NBA Finals Thread
- Thread starter Devizier
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Ginobli ends up 3 rows deep and Wade wants to know why he gets called for a foul. Unbelievable.
Way too much one on one ball from James and Wade. They aren't going to beat the Spurs that way.
Leonard and Green not only played great offensively but their defense was exceptional. Having two stoppers on the floor who can each guard the one through four is a huge luxury that most teams simply cannot afford. When they are both productive offensively, its really hard to beat the Spurs.
Brickowski said:
People say this every time MIA or OKC loses a game. This is the way they play, they will win or lose this way and both have beaten the Spurs in series this way.
Leonard and Green were insane from the opening tip, as has been said. LeBron needs to get one or both of those guys in foul trouble for Miami to win these games. He let this game get away from MIA early on, getting down 25 and still only taking 14 shots the entire game. One of Jordan's greatest strengths once CHI started winning titles was that even though he often spent the early part of the game focusing on involving his teammates, he would take over if things threatened to get out of hand. Clearly Miami isn't going to win games where Leonard outplays LeBron, LeBron can't let that happen again.
I thought it was pretty clear that Miami was fatigued by the 4th quarter and they were unable to hit that extra gear that was necessary for them to make the comeback. The Spurs got out to that massive lead, and Miami had to play the rest of the game balls to the wall, and even the best athletes can't sustain that energy level for very long. By the 4th quarter, Miami was sloppy on offense, made a bunch of mental mistakes and were not rotating on defense.
LeBron himself looked especially tired, and who could blame him? He had to do everything tonight. Wade was solid in the second half, and Anderson got some rebounds, but other then that, I don't think a single Miami player played well tonight. LeBron is a great player, but even he can't bring a team back by himself. When Chalmers is shitting the bed and Bosh isn't being aggressive, their is only so much LeBron can do. He was posting up, he was passing out of double teams, he was trying to get his teammates involved, but for tonight at least, they were not up to the challenge. It also didn't help that the guy he was guarding was stroking it early, forcing LeBron to give the extra effort on defense.
LeBron himself looked especially tired, and who could blame him? He had to do everything tonight. Wade was solid in the second half, and Anderson got some rebounds, but other then that, I don't think a single Miami player played well tonight. LeBron is a great player, but even he can't bring a team back by himself. When Chalmers is shitting the bed and Bosh isn't being aggressive, their is only so much LeBron can do. He was posting up, he was passing out of double teams, he was trying to get his teammates involved, but for tonight at least, they were not up to the challenge. It also didn't help that the guy he was guarding was stroking it early, forcing LeBron to give the extra effort on defense.
jon abbey said:
Think that's unfair for this game. LeBron had 14 of the Heat's first 20 points and 12 in a row in the first half; things got out of hand because the rest of his teammates didn't play defense.
Although watching the coaching adjustments are fun - like Miami deciding to switch screens and then Pops adjustments to that - it seems like this series will be decided by how much energy LeBron has. I suspect he will have a monster game on Sunday after three days rest so the Spurs had better win on Thursday.
What I'm learning here is that Chris Bosh is a heck of a basketball player. He pretty much does everything well. When he was top dog in Toronto, he averaged 24 points and 10.8 rebounds a game his last year there, shooting 52% from the floor (and 36% from three). Good passer and quality defender as well. And now in Miami, he is able to play third fiddle to James and Wade, but it's clear they need him in order to win this series.
Long story short, though there is zero chance of it happening, I'd love to have Bosh on the Celtics. The guy is a terrific, terrific player.
Long story short, though there is zero chance of it happening, I'd love to have Bosh on the Celtics. The guy is a terrific, terrific player.
Maybe so, but what they did last night isn't going to work. First LeBron needs to beat a good defender with active hands (usually Green or Leonard) then he's got a great help defender (Duncan) lurking in the background, who is free to roam because the Heat have no low post threat. Then there was the play in the middle of Q4 where which LeBron simply barged into Diaw, who easily established position and took the charge. It was an uncharacteristically dumb turnover, but that's what happens when a player tries to do it all himself.
It would help if the Heat could get Bosh a little more involved, to make Duncan actually have to guard someone.
The Heat will need 2-3 otherworldly games from LeBron in order to win this series. LeBron is certainly capable of that, but it's against the odds, especially since the Heat have handed home court advantage back to the Spurs.
Brickowski said:
It worked in game 2. Obviously LeBron needs a little more help, obviously Miami needs to come out desperate for 48 minutes like they did in game 2, and obviously LBJ can't let Leonard come close to outplaying him, but this is the formula that's allowed them to win 14 of 15 playoff series coming into this one (playing in a terrible conference certainly helps).
Good article on some of the adjustments the Spurs made on offense in Game 3 here: http://www.sbnation.com/2014/6/12/5803802/spurs-offense-breakdown-nba-finals-2014-game-3.
Van Gundy also noted how they adjusted the positioning of their PnRs during the broadcast.
Van Gundy also noted how they adjusted the positioning of their PnRs during the broadcast.
