Grantland: Welcome to Heat-Spurs 2.0

[Budkin]

Excellent piece by Zach Lowe. He picks Spurs in 7.


After six frenzied weeks, we’ve got the dream Finals for everyone outside a few select fan bases — fans of other contenders, plus Lakers fans, who must now watch as Miami or San Antonio strengthens its claim to the honor of “best post-Jordan franchise.”

Miami has now made four straight Finals, something no team has done since the 1980s, and a win here would give them a three-peat — and four total post-Jordan rings. The Spurs already have four post-Jordan titles, and they’ve won 50 games every season since drafting Tim Duncan.1

The Lakers have won five rings since Jordan retired from the Bulls, including a three-peat, and they’ve been among the league’s elite for most of that span. But they’ve slogged through two sub-.500 seasons, including this season’s 27-55 stink bomb, and Miami finished two post-MJ seasons with even worse records than that. Perhaps the Spurs have already clinched the (fake) honor, win or lose.

Even if history isn’t your thing, this is a mega-event — a rematch of last year’s epic seven-game adventure, featuring the world’s best player, another all-time top-10 guy, and the two best passing teams in the league.

http://grantland.com/features/nba-finals-preview-heat-spurs-2014/

[xmas1997]

Yeah, and many are saying it picks up right where it left off last year with game 1 this year actually being game 8.

[EVAY]

I fear that Spurs fans forget that Miami is almost as good a passing team as San Antonio. Miami was a better team last year than this year, imo, but they play better AS a team this year than last, imo.

And we all just saw how a team that plays as a team can beat a team with better athletes.

And Miami has the best bball player on the planet, AND they play as a team. Tough challenge. Hope we can beat them.

[Mr. Body]

Miami hasn't been challenged much in the playoffs. Charlotte was a joke, especially without Al Jefferson. Brooklyn was disfunctional and Indiana took that disfunction to several more levels. Hell, Indiana's emotional leader was Lance Stephenson.

It's going to be more of a shock for the Heat entering this series than it is for the Spurs, who faced a defense harder for them to play in OKC. The way the Spurs have been playing at home lately, it could take a while for them to get their footing.

[Mugen]

FWIW, Lowe has been pretty on point these playoffs. i think the only series he's gotten wrong are CHI over WAS and TOR over BRKN. He also had the Heat in 6 last year.

[Skull-1]

Hopefully we smack them in the mouth before they realize the intensity. They've been coasting all playoffs.

[Budkin]

Miami is a much better matchup for us than OKC was and yes, Miami has not faced a decent team the entire playoffs.

[davidbowie]

I really think we're gonna win sorta easily.

[SnakeBoy]

I don't understand why people are picking a 7 game series. Last year was last year. If you look at the evidence this year then this should be Spurs in 5, maybe 6. This years Miami played against one of the weakest conferences in history and even with such an easy road they would only be a 5th/6th seed in the West.

I guess people are assuming Miami has a championship switch that they can flip but it's pretty rare that a team can do that, especially for more than one game. I'll have to see it before I believe it.

[Budkin]

I don't understand why people are picking a 7 game series. Last year was last year. If you look at the evidence this year then this should be Spurs in 5, maybe 6. This years Miami played against one of the weakest conferences in history and even with such an easy road they would only be a 5th/6th seed in the West.

I guess people are assuming Miami has a championship switch that they can flip but it's pretty rare that a team can do that, especially for more than one game. I'll have to see it before I believe it.

It's pretty much because 1. They are the defending champs who often get the benefit of the doubt, and 2. They have the best player on the planet. That being said, I don't think the Spurs are going to be stopped. They are playing some of the best, most focused basketball I've ever seen. I'm still in shock that they were able to close out OKC on the road the way they did.

[SnakeBoy]

It's pretty much because 1. They are the defending champs who often get the benefit of the doubt, and 2. They have the best player on the planet. That being said, I don't think the Spurs are going to be stopped. They are playing some of the best, most focused basketball I've ever seen. I'm still in shock that they were able to close out OKC on the road the way they did.

That makes sense. I think it'll be a short series but if it does go 7 then I think the Spurs lose because that will mean the Heat do have that switch they can just turn on at will.

[Budkin]

That makes sense. I think it'll be a short series but if it does go 7 then I think the Spurs lose because that will mean the Heat do have that switch they can just turn on at will.

There is no way in hell after all that the Spurs would lose a game 7 at home. Not happening. The Heat will have to win in 6. Same deal for the Spurs last season.

[Mr. Body]

I don't understand why people are picking a 7 game series. Last year was last year. If you look at the evidence this year then this should be Spurs in 5, maybe 6. This years Miami played against one of the weakest conferences in history and even with such an easy road they would only be a 5th/6th seed in the West.

I guess people are assuming Miami has a championship switch that they can flip but it's pretty rare that a team can do that, especially for more than one game. I'll have to see it before I believe it.

Flipping the switch is what a lot of people are waiting for, but you're right -- Miami hasn't faced a competent offensive team, nor one with its head screwed on straight, in a long time. Plus their numbers all year are underwhelming, even in a conference that was decrepit as a whole.

I've never seen a team coast and then suddenly turn its engines on full blast. Not against a team that has 1) just beat its epic rival, a team that causes it more problems, and 2) has been better in most metrics (including record, etc.) all season.

God help me. I'm someone who couches his opinions of this nature, but I don't see a long series. LeBron is exceptional, but most everyone agrees he has to pull his team through the entire series to win. I don't see any single player able to do that.

[ShoogarBear]

Diaw is San Antonio’s chubby futon

Harsh. :lol

[Spurminator]

Harsh. :lol

And not the only jab...


Boris Diaw has grown more assertive after another year munching on the Spurs’ buffet of options.

[BillMc]

Yes, lots of Boris fat jokes. But he'll have the last laugh! :toast

[wildbill2u]

The argument that the Heat won their way to the finals through weaker teams than those in the West may be true--but irrelevant. They won convincingly because they were much better. Period. Put them in the West and they beat OKC as well as we did, maybe easier since they match up better athletically than we do.

[Splits]

Here's a pretty good article that most STers can relate to. Might be worth it's own thread but I'll piggyback this one:

http://triangleoffense.com/features/for-the-first-time-im-rooting-for-the-spurs-because-they-are-salty-old-ssholes/