Game Thread: NBA FINALS!!! SA vs MIA

[bksballer89]

Fun fact: the heat are 3-0 when losing game 1 of the finals and 0-1 when winning game 1 of the finals

 

[Shanemansj13]

Fun fact: the heat are 3-0 when losing game 1 of the finals and 0-1 when winning game 1 of the finals

So LOSE MIAMI!

The problem is that they don't have homecourt this year. It would be tough to win a game 7 in SA

 

[bksballer89]

So LOSE MIAMI!

The problem is that they don't have homecourt this year. It would be tough to win a game 7 in SA

They'll be fine if they win 1 of the first 2.

 

[hockey878]

I have to say, having HCA is an obvious advantage if it goes to a game 7. But other than that, I like starting a series on the road. That way, the first few games when all the adjustments are being made you don't risk losing home games.

It would be cool if the team with HCA got to pick which 2 of the first 4 games they wanted at home. and then after that it would go 1-1-1 like normal. Although thats probably too much of an advantage, it would put more strategy into things trying to pick when you want them. It would be scary for a higher seed to pick to start on the road and go home 0-2.

But at the same time, i feel like it would benefit a team like the heat to start with the adversity because they play much better in those situations. when they start at home they tend to be sloppy in game 1

 

[Flauge]

guess that all depends on who you are...

still, i think the Spurs are going to be more motivated because of coming so close last season...

I hear this from a lot of people including those talking heads on tv. I don't buy it. like somehow the spurs wouldn't have been motivated enough just being in the finals.. losing last year somehow makes them more motivated? again, not buying it. also, if Pops cant motivate his guys fully by the sheer idea of winning an NBA title, he actually needs heartbreak to get them more motivated, then he isn't as good a coach as I know he is.

 

[RobToxin]

I hear this from a lot of people including those talking heads on tv. I don't buy it. like somehow the spurs wouldn't have been motivated enough just being in the finals.. losing last year somehow makes them more motivated? again, not buying it. also, if Pops cant motivate his guys fully by the sheer idea of winning an NBA title, he actually needs heartbreak to get them more motivated, then he isn't as good a coach as I know he is.

Don't buy it either. That discussion reminds me of when Mark Cuban made Skip Bayless look like an idiot for saying LeBron and the Heat didn't want it bad enough in 2011.

 

[trojanfan12]

Not at all trying to a dick with you today, but again I have some issues with this.

I'm not saying that Spoelstra is on Pops level, but Pop was coaching last year when the Heat won, and his decision making was very much questioned because Duncan had been taken out of the end of game 6.

Both of these coaches are very bright and are not afraid to go with their gut vs conventional thinking.
Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that great players have a much bigger impact on the results of games then great coaches IMO.

No question Pop made a couple of key coaching mistakes in game 6. That just shows that, as good as he is, he's not perfect. I can run down a list of things with Phil's coaching that I didn't like or agree with and he had a few blow up in his face too. It happens to the best of them.

No doubt that great players have a bigger impact than great coaches. But great coaches tend to come up with schemes and game plans that can lessen the impact of great players, at least for a few games.

It also helps when those great coaches have players like Duncan, Parker, Manu and Leonard to implement those schemes and gameplans.

 

[Flauge]

I have an honest question here regarding Pops V Spoles. Why is Pops considered this coaching wizard and Spoles isn't? Spoles seems to get saddled with the fact the Heat are loaded with talent.. I would argue the Spurs have the exact same problem.

The Heat were down 2-1 last year. They had to beat the Spurs 3 times out 4 games. Spoles adjusted the starting lineup and put Miller in. All of a sudden the floor spacing opened up and Wade came alive those last 4 games. Then in game 6 Pops yanks Duncan out of the lineup with under 30 seconds on that huge rebound by Bosh... I am going to be honest here... Spoles out coached Pops last year.

 

[RobToxin]

No question Pop made a couple of key coaching mistakes in game 6. That just shows that, as good as he is, he's not perfect. I can run down a list of things with Phil's coaching that I didn't like or agree with and he had a few blow up in his face too. It happens to the best of them.

No doubt that great players have a bigger impact than great coaches. But great coaches tend to come up with schemes and game plans that can lessen the impact of great players, at least for a few games.

It also helps when those great coaches have players like Duncan, Parker, Manu and Leonard to implement those schemes and gameplans.

Very true. All those titles Phil won.

Number of titles he won without having either Michael or Kobe on the team....

can be counted on no hands.

 

[RobToxin]

I have an honest question here regarding Pops V Spoles. Why is Pops considered this coaching wizard and Spoles isn't? Spoles seems to get saddled with the fact the Heat are loaded with talent.. I would argue the Spurs have the exact same problem.

The Heat were down 2-1 last year. They had to beat the Spurs 3 times out 4 games. Spoles adjusted the starting lineup and put Miller in. All of a sudden the floor spacing opened up and Wade came alive those last 4 games. Then in game 6 Pops yanks Duncan out of the lineup with under 30 seconds on that huge rebound by Bosh... I am going to be honest here... Spoles out coached Pops last year.

Longevity.

Pops been doing it since....99?

I think that's why.

 

[Clayton]

I have an honest question here regarding Pops V Spoles. Why is Pops considered this coaching wizard and Spoles isn't? Spoles seems to get saddled with the fact the Heat are loaded with talent.. I would argue the Spurs have the exact same problem.

Spoles is a lot like Pops when Pops had the best team in the league.

But I mean we're talking about Lebron James joining on with a top 5 player at the time and a top 20 player at the time. Of course the coach isnt going to get much credit

 

[Flauge]

Longevity.

Pops been doing it since....99?

I think that's why.

that's fair. but they have had the blessing of having great players for 15 years. honestly, as much shit as I am going to talk about the spurs over the next 2 weeks or so... you cant help but respect that organization on multiple levels.

 

[trojanfan12]

I have an honest question here regarding Pops V Spoles. Why is Pops considered this coaching wizard and Spoles isn't? Spoles seems to get saddled with the fact the Heat are loaded with talent.. I would argue the Spurs have the exact same problem.

The Heat were down 2-1 last year. They had to beat the Spurs 3 times out 4 games. Spoles adjusted the starting lineup and put Miller in. All of a sudden the floor spacing opened up and Wade came alive those last 4 games. Then in game 6 Pops yanks Duncan out of the lineup with under 30 seconds on that huge rebound by Bosh... I am going to be honest here... Spoles out coached Pops last year.

I think it's about experience and resume. You're talking about a guy with approx. 20 years of head coaching experience vs. a guy with about 5. Pops just done it over a longer period of time.

As for Spo outcoaching Pop, not really. Pop making a coaching mistake, isn't Spo outcoaching him, it's Pop making a mistake. It happens. Spo is on his way to getting to Pop's level, but he's not there yet. The Heat didn't win game 6 because of Spo's great coaching, they won it because the Spurs couldn't hit free throws and Ray Ray and Lebron were clutch. If the Spurs hit 2 more free throws or Ray Ray misses that corner 3, no one is talking about Duncan not being in the game.

 

[Flauge]

I think it's about experience and resume. You're talking about a guy with approx. 20 years of head coaching experience vs. a guy with about 5. Pops just done it over a longer period of time.

As for Spo outcoaching Pop, not really. Pop making a coaching mistake, isn't Spo outcoaching him, it's Pop making a mistake. It happens. Spo is on his way to getting to Pop's level, but he's not there yet. The Heat didn't win game 6 because of Spo's great coaching, they won it because the Spurs couldn't hit free throws and Ray Ray and Lebron were clutch. If the Spurs hit 2 more free throws or Ray Ray misses that corner 3, no one is talking about Duncan not being in the game.

I disagree... Pop made the mistake.. Spoles didn't. Now in 2011 we can go into the major mistakes Spoles made when coaching against a zone. Huge. James Jones not being played. No calling for more overloads or screens at the top of key. But Spoles has actually come along way in coaching. He still drives me nuts with his substitution patterns in the regular season. I will accept Pops has down it longer. He has. IMHO Pops is the best current coach in the NBA, but say the Heat win this series.. and it Spoles all of a sudden has 3 titles with two coming against Pops and his favored Spurs team.. Spoles is going to have to be talked about in the same breath. Which is pretty elite company for a video coordinator.

 

[Heatles84]

I have an honest question here regarding Pops V Spoles. Why is Pops considered this coaching wizard and Spoles isn't? Spoles seems to get saddled with the fact the Heat are loaded with talent.. I would argue the Spurs have the exact same problem.

The Heat were down 2-1 last year. They had to beat the Spurs 3 times out 4 games. Spoles adjusted the starting lineup and put Miller in. All of a sudden the floor spacing opened up and Wade came alive those last 4 games. Then in game 6 Pops yanks Duncan out of the lineup with under 30 seconds on that huge rebound by Bosh... I am going to be honest here... Spoles out coached Pops last year.

I think it's based on consistency. Win this series, and Spo can have his name along with Pop, Riley, Phil Jackson, etc. Because a 3-peat and 4 straight Finals trips doesn't happen so often.

But Pop is an all-time head coach. For 15 straight years, the Spurs have been the standard that all other teams have to live up to. Pop has always kept his team as a true contender, no matter the obstacles. He's had some playoffs where his team has been outed early in the playoffs. But Riley and Phil Jackson had their moments of disappointments in the playoffs as well.

One constant that doesn't get mentioned enough is Patty Mills. As I've said before, he's not the spark that the Spurs had with Gary Neal last year. But he's a perfect backup PG for the Spurs, in the event Parker is sitting. This was something that plagued them last year where Manu stalled the offense.

Wade being healthy is the biggest variable in this series. Wade not being able to keep up with Danny Green allowed the latter to consistently nail 3's all series long (well the first 5 games anyway).

I honestly fill that this will have the same feel as last year's finals.

 

[TRIPLE 777]

I AGRRE WITH FLAUGE 100% ON THIS ISSUE

I have an honest question here regarding Pops V Spoles. Why is Pops considered this coaching wizard and Spoles isn't? Spoles seems to get saddled with the fact the Heat are loaded with talent.. I would argue the Spurs have the exact same problem.

The Heat were down 2-1 last year. They had to beat the Spurs 3 times out 4 games. Spoles adjusted the starting lineup and put Miller in. All of a sudden the floor spacing opened up and Wade came alive those last 4 games. Then in game 6 Pops yanks Duncan out of the lineup with under 30 seconds on that huge rebound by Bosh... I am going to be honest here... Spoles out coached Pops last year.

SPOELESTERA OUT-COACHED POPS LAST YEAR.NO QUESTION.
AND MARK MY WORDS HE IS GOING TO DO IT AGAIN IN THIS SERIES.
MIAMI WINS GAME 1--IN AN UPSET WHY ? SPURS ARE FAVORED BY LAS VEGAS BOOKMAKERS TO WIN THE NBA FINALS-- BUT THEY WILL NOT WIN IT.

SPURS ARE -130--TO WIN IT ALL--I WILL TAKE the DOG the HEAT.and RUN

 

[trojanfan12]

I disagree... Pop made the mistake.. Spoles didn't. Now in 2011 we can go into the major mistakes Spoles made when coaching against a zone. Huge. James Jones not being played. No calling for more overloads or screens at the top of key. But Spoles has actually come along way in coaching. He still drives me nuts with his substitution patterns in the regular season. I will accept Pops has down it longer. He has. IMHO Pops is the best current coach in the NBA, but say the Heat win this series.. and it Spoles all of a sudden has 3 titles with two coming against Pops and his favored Spurs team.. Spoles is going to have to be talked about in the same breath. Which is pretty elite company for a video coordinator.

There was no mistake for Spo to make. That last 30 seconds had nothing to do with Spo's coaching and everything to do with Pop making a mistake and Ray Ray being clutch. There was no special gameplan or play that Spo drew up. It was get the ball to someone for a 3 and pray to God they hit it.

Like I said, if the Spurs hit a couple of free throws or Ray Ray misses that 3, no one is talking about Pop making a mistake.

 

[Flauge]

there were no mistakes to make? there is always mistakes to make line up wise. dude adjusted mike miller into the starting lineup.

 

[trojanfan12]

there were no mistakes to make? there is always mistakes to make line up wise. dude adjusted mike miller into the starting lineup.

And had Ray not hit that 3, he would have had the same result as the first 3 games. Losing 2 of 3. Besides, when I say no mistakes to be made. I mean in that last 30 seconds. There was literally nothing for him to do but hope for the best.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Spo. I just don't agree that he outcoached Pop. I think he's a very good and potentially great coach. Heck, I'd take him over anyone the Lakers have had since Phil and anyone they had in between Phil's stints.

 

[bksballer89]

Lakers fans always trying to keep a good man down