Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Heat vs Spurs - The Sequel.  

The NBA Finals tipoff on Thursday as Miami travels to San Antonio for the first two games of the series.  Game Two will take place on Sunday. 

We all remember last year’s exciting finals and so do both teams.  The Heat are motivated to win their third consecutive NBA championship and their fourth overall.  Not bad for a team that wasn't even born 30 years ago.  The Spurs still have what must be a horrible taste in their mouths after losing game 6, thanks to a miracle Ray Allen three-pointer that sent the game to overtime.  Then, they fell in game 7 when LeBron went LeBron on them.

Both teams are more than motivated to win it all this season, so I really don't believe that motivation will be an advantage for one team of the other.  These are my two favorite teams in the NBA.  I will be rooting for the Heat, it isn’t easy to root against the Spurs.  Two great teams with future hall of fame players, top-notch organizations, and arguably the two best coaches in the NBA in Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra.  

Let’s look at the matchups.  The Heat’s task will be a formidable one, but they have the talent and athleticism to beat the Spurs.  Miami is looking to win their third consecutive title and fourth overall.  San Antonio is looking to win their fifth overall NBA title and want to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss.  It is more than obvious that both teams have something to play for. 

The coaches will be a factor.  What will Popovich do this year to try and keep LeBron in check?  What will Spoelstra pull out of his bag of tricks?
The coaching matchup shouldn't be considered “interesting”, but it will be in this series.

LeBron is motivated to three-peat before reaching the age of 30.  (See: Michael Jordan).  Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich want to win at least one last time.  Will they retire if they win it all this year, or come back for one more season?

More individual matchups to look at:  

Tim Duncan is still Tim Duncan, LeBron James is still LeBron James.

The Heat need to contain Danny Green and his three-point shooting.  Green burned the Heat in games 1-5 last year.  

Chris Bosh has to be a factor in this series.  The Heat win when Bosh plays well.

Miami also has Jesus (Shuttleworth) on their side - Ray Allen.  Like the song says, “Nobody does it better”. 

Tony Parker’s health will probably be a factor.  We all remember Ray Allen’s shot in game six, but it was Parker’s hamstring injury that played a huge role in Miami coming back from a 3-2 deficit.

Speaking of health, Dwyane Wade is healthy this year.  His outside shooting is on point as we head into the finals, and is back to attacking the basket.  On the other side of the court, Manu Ginobili has returned to his ways and was a huge factor in the Western Conference finals against the Thunder.  Both of these guys can play a huge role in their team’s success or lack thereof.

There is no Mike Miller this year for the Heat, but Rashard Lewis has become the second coming of Miller.  Chris Andersen wasn't a factor in last year’s series, he needs to be one in this series.

Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers are going to have to be at the top of their games, especially on the defensive side of the court.  Tony Parker is as good and as disruptive a point guard as there is in the league.

You will hear a lot about the format this year (2-2-1-1-1).  The change does makes it a little bit easier for the team without the home-court advantage.    

Miami’s advantage is spelled L-E-B-R-O-N.  

Only one team can win the series.  

It will be the Miami Heat, in six games, for the Three-Peat.  That is my story, and I’m sticking to it.  

They better win it in six games.  If by some chance, the series goes the full seven games, the trophy will go to San Antonio.

Let’s begin the finals coverage with an analysis and breakdown from the folks at NBA.com.  SPOILER ALERT:  Most of you are not going to like their pick to win it all:


The USA TODAY chimes in with their preview and their pick.  SPOILER ALERT:  You probably won’t like this one either:


What are the South Florida newspapers saying:



Here is the complete series schedule:

GAME 1      Thursday June 5      Heat @ Spurs     9:00 pm ABC

GAME 2      Sunday June 8         Heat @ Spurs     8:00 pm ABC

GAME 3      Tuesday June 10      Spurs @ Heat     9:00 pm ABC

GAME 4      Thursday June 12     Spurs @ Heat     9:00 pm ABC

GAME 5       Sunday June 15       Heat @ Spurs     8:00 pm ABC *

GAME 6       Tuesday June 17      Spurs @ Heat     9:00 pm ABC *

GAME 7        Friday June 20        Heat @ Spurs     9:00 pm ABC *

*  if necessary

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Spurs are one of four teams that joined the NBA in 1976 after the merger between the ABA and the NBA.  Two part question today.  1 - Who are the other three teams that came into the NBA with the Spurs?  2 - What was the original name of the Spurs and where did they play before eventually ending up in San Antonio?  The answer comes later, alligator.

Let’s go to MLB:

The home magic that briefly disappeared last weekend for the Marlins cam back, as the Fish took the first two games of a four-game home and home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.  

On Tuesday, it was Henderson Alvarez tossing his third shutout of the season, beating the Rays 1-0.  The only run of the game scored on a bases-loaded walk.

The teams are now in St. Petersburg, where they will complete the four-game set at the Trop.

Here are the projected starters for the rest of the series with the Rays:

Wednesday         Tom Koehler vs David Price                   7:10 pm

Thursday            Jacob Turner vs Jake Odorizzi               4:10 pm

After the Rays series, the Fish will travel to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs for a weekend series.  They will then head down to Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers in a brief two-game series next Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning home for a 10-game home stand, when they welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Metropolitans.

Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:



Here are the standings in MLB:


Today’s complete schedule in the major leagues:


Here are the individual leaders in the majors:


Some other things I’m keeping my eye on around the diamonds:

The Marlins made another move yesterday to help their bullpen and signed former closer Kevin Gregg.  After passing his physical, Gregg was dispatched to the minors for some extended spring training. 

The Toronto Blue Jays just keep winning.  A year later than what everyone expected.  Did I tell you that Mark Buehrle is leading the Major Leagues with 10 wins this season?

The Oakland A’s continue to show the world that they are the real deal.  Good pitching, good hitting.  Very dangerous team.

After telling you that Yasiel Puig has become a changed man, he went back to being himself and showed up late to batting practice yesterday.  This guy has all the potential in the world, but he really does need to grow up. 

The Jekyll and Hyde Boston Red Sox have now lost two in a row after winning seven in a row, after losing ten in a row. 

The last-place Tampa Bay Rays continue to struggle offensively, and have only scored five runs in the last seven games.  They have fallen to last place in the AL East. 

More from MLB:



Let us move on to the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.

Click below for the latest:



Here’s more on the Miami Dolphins from Armando Salguero:


Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly bring us their Dolphin blog:


The countdown is on until the Dolphins take the field.  Their first preseason game is just over two months away.  Here are both the Preseason and Regular Season schedules:

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Preseason schedule: 

Aug. 8         at Atlanta Falcons             (Fri)    7:00 pm
Aug. 16       at Tampa Bay Bucs           (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 23       Dallas Cowboys                (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 28       St. Louis Rams                 (Thu)    7:00 pm

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Regular Season schedule:

Sep. 7         New England Patriots                    1:00 pm
Sep. 14       at Buffalo Bills                              1:00 pm
Sep. 21       Kansas City Chiefs                         4:25 pm
Sep. 28       at Oakland Raiders  (London)         6:00 pm
Oct. 5         BYE
Oct. 12       Green Bay Packers                         1:00 pm
Oct. 19       at Chicago Bears                            1:00 pm
Oct. 26       at Jacksonville Jaguars                  1:00 pm
Nov. 2        San Diego Chargers                         1:00 pm
Nov. 9        at Detroit Lions                              1:00 pm
Nov. 13      Buffalo Bills              (Thu)              8:25 pm
Nov. 23      at Denver Broncos                           4:25 pm
Dec. 1        at New York Jets      (Mon)              8:30 pm
Dec. 7        Baltimore Ravens                           1:00 pm
Dec. 14      at New England Patriots                  1:00 pm
Dec. 21      Minnesota Vikings                           1:00 pm
Dec. 28      New York Jets                                 1:00 pm

For more from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:


Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs. 

In college baseball, the University of Miami Hurricanes were eliminated from their regional tournament, getting shutout twice by Texas Tech.  No Omaha again for the Canes and coach Jim Morris.  What’s going on?

Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have more from the University of Miami.


From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:


Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:


From Gainesville and the University of Florida:


The Central Florida Knights are in the house:


In other sports,

Here is Santos Perez’ weekly boxing column for the Miami Herald:


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Spurs are one of four teams that joined the NBA in 1976 after the merger between the ABA and the NBA.  Two part question today.  1 - Who are the other three teams that came into the NBA with the Spurs?  2 - What was the original name of the Spurs and where did they play before eventually ending up in San Antonio?   

The four teams that joined the NBA in 1976 after the NBA/ABA merger were the Spurs, the Nets, the Nuggets, and the Pacers.  The Spurs were originally the Dallas Chaparrals, and didn't move to San Antonio until 1973, when they also changed their name to the Spurs.


Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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