NBA 2012-2013

[clackamascoug]

Parker is top 5 and probably underrated. But he's closer to 5 than 1 now. He was playing on a bad hamstring the last couple of games. But you said most. I think Russell Westbrook is more dangerous. Chris Paul. Post Avery Johnson D Will. Kyrie Irving is close too. And definitely the two guys you mentioned.

This time next year Damian Lillard will be on that list.

One of the most enjoyable finals I've seen. And I've seen 40 minus the two on my mission. Of course the 1977 finals were the best.

[MarkGrace]

I'm in Tokyo and didn't get to see much of the game. Followed the first half on game cast, then when I checked in later it was close in the 4th so I stepped into a sporting goods store to watch the last five minutes. Series for the ages. So much good ball in that one. Sad to see the spurs go down that way, but they've accomplished so much over the years and the way they showed tonight took serious fortitude after game 6. The look on manu's face at the end killed me. I don't think I've see such deep pain on a single players face ever.

Congrats to the king. Dude is so good.

[smokymountainrain]

I'm in Tokyo and didn't get to see much of the game. Followed the first half on game cast, then when I checked in later it was close in the 4th so I stepped into a sporting goods store to watch the last five minutes. Series for the ages. So much good ball in that one. Sad to see the spurs go down that way, but they've accomplished so much over the years and the way they showed tonight took serious fortitude after game 6. The look on manu's face at the end killed me. I don't think I've see such deep pain on a single players face ever.

Congrats to the king. Dude is so good.

Yep, I feel bad for Manu and for Duncan. Sucks to work so hard to get to a game 7, to have a shot to win a game 7 and then to have two costly plays - plays that anybody could make at any time - happen in the closing seconds like that.

[FN Phat]

Bosh doesn't score a point. Makes it easier to let him walk.

Battier knocking down 6 threes was the difference in this one -- glad Spoelstra was smart enough to give him another chance.

Sorry CJ -- that's a tough one. The Heat are damn lucky and I wouldn't write the Spurs off next season -- they could make another run.

I don't see the Spurs making it past the Thunder next year.

[FN Phat]

I see the Heat taking the next game. The Spurs take the last at home and then the Heat return home and continue the trend of not losing back to back games. The Heat then break the trend of the series and win game 7.

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!

[smokymountainrain]

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!

Nice work. Sucks for the moran who said the team that wins game 1 will win the series.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I've thought for much of the night about how bad I feel for Duncan. That layup will probably haunt his summer, if he didn't have a handful of rings already I'd be worried about his safety.

[clackamascoug]

This Finals reminded me of the '86 Mets. Boston wins if the ball doesn't go between Buckner's legs. The Mets come from behind and win game 6. Mets go on to win game 7. If either Manu, or Leonard make a free throw with less than a minute they win it all.

[smokymountainrain]

This Finals reminded me of the '86 Mets. Boston wins if the ball doesn't go between Buckner's legs. The Mets come from behind and win game 6. Mets go on to win game 7. If either Manu, or Leonard make a free throw with less than a minute they win it all.

It's a little different because one missed FT out of 2 on a trip to the FT line is a very common occurence in a basketball game - really just part of the game - where the Buckner error was a once in a season type error.

I'm no math genius, but if I'm correct, even a 90% FT shooter misses one free throw once every five trips to the line. IIRC, Leonard is about a 60-65% FT shooter, so he misses 1 out of 2 about every other trip to the line. Ginobili's odds aren't much better - probably closer to a missed FT once ever 3 trips.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Very intrigued by what this off-season will be for the Heat. They've gone to 3 straight finals, won 2 straight titles, but they are closely approaching a major crossroads. In two summers, if James/Wade/Bosh chose not to exercise their player options (we know James will, but we also know he'd get a huge new deal, so the premise is unchanged), the Heat will have $79 M committed to 7 players. Throw in some minimum salaries to fill out the roster and then put in penalties for being way over the tax threshold and being repeat tax payers, and the Heat would be paying about $220 M that year between payroll and tax. Their owner has essentially said already that just won't be feasible. And even if they did it, it would give them an older Big 3 and really not much other help depending on who is taking those minimum salaries.

But just looking toward next year, will this team be better, or will they just be tired? I think Ray Allen will be at least as good, even getting up in age more, because he'll be in his 2nd season with the team and that synergy can make a big difference. I look forward to seeing what James can look like while finally having a summer to rest a little. But they've got to upgrade the supporting cast. Battier is wearing down, Mike Miller is broken, Joel Anthony was a horrible contract, and Haslem is still short. Mike Miller talked about retiring last season, but he's owed $12 M of the next 2 years. Would he really walk away from that? Battier is on the books for one more year at $3 M, but I think he's done. The Heat could waive Anthony, and that would spread his $6.5 M salary owed over 5 years, instead of having a $3 M cap hit each of the next 2 years.

Two names I threw out as guys who I think might fit in the minimum and tax payer exceptions Miami can pay for next year are Anthony Morrow and Elton Brand. So if the team waived Anthony, Battier retired, and then they brought back Chris Anderson and signed Morrow and Brand, would you consider them a better team next year? I wonder if the owner won't even offer the tax payer exception to anyone, and will just try to make one more run with the roster as is.

[The_Douger]

They've got to look at trading Bosh now, but I have no idea what they'd get for him. His value is low after the most recent season.

[wapiti]

They've got to look at trading Bosh now, but I have no idea what they'd get for him. His value is low after the most recent season.

I don't think Bosh's contract is a tradable asset. They would have to combine an undervalued asset with it and I only see one undervalued asset on the Heat roster.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I don't think Bosh's contract is a tradable asset. They would have to combine an undervalued asset with it and I only see one undervalued asset on the Heat roster.

Bosh just came off a season where he had a 20.0 PER, .596 TS%, and .542 eFG%. He is still one of the best offensive bigs in the game whose usage rate is just way down on his current team. His efficiency would certainly fall off on another team, but his production could go back to Toronto levels. He's not worth the money he's being paid, but some team might be interested in his contract and talent if it would let their team balance their roster better, or move a bad contract or two, or get rid of a guy not working out for them.

I've seen a few different sites mention a Bosh for DeMarcus Cousins trade idea, including a mention of that as being beneficial for both teams by one of the ESPN guys in charge of covering the Heat. From Sacramento's end, it is really hard to get equal value for Cousins because he's a head case, he's still on his rookie deal, and he's crazy. But if they moved him for Bosh, they'd get a talented big, and could move some unwanted contracts like John Salmons, Travis Outlaw, and/or Marcus Thornton. They could reshape their roster very quickly, a reboot. They start over with Bosh, re-sign or sign and trade Tyreke, Thomas, Jimmer, Patrick Patterson, and the 7th pick.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I'd t trade Wade before Bosh. It doesn't matter if they get 50 cents on the dollar. I think Miami won the title in spite of Dwyane Wade. Wade should have cost them a title with his Game 6 performance.

The guy that would be perfect with LeBron is Kawhi who is turning into an elite second banana and he can play the 2.

[The_Douger]

Jimmer to the Heat!