Conference Final recap from my blog is here
The Uncommon One: Playoff Playout Part 5
1. Spurs vs 2. Thunder- I'm a bit disappointed from the series so far from a late game point of view. I'm still waiting for a close game late in the game with Kevin Durant hitting another 22 foot jumper or Tony Parker getting past two defenders again for the win. So far the series has been mostly one team controlling the game. I missed the first half of Game 2 because Peter Lugers is classy and doesn't have any TV's. I tuned into most of the 2nd half and it was nice to see the Thunder come back. James Harden was on fire which makes the Thunder really tough to stop. The strange part about Harden was that he only attempted one three which is very positive for him because he looked more aggressive. The big three for the Thunder played well through out the game with Durant scoring 31 points and Westbrook scoring 27 points. The issue was that the big three scored 88 of the 111 points which sounds great but they simply didn't show up defensively. Spurs were scoring on all cylinders even though Tim Duncan shot only 2 for 11. Tony Parker was once again the catalyst with 34 points and 8 assists shooting at a scary rate. He missed only five shots the entire night and looked to be in complete control the entire night. He always had the speed to get past any defender but his court vision has improved so much that he's becoming the main guy that teams need to stop to beat the Spurs. They may be balanced but it all runs through Tony Parker. Kawai Leonard had a breakout game with 18 points and Manu Ginobili had another strong game with 20 points. The Spurs can get production from anyone in their ten man rotation despite a poor defensive game. They took charge of the game early and got after the Thunder's lackluster play. It wasn't until the end when the Thunder started passing more and finally going to the hoop. It was too late and people were starting to rule the Spurs unstoppable.
That all ended last night with my team that I picked to win the title finally stepping up. The 2nd half separated both teams with the Thunder having a 15 point advantage. The two main factors to the game was the Spurs shooting 39 percent and 21 turnovers. That was a huge problem through out the night with nobody really breaking out. Tony Parker had a decent game with 16 points but other than that, nobody on the Spurs got going. Tim Duncan had another rough night with 11 points on 5 for 15 shooting. My theory that Ibaka will give him serious problems defensively is proving right so far which doesn't surprise me. Duncan doesn't have the explosiveness anymore like everyone knows but now he can't even outsmart a much more athletic Ibaka. It was a bit odd to see Leonard only play 15 minutes after a break out game but Popovich can be random with his players. Stephen Jackson had a decent game but it was mostly over when he actually got going. Overall the Spurs just played a really sloppy game with nothing clicking and being completely overwhelmed by the home crowd. The Thunder didn't exactly light it up but they won the right way which is playing tough defense and picking their spots. Durant had a solid game with 22 points while both men had three blocks each protecting the paint to protection. The big story was how Thabo Sefolosha really broke out with 19 points and canceling out Manu Ginobili through out the game. Sefolosha has always been underrated by hitting open shots and playing terrific defense every night. If they can get more production from him that will be huge since the Spurs rotation is huge. It wasn't a terrific offensive game but the Thunder won a tough game by taking advantage of the Spurs turnovers and making the most from their great defensive efforts. The home crowd was rowdy which is always a boost for any team that is down 2-0 in the series and has their back against the wall. This was a huge momentum swing because going down 3-0 usually breaks the series from intrigue about who will win the series.
Future Of The Series- I'm not sure what to expect going forward because the Thunder seem to be back to there winning ways. That being said, I would be shocked if they win this series. The Spurs just seem so complete even without Duncan playing very well. They have their role players that can break out and Popovich's coaching is so huge. He has been ruled as the best coach ever which is pretty extreme but I could see it. The Spurs have always been in contention or at least in the playoffs ever since 1999 which really says something. They have a coaching advantage and the bench is clearly better. I'm sure the Spurs will shake this off and go back to playing disciplined basketball. I still have hope for the Thunder to continue to play better and not settle for long difficult jump shots. It doesn't seem likely that the Thunder can win this series but the Game 3 win gives hope. Westbrook has to play better because he's been very wild with his shot selection so far in the series. He's been outplayed by Parker by a huge margin. A loss in Game 4 makes things extremely difficult going back to San Antonio. I'm leaning towards the Spurs to winning the Series in five games but I still have faith in the Thunder to possibly winning in 7. Both teams need to start playing discipline because it seems like one team takes control defensively for a long period of time and thats the difference of the game. A close game that goes to the final seconds would be nice and could possibly happen next game but right now I see the Spurs still controlling the game into their half court set and moving the ball better than the Thunder to win a huge Game 4 then wrapping it up in Game 5. They are becoming too lethal in every aspect of the game to be defeated by a team with no inside scorer and a team that gets frustrated too easily when shots aren't falling.
2. Heat vs 4. Celtics- The series really picked up on Wednesday night but to not much surprise, the Heat are up 2-0. I knew that Boston would make games close and nerve racking near the end but I had no idea that Rajon Rondo would develop a jumper that exceeds longer than the free throw line. I'll get into Game 2 soon but Game 1 was pretty one sided. Boston simply could't score other than Kevin Garnett who made the most out of his mis match against Shane Battier. Garnett had 23 points and 10 rebounds with a solid 9 for 16 shooting from the field which is a stat line that Boston will need on a nightly basis to beat the Heat. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to shoot 6-25 from the field despite having some decent looks thanks to Rondo's passing. They simply couldn't hit their outside shots and when they tried to drive, it was a wild shot that the Heat easily covered. Rajon Rondo tried to get things going but he ended up shooting just 8 for 20 with five of his shots being blocked. Boston looked tired which wasn't a surprise considering they played in a Game 7 Saturday against Philadelphia. Miami didn't have a great game offensively by shooting a horrendous 5 for 25 from the three point line. It was shocking to see Miami dominate Boston in two areas that Miami isn't known for. They out rebounded the Celtics by 15 and blocked 11 shots compared to Boston's one. They may be undersized but Miami continues to prove that they can win without having any true center. LeBron James continued his playoff form with 32 points and 13 rebounds that seemed so effortless. He controlled the game for the most part with Dwayne Wade not really getting involved in the first half. Eventually in the 3rd quarter when Miami once again dominated by outscoring Boston by 11, it was Wade that got going the most. It was the 4th straight game where Miami broke the game open with a huge third quarter performance. It has been a common theme in the playoffs and it led to a comfortable win for Miami. It wasn't a game where many players shined due to the scrappy play but Miami was more efficient offensively and they won the rebound battle which always benefits a team like the Heat because they can get on the fast break in a second with their players.
Game 2 was probably the game of the year so far. I know there has been plenty of great games this year but I've never seen people go crazy on twitter about a game. It may seem a bit bias but since I've been covering all the playoffs this year and nothing has really stood out to me than this game. The way that Boston came out in the first half shooting 60 percent and controlling the game. Miami was struggling just to keep it within a ten point distance. Rajon Rondo completely took over the first half with 24 points and doing what a point guard is supposed to do when his team needs a lift. He got the ball in his hands on just about every possession and was fearless in his decision making. He would run the pick and roll to perfection to hit his mid range jumper or he would pass it to an open man for an easy bucket. Rondo was making it his court to the point where Miami was down by 15. Shockingly enough Miami got back into the game thanks to Mario Chalmers. I've always supported Chalmers and talked about how underrated he is. With Dwayne Wade struggling with his shot and LeBron James facing constant double teams, Chalmers started to find his stroke from the three point line and even started to hit a few threes. He reignited Miami with his performance in the first half which cut the deficit down to 7. The 3rd quarter started and my buddy John called it that Miami would have a big quarter. It turned out it was the 5th straight game that Miami dominated the 3rd quarter. They outscored Boston by 13 points in the 3rd quarter with Dwayne Wade finally coming alive. He started to get to the hoop and Boston had problems containing. Then he would go to the mid range form in the only smooth way that Dwayne Wade can do. The arena was finally getting loud with the comeback as the worst fan base in the playoffs finally made noise (Miami's crowd is horrible and I fully admit that). Paul Pierce started to take some bad shots and was becoming a cancer to Boston's flowing offense led by Rondo. Eventually Boston got in their groove in the 4th quarter with Rondo taking control of the game again. He was not being stopped getting to the lane and was giving Miami serious problems. LeBron James wasn't himself in this game shooting 7 for 20 and he couldn't get his jumper going at all. He was having problems getting into the lane which led to Mario Chalmers making more plays. Chalmers scored 22 points filling the void because without him, Miami gets blown out in the first half with both major stars struggling to score. Eventually the game went into overtime with LeBron James missing the game winner. I couldn't help but laugh and yell at the same time. He has his opportunity to finally shut people up and he misses a really good look inside the arc. I'm on my knees at this point but I'm confident because Paul Pierce fouled out and Kevin Garnett was really struggling from the field going 5-18. I was pretty confident that Miami would take control instead it was LeBron James refusing to take a jump shot (another prediction John got right) and Ray Allen finally running out of gas. Allen had only 13 points but when he scored, it came at the right times. Allen sent it to overtime with a three pointer when LeBron didn't rotate to the right man (so frustrating). It became a battle with Rajon Rondo and Dwayne Wade but eventually Wade got some help. Another role player that stepped up was Udonis Haslem who is another role player that I'm very loyal to. Haslem had 13 points hitting some huge mid range shots that he finally rediscovered after struggling all season. Wade and Haslem seemed to work the offense between themselves in the end with LeBron James being a decoy. It was a bit odd but it got Miami to win. Kevin Garnett took an awful three at the end which really cost Boston despite Rajon Rondo hitting two three pointers at the end to make things interesting. Wade needed to hit a few three throws to end the game.
Game 2 was an instant classic and a game that will be remembered. I've read everything about the game as usual and people were claiming it was a 8-5 game in favor of the Heat with the refs. Honestly other than the questionable no call on Rondo's drive with Wade whacking him on the head, what other girls were there? Nothing stood out to me and Rondo already had the shot up, so it didn't really affect them. I know when the Heat are getting a bit of an advantage like against the Knicks in Game 1, but seriously it was just a great game last night. Other than Rondo and Allen, who played well for Boston? Pierce played great in the first half but he faded away with terrible jump shots and fouling. Garnett was a non factor and seemed to try far too hard on certain plays. Miami actually hit ten three pointers and got contributions from many players. Shane Battier hit a few threes at the end which were huge while Mike Miller made some timely plays. I've already mentioned how crucial Chalmers and Haslem were in the game for their contributions. Miami shockingly played more like a team while Boston was pretty much a one man show. Boston remains a threat though but Miami deserved that win for making more plays. They need to improve on their free throw shooting because missing 16 free throws in a playoff game is inexcusable.
Future Of The Series- I'm sticking with Miami taking the series in five. Boston looks to be a threat and they'll definitely win a home game at some point. The issue with Boston is that they need to get back to playing team basketball. That's how Indiana was having success with them along with shutting down Dwayne Wade of course. Boston has hope though and I think they'll come out with a lot of fire tonight. It wouldn't surprise me if they won tonight but Miami is too good not to win on the road. If they can continue shooting from the three point line like they did in Game 2 and actually hit free throws consistently, they should be able to take care of Boston. The series is still going to be a war but Boston's lack of depth and Miami finally playing more like a team will be the difference.
. I get $200 by Friday lol.