Game Thread: NBA FINALS!!! SA vs MIA

[gordontrue]

Oh shit....

View attachment 10520

Yes, these t-shirts are legit and for sale.

Ok, pretty cool shirt, but if I were a Spurs fan I wouldn't like it. Its too much about the Heat, like every thing else.

Looks like a shirt designed by someone rooting against the Heat, not for the Spurs.

 

[RobToxin]

Ok, pretty cool shirt, but if I were a Spurs fan I wouldn't like it. Its too much about the Heat, like every thing else.

Looks like a shirt designed by someone rooting against the Heat, not for the Spurs.

Very valid and true. No reason to take a shot at Miami. Let the scoreboard do that.

Kind of like the "You suck Dirk" chant from the crowd during Game 7 vs the Mavs.

No need for that. We're the Spurs. Usually we are better than that.

Not sure I like this new generation of Spurs' fans so much.

 

[Sportsman]

Been watching him since day 1. Early in his career, his jumper was average at best. But he worked on it and it became respectable and finally deadly when he reached a point where he truly needed to depend on it.

I've watched him from day one as well and he always had an above average jumper, he sharpened that skill very early too. What season did you think he became a top jump shooter?

 

[Sportsman]

As far as on-the-floor stuff, I can see Melo with LeBron working out pretty well. I actually think the duo makes more basketball sense than LeBron and Wade.

Melo is an absolute money jump shooter. From 3, from mid-range, from anywhere. He can provide great spacing for LeBron that Wade never could. And he can still, of course, create his own shot when needed, like late in the shot clock or when LeBron is on the bench.

His defense is not as bad as advertised, IMO. He's played on bad defensive teams so his coach and teammates deserve some culpability there. Put Melo on a good defensive team with his athleticism and size and I think he becomes a formidable defender.

For certain, Melo/Lebron would be a deadlier combo than Wade/Lebron.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

As far as on-the-floor stuff, I can see Melo with LeBron working out pretty well. I actually think the duo makes more basketball sense than LeBron and Wade.

Melo is an absolute money jump shooter. From 3, from mid-range, from anywhere. He can provide great spacing for LeBron that Wade never could. And he can still, of course, create his own shot when needed, like late in the shot clock or when LeBron is on the bench.

His defense is not as bad as advertised, IMO. He's played on bad defensive teams so his coach and teammates deserve some culpability there. Put Melo on a good defensive team with his athleticism and size and I think he becomes a formidable defender.

I'm going to disagree with that comment in bold...yes, I think any player would work out pretty well with LBJ, but winning titles...idk.

The MIA OFC was built around the athleticism of Wade and Lebron...when they were both healthy they really didn't need a legit post player...basically they created off the dribble and finished or kicked. Melo's best game is catch and shoot, or catch, dribble a bit and shoot. I think they would still need a PG that can penetrate and kick, or a post guy that commands a dbl team for Melo to be a huge contributor.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

SPURS fans wont buy crap like that T-shirt.

LEBRON haters might buy it, but that devalues the greatness of the Spurs teams.


I have said many times this was about the SPURS. They deserve to be praised on their own.


It is annoying to make it about the HEAT.

 

[Logicallylethal]

I humbly accept defeat by my competitor. They were a great team and they deserved to win but it doesn't take away from what we have accomplished as a team. We are champions because we fought the fight and we showed up for each other. There are so many people in the world that have nothing but hatred and negativity in their heart. Whether you wanted us to win or you were rooting against us we are a team of men that loved the challenge. the critics just allowed us to fight harder and stay focused. So thank you to all the true fans out there that appreciated great talent and the professionalism of a hard working team. It has been a great honor to line up alongside number 0, number 1. Number 3, number 6, number 7, number 8, number 9, number 11, number 15, number 20, number 22, number 30, number 31, and number 40.






From Ray Allen instagram..
Class act..
Is that a retirement prelude?

Ray Allen is one of the few good guys in the league. Great player, future hall of famer, but most importantly a player with outstanding character. He's easily my second favorite player of all time. I would love to see him play some more, but his play has certainly decline and if game 5 was any indication he might be close to being done. I'd rather see him retire on his own terms rather than be some scrub off the bench.

 

[Logicallylethal]

As for all the chatter and finger pointing. Let's stop it.

Wade didn't have the best series, but he's the last player fans should throw under the bus. As much as everyone loves Lebron, Wade is and will always be the heart and soul of the Miami organization.

He's the Derek Jeter of the Heat. Sure Lebron is the better player now, but he was the one that single handedly won the Finals in 06. He was the one that endured all those terrible years, playing through injury, and taking teams of nobodies to the playoffs. And I think Bk mentioned this earlier...and a lot of people have forgotten...but Wade was the best player in the 2011 Finals.

Had it not been for the Mavs going crazy, we would've been talking about another legendary finals performance from Dwade.

At the end of the day the Spurs were clearly superior in this series and Miami lost to the better team. I have no shame in admitting that.

 

[Davis_Mike]

What is this delusional talk of getting Kevin Love in a trade for Chris Bosch? Seriously? That is about as ridiculous as Lakers fans dreams of having enough assets to trade for Love.

If Miami was smart, they would hope that the big 3 opt out. Then resign Lebron & bring in guys like Kyle Lowry, Jamal Crawford, Greg Monroe(offer him a contract Detroit won't match), & Marcin Gortat to pair with him. That would be a far more deadly team than their current inclination plus a few new pieces.

Wade may want to resign for less after he figures out the market for aging athletic SG(s) isn't so hot.

 

[Heatles84]

Miami doesn't need Melo. They need a Big and a PG who can dish the basketball, LBJ cant do it all for Miami. Wade really needs to work on his 3 because he can drive as much. I think Miami some what killed what Bosh use to be good at. Post and rebounds. By having him outside all the time Miami struggles with rebounds.

Wow. I actually agreed with purguy. Never saw that coming.

Miami needs quality depth, not more elite talent. Probably would be a good idea to take a page out of the Spurs book and grab international talent.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Wade may want to resign for less after he figures out the market for aging athletic SG(s) isn't so hot.

Wade doesn't have to resign for less.
He has two years of player options at 41 million guaranteed until 2016.

Lets say he declines further, and is forced to sign a 2 year deal for 4 million/season.
I cannot imagine he would suck so bad in 2016, that he could not get a minimum deal like that....

Worse case is that he will make 49+ million the next 4 years, if he sucks.
If he is semi-decent, it will be more.

But, if he opts out, no team on the planet is giving him 4 years/49+ million this summer.
He would be a complete idiot to opt-out.


He gave Miami 3 championships and 5 Finals appearances. He doesn't owe them anymore.

 

[Davis_Mike]

Wade doesn't have to resign for less.
He has two years of player options at 41 million guaranteed until 2016.

Lets say he declines further, and is forced to sign a 2 year deal for 4 million/season.
I cannot imagine he would suck so bad in 2016, that he could not get a minimum deal like that....

Worse case is that he will make 49+ million the next 4 years, if he sucks.
If he is semi-decent, it will be more.

But, if he opts out, no team on the planet is giving him 4 years/49+ million this summer.
He would be a complete idiot to opt-out.


He gave Miami 3 championships and 5 Finals appearances. He doesn't owe them anymore.

I didn't realize he had multiple option years. I agree he would be an idiot to opt out. That puts Miami in an even tougher situation.

 

[hockey878]

Wade doesn't have to resign for less.
He has two years of player options at 41 million guaranteed until 2016.

Lets say he declines further, and is forced to sign a 2 year deal for 4 million/season.
I cannot imagine he would suck so bad in 2016, that he could not get a minimum deal like that....

Worse case is that he will make 49+ million the next 4 years, if he sucks.
If he is semi-decent, it will be more.

But, if he opts out, no team on the planet is giving him 4 years/49+ million this summer.
He would be a complete idiot to opt-out.


He gave Miami 3 championships and 5 Finals appearances. He doesn't owe them anymore.

No team except the heat because it would alleviate a lot of financial stress for them. It would allow them to lure in another 6-8 million dollar free agent

 

[Davis_Mike]

No team except the heat because it would alleviate a lot of financial stress for them. It would allow them to lure in another 6-8 million dollar free agent

Why would Wade do that? He has no incentive to such a thing. And he would have to opt out in order to sign a new contract. It could be the opposite of the Carlos Boozler situation when he reneged on a handshake deal after they let him out of his contract, if Miami wanted to.

 

[gordontrue]

Why would Wade do that? He has no incentive to such a thing. And he would have to opt out in order to sign a new contract. It could be the opposite of the Carlos Boozler situation when he reneged on a handshake deal after they let him out of his contract, if Miami wanted to.

I think the incentive (beyond giving his team more flexibility to add talent) is that he would be getting 2 more years. Considering that the value of Wade in 2 years figures to be minimal, it could actually be more lucrative for him to take 4 years with a paycut then to stick with the 2 max years.

 

[RobToxin]

 

[Sportsman]

As for all the chatter and finger pointing. Let's stop it.

Wade didn't have the best series, but he's the last player fans should throw under the bus. As much as everyone loves Lebron, Wade is and will always be the heart and soul of the Miami organization.

He's the Derek Jeter of the Heat. Sure Lebron is the better player now, but he was the one that single handedly won the Finals in 06. He was the one that endured all those terrible years, playing through injury, and taking teams of nobodies to the playoffs. And I think Bk mentioned this earlier...and a lot of people have forgotten...but Wade was the best player in the 2011 Finals.

Had it not been for the Mavs going crazy, we would've been talking about another legendary finals performance from Dwade.

At the end of the day the Spurs were clearly superior in this series and Miami lost to the better team. I have no shame in admitting that.

Wade has been terrible the last 2 season, not playing up to the standards of a max player. He eats up too much cap to be this terrible in the playoffs and reg season, he needs to take half the amount of money he makes or retire. Without Shaq and Lebron, we would be comparing Wade to Melo and asking who had the better career.

 

[RobToxin]

 

[hockey878]

I think the incentive (beyond giving his team more flexibility to add talent) is that he would be getting 2 more years. Considering that the value of Wade in 2 years figures to be minimal, it could actually be more lucrative for him to take 4 years with a paycut then to stick with the 2 max years.

Exactly. The point is this:

If wade thinks he wants to play another, say, 4 years. With the way he has declined and his limited development of a 3pt shot, it appears he has two option.

1.) Take his 40 million over the next two years. Sign a 2 year 9 million dollar deal to end his career (obviously we don't know what the number would actually be). Earning him mid to high 40 million for the remainder of his career. And essentially handcuffing the heat's roster flexibility the next 2 years.

2.) Opt out under the condition that he will sign a 4 year 50 million dollar deal. So hes trading two years of known income and 2 question mark years for a guaranteed 50 milliion (10 more than his other deal). If Wade KNOWS he wants 4+ years out of his career still then this is the better option. It also would net him more money if he played one more year and suffered a career ending injury or something of the sort. So while he makes less over a short time, he makes more total. And likely the upper end of the spectrum of what he could possibly make using option 1. This option gives the heat an addition 6-8 million in cap room to make moves. And that doesn't even count other potential sacrifices people could make. That money alone is enough to lure in a solid player.

Now the point I was orginally making was in response to horns. It would not make sense for ANY team NOT named the heat to give dwade a 4 year 50 million dollar deal. It would be a waste of money. But if the heat can spread out the money into an additional two years then it would be a huge win for them, and it could pay of for dwade. What if he declines to 10 points a game after two years? No team signs him? then he makes 40 mil the rest of his career. If he signs that extension he is guaranteed 50 right now. no matter what.

Does that make sense?

Of course there i always the possibility that dwade think he only has two years left. and in that case, he absolutely would not opt out.

 

[hockey878]

Why would Wade do that? He has no incentive to such a thing. And he would have to opt out in order to sign a new contract. It could be the opposite of the Carlos Boozler situation when he reneged on a handshake deal after they let him out of his contract, if Miami wanted to.

sort of responded to you in the previous post.

Miami wouldn't and couldn't do that to wade. you'd ruin your reputation and it would drive away fans and other free agents if you treat the most iconic player in your org. like that.


to lay it out in hard (imaginary numbers) imagine it like this. Say wade wants 4 more years. He has two options

1.) 2 years 43 million. then two more years at the vet minimum. = maybe 47 million? And what if he gets hurt after the 2nd year and never gets those next years at the minimum?

2.) 4 years 50 million dollars. Less money per year, but more money total. Plus if injuries happen he is still guaranteed his money. Also, this option allows the heat way more flexibility.

in dwades situation given his injury issues/rapid decline I feel like you take the extra 10 million guaranteed and a better shot at titles. But hey, its not my choice