ElNono
06-08-2014, 01:16 AM
The most thrilling mano-a-mano moment in the NBA is when LeBron puts his head down and attacks Roy Hibbert at the rim. It’s an electric clash, one the entire arena can see coming a beat or two before it happens, and one LeBron grew more comfortable initiating this season.
But the most thrilling team-versus-team battle in basketball is the Spurs’ gorgeous whirring offense against the Heat’s frantic defense. You can spout off an all-caps rant about cramps without bothering to learn any of the science, and it was just sad to see the world’s best player removed from what should have been an epic Game 1 of an epic series, but there was a basketball game, and the focus here will be on basketball.
San Antonio’s first two playoff opponents, Dallas and Portland, were overmatched, and they responded by playing an ultraconservative scheme, sticking like glue to the Spurs’ perimeter shooters and conceding the middle of the floor.
The Thunder have the athletes to hit first against San Antonio, but they’re a less polished version of Miami, and Serge Ibaka’s injury derailed the early part of that series.
Miami isn’t as hyperactive and trappy as it once was, but even its dialed-back scheme is aggressive by the NBA’s general standards. As fancy as the Spurs’ offense looks, it’s really just a well-choreographed series of different types of pick-and-rolls — standard high pick-and-rolls in the middle, sideline plays, and various high-flying dribble handoff jobs for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Read more:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nba-finals-game-1-the-beauty-of-the-matchup/
But the most thrilling team-versus-team battle in basketball is the Spurs’ gorgeous whirring offense against the Heat’s frantic defense. You can spout off an all-caps rant about cramps without bothering to learn any of the science, and it was just sad to see the world’s best player removed from what should have been an epic Game 1 of an epic series, but there was a basketball game, and the focus here will be on basketball.
San Antonio’s first two playoff opponents, Dallas and Portland, were overmatched, and they responded by playing an ultraconservative scheme, sticking like glue to the Spurs’ perimeter shooters and conceding the middle of the floor.
The Thunder have the athletes to hit first against San Antonio, but they’re a less polished version of Miami, and Serge Ibaka’s injury derailed the early part of that series.
Miami isn’t as hyperactive and trappy as it once was, but even its dialed-back scheme is aggressive by the NBA’s general standards. As fancy as the Spurs’ offense looks, it’s really just a well-choreographed series of different types of pick-and-rolls — standard high pick-and-rolls in the middle, sideline plays, and various high-flying dribble handoff jobs for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Read more:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nba-finals-game-1-the-beauty-of-the-matchup/