The San Antonio Spurs finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA, and they have shown throughout the playoffs — and especially in the NBA Finals — that they are the best team in the league.
San Antonio has shocked most fans, pundits and onlookers by not just winning two straight games in Miami, but by blowing out the Heat in Games 3 and 4 on the road. They’ve used a combination of precise execution, incredible ball movement, and relentless effort on both ends of the floor to blast the Heat. They are so good they’ve managed to make Miami look like an old, second-rate squad. And this is the defending champion Heat we’re talking about — a team full of All-Stars and the greatest player on the planet!
The way the Spurs are playing right now makes me think about putting them in the conversation for best championship teams I’ve seen. They went 62-20 during the regular season, which doesn’t stack up next to the ’96 Bulls, the 2000 Lakers, or the 2008 Celtics based on record, but it’s a pretty showing when you consider how deep and talented the Western Conference was. They absolutely annihilated a very good Portland team in the second round of the playoffs, and they overall handled the Thunder with ease in the Western Conference finals. A very good, underrated Mavericks team matched up with them well and took them to seven games, which is probably a testament more to how good Dallas was more than anything else.
What the Spurs have done has been remarkable to watch. I thought they were going to beat the Heat because they were the deeper team and playing better than anyone going into the Finals, but I never thought I’d see what we’re seeing. Call the Finals boring because the Spurs have made the games non-competitive, but I’ve enjoyed watching the clinic they’re putting on.
Watching the Spurs play is like watching a state champion varsity team take on a JV squad. They just run circles around their opponents. They whip the ball around on offense and constantly keep the flow moving. They always manage to find the open man. They penetrate when they have to. It’s like they’re running simple layup lines and executing as if nobody were guarding them. I said after Game 2 that the Spurs would have to practically not miss shots in order to win in Miami, and that’s what they’ve done. For the Finals, they’ve shot 54.2 percent, which is the second-highest percentage through four games all time (according to Elias Sports Bureau). They’ve just caught fire NBA Jam-style.
And then on the defensive end, man, does anyone not defend on that team? You don’t see laziness, you don’t see guys leaving their man, and you don’t see anyone left open. You see help defense where it’s needed and guys all up in the face of their opponents.
This series has really turned into so much about what the Spurs are doing right rather than what Miami is doing wrong. If you’re watching these games, you know Miami is simply overmatched and doesn’t have the overall depth and talent to compete with San Antonio.
LeBron James is playing very well this series. He really is. He won Game 2 for the Heat, he had them in Game 1 until he suffered his cramps, and he’s been the only guy showing up these last two games. It’s his teammates — especially Dwyane Wade, whose body looks toast — stinking up the joint. They’ve gotten nothing from Mario Chalmers or anyone at the point, they’ve gotten very little from the bench, and they need Chris Bosh to go off.
If you want to criticize anything about the Heat, you better leave LeBron out of it. If this were a baseball series, Miami would have been nearly shut out by San Antonio’s pitching the last two games. LeBron is the guy going 3-for-4 with a couple of doubles, while the rest of the team has taken the collar. He’s doing all he can do, but he’s just not getting enough help.
As strange as it sounds based on how much I’ve praised the Spurs, I actually think the Heat can turn it around in Game 5. I still think the Spurs will win the series, but don’t think it’s just going to end in five. Miami will put up a fight. They’ll make some adjustments, they’ll play more inspired, maybe Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard will get into some foul trouble early and late (wink-wink), and the Heat will have a chance in Game 5. But San Antonio will win the series and prove to everyone what an awesome team they are.
If you’re analyzing this series and season and view this as anything other than proof of how good the Spurs are, you’re really missing out on what’s going on.
