OT: Heat up 2-1

[Kinzu]

People don't like Lebron because of his actions when he left the Cavs. He was pretty much adored before then, but it's not just Cav fans that feel he turned his back on them. The way he left that team with his own TV special, and then partying in Miami and claiming they would win 5+ titles. It all displayed a sorta of villain like image, and gave off the impression he had turned on his fans. I think he has some what got past that now, but he will probably never be as adored as he was before. The same goes for Kobe pre-r*pe scandal to post-r*pe. He will never be as liked as he once was. Neither of them will ever rival Jordan in popularity either.

 

[maniax]

I'm hopeful that the Spurs can win this series. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Gregg Popovich as a coach. I think with all that he has accomplished he is still vastly under rated. This will be his toughest challenge yet, but I believe he will find the answers.

I think Popovich is the best coach in the NBA, and I want the Spurs to win.
But I'm not sure how they will defend Lebron and co.

Some people say just let Lebron get his and limit the other 4 and limit the 3's.
That might work instead of trying to double team Lebron. The Spurs don't have anyone who can defend Lebron and they don't have anyone that will prevent Miami from driving to the rim.

So maybe just let Lebron get his, limit the 3's, and make it into an offensive series and try to outscore the Heat all the time.

 

[NinerSickness]

People don't like Lebron because of his actions when he left the Cavs.

That's just the thing. I don't believe people when they say that. I think those are straw-man reasons to hate him. It's really jealousy IMO. No other player in the history of sports has gotten half crap as him for leaving via free agency. And the TV thing was for freeking charity! And John Elway said his goal was to win 5 Superbowl rings, and he never got any crap for that.

Besides, Lebron could well be on his way to possibly fulfilling that goal.

And again, I'm saying this as a guy who doesn't even care about the NBA. I'm completely objective in this one.

 

[Kinzu]

That's just the thing. I don't believe people when they say that. I think those are straw-man reasons to hate him. It's really jealousy IMO. No other player in the history of sports has gotten half crap as him for leaving via free agency. And the TV thing was for freeking charity! And John Elway said his goal was to win 5 Superbowl rings, and he never got any crap for that.

Besides, Lebron could well be on his way to possibly fulfilling that goal.

And again, I'm saying this as a guy who doesn't even care about the NBA. I'm completely objective in this one.

Honestly had he gone to Chicago I think he would still be loved. I think it was just the fact he went to Miami to form the super team, and then that huge party the Heat threw to introduce he and Bosh. If he stayed in Cleveland or gone to Chicago it would never have been an issue.

I still think Lebron is a bit overhyped personally. He can fill a stat sheet, but he still only has 1 title and only seems to have those transcendent like playoff games here and there. He's also choked away several series by not being the player his team needed in an elimination game. Everyone used the excuse that his team just stunk and justified that by how bad Cleveland was without him, but what happens if the Heat don't win the title this year? That would make 3 years with an absolutely stacked roster with the best player in the game, but only 1 title to show for it. I'm sold Lebron is probably the best player in the game right now, but I'm not sure he can be the focal point of your team. I think Lebron would be at his best with someone else on the team being the #1 offensive threat. That would free him up to dominate the game every where else. That's what he was suppose to get with the Heat and Wade, but Wade is barely even a shell of the player he was 3 years ago.

I mean imagine Lebron playing alongside someone like Carmelo or Durant. Those guys are true offensive threats anywhere in the half court. Lebron might not be putting up 20+ points a game every night anymore, but he would be unstoppable all over the court playing alongside a serious threat like those guys.

 

[Badger8843]

I'm hopeful that the Spurs can win this series. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Gregg Popovich as a coach. I think with all that he has accomplished he is still vastly under rated. This will be his toughest challenge yet, but I believe he will find the answers.

Heat in 5 or 6, havnt decided yet, the Spurs are slow and not athletic, the Pacers killed them inside with Hibbert and West, the Spurs have Duncan who is not physical and Spitler and Diaw are not good

 

[erckm510]

Heat in 5 or 6, havnt decided yet, the Spurs are slow and not athletic, the Pacers killed them inside with Hibbert and West, the Spurs have Duncan who is not physical and Spitler and Diaw are not good

What playoffs have you been watching to say the Spurs are slow and not athletic? I'm gonna counter that with Parker/Leonard/Green. The Spurs are very good in the paint. I don't see how you think Duncan isn't physical. He can post, play D, doesn't shy away from contact and does the dirty work.

I picked the Heat in 7 but I don't feel comfortable about it. Wade/Bosh need to pick up their games. But LeBron is just too good and I like the chances of the Heat being able to stop Parker then the Spurs do of stopping LeBron.

 

[Kinzu]

If Lebron has to guard Parker a lot it could be a long series. After the physical series with the Pacers it might be asking to much for Lebron to guard Parker and be the top scoring threat every game. The Heat need someone or some few to step up either on defense or offense. The Spurs play good defense and have the best offensive ball movement in the game.

 

[Yoshi]

This is the same thing people say about the Niners in SB 47. Mistakes notwithstanding, both teams got a ROYAL screw job by the referees. So did the Seahawks in SB 40 & others. Every team makes mistakes in championship games (even the winners). They have to overcome mistakes. They shouldn't have to overcome an enormous gift of an advantage from the referees because there's nothing they can do about them.

I'm pretty sure the ref's would've given the advantage to the Heat if it were close, but it didn't come to that.

The Lakers shot just 3 more FT's, than the Kings (33 vs 30, respectively). The Lakers shot 81.8% FT's while the Kings shot 53.3% from the stripe? If you miss from the stripe, you don't deserve to move on, and missing free throws is what stumped the Kings. The Lakers got their calls in that game, but so did the Kings - the difference was that the Kings didn't take advantage, and quite frankly, choked while the Lakers moved on.

If the Kings had shot over 75% from the stripe (23 free throws made as opposed to 16), they win the game by 1 point. Heck, they win the game in regulation. That Kings team in 2001-2002 shot 75.1% from the FT line during the regular season, but then dropped to 53.3% in the biggest game of their franchise's history?

 

[Badger8843]

What playoffs have you been watching to say the Spurs are slow and not athletic? I'm gonna counter that with Parker/Leonard/Green. The Spurs are very good in the paint. I don't see how you think Duncan isn't physical. He can post, play D, doesn't shy away from contact and does the dirty work.

I picked the Heat in 7 but I don't feel comfortable about it. Wade/Bosh need to pick up their games. But LeBron is just too good and I like the chances of the Heat being able to stop Parker then the Spurs do of stopping LeBron.

Hibbert and West in the post are a lot more physical and tough then Duncan, yes Timmy has better moves and his crafty but he loves the jump shot, he isnt going to back someone down like Hibbert and West did. Bosh matches up a lot better with the Spurs then he did with the Pacers.

 

[Flyingiguana]

spurs are a well coached team. they're also deep. i think this is gonna be a long series but spurs in 7

 

[maniax]

Problem with the Pacers was they had stretches where their offense stalled.

Spurs probably won't have this problem. But Spurs will not be able to apply the same defensive pressure on the Heat.

 

[Badger8843]

I will change my pick and instead of Heat in 5 I will say Heat in 6, they will close it out on their homecourt

 

[Kinzu]

I will change my pick and instead of Heat in 5 I will say Heat in 6, they will close it out on their homecourt

Oh yeah the lame 2-3-2 Finals format. I still think that format favors the road team. If you can win just 1 of those first 2 games on the road then you get 3 straight home games to close out the series. Even if you go 2-1 in those games you have a 3-2 advantage going into game 6 and 7. The format just seems to put more pressure on the team with the winning record.

 

[Badger8843]

Agreed 100%

 

[Kinzu]

Spurs shoot 42%
Lebron gets a beastly 18/18/10 Triple-Double
Wade and Bosh have one of their more productive playoff games
Allen and Miller knockdown open 3's
The Heat bench out plays the Spurs bench

and yet the Heat just lost Game 1 at home. That can't be a good sign for things to come in this series. The Spurs will play better, but can the Heat really play better than that? I mean imagine if the Spurs had knocked down some of those open 3's in the 3rd and 4th quarter. The game would not have even been close. I think for them to win it comes down to 2 things. They have to play better defense, and Lebron has to show up in the 4th quarter.

That game is exactly why I still think Lebron is overrated. Game 1 of the NBA Finals in a close game and he put up what 6 points in the 4th quarter? Parker puts up 10 and hits the biggest shot of the game because he is a leader and winner. Lebron just so rarely seems to take control of games in big moments like he should. If that was Jordan or Kobe they would have willed their team to victory or gone down trying, and that is why people love them and view them as 2 of the greatest players of all-time.

 

[Badger8843]

Bosh played good? Umm he lost them the game with his 1/6 shooting in the 4th quarter and Dwade scored 0pts in the 4th qtr

 

[Kinzu]

Bosh played good? Umm he lost them the game with his 1/6 shooting in the 4th quarter and Dwade scored 0pts in the 4th qtr

By those standards then Lebron played poorly as well with his 6 points in the 4th quarter. Wade had his highest point total of the playoffs for the first 2 quarters of a game and finished with 17 points. Bosh gave them 13 points 5 rebounds 3 steal and 1 block. Yeah he needs to play better than that for them to win, but it was not a bad game other than his dumb decisions to shoot 3's. The negative reactions to his 3 point shooting is legit as well.

Based on Game 1 though this will be a very tough series for Miami unless Lebron puts the team on his back and carries them for 4 wins, and that is not something he typically does consistently. The Spurs team defense and offensive ball movement may be to much for the Heat. Tony Parker is playing out of his mind right now as well.

 

[maniax]

The Spurs are the ultimate in team basketball.

No flashy stars, but playing optimally as a team.

I have pretty high confidence in them that they can continue to hang around the games against Miami and then steal the game at the end like they did last night. I expect a few more narrow victories.

 

[erckm510]

Spurs shoot 42%
Lebron gets a beastly 18/18/10 Triple-Double
Wade and Bosh have one of their more productive playoff games
Allen and Miller knockdown open 3's
The Heat bench out plays the Spurs bench

and yet the Heat just lost Game 1 at home. That can't be a good sign for things to come in this series. The Spurs will play better, but can the Heat really play better than that? I mean imagine if the Spurs had knocked down some of those open 3's in the 3rd and 4th quarter. The game would not have even been close. I think for them to win it comes down to 2 things. They have to play better defense, and Lebron has to show up in the 4th quarter.

That game is exactly why I still think Lebron is overrated. Game 1 of the NBA Finals in a close game and he put up what 6 points in the 4th quarter? Parker puts up 10 and hits the biggest shot of the game because he is a leader and winner. Lebron just so rarely seems to take control of games in big moments like he should. If that was Jordan or Kobe they would have willed their team to victory or gone down trying, and that is why people love them and view them as 2 of the greatest players of all-time.

You should just say you don't like Lebron. By what standard is he overrated? Cuz he doesn't take control of big games? So I guess last year's finals don't count? So Parker is a leader and winner but not Lebron? Ridiculous. I'm a Lakers fan and admitted Kobe lover but I've seen Kobe fail many many times sometimes in spectacular fashion. And come on Lebron will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

 

[Kinzu]

You should just say you don't like Lebron. By what standard is he overrated? Cuz he doesn't take control of big games? So I guess last year's finals don't count? So Parker is a leader and winner but not Lebron? Ridiculous. I'm a Lakers fan and admitted Kobe lover but I've seen Kobe fail many many times sometimes in spectacular fashion. And come on Lebron will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

Jordan failed many times as well, but with the game on the line win or lose the ball was going to be in his hands. The thing is with the game on line where was Lebron? Why was the ball not in his hands more often down the stretch. It's not like it was only this 1 game either. Lebron throughout his career has been known to disappear late in close games. Why was he not forcing his offense and looking for his shots? Kobe and Jordan would have been in that situation. I really don't think calling Lebron the evolution of Scottie Pippen is that far off from reality. They both can fill up stat sheet, they both can play any position on the floor, and they are both excellent defenders, but when the game is on the line the ball is in someone else hands. A lot of people take the comparison the wrong way because they want to believe Lebron is more like Mike, but he is not like Mike. He is Pippen only better and more capable of taking a game over on his own.

1 great Finals run does make you a great player. If the Heat lose this that makes 3 or 4 times Lebron has reached the Finals and lost. The sad thing is Wade right now. Wade 3+ years ago was the guy that would take over a 4th quarter and will the Heat to a victory. Either Wade can't do that anymore or he is giving up to much to Lebron. The Heat really could have used one of them stepping up in the 4th quarter of Game 1 though. They can't rely on Bosh, Miller, Chalmers, and Allen being the guys to hit tough shots down the stretch.