NBA

2013 NBA Finals Preview

Well unfortunately for us Seattle fans that didn’t happen, but still this NBA Finals will be entertaining.  This years championship will feature last years winner, the Miami Heat, going against the San Antonio Spurs who have won four championships in the last 14 years.  This series should be interesting.

The Heat won both games against the Spurs this season, but the Spurs have definitely captured some momentum of their own.  The Heat survived a long seven game series against the Indiana Pacers, while the Spurs swept the Memphis Grizzlies in four games.  As a result San Antonio should be well rested.

As far as statistics go, league MVP LeBron James leads all scorers with 26.8, while his partner-in-crime Dwayne Wade closely follows with 21.2.  Tony Parker leads the Spurs with 20.3.

A lot of ESPN experts will probably pick the Heat to win this series…and I agree with them.  However, if Tony Parker is able to make some big plays and Tim Duncan as well as other post players on the Spurs are able to step up the Heat will be in for a long series.  One of the reasons why the Heat-Pacers Conference Finals went longer than expected was because the Heat didn’t have a strong post answer to Pacers center Roy Hibbert.  As a result, the Heat were forced beyond the arc, which was an uncomfortable position.  In Game 7 however, the Heat were able to get Hibbert into foul trouble rather easily and that set up a long night for the Pacers.  Duncan and the rest of the Spurs big uglies need to stay out of foul trouble if they even hope to have a chance in this series.

Speaking of which, 13 of 18 ESPN experts are picking the Heat in this Finals.

Why don’t we talk about LeBron a little bit while we’re at it.  He had a big Game 7, and if you remember from last year the Heat also won a Game 7 (that time against the Boston Celtics though), to get to the Finals and make short work of the Thunder in five games.  The Spurs will be a little more of a challenge, but I think King James will be in for another big series, and perhaps another Finals MVP as well.  That’ll bring it up to two on his career.
Now I hate to say this, but Stern as well as any other officials will do anything in their power to make it so the Heat win this series.  Any advantage they can give LeBron and the Heat they will give to them.  I’m not directly saying that the series will be officiated unfairly, but what I am saying is that the Heat definitely have an advantage in this department.  Expect for LeBron and Wade to get more calls than Parker and the other Spurs players.
So here’s the verdict!
Heat win in six!
LeBron is coming off a big game against the Pacers, and he is right now the undisputed best player in basketball.  The Spurs will put up a good fight, but he will get his revenge (his Cavaliers got swept by the Spurs in the 2007 Finals) and claim ring #2.
The only question right now though, is will he be better than Jordan at the pace he’s going at?  We’ll just have to wait and see.

By the way I’m going to stop the HOHOHOrrible column for a while until some embarrassing moments pop up. Until then stay classy.

HOHOHO!

Categories: NBA