The 2014 NBA Finals is a repeat of last year’s phenomenal matchup between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. Once again we get to witness two of the NBA’s all-time greats fight to further legitimize their legacies by adding another championship banner.
38-year-old Spurs forward Tim Duncan is looking to once again creep into the Finals unnoticed and swipe his fifth NBA title. It’s amazing how the Spurs could finish with the best record in the league and still be overlooked in terms of title expectations. I was one of many who fully expected Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder to continue its recent dominance of the Spurs come playoff time. But the Spurs experience, hunger and precision enabled them to oust their Western Conference rivals.
On the East side, the Heat advancing to an impressive fourth straight NBA Finals was all but guaranteed. For most of the season, the Indiana Pacers were the only legitimate threat to the Heat in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers’ post All-Star break implosion made it almost a certainly that they would not post as serious a threat to the crown as last year. Anybody holding out for hope for Indy should have known when the Pacers barely squeaked by with a 93-90 victory in Game 5, with LeBron James held to 24 minutes due to foul trouble, that the Pacers were as done as Donald Sterling. Now both teams are riding into the Finals with confidence.
Last year the Spurs almost shocked the world by outplaying the Heat for much of the series, but by the grace of Jesus Shuttlesworth, the Heat team was able to will its way to victory on King James’ broad shoulders. This year the Heat seems ripe for the taking. Dwayne Wade has been hobbled for much of the season. Sure he’s averaging nearly 19 points per game this postseason, but how long will those hobbled knees last? Wade isn’t as explosive as he once was, but he’s still smart and skilled enough to get the job done as long as he’s healthy. Every extra playoff game logged on those achy knees is an opportunity for Wade to slow down.
Another big question is how Chris Bosh will fare against Duncan. Last season, Bosh and the Heat struggled to contain Duncan allowing the elder statesman to average 18.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Bosh struggled offensively only averaging 11.9 points and 8.9 rebounds during the finals. Bosh did knock down some big shots and get some key offensive rebounds though that ultimately helped them pull out the series. Behind the ‘Big Three’ the Heat cast if full of old guys, specialists and miscreants. The only player I’d rely on in crunch time is Allen. Everybody else would make me nervous.
For the Spurs, they are executing as well as ever. Gregg Popovich has Duncan, all-world point guard Tony Parker and Co. playing at peak efficiency. I haven’t seen anybody read Xs and Os as well as the Spurs since Neo from The Matrix. Danny Green is shooting the lights out again, Manu Ginobili is still streaky but is an ice cold assassin when he’s on his game. The keys for the Spurs will be whetherParker can stay healthy through the entire series and whether Kawhi Leonard (or Parker) can force James to work hard enough on the defensive end that it slows him down offensively. We know that the Spurs can will out-execute the Heat, but can they get over the hump and beat them? The Spurs are favored by the bookies in Vegas this season.
Still, who cares about bookies and bench play? I’ve picked against James the past few years and I’m not making the same mistake again. LeBron James is just plain better than everyone else. Like Jordan, he can elevate the play of role players in key situations, even moreso due to his facilitator mindset. Nobody knew that John Paxson or Steve Kerr would nail down such historic shots with Jordan on the court, but they did. James is great enough to carry the Heat on his back when everyone is struggling and unselfish enough to let him flourish when they’re hot. Just like Allen’s series-saving shot in Game 6 last year, someone other than James will come through when it matters for the Heat. It could be Rashard Lewis, Shane Battier or even Michael Beasley. One of those semi-forgotten, used-to-be-good guys will step up when it counts because they don’t want to let down the greatest player on the planet. They all went to Miami to do whatever it takes to win. San Antonio’s momentum, superior style of play and greater depth won’t be enough to unseat the best player in the game. It’ll get them close, but I’m expecting the ‘Big Three’ era to end in Miami with a three peat. I’m taking Miami in seven.
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