OT: Spurs-Heat Who you got?

[Kitaman]

I say Spurs. Reasons are best pg, best center and best supporting cast of 5. Parker is so underrated, and the aging Duncan can create foul problems for the Heat.

The Miami Cavaliers have the greatest player on the planet, but can he beat a strong team of five? Only IF Bosh, Wade and Ray play their best basketball.

Anyway should be a good series, unlike last year.

Spurs in 7.

 

[bmayuc]

I say Spurs. Reasons are best pg, best center and best supporting cast of 5. Parker is so underrated, and the aging Duncan can create foul problems for the Heat.

The Miami Cavaliers have the greatest player on the planet, but can he beat a strong team of five? Only IF Bosh, Wade and Ray play their best basketball.

Anyway should be a good series, unlike last year.

Spurs in 7.

This is going to be a wide open, skillfull, playmaking series. Ive got Heat in 6, but the real winners are NBA fans who got an absolutely awesome matchup.

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[BigErnMcCracken]

Ive got Heat in 6, but the real winners are NBA fans who got an absolutely awesome matchup.

+1. The NBA naysayers should check this one out. Talk about high-level basketball.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Ohhh, those Spurs. In that case, I'm tuning out.

Come on you (real) Spurs!!

 

[traitor71]

Most wins in the league, mentally toughest team in the league, best player in the league and home court advantage. Miami should win, although I am sure it will be a very good series.

 

[huskyharry]

I hated the Heat with a passion the previous two years but this season i fully support Ray's quest for a 2nd ring.
On the other hand, although I respect their talent, I have never liked Parker and Ginobili. They are both big time floppers, particularly on offense. Manu splays out his feet and arms on drives and pushes off to make it look like he is fouled, but the league ignores it despite the flopping rule and the refs reward him. Parker routine travels on his drives but because he looks smooth and performs the moves very fast, he gets away with it more times than not. I do give him great credit for transforming from a poor perimeter shooter to one if the best pull-up, mid-range, shooters around.duncan also gets away with a lot (frequent moving screens...seldom called, bumps opponent big's arms from below when shooting) but I also commend him for getting into great shape for his age and similarly improving his outside game and FT shooting.
KLeonard and Danny Green are important cogs in the Spurs' gameplay, particular for defense and rebounding. They both have the length, quickness and strength to make life tough on the opponent's wings.
I expect a dogfight...Heat in 7....hopefully with Ray making some key threes!

 

[ihatepants]

I hated the Heat with a passion the previous two years but this season i fully support Ray's quest for a 2nd ring.
On the other hand, although I respect their talent, I have never liked Parker and Ginobili. They are both big time floppers, particularly on offense. Manu splays out his feet and arms on drives and pushes off to make it look like he is fouled, but the league ignores it despite the flopping rule and the refs reward him. Parker routine travels on his drives but because he looks smooth and performs the moves very fast, he gets away with it more times than not. I do give him great credit for transforming from a poor perimeter shooter to one if the best pull-up, mid-range, shooters around.duncan also gets away with a lot (frequent moving screens...seldom called, bumps opponent big's arms from below when shooting) but I also commend him for getting into great shape for his age and similarly improving his outside game and FT shooting.
KLeonard and Danny Green are important cogs in the Spurs' gameplay, particular for defense and rebounding. They both have the length, quickness and strength to make life tough on the opponent's wings.
I expect a dogfight...Heat in 7....hopefully with Ray making some key threes!

Sorry, but I had to laugh at this. I'll give you Ginobili as a big time flopper, but Battier, Wade and Lebron could probably give him a run for his money. It's one of my biggest issues with Lebron going to Miami. I think that Wade and Battier were bad influences on him. I wouldn't be surprised to see another double (or triple) flop this series. You could probably also say the same thing about every NBA player regarding your criticisms of Duncan and Parker. Every player travels and sets moving screens, it's a vital part of the NBA game.

 

[traitor71]

The flopping complaints have become ridiculous. It seems to me that where the flopping was once extreme, now the complaints are at an extreme. It's almost as if people think it is impossible for anyone to ever be knocked down now.

There was a play in the first quarter of the game the other night. David West threw Bosh down to the floor and recieved a full court pass on the way to a dunk. It was right in front of the official and there was no call. In the third quarter the exact same thing happened, only Bosh merely stumbled as opposed to hitting the deck. A foul was called and Reggie miller and Steve Kerr went on and on about flopping, even though it was clearly a foul.

It's beyond annoying now.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

The flopping complaints have become ridiculous. It seems to me that where the flopping was once extreme, now the complaints are at an extreme. It's almost as if people think it is impossible for anyone to ever be knocked down now.

There was a play in the first quarter of the game the other night. David West threw Bosh down to the floor and recieved a full court pass on the way to a dunk. It was right in front of the official and there was no call. In the third quarter the exact same thing happened, only Bosh merely stumbled as opposed to hitting the deck. A foul was called and Reggie miller and Steve Kerr went on and on about flopping, even though it was clearly a foul.

It's beyond annoying now.

Are you serious with this post? Have you seen the Lebron flop gifs? It's one thing to sell a call. It's another to barely get touched and the flail your arms in the air and smack your head back as if ray Lewis just trucked you. I'm not saying he's the only one but his seem the most extreme. And it's absurd since he's 6'8 260 and clearly stronger and better than every other guy in the league. The flopping complaints are completely justified. I don't know this for sure, but did 3 people ever get fined for flopping in the same game befor? Did anyone get fined for flopping in the 80s or 90s?

 

[traitor71]

I don't care about any gifs. I remember guys like Magic Johnson flailing around when they were hit so this stuff has been going on for a long time. Is it right? Of course not, but it isn't some new thing. It's also taking away from legitimate contact. LeBron, and many others, get crushed around the basket with no call and this flopping stuff is the natural result of it. But the complaining about it is out of control.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Flopping is only a problem to the extent it results in a bad call. I know at least the worst LeBron GIF flop was a no-call mutual flop with West. It was funny AND they both got fined, win-win and had little to do with the game.

I've got the Spurs in 6. Duncan will turn Bosh into a puddle quickly. I don't think Chalmers or Norris Cole can contain Parker. LeBron will continue to be great but as the Pacers showed, great team defense is capable of shutting down the rest of the Heat. However maybe Battier can get back into the rotation as Tiago Splitter is a much easy cover for him then David West. If that's the case the Heat could return to regular season form and dictate tempo without the herculean defensive effort (unsustainable over a long series) they deployed in game 7. I.e. the Heat might need to resort to multiple games of LeBron covering Parker to control pace & win - I actually think they could and SHOULD do that (like they've done with Celtics and Rondo) as even though covering Parker is a lot of running, it is not super physical and therefore less tiring for cyborg LeBron.

Even so I think the series might come down to Wade being healthy and able to put up multiple 20-ish PPG efforts. I think no.
Format is 2-3-2
Game 1 - Spurs
Game 2 - Heat
Game 3 - Spurs
Game 4 - Heat
Game 5 - Spurs
Game 6 - Spurs

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I don't care about any gifs. I remember guys like Magic Johnson flailing around when they were hit so this stuff has been going on for a long time. Is it right? Of course not, but it isn't some new thing. It's also taking away from legitimate contact. LeBron, and many others, get crushed around the basket with no call and this flopping stuff is the natural result of it. But the complaining about it is out of control.

HOW DARE YOU NOT BE SWAYED BY A GIF!

In all seriousness, no one will ever be able to explain to me how that play where Lebron got t'd up toward the end of game 6 was a charge and not a block on Hibbert. I've literally never seen a charge called in that situation before.

 

[EricLA]

ABH - anyone but the Heat... I'm rooting for the Spurs big time. I think the Spurs could do it in 5 - Indiana gave a blueprint on how to beat Miami, but SA has a better team. I'd like to see Ray get the ring, but I just can't stand Wade, and to a lesser extent, James and Bosch...

 

[traitor71]

Will the Spurs be able to play as Indiana did? They are totally different in that Indiana is a clutch, grab, hold, push and bump sort of team. San Antonio plays more skillfully and wide open than that. Just totally different and plays into Miami's hands in my opinion.

 

[champs99and04]

HOW DARE YOU NOT BE SWAYED BY A GIF!

In all seriousness, no one will ever be able to explain to me how that play where Lebron got t'd up toward the end of game 6 was a charge and not a block on Hibbert. I've literally never seen a charge called in that situation before.

The charge was called because he stuck his knee out on the play. It's something that could have gone either way, and is rarely called, but justifiable.

 

[champs99and04]

Flopping is only a problem to the extent it results in a bad call. I know at least the worst LeBron GIF flop was a no-call mutual flop with West. It was funny AND they both got fined, win-win and had little to do with the game.

I've got the Spurs in 6. Duncan will turn Bosh into a puddle quickly. I don't think Chalmers or Norris Cole can contain Parker. LeBron will continue to be great but as the Pacers showed, great team defense is capable of shutting down the rest of the Heat. However maybe Battier can get back into the rotation as Tiago Splitter is a much easy cover for him then David West. If that's the case the Heat could return to regular season form and dictate tempo without the herculean defensive effort (unsustainable over a long series) they deployed in game 7. I.e. the Heat might need to resort to multiple games of LeBron covering Parker to control pace & win - I actually think they could and SHOULD do that (like they've done with Celtics and Rondo) as even though covering Parker is a lot of running, it is not super physical and therefore less tiring for cyborg LeBron.

Even so I think the series might come down to Wade being healthy and able to put up multiple 20-ish PPG efforts. I think no.
Format is 2-3-2
Game 1 - Spurs
Game 2 - Heat
Game 3 - Spurs
Game 4 - Heat
Game 5 - Spurs
Game 6 - Spurs

I think the Spurs will have to sweep all three games on their home court, it's difficult for me to see them taking two in Miami.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The charge was called because he stuck his knee out on the play. It's something that could have gone either way, and is rarely called, but justifiable.

I sure didn't see him stick his knee out, or at least stick it out any more than is done on every single drive to the bucket. And I couldn't tell from the replay whether he "stuck his knee out" before or after Hibbert's elbow caught him in the face. Just a terrible call, however far Steve Kerr wants to bend over to justify it.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I think the Spurs will have to sweep all three games on their home court, it's difficult for me to see them taking two in Miami.

I hear ya, but its equally tough to win 3 games consecutively. The 2-3-2 format heavily favors home court vs earlier rounds 2-2-1-1-1

 

[NotADimeBack]

Miami in 7

 

[RS9999X]

Lebron will have an open license. No one whining about touches if they win.

I give the series to the game 1 winner. Hate the Heat but I think they can keep it together for this last series against a better balanced team.

 

[superjohn]

I have to go with Miami, I just can't see the Spurs winning game 1 after such a huge layoff. Lol at traitor trying to say Miami doesn't flop. Battier and Wade are probably the two biggest floppers in the league.

 

[champs99and04]

I sure didn't see him stick his knee out, or at least stick it out any more than is done on every single drive to the bucket. And I couldn't tell from the replay whether he "stuck his knee out" before or after Hibbert's elbow caught him in the face. Just a terrible call, however far Steve Kerr wants to bend over to justify it.

Pause about one second into this video - you can tell pretty clearly LeBron stuck his knee out a little bit on the drive, probably inadvertantly, but nonetheless, something the NBA wants to crack down on (kind of like shooters kicking their legs out). Hibbert definitely fouled him, too - what occured first, I'm not sure, but it was a split-second decision so I don't think it's worth killing the refs over (though there were plenty of other calls in that game to kill them over).

 

[champs99and04]

I hear ya, but its equally tough to win 3 games consecutively. The 2-3-2 format heavily favors home court vs earlier rounds 2-2-1-1-1

I actually think it can favor the team w/o home court advantage in certain situations, specifically when a series is tied 2-2, given teams that win game 5 in a 2-2 series win something like 83% of the time.

 

[traitor71]

I have to go with Miami, I just can't see the Spurs winning game 1 after such a huge layoff. Lol at traitor trying to say Miami doesn't flop. Battier and Wade are probably the two biggest floppers in the league.

Sometimes I truly believe that some people either can't read, or can read but lack the ability to comprehend what they read.

 

[UConn Hoops1]

ABH - anyone but the Heat... I'm rooting for the Spurs big time. I think the Spurs could do it in 5 - Indiana gave a blueprint on how to beat Miami, but SA has a better team. I'd like to see Ray get the ring, but I just can't stand Wade, and to a lesser extent, James and Bosch...

I would love to have seen the Pacers ,a full strength Thunder(w/Russell Westbrook) or Golden State in the Finals. It won't be long, with this season's experience and some off season moves, before one of them gets there. How about Thunder-Pacers or Warriors-Pacers?? How great that would be?!! But I'm joining your club(ABH). I think the Spurs probably have the best(tactical) coach in the League; and they are hitting on all cylinders; and they are well rested. Yeah Miami has home court; but the Spurs just swept the 2nd best defensive team in the league. I'm going for Spurs in seven. Yeah it would be nice for Ray to get another ring; but he's already had a HOF career and he's wearing the wrong freakin' jersey!!!

GO HUSKIES!!!