Of the thirty teams in the NBA only three remain, one is already resting up for the Finals, the other two are locked in what is shaping up to be a terrific series. Let’s pretend we’re NBA refs reviewing a play and spend way to long over analyzing everything we’ve seen.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
That took a surprisingly short amount of time. Are the Spurs that good or did the Grizzlies choke that bad? There’s no question that the Spurs are the better team, but are they four-game-sweep better? Memphis sure thinks so. Disappointment is an understated emotion that many Memphis fans may be feeling after seeing their team crumble in the spot light. San Antonio is playoff tested and in all reality a very good team, the rest they will have before the Finals will be invaluable, they just might be a favorite to win it all. The Grizzlies moving forward will be fine, they’re going to have to resign Tony Allen, and they will, after that not much will change in the offseason. However, Memphis is a franchise that has long valued money over competitiveness, see Rudy Gay, should they decide to not retain Allen this is the furthest this iteration of the Grizzlies will have made it.
Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat
The Spurs wrap up was the aperitif, this is the main course. When we think of Conference Finals past we think of heavy weight slugfests, full of twists and turns accompanied by feats of basketball heroism. This series has that. In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I should admit my true feelings about this match up. I so want Miami to lose. Don’t we all? On one side you have the Pacers, a solid team with a traditional lineup that doesn’t have a true star and gets by with size and defense. On the other side you have the petulant one and a bunch of jump shooters. Was that an exaggeration, you better believe it, but it isn’t that far from what Miami has devolved into. Wade, though injured (HE’S ALWAYS INJURED!), is capable of creating his own shot and taking it to the basket, but so often now he isn’t “B” to Lebron’s “A”, he’s actually more of a “C.” He isn’t Westbrook to Durant, he’s Kevin Martin. Bosh has become little more than a perimeter shooter, once in a while he’ll venture into the paint, but Roy Hibbert’s there and Boshasaurs don’t like Roy Hibberts. Speaking of Roy Hibbert, there are few things I appreciate more than a big man that plays like one. You can have your Bosh, Bargnani, Gallinari, if you’re a big man, post up and get in there and rebound, you’re team will be better for it. Just a reminder Frank Vogel you were indeed wrong leaving Hibbert on the bench in the end of game one’s overtime. This series should be at 3-1, advantage Pacers, but Vogel outsmarted himself and chose to play Miami’s game rather than forcing them to play his. Much like the #1 seeded Mavericks outthought themselves against the #8 seeded Warriors in 2007, when you have size and the other team doesn’t, you use it to your advantage, you don’t play small ball.
Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier should be on their 12th and 13th respective mortgages due to the massive debt accrued by countless flopping fines. Shane in particular has become embarrassing, flopping is cheating and should be treated as such, it is not part of the game, period. Battier has reached that odd point in a player’s career when his role becomes three point shooter/flopper, he is not a defensive specialist anymore. Now to Miami’s sixth, seventh and eighth men, the referees. Let’s get one thing clear, most NBA referees are embarrassingly bad on a nightly basis, regardless of the teams they are officiating, however, when Miami is playing they really get involved. Miami has the best player in the NBA, they don’t need any more help, and side note, he actually does commit fouls. All that having been said, Lebron is a monster. When he is on the court, it is always a matter of time before he takes over the game. Now that he has improved his low post game he is a near unstoppable offensive player, add that to his stellar on the ball and help defense and he is impossible to deal with. If Indiana is to beat the Heat, they are going to have to play two near perfect games, Lebron will not be eliminated by anything less than the best. Paul George must play consistently good basketball, he can not be an afterthought, he must be a nightly contributor. Hibbert and West must continue their great play and the Pacers must continue to kill Miami on the glass. If Indiana can do these things, they can beat the Heat.
Pacers in 7
