This is actually my first post in this thread in over two years; I have many reasons for minimizing exposure to basketball talk lately, and a lot of it has to do with what Saburo said (seriously, just skimming through a few previous pages makes me cringe). But I think it's about time I broke my silence, because I just have to get the following out there...
In my 20 years of following the NBA, the 2013 NBA Finals was probably one of--if not the best--Finals series I have ever seen! This declaration might be a bit biased because the team I wanted to win came out victorious at the end (and I'd most likely be carrying a different tune had the other team won), but having watched the games and thinking about everything that went down, this was pretty damn epic and definitely should be remembered for a long time, for the following reasons:
1. It was a clean, evenly-matched series that was impossible to really predictThe two regular season games between the Spurs and the Heat were essentially exhibition matches, with the road team resting starters both times. Game 1 was the first real meeting between the two, and once things started rolling we got treated to some amazing b-ball in as pure a form as we can get from this league. The coaching adjustments, the defensive rotations, the execution, all the things that led to alternating blowouts for four straight games; Popovich and Spoelstra both deserve a lot of credit. And I love that the players were just straight up playing ball instead of trying to rip each others' heads off. Get embarrassed by an opponent's play? Come back with a play of your own. Lose by double digits? Come back with a double-digit win. Neither team was going down without a fight, and those fights were gonna be settled with the ball.
What also helps is that the officiating was probably the best out of the entire playoffs, with the refs swallowing their whistles for the most part and letting the players play. Naturally there were gonna be some questionable calls and no-calls, but there wasn't anything too impactful. No technicals or flagrants issued at all (despite an illegal substitution by the Spurs, but that didn't matter at the end). The referees respected the players, and the players respected each other; as a result there were no cheap shots or any "flopping" (and no, Bosh didn't flop in Game 4, he only got fined to appease all you vampires out there), everyone was just playing their asses off and focusing on getting shit done.
Seriously, this is how the game is supposed to be played. If you came to see athletes beat the crap out of each other you're watching the wrong sport. Run off to UFC or something if that's what you want; THIS IS BASKETBALL.2. The epic momentsHoly shit there was some epic stuff going down right from the start, and they just kept coming as the series went on. Game 1 had Tony Parker hitting that crazy desperation layup from the floor right as the shot clock expired. Game 2 had LeBron blocking Splitter's dunk attempt with authority. Game 3 had Danny Green and Gary Neal raining down threes nonstop from everywhere, even with hands in their faces. Game 4 had D-Wade showing the world that he still belongs on the big stage, with Manu proving the same for himself in Game 5. Game 6 featured Duncan going off for 25 points in the first half, and Mike Miller hitting a big shot with only one shoe.
And yes,
HOLY SHIT GAME 6. THE LEGENDARY ENDING TO GAME 6. The series was supposed to be over right then and there. Security was roping off the court, people were leaving the building, and I was about to go on a pre-emptive Twitter rampage...but instead we got to see the most clutch pair of clutch three pointers go down to force overtime!
Seriously, just thinking about how much was riding on those shots going in and how automatic Ray Allen was to get his feet set in the perfect spot and hit his shot, I feel incredibly lucky to have seen all of it unfold as it happened. My hands and stomach were rendered numb that night because of it all.
And it was in overtime that Chris Bosh delivered what he promised the day before: Danny Green would not be left open, getting a potential second overtime swatted away at the end!
And of course Game 7. Ginobili keeping his team alive before literally throwing it all away. Mario Chalmers nailing a desperation buzzer-beater. Wade and Battier knocking down shots like crazy. Duncan fighting hard to keep the game going only to run out of gas at the end. And of course LeBron putting the series away at the end to cap off his best game of the postseason.
Of course, being a Warriors fan first and foremost (only other team to beat the Spurs in the playoffs this year!), this was probably my favorite part of Game 7:
Really, though, I feel like I can watch this whole series over and over again.
3. LeBron James continuing his redemptionNobody has the right to call LeBron a choke artist any longer. It was stupid two years ago when nobody would give credit to the Mavericks for their own amazing run, and has absolutely no basis now. After dogging it in the first three games (possibly still recovering from the Pacers series), he stepped things up for the rest of the series and earned his second Finals MVP award. When his team was down 10 after three quarters in Game 6, he came through with 13 points of his own even while losing his headband in the process...and when it looked like he lost the game with some horribly-timed turnovers, he bounced back with a huge three-pointer that set things up for Allen to tie the game. And in Game 7, with the championship on the line, he rained down jumpshot after jumpshot, exorcising one of his traditional weaknesses to lead his team to victory. And he got shit done on both ends of the floor with some timely shotblocking and some triple doubles, and shutting down Parker as the series went on. If you still insist on calling him "LeBrick", "LeChoke", "LeFlop" or whatever, you don't deserve basketball.
Besides seeing LeBron stick it to the haters, I wanted to see Miami win because of who else was on the team. Dwyane Wade wins his third ring along with a new nickname (seriously, gotta love his drunk post-game conference):
And despite the stats pointing to him being a liability for the team's offense, he played a big part in some of those wins, being one of only 5 players to score for Miami in Game 7, and one of only 3 to score consistently.
It's also great to see Chris Andersen win a ring. This guy's gone through some rough times in his career, and it was great to see him bounce back from his mistakes and be a solid contributor for a championship team, especially with the crazy tattoos and mohawk.
And I can't help but think of the late Seattle Supersonics whenever I think of the Heat championships now. First there was Sonics legend Gary Payton winning with Miami in 2006, then there was the OKC Thunder getting curbstomped last year like an indirect revenge for stealing Seattle's team...now we get to see former Seattle stars Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen win one together. Maybe the Heat should add green to their color sceme...
5. A respectable opponent in the SpursThese guys put up one hell of a fight. Yeah, they ran out of gas at the end but they went down honorably. Popovich is a great coach who knows what he's doing and doesn't take shit from the media. Parker made some really big plays throughout the series. Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are gonna be all-stars someday. Gary Neal was fucking ridiculous with those desperation heaves of his somehow going in perfectly. Patty Mills sure knows how to wave a towel.
TRACY FUCKING MCGRADY finally got a chance to play on the big stage. Duncan and Ginobili may not be the same players they once were but they showed they can still get things done, even if they couldn't at the end (can't help but feel bad for Tim for missing that layup at the end). Plus it was great to see things come full circle:
They were a welcome sight to see after the ugly physical battles against Chicago and Indiana; the Spurs were determined to beat the Heat not by cheap shots or hard hits but by playing actual basketball. They were even 28 seconds away from getting the job done too...if Miami was gonna lose, it might as well be to these guys.
6. Metta World Peace tweeting about cheeseburgersIt's exactly what it sounds like. If you've been following him on Twitter during the Finals you know what I'm talking about. There's a reason he's the only NBA player I follow there.
The playoffs overall were pretty damn interesting besides the great Finals matchup. The Pacers officially established themselves as an elite team, the Bulls showed how good they really are by continuing to win without Derrick Rose, the Grizzles almost convinced everyone that they were Finals-worthy...and of course my Warriors made noise once again with a first round upset and stealing two games from an otherwise unstoppable eventual conference champion. But with a few key talents missing I'm sure there's a lot to look forward to next year. Westbrook will be back. Rose will be back. Clippers, finally with a decent coach, will be back. And of course, Kobe will be back.
Sports fan culture has been pissing me off for a long time with the level of negativity, sensationalism and conservatism going around, so it's been tough for me to talk about my favorite sport in the past few years; hopefully this series and its outcome will help ease some of those headaches this summer. All I can say for now is this was one hell of a Finals, and congrats to the Miami Heat for winning another championship.
And to the haters: get over yourselves already.
Topic: Official NBA Thread (Read 485457 times)