and some of the best ever at their position
i think they have more basketball knowledge then a heat troll on a spurs board
"What is up with Wade? He's missing so many easy shots. Also this defense is way over helping. We pack the paint for scrubs...."
"udonis and wades time is over, they are not the same players that they used to be. Is wade playing just because he is wade or because of our stupid a** coach?"
"Wade flops like a whale on the floor, slow to get back on D then travels "

should i post more heatfan
theres a lot more

and spurs are more equipped then the thunder to take out the heat
thunder go small and try to matchup with the heat
they dont have a true defensive anchor like the spurs do
spurs actually kept the thunder out of the paint and when they got in they shot somewhere in the low 30s
they just got hot from outside during the last 4 games
miami on the other hand had something like a 10/50 on shots outside the paint performance by lebron in the finals
and i dont need to talk about wades broken shot

[Stringer_Bell]

I dunno, the only Spurs players I was constantly nervous watching last night was Nando. I admire his guts, and I believe he can develop into a valuable asset on this team...but the dude looked scared MOST of the game and kept turning the damn ball over. He reminded me of a drunken kung-fu master. Point being, I hope he stops looking scared and turning the ball over before he's allowed to get playoff minutes, since I think Pop might be less afraid to play new guys during the 2013 playoffs. I'm just saying...

Last night's game was too much fun, Spurs fans should be pleased overall.

PS: We also learned that any team wanting to beat the Heat needs to have a 10 point lead going into the Final minute. Those dudes are still dangerous, and Battier wasn't even out there.

[Norris Cole]

the 2 commentators who happened to be hall of famers and some of the best ever at their position
i think they have more basketball knowledge then a heat troll on a spurs board
"What is up with Wade? He's missing so many easy shots. Also this defense is way over helping. We pack the paint for scrubs...."
"udonis and wades time is over, they are not the same players that they used to be. Is wade playing just because he is wade or because of our stupid a** coach?"
"Wade flops like a whale on the floor, slow to get back on D then travels "

should i post more heatfan
theres a lot more

and spurs are more equipped then the thunder to take out the heat
thunder go small and try to matchup with the heat
they dont have a true defensive anchor like the spurs do
spurs actually kept the thunder out of the paint and when they got in they shot somewhere in the low 30s
they just got hot from outside during the last 4 games
miami on the other hand had something like a 10/50 on shots outside the paint performance by lebron in the finals
and i dont need to talk about wades broken shot

So tell me this, what happened after this great game 2? The fact you take Reggie Miller says a lot about your knowledge. Hell the fact you are reading so much into the regular season even after the Spurs having the best record the last two years... :lmao

I can cherry pick quotes too :lol

[Obstructed_View]

So tell me this, what happened after this great game 2? The fact you take Reggie Miller says a lot about your knowledge. Hell the fact you are reading so much into the regular season even after the Spurs having the best record the last two years... :lmao

I can cherry pick quotes too :lol

Plonk.

[letmk]

Being a 5-11 SG is actually fine, as JJ Barea has very decent success in NBA. It's just that Pop needs to see that and doesn't try to modify Mills into a PG.

[racm]

Which is why Mills should only see time with a playmaker like Nando, Tony, or Manu.

[Poolboy5623]

If Mills/Neal don't play the point(for the most part), they won't see the floor. At least not at full roster.

[Boomersgold]

Which is why Mills should only see time with a playmaker like Nando, or Manu.

Mills plays really well when he's on the court with Manu. Remember this?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnsz0cpfKrs

[racm]

Mills plays really well when he's on the court with Manu. Remember this?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnsz0cpfKrs

Exactly. Playing alongside Manu means he can guard PGs on offense (he's not an elite defender but he can bother opposing guards) while Manu guards a wing. Kind of like how the Mavericks used Kidd and Terry.

[Stabula]

Mills isn't much different from Neal. They both have problems with defense and passing the ball, both are elite shooters, and both struggle in the PG position. Biggest difference is size and speed, really. At least at this point I think Mills will have a higher ceiling than Neal.

[eric365]

Diaw did well against Lebron.
It could be interresting to try him to defend Kevin Durant

[benefactor]

This

IF the Spurs are to meet the Heat in the finals I expect the Spurs to give them a run for their money. The Spurs present match up problems for the Heat. Quick PG, post presence and 3 pt shooting. With that being said, I don't think they could beat the Heat.

Miami plays great defense (when they want), has a bench full great 3 pt shooters and the best player on the planet. Last year Wade started the season off poorly as well and then came around. I wouldn't write him off and of course Bosh is getting a lot more consistent. Bosh has actually played well this season.
Agreed. I don't think that the Spurs can beat them either but of all the teams in the West they are the team that Miami really doesn't want to see in the finals...especially if the Tim Duncan resurgence continues. If he is playing at his current level in the finals he will inflict abuse on Miami that would make a sex crimes detective cringe.

[TD 21]

Agreed. I don't think that the Spurs can beat them either but of all the teams in the West they are the team that Miami really doesn't want to see in the finals...especially if the Tim Duncan resurgence continues. If he is playing at his current level in the finals he will inflict abuse on Miami that would make a sex crimes detective cringe.

It's got to be the Lakers. No way Bosh and James want the challenge that would come with having to defend Howard and Gasol in the post and battle them on the glass for an entire series. I think they'd prefer to face the Spurs over the Thunder too, because of their boundless energy and freakish athleticism. Heck, they'd probably even prefer the Spurs over the Grizzlies. The only one I can't imagine they wouldn't want more than the Spurs is the Clippers.

I've never gotten the sense that they really respect the Spurs or take them seriously. I believe James does, but not Wade or Bosh.

[benefactor]

I would type a full response to this shitty take but I don't feel like going back and forth with you for a whole page. I'll just let those who know something about basketball read it an shake their head like I did. Hope you're having a nice weekend though. Good weather tbh.

[Blake]

Is Parker a shooting guard? Is Manu a point guard? Is Gary Neal a shooting guard? Is Duncan a center?

Please straighten out k thanks :tu

[TD 21]

I would type a full response to this shitty take but I don't feel like going back and forth with you for a whole page. I'll just let those who know something about basketball read it an shake their head like I did. Hope you're having a nice weekend though. Good weather tbh.

You're delusional if you think the Heat don't want to see the Spurs more than the Lakers and Thunder.

[benefactor]

I guess I am. You take care now. Be sure not to look both ways when crossing the road.

[Chinook]

The Lakers and Grizzlies are not good matchups for the Heat inside, but that doesn't mean that they are worse for Miami than San Antonio is. The way he's playing right now, Duncan is the best bigman whose team stands a chance of winning the west. Splitter is no slouch, either, and having James guard him would not end well for the Heat. Plus, San Antonio has more defenders to throw at Wade and James than do any of the other Western contenders. With Diaw showing the ability to stay with James, the Spurs have at least five guys who can rotate of Miami's wing players. No other team has any more than two.

The Spurs have 1.5 dominant big men and an underrated perimeter defense. They matchup well enough to slow the Heat's stars and outclass their role players. You throw in championship experience and what would obviously have to be good fortune on San Antonio's part up to that point with injuries, and you have what is definitely the Heat's biggest challenge in the finals. If Wade plays anything close to how he's played this year, the Heat would be lucky to push the series to six games.

[timvp]

Is Parker a shooting guard? Is Manu a point guard? Is Gary Neal a shooting guard? Is Duncan a center?

Please straighten out k thanks :tu
Point guard. Small forward. Shooting guard. Center.

[TD 21]

The Lakers and Grizzlies are not good matchups for the Heat inside, but that doesn't mean that they are worse for Miami than San Antonio is. The way he's playing right now, Duncan is the best bigman whose team stands a chance of winning the west. Splitter is no slouch, either, and having James guard him would not end well for the Heat. Plus, San Antonio has more defenders to throw at Wade and James than do any of the other Western contenders. With Diaw showing the ability to stay with James, the Spurs have at least five guys who can rotate of Miami's wing players. No other team has any more than two.

The Spurs have 1.5 dominant big men and an underrated perimeter defense. They matchup well enough to slow the Heat's stars and outclass their role players. You throw in championship experience and what would obviously have to be good fortune on San Antonio's part up to that point with injuries, and you have what is definitely the Heat's biggest challenge in the finals. If Wade plays anything close to how he's played this year, the Heat would be lucky to push the series to six games.

My post was based on who I'd think the Heat would least want to face, not necessarily how I'd order them. There's a case to be made that the Spurs could be their most difficult match-up, I just can't imagine the Heat viewing them that way. Either way, it's going overboard to say the Spurs are "definitely the Heat's biggest challenge in the finals" and that "the Heat would be luck to push the series to six games". For all the talk about Wade's performance, Bosh's isn't getting nearly as much publicity.

As for Diaw being able to defend James, I wouldn't read too much into that performance. James and the Heat, in general, were clearly in cruise control until the last 5 minutes. If he wanted to, he could take Diaw off the dribble at will, as evidenced by the last 5 minutes.

[phxspurfan]

Plz don't say Manu is a SF. He can't guard Durant, LeBron, Rudy Gay or any other quality SF...

[polandprzem]

Spurs played very simple basketball and were able to make MIami run on half court D.

And you can harm them inside and when they cloging 3sec area pass the ball.
Spurs are good passing team.

Next game vs Mia is early April ..


Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year


I've seen teams without a point guard make the finals. I've seen teams without superstars make the finals. I've never seen a team without either get that far.


http://imageshack.us/a/img171/3094/d0sxg.png not sure if serious???


Are they still showing the 2000 NBA Season in Poland?


You need to clean out your nose and smell again.


1993

MJ is really good player!




East is kinda weak
The only strong team there is Heat and IMO Indy can defeat them

screw that - my prediction!


Hopefully I will not get punished for my statment


I thought I was upstairs, not in "college sports". wtf?

[polandprzem]

We will see

[Darkwaters]

We will see

:toast Heres hoping you were right

[eric365]

Btw. I smell Indy in the Finals this year

wow great call if they can win 2 more games

[Obstructed_View]

If Poland were actually confident that this isn't the best Indy's going to do, he wouldn't have bumped it now.

[SA210]

:lol at ppl laughing at Poland for ever making such a prediction.

Indy 2 games away from the Finals. Even if they don't get it done, good call Poland :tu

[CubanMustGo]

Don't see Miami having most of their players in foul trouble two of the next three games (not to mention fouling out the Golden Child again for the second time in his playoff history). Props to Poland for the call but it's gonna be the cHeat in the Finals.

[polandprzem]

Yea I wanted to bump it sooner then later :)

Indy right now are in the series. They let one slip on their court and that was a huge dissapointment in bringing energy to a CF's level.
Now it's everybodys game even though Miami suits to be coming of the East.


/wherever it's the correct english/

[timvp]

Tbh, the Grizzlies have a better chance of making it to the Finals than the Pacers. The Heat haven't even broke a sweat yet in that series. Once they turn it on, it's over.

[polandprzem]

Tbh, the Grizzlies have a better chance of making it to the Finals than the Pacers. The Heat haven't even broke a sweat yet in that series. Once they turn it on, it's over.


fixed

[JRHernandez88]

Lol@ thinking Miami is really not making the finals with a healthy LBJ. Miami in 6.

[Budkin]

Watching this series the glaring thing is that the Heat have no answer for the inside play of West and Hibbert. Duncan is going to push their shit in.

[T Park]

Tbh, the Grizzlies have a better chance of making it to the Finals than the Pacers. The Heat haven't even broke a sweat yet in that series. Once they turn it on, it's over.


Been waiting for them to turn it on all playoffs. They are what they are I think at this point.

[Richie]

Tbh, the Grizzlies have a better chance of making it to the Finals than the Pacers. The Heat haven't even broke a sweat yet in that series. Once they turn it on, it's over.

While I agree the Heat will win it in the end, there's only so much Miami can do against Hibbert. He's just so much bigger than anyone the Heat have, they can't defend him.

Miami can't make Bosh grow 5 inches, their only hope is to outscore Indiana like they did in Game 3. That only happened because Haslem and Bosh hit their jump shots. If they miss those, they can lose.

[tesseractive]

Been waiting for them to turn it on all playoffs. They are what they are I think at this point.
That's what I thought last year during the Pacers series, and damn if they didn't find a completely different level. We'll just have to see.

Predicting Indiana would win is impressive given how close they've gotten already. Props for that. But I'll be expecting the Heat until the clock actually runs out on Pacers win #4.

[hater]

:lmao poland shitting on spurstalk

:tu :tu

[hater]

agree with everything except "almost beating the Heat" in the title. Heat were bullshitting till last 4 minutes of the game.

hater with the truth as well :tu

[romsho]

Tbh, the Grizzlies have a better chance of making it to the Finals than the Pacers. The Heat haven't even broke a sweat yet in that series. Once they turn it on, it's over.

What constitutes "turning it on?" I see what you've done here...nice foreshadowing. If you want to play the "Heat in _ games" card that's fine. Really its unnecessary. With all due respect to LeBron and what they accomplished in the regular season, they are not the unbeatable machine we have been led to believe. Huge advantage with the 2-3-2 format and homecourt, but matchup wise? Spurs built to exploit Miami's weaknesses. Can't wait.

[DPG21920]

Either way, Pacers are 2 wins away from the finals, just like the Spurs last year. It was not even close to a lock they would make the ECF. So pretty solid call on how the Pacers could come together. Sure, MIA should win, but INDY had a shot at 3 of the 4 games so far and won 2.

[polandprzem]

Yea well it's tough to swallow that poland might be right and predicted something no one did ...

All in all Heat can turn it on and break some sweat, they have now best of 3 series. But who said they can play up to the potential they are suppose to play?

Some years we were waiting for spurs to turn the switch on and it never happened even though we or at least me thought that the spurs are better then they are showing it.


matchups, bad day, some minor injuries and outcome can be different.
I hope LJ will swallow his tongue just for a /mine/ bit satisfaction. I'm cheering for Indy and to some degree they have a shot

[moisaenz]

Yea well it's tough to swallow that poland might be right and predicted something no one did ...

All in all Heat can turn it on and break some sweat, they have now best of 3 series. But who said they can play up to the potential they are suppose to play?

Some years we were waiting for spurs to turn the switch on and it never happened even though we or at least me thought that the spurs are better then they are showing it.


matchups, bad day, some minor injuries and outcome can be different.
I hope LJ will swallow his tongue just for a /mine/ bit satisfaction. I'm cheering for Indy and to some degree they have a shot

Injuries can change everything look at Wade and Bosh in game 4, everyone was getting injured even Lebron was close to rolling an ankle...

[polandprzem]

Tbh, the Grizzlies have a better chance of making it to the Finals than the Pacers. The Heat haven't even broke a sweat yet in that series. Once they turn it on, it's over.

well now this sentence looks stupid even if Miami got 80% chances over Indiana in game 7.

Still Indy can humiliate Heat, LeBron and LJ Ellis

[pgardn]

Things learned that could not have been predicted:

1. Wade has dead legs. He looks done.
2. Roy Hibbert maturing showing patience never seen before. He is not fouling out, staying in games.
3. Lebron would have to carry a load with this group like he did in Cleveland. There is no big 3.

[polandprzem]

The is something like hunch with the matchups

[Blake]

4. Boris Diaw on LeBron James is a viable option. If the Spurs are fortunate enough to advance to the Finals this year (say a little prayer), Pop should be confident that Diaw can buy some minutes defending LeBron. The closing lineup would still likely involve Jackson and Leonard at the forward positions ... but Diaw can buy time at the beginning of the halves.


interesting.

If there is one time the Spurs might miss Jack it would be when they need that strong body to throw at Lebron.

[Blake]

Good call on the pacers. It's hard to pick a team to win that has no true superstars.