tbh we could have easily won game 2. I don't think we got full of ourselves at all.
It seems like every game the team who won before gets full of themselves while the team who lost has the more will to win. How do we reverse this trend and be just as or more hungry than the Heat? Like Pop said, we're not going to shoot that well again, how do we win?
tbh we could have easily won game 2. I don't think we got full of ourselves at all.
Match their intensity from the get go
More like the team who lost makes adjustments. That's usually what happens when a series goes back and forth.
This series won't be back and forth, because MIA isn't winning another game.
Attack the rim. Move the ball. Limit TOs.
It's really as simple as keeping their composure and sticking with moving the ball on offense and pressuring the Heat on defense.
Spo really showed his weakness at the end of the 3rd when he said his team should play with that level of intensity all game every game. That's simply not possible for a team that can't take it's star off the court without the whole team falling apart. Like OKC with KD, Miami rode Lebron hard all season long to the point where he (like KD) plays extended minutes even in a blowout. I expect Miami will come out of the gate on fire but as long as the Spurs keep their composure and keep the Heat defense moving, Lebron will get gassed and they'll be in position to take over the game in the 2nd half. With a little luck maybe we'll get to see the return of LeCramp.
Take it as a learning lesson and a solid loss IMO
Heat 2014 Champs
It's tough to analyze anything from this series, so far, tbh..
Game 1- Spurs have a historically great offensive 4th/Lebron exits the game when Miami was winning
Game 2- Lebron has a historic 2nd half performance/Green and Leonard are in foul trouble
Game 3- Spurs have arguably the greatest 1st half offensive performance in Finals history, putting Miami in a 20-point hole(Green and Leonard shot 11-12 from the field on contested shots, which may never happen again)
The Spurs have been the much superior team when Kawhi and Green are allowed to stay on the floor, but realistically, they could easily be in foul trouble in any game where they're defending Lebron/Wade..
Team Ball vs Hero Ball and we got this.
Game 4 should be more of the same in terms of ball movement, can't get complacent out there and think that Miami will let them play one on one and win the game. Defense will win this game, it's as if it's been foretold that Bosh will go off and if they can get early whistles for Chalmers to get to the line then that will be icing on the cake. If the Spurs don't over help like the have a tendency to do for no good reason and they stick with the shooters and play the passing lanes they will get an early lead. It will be up to there execution in the 3rd if they can keep this up and they will win this game.
I'm a little worried that the Spurs had to play a perfect first half to win last night. Is that what it will take to beat them two more times? Not with the way their perimeter D has been playing and Lewis has been killing us from downtown. I also can't expect the Heat to turn it over 20 times at home again. Pop needs to make the proper defensive adjustments and I'm sure he will. I see tomorrow going one of two ways: 1: we establish a big lead and then choke most of it away in the second half only to hold on to a 2-4 point win where Miami has a shot to either win it or tie at the buzzer only to miss or 2: we get blown the out. I have faith that #1 will happen.
Just play like we did the first 3 games, tbh. We should probably be up 3 - 0, but it let's just finish the job.
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It's hard as to hold on to a 20 point lead for 3 quarters. It was actually quite impressive that the closest they got was down 7 and we ended up winning by 19.
Defense. The fact that the Heat made it a 7 pts game in the second half after the 1st half the Spurs had offensively is worrisome. Step it up on defense, specially on Lebron (sag off, tbh) and on offense keep moving the ball and attacking with purpose.
The Belli trey was an excellent momentum shot.
Play like we did in game 3
It's also hard as to shoot over 75% in one half. We can't expect them to keep doing that to win games, either.
If I were Pop I'd tell the guys they have yet to put a 48 min defensive game. The heat are basically shooting 50% this series. The two games we've won so far have been on offense. I need to see a game where they can hold the Heat to 44-45% fg
We shot over 75 percent in the 4 quarter of game 1. Apparently not THAT hard, tbh.
Pop would tell you not to keep betting on that happening. We have to find other ways to win tomorrow, tbh.
-Stay outta foul trouble
-Limit Bosh (9 points and only 12 touches in game 3)
-Hold Wade under 20
-Force Lebron to shoulder the brunt of the load
-Spurs core 4 plays well at the same time for the first time in the Finals (this year and last included)
-Don't go cold from 3 (like being stranded in the desert without a cell phone)
-Make freethrows (see game 6, 2013 & Game 2, 2014)
Yep. I know several times in the past I've heard Pop say that a big 1st half lead is a coaches worst nightmare. It was really impressive that they kept composure through that 3rd qtr Miami push and then answered back.
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