HEAT VERSUS SPURS IN NBA FINALS 2013
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 05 Jun 2013
MAASIN CITY, PHILIPPINES. The San Antonio Spurs reached the National Basketball Association Finals on an easier and more hassle-free playoffs route as compared to the defending champion Miami Heat. They placed second behind the Oklahoma Thunder in the western conference standings with 58-24.
Then they swept the superstar-laden but injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, 4-0. And it took them six games to stop the Golden State Warriors, 4-2, in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, they blanked the Memphis Grizzlies, 4-0. So the Spurs played 14 games with only two losses.
The Heat finished with the best win-loss slate of the regular season 66-16, with the second longest winning streak in NBA history of 27 games, second to the Lakers' 33 games in 1971-1972. The Heat swept the Milwaukee Bucks, 4-0, in the first round. In the second round, they crushed the Chicago Bulls, 4-1. But it took the Florida-based franchise a full seven-game eastern conference finals to edge the stubborn Indiana Pacers, 4-3. They had a 12-4 record leading to the finals.
With four championships and 14 consecutive 50-plus win seasons, the Spurs are ready to face the formidable defending NBA champions. It will be a ten-day rest for the Spurs who have not missed the playoffs in 16 seasons since they drafted Tim Duncan in 1997.
The layoff might prove advantageous to the aging starters Duncan 37, Manu Ginobili 35, and Tony Parker 31. But it may also result in a rust for San Antonio with the Heat riding on the momentum of their Game Seven massacre of the Pacers.
The Spurs had a perfect finals record, winning 4 of 4 finals appearances eclipsed only by the Bulls with 6 of 6. They were NBA champions in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 and fourth in most titles behind Celtics (17), Lakers (16), and Bulls (6).
Since Miami became an NBA expansion franchise in 1988, they made it to 17 playoff appearances, winning ten division titles, four conference titles and two NBA titles.
The Heat Big Three in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will match up against the trio of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. But in the end the crown will depend own how the opposing coaches Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Popovich shuffle their men, balance their offense and defense, and keep their reliables healthy.
Curiously, the Spurs were fined $250,000 by NBA commissioner David Stern last November when Popovich sent Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Danny Green home during their only road game at Miami this season to give them rest. According to Stern, this proved to be a disservice to the league and the fans when they pulled out their marquee players. But in spite of the absence of the top four players, the Heat won only by five, 105-100 in their home court.
When Miami played at San Antonio last March 31, James, Wade, and Mario Chalmers had to sat out of the game due to injuries. But the Heat were not fined like the Spurs because the three players were on the bench and were not sent home unlike the case of the Spurs in Miami. It looked like a retaliation on the part of the defending champions. But the Heat won 88-86 on a last second three pointer by Bosh.
During the finals, the two teams could not afford to sit out their superstars. Too much pride is at stake and the two teams will preserve their title winning tradition. (MS)
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