The Official 2012 NBA Finals Thread: MIA vs. OKC

[95pro]

wade was abused on offense, and the thunders athleticism on D kept him in check. i think i only saw one nice move by him in the 4th. i don't expect wade to cover westbrook in game 2.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Love's sponsors the Thunder? Isn't Love's a truck stop?

LOL. OKC is crazy. Like a small college gym.

They are headquartered out of OKC.

 

[D-Dogg]

They are headquartered out of OKC.

I assumed as much, but still. Then I paused, thought...OKC...figures.

Love's Loud City. Awesome.

I prefer thunderdome.

 

[D-Dogg]

And Harden didn't even get loose in this game like he's wont to do.

 

[Mainstreet]

The key for Westbrook was realizing he wasn't making jumpers and starting to go hard to the rim. Then later the jumpers fell enough.

Great 3rd for Westbrook great 4th for Durant.

Miami shot too many jumpers, ironic since OKC does that alot themselves.

During a break in play there was a video clip of Brooks telling Westbrook he had to take the ball hard to the rim... and that he could do it. Not only great coaching but supportive at the same time.

 

[TJ]

wade was abused on offense, and the thunders athleticism on D kept him in check. i think i only saw one nice move by him in the 4th. i don't expect wade to cover westbrook in game 2.

Wade has been more of a liability than an asset for the Heat this entire post season. Ice cold shooting and porous defense. It is as if Spoelstra and teammates feel that he is entitled to his points and continue to give him opportunities to score when he is in a shooting slump. Also, his slow starts put way too much pressure on the team.

But I put much of this on Spoelstra and the way he manages games.

The Heat have the talent to blow away the Thunder, but their coach stinks and could be the team's demise. I'd take Alvin Gentry over Spoelstra any day.

 

[TJ]

Love's sponsors the Thunder? Isn't Love's a truck stop?

LOL. OKC is crazy. Like a small college gym.

Nothing wrong with that. Love's is my go-to rest stop on long car rides. I always stop at the one in Quartzite going to and from Phoenix to gas up and get food.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The Heat have the talent to blow away the Thunder, but their coach stinks and could be the team's demise.

to blow away the Thunder? How so? At this point in their careers, LeBron and Durant are pretty much a wash. Westbrook is better than a rapidly aging before our eyes Wade and i'd take Harden over Bosh as well... but it's relatively close. outside of that, there's no one on the Heat that's even CLOSE to making the impact on a game that Ibaka makes and the Thunder have very a good mix of young and experienced role players with Perkins, Fisher, Thabo and Collison.

 

[carrrnuttt]

The Heat have the talent to blow away the Thunder, but their coach stinks and could be the team's demise. I'd take Alvin Gentry over Spoelstra any day.

No. They really don't.

They have the talent to *maybe beat* the Thunder, but not ever "blow away."

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

Thunder are easily the most talented/athletic 'team' in the NBA, Imo. The OKC big 3 has been the most consistent group the entire season, including the playoffs. The thing that makes OKC the best team in the NBA is their role players. Sefalosha, Ibaka, Fisher, Perkins, and Collison are perfect compliments to the big 3 in OKC -- the Heat have nothing close to that supporting cast-- which is why OK will ultimately prevail and win the championship.

 

[desertdawg]

Wade has been more of a liability than an asset for the Heat this entire post season. Ice cold shooting and porous defense. It is as if Spoelstra and teammates feel that he is entitled to his points and continue to give him opportunities to score when he is in a shooting slump. Also, his slow starts put way too much pressure on the team.

But I put much of this on Spoelstra and the way he manages games.

The Heat have the talent to blow away the Thunder, but their coach stinks and could be the team's demise. I'd take Alvin Gentry over Spoelstra any day.

Maybe Phil Jackson can come in and teach him how to coach superstar talented people. Already said he doesn't want to travel for road games and I read Riley loves him some Spoelstra. 2 year deal then Jackson gets all the streetcred again, he's probably thinking about the Heat talent right now. If OKC wins this year, this is my bold prediction next year. Nothing bold about predicting anything Suns/Sarver related right now, but I did get wind of something at the bar last weekend.

 

[WarnerHOF]

I think Spo is the worst coach in the NBA. Their best defender Joel Anthony only played two minutes on the court and it showed.

 

[D-Dogg]

Nothing wrong with that. Love's is my go-to rest stop on long car rides. I always stop at the one in Quartzite going to and from Phoenix to gas up and get food.

So do we, always stop on the way to and from LA. I like Love's. But it's so damn OKC to be sponsored by a truck stop (in a good way).

 

[ajcardfan]

Anyone else think we saw the real Finals for this year already in the Spurs and Thunder?

I do. After coming back from down 2-0 to a beast of a Spurs team, there is no way Miami can derail the Thunder IMO. The Thuder are too good, too confident and now, too battle-tested to be shaken by the pressure of the Finals.

 

[Joe Mama]

The Heat have the talent to blow away the Thunder, but their coach stinks and could be the team's demise. I'd take Alvin Gentry over Spoelstra any day.

I would take Alvin gentry over the majority of coaches in the NBA right now. While I do think they need to replace Spoelstra that would really like you to explain how the Miami Heat have the talent to blow away the thunder. Even if Wade and Chris Bosh were completely healthy I'm not sure anybody else on their team except Shane Battier would sniff the court if they played for the Thunder. The Oklahoma City thunder are the most talented team in the NBA from top to bottom and I don't think there's anybody else who's even close. If I was going to be extremely picky I would say the only thing they are missing is a real solid post presence on offense, but they really don't seem to need it most of the time.

This...

Thunder are easily the most talented/athletic 'team' in the NBA, Imo. The OKC big 3 has been the most consistent group the entire season, including the playoffs. The thing that makes OKC the best team in the NBA is their role players. Sefalosha, Ibaka, Fisher, Perkins, and Collison are perfect compliments to the big 3 in OKC -- the Heat have nothing close to that supporting cast-- which is why OK will ultimately prevail and win the championship.

I really like Kevin Durrant, but is there anybody here who really believes that Oklahoma City would be any worse and/or the Miami Heat would be any better if they switched teams? I mean I love that KDseems to always play best at the end of the game, but guess what. They are shooting almost identical percentages in the playoffs, and then the regular season James shoots like 3.5% better. Unless I'm mistaken a two point shot is still worth two points and a three point shot is still worth three points in the first 3 1/2 quarters of the game.

Joe Mama

 

[sunsfan88]

I can't complain about Gentry being bad when there are HCs like Spoelstra out there.

Why the hell would you bring Chris Bosh (a top 20 player) off the bench and then make Wade guard Durant when you have LeBron James on your team?

Seriously, this is why some guys should just stick to video coordinating.

 

[slinslin]

Wade is simply over the hill.

Look at him, his athleticism is fading and without he is simply not superstar material. He never had a consistent jumpshot.

He will be the player that holds back Lebron because he gives him no spacing. If the Heat were smart they would have realized this a year ago. Maybe they can still sucker a desperate team in to give up way too much for Wade.

 

[slinslin]

I really like Kevin Durrant, but is there anybody here who really believes that Oklahoma City would be any worse and/or the Miami Heat would be any better if they switched teams? I mean I love that KDseems to always play best at the end of the game, but guess what. They are shooting almost identical percentages in the playoffs, and then the regular season James shoots like 3.5% better. Unless I'm mistaken a two point shot is still worth two points and a three point shot is still worth three points in the first 3 1/2 quarters of the game.

Joe Mama

Individually Lebron is clearly the better and more talented player. The criticism Lebron gets is just way over the top.

For whatever reason there seems to be a lot of jealousy in play. Realistically Lebron James is the most talented player in possibly NBA history including Michael Jordan.

I mean yesterday they were complaining that Lebron only scored 7 in the 4th quarter. It's a bit ridiculous considering 7 a quarter averages out to 28.

Lebron basically plays every minute for the Heat since the Boston series and you can see him getting exhausted in the 2nd halfs. Who wouldn't. He is 6'9 260lbs with lots of muscles. He can't have the stamina of a 180lbs skinny guy because of his body alone he exerts a lot more energy.

I don't know why people are so jealous of Miamis big 3. It is simply not that good. Wade is a bad sidekick for Lebron and the rest of their roster is crap it's hardly better than the Cavs teams and nowhere near as good as OKC or SAS. If Lebron doesn't carry them they have no chance.

 

[Joe Mama]

Wade is simply over the hill.

Look at him, his athleticism is fading and without he is simply not superstar material. He never had a consistent jumpshot.

He will be the player that holds back Lebron because he gives him no spacing. If the Heat were smart they would have realized this a year ago. Maybe they can still sucker a desperate team in to give up way too much for Wade.

Dwayne Wade is not healthy. I just heard them on ESPN talking about having his knee drained at some point in the playoffs. I can't go look up the numbers right now on his jump shot, but I think you are wrong. I thought he had one of the best damn the most consistent jumpshots for a guard. He's never been a great three point shooter, but from about 20 foot and I've always thought he was deadly.

Joe Mama

 

[95pro]

Dwayne Wade is not healthy. I just heard them on ESPN talking about having his knee drained at some point in the playoffs. I can't go look up the numbers right now on his jump shot, but I think you are wrong. I thought he had one of the best damn the most consistent jumpshots for a guard. He's never been a great three point shooter, but from about 20 foot and I've always thought he was deadly.

Joe Mama

He was speaking relative to last nights game, game 1 of the finals.

 

[Russ Smith]

During a break in play there was a video clip of Brooks telling Westbrook he had to take the ball hard to the rim... and that he could do it. Not only great coaching but supportive at the same time.

Yep I'm not a Brooks fan but he did a nice job last night. early things weren't going well but he made some adjustments and also didn't panic, he stayed with the gameplan and let the talent take over.

 

[TJ]

I would take Alvin gentry over the majority of coaches in the NBA right now. While I do think they need to replace Spoelstra that would really like you to explain how the Miami Heat have the talent to blow away the thunder. Even if Wade and Chris Bosh were completely healthy I'm not sure anybody else on their team except Shane Battier .

Joe Mama

Good all-around post, but I think people discount the Heat's depth too much.

Shane Battier is the poster child of a role player. Excellent perimeter defender who usually draws the assignment of guarding the likes of Kobe, Durant, and LeBron, when he played elsewhere. He is also an underrated shooter. If I were Spoelstra, I'd keep him on Durant and give LeBron the easy assignment of guarding Sefolosha (sp) so he has energy to dominate on offense.

It's not like the Heat are devoid of role players, I simply think they are underutilized. Haslem has been a junkyard dog his entire career. He could be counted on to get 10 & 8 game in and game out off the bench. Mike Miller (who is having a disastrous playoff season) is a good perimeter threat on offense and spaces out the floor quite well when the ball is going in the basket. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt; he is playing hurt. Mario Chalmers seems to play his best ball when the pressure is on (this has been the case since his days at Kansas) and is not afraid to take the big shot. Moreover, Joel Anthony is a great shot blocker and I don't understand why he isn't used more often. While he is virtually useless on offense, his defense is worth giving him 20 minutes +/-. The reason you have Bosh, Wade, and LeBron on the team is to score buckets, largely why they account for 65-70% of the team's total points. Those three alone should be able to outscore anyone's lineup of 5 at any given moment.

In addition, there are a handful of other players on the Heat roster that have made significant contributions throughout the season - Norris Cole, Dexter Pittman (sans the dirty play against Indiana, and James Jones, who we all know can shoot the ball.

But it all starts with the superstars. LeBron is the most versatile player on the planet. Wade is still a Top 5 player in this league, even if he's not playing like one right now. And Bosh is still an all-star who can hit the perimeter shot and inexplicably developed a three point game the past few days.

IMO, if Pat Riley came down from the FO again to coach, he would maximize the potential of the aforementioned players and this discussion about the team's depth would be put to rest. I honestly think Spoelstra is that bad of a coach where he has the uncanny power to make nothing out of something. If you cannot succeed with LeBron, Bosh, and Wade, you have problems.

Listen, I love Durant to death and would have understood if he got the MVP over LeBron this season, but he's nowhere near the defender and facilitator LeBron is. I'm slowly coming around to Westbrook, but I believe he is one of the more erratic players in the league. For a guy who is amazing in penetration, his overall FG% is only 43% and isn't a great facilitator. Keep him in the perimeter and force him to be a true PG/outside shooter and he can be completely taken out of his game. Harden is a great all-around player, but his beard gets in the way of his game .

 

[Russ Smith]

Dwayne Wade is not healthy. I just heard them on ESPN talking about having his knee drained at some point in the playoffs. I can't go look up the numbers right now on his jump shot, but I think you are wrong. I thought he had one of the best damn the most consistent jumpshots for a guard. He's never been a great three point shooter, but from about 20 foot and I've always thought he was deadly.

Joe Mama

You can see him limping at times so I agree. in fact Westbrook was limping often last night too.

These guys who drive that much take a pounding.

 

[Russ Smith]

Listen, I love Durant to death and would have understood if he got the MVP over LeBron this season, but he's nowhere near the defender and facilitator LeBron is. I'm slowly coming around to Westbrook, but I believe he is one of the more erratic players in the league. For a guy who is amazing in penetration, his overall FG% is only 43% and isn't a great facilitator. Keep him in the perimeter and force him to be a true PG/outside shooter and he can be completely taken out of his game. Harden is a great all-around player, but his beard gets in the way of his game .

I did find it interesting that Durant was on LeBron way more than LeBron was on Durant last night. They started wtih LeBron on Perkins. He switched and at times did guard Durant, but once KD got going, they pulled LeBron off him.

Not saying he can't guard him, just that his coach is pretty clearly leery of doing it as much as Brooks is willing to do the opposite.

I agree on Westbrook he's hot and cold but when he's hot, he's pretty special. One thing he did last night that got no attention was the job he did on switches guarding bigger players. Repeatedly he was on LeBron or on even a big on a switch and they almost never exploited it. LeBron tried a few times and couldn't finish. Westbrook is just a tough kid, he will fight tooth and nail.

I wish he had an off switch, still trying to figure out what Battier did to get his half of that double T, to me that was all on Westbrook, but he's a tough kid.

I thought Collison was HUGE last night, rebounding, defense, hustle, he was absolutely critical in them winning. Miami got it early from Battier and Chalmers but in the 2nd half it was Collison making all the plays from the unexpected guy.

 

[DWKB]

Wade went 7-19 and Bosh went 4-11. Heat can't win with those lines.

Mike Miller as a seventh man is useless especially compared to OKC seventh man Fisher.

Kansas guys represented last night.