NBA 2012-2013

[The_Douger]

The contrasting stat is that the Heat are 13-9 in playoff games where Bosh has 6 or fewer rebounds. How absurd is it that a 6'11" player has 22 games in 3 years with 6 or fewer rebounds (and many of those were 4 rebound games) when their team is so small relative to most other teams?

So they've won 79% of their playoff games if he gets 7+ boards, and only 59% if he gets 6 or fewer.

I mean, even with a lack of scoring, I'd just tell him to focus on defense and rebounding and that alone would seem to give Miami a better shot at winning.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

The interwebs are full of "LeBron just needs to score more" posts and articles today. And while I don't disagree with them, can we at least admit that it isn't that easy?

- SA essentially played a box and 1 most of the night on James. Leonard is a good defender, Duncan is one of the all-time great help defenders, and their scheme is so established that the other players have their rotations and assignments down perfectly. Do we think, with 9 days to prepare, that Popovich was going to scheme in a way that would allow the best player in basketball to beat him when his supporting cast is old, broken, and/or slumping? James will have 3-pointers available to him and he'll need to knock them down regularly, but if he's going to try to go 30+ points it is going to take a ton of energy to work for those points.

- And so if we want James to expend the energy necessary to score against a defense completely predicated on forcing others to beat it, who is going to pick up the slack on the glass and on defense? James had 18 rebounds, one guy had 5, and everyone else was under that. James expends so much energy on defense when a lot of other guys take a lot of possessions off (Mr. Wade, why don't you try to pay attention to your man more in the 4th quarter?) that even being a cyborg I don't think he can do that much on defense while also carrying a huge load on offense. After Game 5 against Indiana he actually looked tired. The cyborg never looks tired. But he was doing so much on both ends of the court that he actually showed signs of fatigue.

- One funny one I've read is people saying that Magic Johnson knew when to set his guys up and when to take over, pointing out that he had some huge scoring games in his playoff career. First of all, are we forgetting that James has the highest ppg average in Game 7's in NBA history? That he has one of the highest playoff ppg averages ever? James scores plenty. But let's not compare Magic scoring 35 in a playoff game when the opposing team has to guard Kareem, Worthy, and Scott (and when teams didn't play nearly the sophisticated or high effort defense we see now) to James trying to go off against a team like SA with a broken Wade and pansy Bosh.

James is the best in the game, so he gets credit for the wins and blame for the losses. But I just had to laugh when he had 18, 18, and 10, and plays the kind of defense he does, and Haberstroh gave him a B+ for the game. The constant analysis from all angles in sport today has apparently made it difficult to enjoy and appreciate a triple double with 18 boards and great defense in the finals because his team lost by 4 against a great team.

I thought some of the biggest shots last night were from Neal. He was only 3-9, but it felt like each of those 3 shots came at a time when Miami was pushing the lead and Neal would keep it close. I think Miami has to play Ray Allen more, especially when he actually looks better on defense than Wade right now...how sad is that for Wade? And that look of going w/o a PG for Miami should happen more, even if LeBron doesn't take Parker the whole time. As bad as Wade is on defense he won't be any worse than Chalmers. Game 1 didn't disappoint...going to be a great series to watch. I've been brutal on Bosh, but I do wonder how much those 3 fouls affected his aggressiveness and rhythm. SA is normally a decent match-up for him, so I think he'll get better as the series goes along. But will Wade do anything other than ask Spoelstra to babysit him on offense while not contributing in any other facet?

[smokymountainrain]

The interwebs are full of "LeBron just needs to score more" posts and articles today. And while I don't disagree with them, can we at least admit that it isn't that easy?

- SA essentially played a box and 1 most of the night on James. Leonard is a good defender, Duncan is one of the all-time great help defenders, and their scheme is so established that the other players have their rotations and assignments down perfectly. Do we think, with 9 days to prepare, that Popovich was going to scheme in a way that would allow the best player in basketball to beat him when his supporting cast is old, broken, and/or slumping? James will have 3-pointers available to him and he'll need to knock them down regularly, but if is going to try to go 30+ points it is going to take a ton of energy to work for those points.

- And so if we want James to expend the energy necessary to score against a defense completely predicated on forcing others to beat it, who is going to pick up the slack on the glass and on defense? James had 18 rebounds, one guy had 5, and everyone else was under that. James expends so much energy on defense when a lot of other guys take a lot of possessions off (Mr. Wade, why don't you try to pay attention to your man more in the 4th quarter?) that even being a cyborg I don't think he can do that much on defense while also carrying a huge load on offense. After Game 5 against Indiana he actually looked tired. The cyborg never looks tired. But he was doing so much on both ends of the court that he actually showed signs of fatigue.

- One funny one I've read is people saying that Magic Johnson knew when to set his guys up and when to take over, pointing out that he had some huge scoring games in his playoff career. First of all, are we forgetting that James has the highest ppg average in Game 7's in NBA history? That he has one of the highest playoff ppg averages ever? James scores plenty. But let's not compare Magic scoring 35 in a playoff game when the opposing team has to guard Kareem, Worthy, and Scott (and when teams didn't play nearly the sophisticated or high effort defense we see now) to James trying to go off against a team like SA with a broken Wade and pansy Bosh.

James is the best in the game, so he gets credit for the wins and blame for the losses. But I just had to laugh when he had 18, 18, and 10, and plays the kind of defense he does, and Haberstroh gave him a B+ for the game. The constant analysis from all angles in sport today has apparently made it difficult to enjoy and appreciate a triple double with 18 boards and great defense in the finals because his team lost by 4 against a great team.

I thought some of the biggest shots last night were from Neal. He was only 3-9, but it felt like each of those 3 shots came at a time when Miami was pushing the lead and Neal would keep it close. I think Miami has to play Ray Allen more, especially when he actually looks better on defense than Wade right now...how sad is that for Wade? And that look of going w/o a PG for Miami should happen more, even if LeBron doesn't take Parker the whole time. As bad as Wade is on defense he won't be any worse than Chalmers. Game 1 didn't disappoint...going to be a great series to watch. I've been brutal on Bosh, but I do wonder how much those 3 fouls affected his aggressiveness and rhythm. SA is normally a decent match-up for him, so I think he'll get better as the series goes along. But will Wade do anything other than ask Spoelstra to babysit him on offense while not contributing in any other facet?

It's always funny to hear fans, media and "experts" opine on LeBron James and I'm as guilty as anybody, but at some point perhaps we should all understand that not only is James the best player in the game, he is probably the smartest player in the game. If he thinks passing to wide open teammates, who are normally really good shooters, rather than jacking up threes against a defense designed to take away the paint from him, gives his team the best chance to win, then he probably knows what the hell he's doing. And if they lose 4 games with LeBron getting 18, 18 and 10, then SAS probably just a better team and Miami didn't lose because LeBron didn't average 30 ppg.

[Joe Public]

As good as the Spurs looked, this was still a really close game. If one or two moments went differently (Parker holding the ball a split second longer on that final shot, LBJ makes more than one of his five 3pt attempts, etc.) over the 48 minutes of the game, the media would be talking about LBJ's incredible triple double and how comprehensive his talent is. I won't be surprised if most of the games are like this. Miami is the defending champ; I don't see that team just rolling over.

It's been years since I enjoyed watching an NBA game as much as I did last night. Again, great game.

4 rebs is pretty good for a person with a vagina.

lol

[MarkGrace]

RealGM @RealGM 2m

Spurs beat Heat 92-88 to take Game 1. Most enjoyable well-executed basketball played in The Finals since Bulls/Jazz?

Last night was great to watch. Finals games tend to be so ugly.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Great article on San Antonio's defense last night. And as it says at the bottom, if Bosh and James make a couple more jumpers, SA has to adjust. But if not...

The Great Wall of San Antonio:

Those are some particular examples, but Popovich’s plan wasn’t particular at all. It was all-encompassing. The moment James even thought about going in the general direction of the rim – off a high screen, along the sidelines, from the elbow or the blocks – there was that Spurs wall.

http://www.nba.com/heat/news_recap/g...ll-san-antonio

[MartyFunkhouser]

James is the best in the game, so he gets credit for the wins and blame for the losses.

It seems like there is rarely a moderate opinion on this point. You have those that do always blame him when the Heat lose. However, there are those that people that refuse to ever blame Bron Bron for any loss and everything is always his teammates fault (even when in Cleveland he hand picked his teammates and hand picked Wade/Bosh in Miami).

[smokymountainrain]

It seems like there is rarely a moderate opinion on this point. You have those that do always blame him when the Heat lose. However, there are those that people that refuse to ever blame Bron Bron for any loss and everything is always his teammates fault (even when in Cleveland he hand picked his teammates and hand picked Wade/Bosh in Miami).

When in reality, rather than assigning blame to LeBron or his teammates, we need to give San Antonio (or Dallas) credit for simply being a better team and having designed a superior gameplan on offense and defense.

[MartyFunkhouser]

When in reality, rather than assigning blame to LeBron or his teammates, we need to give San Antonio (or Dallas) credit for simply being a better team and having designed a superior gameplan on offense and defense.

That was probably the case last night, I wasn't watching as there was a much better sports option. As for the Mavs series, yes they had a great gameplan but Bron Bron deserves a ton of blame for that series loss. No gameplan should be able to shut down the greatest player in the game the way that the Mavs did in that series.

[MarkGrace]

That was probably the case last night, I wasn't watching as there was a much better sports option. As for the Mavs series, yes they had a great gameplan but Bron Bron deserves a ton of blame for that series loss. No gameplan should be able to shut down the greatest player in the game the way that the Mavs did in that series.

The Mavs series was on Bron. They should have won that thing but he totally shut down in fourth quarters. Like couldn't even react; it was bizarre. SMR said it was shades of Dallas Lebron last night, but I don't think that's accurate. Dallas Bron wouldn't do anything -- he wouldn't dribble, he wouldn't attack, he'd just get the ball and pass again like it was a hot potato. Bron last night was trying to do things in the 4th, the Spurs just had him cut off. He'd make probing dribbles, he'd try and attack corners, etc., but everywhere he went every lane and angle was gone with about four Spurs standing there. The only shots he had were +20 footers with at least one defender. Bron has improve his shooting a lot, but he's not going to beat you taking those kind of shots out on the floor.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I'm not sure that Bosh is the problem for Miami, rather a declining Wade might be. Think about Miami's prospects if they don't win this series. Wade is going to continue to decline and I fear with the way he has played throughout his career, that decline might take a sudden turn.

So, does this Miami team only end up with one championship? Guys like Barkley, Stockton and Malone would do anything for one ring of course, but I still think that may be a disappointment.

But on the other side, who is there to contend with Miami next year? San Antonio again? Don't Duncan and Ginobli simply become too old at some point. No one has had Duncan's longevity since Kareem. Other than Kareem, he's virtually unparalleled. Does Indiana finally catch up? Is Chicago with Derrick Rose still fools' gold? In the West, OKC has matchup problems with the Heat. Golden State seems to have some ascendancy and there's a rumor they're in the running for Dwight Howard. I see Z-bo breaking down in Memphis here pretty soon. Do the Lakers do the smart thing and amnesty Kobe and free up salary cap to build around Gasol and Howard?

So, if San Antonio wins this series, Miami will have been thwarted by aging Dallas and San Antonio teams two out of three years. After those three years, there's a substantial chance that Wade starts breaking down and they start having big problems with teams like Indiana and Chicago in the East -- though I'm not sure who out West is positioned after this year to take them down in the Finals, perhaps GS if they land Howard.

They still will have that one championship, but I can't help but think what they could have gotten for Wade after that 2011 debacle against Dallas. With Indiana, you have a well-built team without a superstar, but in Miami you have a team that is going to increasingly rely on LeBron with the other pieces either not really very good or declining. San Antonio, as old as it is, is Indiana only it does have elite players to go along with the pieces fitting well together-- Duncan and Parker.

[Pelado]

As good as the Spurs looked, this was still a really close game. If one or two moments went differently (Parker holding the ball a split second longer on that final shot, LBJ makes more than one of his five 3pt attempts, etc.) over the 48 minutes of the game, the media would be talking about LBJ's incredible triple double and how comprehensive his talent is. I won't be surprised if most of the games are like this. Miami is the defending champ; I don't see that team just rolling over.

It's been years since I enjoyed watching an NBA game as much as I did last night. Again, great game.



lol

Of course, those one or two moments might just as easily have resulted in a 10-point cushion for the Spurs. They missed a lot of good shots that they seem to usually make - open corner threes, Parker and Ginobli layups, etc. I do have a hard time, though, believing the Spurs can match or better their turnover total for the game. They definitely took care of the ball last night.

[MarkGrace]

I'm not sure that Bosh is the problem for Miami, rather a declining Wade might be. Think about Miami's prospects if they don't win this series. Wade is going to continue to decline and I fear with the way he has played throughout his career, that decline might take a sudden turn.

So, does this Miami team only end up with one championship? Guys like Barkley, Stockton and Malone would do anything for one ring of course, but I still think that may be a disappointment.

But on the other side, who is there to contend with Miami next year? San Antonio again? Don't Duncan and Ginobli simply become too old at some point. No one has had Duncan's longevity since Kareem. Other than Kareem, he's virtually unparalleled. Does Indiana finally catch up? Is Chicago with Derrick Rose still fools' gold? In the West, OKC has matchup problems with the Heat. Golden State seems to have some ascendancy and there's a rumor they're in the running for Dwight Howard. I see Z-bo breaking down in Memphis here pretty soon. Do the Lakers do the smart thing and amnesty Kobe and free up salary cap to build around Gasol and Howard?

So, if San Antonio wins this series, Miami will have been thwarted by aging Dallas and San Antonio teams two out of three years. After those three years, there's a substantial chance that Wade starts breaking down and they start having big problems with teams like Indiana and Chicago in the East -- though I'm not sure who out West is positioned after this year to take them down in the Finals, perhaps GS if they land Howard.

They still will have that one championship, but I can't help but think what they could have gotten for Wade after that 2011 debacle against Dallas. With Indiana, you have a well-built team without a superstar, but in Miami you have a team that is going to increasingly rely on LeBron with the other pieces either not really very good or declining. San Antonio, as old as it is, is Indiana only it does have elite players to go along with the pieces fitting well together-- Duncan and Parker.

I'm not sure what to think of Wade at this point. He looks terrible, but it seems like his injury is having a pretty big impact. He's 31, averaged +21 ppg this year and ranked 7th in the league in PER -- hardly someone who looks like he's almost done. With numbers like that you'd have to think he's a quality contributor for the next three years or so, and when healthy he's still a pretty dynamic player. The tough part, of course, is that he so rarely seems healthy, and he might just be aging faster than many because, as pretty much everyone has mentioned, he's taken so many falls and played so recklessly when he was young.

I don't know what to make of the window for this team. Last night on the pregame Magic said this year was it -- their window starts to close after that. But a lot of teams get written off earlier than what actually happens. The Jazz didn't make the Finals until Malone was 33 and 34. People have been saying this Spurs team was done for 3-4 years now, and here they are again with a great shot to win the Finals with Duncan at 36/37 and Ginobili at 35. I think Jordan's last title was at around 34.

Based on what we've seen from some other teams, I see no reason why the Heat can't have a legit shot at it for the next 3-4 years. I guess the other downside connected to Wade is that he's a lot more athleticism dependent than guys like Malone/Duncan/Ginobili, etc., and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of honing his game to compensate for his waning athleticism (he could start by improving his still miserable jumper and just making better decisions with the ball overall). The other X factor is how well Bron holds up. He's been so healthy his entire career, but he's got an insane amount of miles on him for 28.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Based on what we've seen from some other teams, I see no reason why the Heat can't have a legit shot at it for the next 3-4 years. I guess the other downside connected to Wade is that he's a lot more athleticism dependent than guys like Malone/Duncan/Ginobili, etc., and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of honing his game to compensate for his waning athleticism (he could start by improving his still miserable jumper and just making better decisions with the ball overall). The other X factor is how well Bron holds up. He's been so healthy his entire career, but he's got an insane amount of miles on him for 28.

Wade has 2 huge problems with the later half of his career. His game depends a lot on athleticism and the go has no clue how to play off the ball. The later is downright ridiculous especially considering he is playing with on a team with the best player in the game who also happens to be an amazing passer.

Wade should spend his entire offseason watching tape of Reggie Miller. If he doesn't learn those skills, he is going to fall off as a player fast.

[Eddie]

Wade has 2 huge problems with the later half of his career. His game depends a lot on athleticism and the go has no clue how to play off the ball. The later is downright ridiculous especially considering he is playing with on a team with the best player in the game who also happens to be an amazing passer.

Wade should spend his entire offseason watching tape of Reggie Miller. If he doesn't learn those skills, he is going to fall off as a player fast.

Wade wouldn't even need to spend time in the film room - just spend a few minutes each game watching Ray Allen. He may not have Reggie's skill off the ball, but he's no slouch.