The Finals: Game Six

We knew it was going to happen. Game six was an absolutely crazy contest with gigantic momentum swings, legacies written and unwritten with the speed of a Heat “fan” fleeing the American Airlines Arena, overtimes, flops, fouls and non-fouls, Matt Bonner dunking from the free throw line, it had it all. OK, one of those things may not have actually happened, but it was an exciting game and it’s only a matter of time before Bonner takes flight. The Heat and the Spurs are now staring down the barrel of game seven, will either team have anything left after Tuesday’s game? Yes they will, both teams know they can win this series, both teams will come out swinging and it will be an epic affair. All that being said, in breaking down game six, we must admit one thing first and foremost… The Spurs missed the boat.

San Antonio had this one in the bag, they were 20 seconds away from winning their fifth NBA championship but a few key mistakes let it all slip away. Miami came out in full attack mode, they had their “fans” behind them, and the Spurs withstood the early push. This is no easy task, on the road, facing Lebron, the Spurs still managed to hang tough and absorb Miami’s initial attack. How was it done? Consistent defense and composure on the offensive end. San Antonio, at no point in time, forced their game, they played within themselves and ran the streamlined game plan they are so known for. Not to mention a purely vintage performance by Tim Duncan.

In the first half Duncan was as good as he has ever been. Duncan finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds, but it was his 25 first half points that set the tone for the game. Duncan was unguardable, Miami has no one that can defend him, but last night Duncan took his post game back to his 2003 days. By the look in his eyes, it was clear to see that Duncan wanted this game, he knew from the opening tip just how large a moment it was. Duncan played with an urgency Miami was unprepared for, can the Spurs get this production from Duncan again in game seven? Most likely no, but they shouldn’t need it, however, it is still a shame that Duncan’s performance was squandered.

Tony Parker was guarded by Lebron for much of the game, this clearly rattled him. Lebron is fully capable of defending Parker and proved as much, preventing the Spurs star point guard from achieving any penetration and preventing him from ever approaching any form of a rhythm. Parker scored 19 points and dealt out 8 assists, but Lebron squashed him in the fourth, Parker did hit a huge three late in regulation time, but it really was a bit of a lucky shot. Parker is going to have to attack early and often in game seven, if he is unable to penetrate the paint the Spurs have little hope of victory.

Mr. consistency Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and 11 rebounds as he continued to be San Antonio’s most reliable player. Leonard has been an absolute rock for the Spurs, there is nothing wrong with anything he is doing, he just needs to keep it up, maybe take a few extra practice free throws though. Leonard’s defense remains at a superlative level. Speaking of defense, the Spurs received a key boost from role player Boris Diaw. Diaw did little that appears in a stat line, but his defense on Lebron was beyond clutch, the spacing he utilizes when defending Lebron is flawless. Unfortunately for San Antonio, not everyone stepped it up last night.

What is wrong with Manu Ginobili? His shot is failing him, his dribble is as suspect as ever and he has become a walking turnover. Ginobili played a lot of minutes at point guard in game six, a position that almost always results in a higher turnover ratio, but 8 turnovers is not an acceptable number. Ginobili was terrible and at times a liability for the Spurs, there were large stretches when Manu had no business being on the court. The Spurs will need Manu to play better in game seven, and he will, I mean let’s be honest, he can’t play much worse. A performance more similar to game five would not be a surprise to see from Ginobili, he won’t put up those numbers exactly, but the player he truly is should show himself one more time.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that San Antonio inexplicably threw the game away. Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the NBA by a lot, his personnel decisions are typically executed with surgical precision, trusting in his role players, yet never letting a game get out of hand. In game six, Popovich over thought the game. The Spurs started the fourth quarter with Parker and Duncan on the bench, and with a dreadful starting five, devoid of any scoring ability. Pop did manage to leave Ginobili out there though! The start of the fourth was the Spurs opportunity to step on the throats of the Miami Heat, instead they came out with no offensive execution with a lineup incapable of scoring. This was also the moment they chose to mistakenly switch their defensive scheme. For the first three quarters, the Spurs played magnificent defense, playing off Lebron with picture perfect spacing, preventing him from penetrating and ever possessing enough room to comfortably shoot from distance. The Heat started the fourth with a lineup featuring Lebron and four shooters, something that obviously caught Popovich’s attention. Fearing a downpour of three pointers, the Spurs then opened up the paint, defenders stayed on the perimeter defending the shooters, never helping on Lebron. A fatal flaw. Once the lane became as open as a coaching position in Denver, Lebron went to work.

Lebron was twelve minutes away from hearing innumerable questions regarding his lack of “clutchness” and countless comparison to MJ himself (hint, hint, they wouldn’t have been favorable). Lebron had maybe the quietest Finals triple double ever, he put up 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but it was his fourth quarter play that sealed the deal for Miami. Headbandless, Lebron drove the lane with the reckless abandon of an inebriated Jason Kidd. Once San Antonio decided to defend Lebron one on one, with a clear lane, James was unstoppable.

For yet another game, Wade and Bosh did little to earn another championship, were the terrible? No. Were they difference makers? No. This championship begins and ends with Lebron James, his teammates have proven that they will not be there for him consistently. Mario Chalmers chipped in 20 points, while shooting 4-5 from three point land. Much is made of Chalmers being the Heat’s “whipping boy,” constantly being on the receiving end of barks and orders from Miami’s Big 1 and Wade and Bosh. At what point does Chalmers step back and tell the Little 2 to stuff it, he has become Miami’s second best player.

Even with San Antonio’s defensive lapses and Lebron’s fourth quarter performance, game six still came right down to the wire. The Spurs had the game in hand, once they started missing free throws, the game switched hands. Those hands were rebounding on the offensive end and kicking out to a certain three point shooting specialist, who proved once again that he can be relied upon to hit the shot despite the situation.

Clutch shooting, don’t mind if I do. Once the ball left Ray Allen’s hands, it was never in doubt. The shot seemed to take about 10 seconds to transfer from Allen’s shooting hand into the basket, but it was always going in. Ray Allen is the type of player that can miss fifty shots in a row, but will hit the game winner. He saved Miami’s season and proved himself to be worthy of the Heat’s pursuit prior to this NBA season. Would he have been the recipient of a kick out by way of an offensive rebound had Tim Duncan been in the game crashing the boards? We’ll never know, but next time Pop, put Timmy out there.

That’s it no more analysis of game six. The Spurs blew it, the Heat took it, but one side note from the game mustn’t be left unsaid! Shane Battier has become an excruciatingly pathetic sight on an NBA court. Battier is capable of hitting a spot up three and occasionally playing good defense. None of that matters. When your main focus on the court is to flop, your entire game is wiped away. Flopping is cheating and seeing it on display in the NBA Finals, so blatantly, is unacceptable. Man up and play defense, or simply get off the court. If your primary objective is to flop, you need to retire, or a flopping suspension needs to be implemented and you should be retired. Pathetic.

Now where do we stand? Right in front of game seven, duh. One game, in Miami, for all the marbles. The Spurs are capable of rebounding from mental mistakes and playing the game of their lives, the have the better all around team and more players capable of contributing. The Spurs have more moving parts, the better bench, the better coach and the depth to offensively attack Miami from all angles. The Spurs have figured out how to defend Miami, if they had chosen not to deviate from it, they would be champions today. Go back to it Spurs, do what works. Miami has Lebron though, a basketball player with his legacy on the proverbial line. Game seven’s result comes down to one thing, will Lebron take over? If Miami get’s a dominant performance from Lebron they will be tough to beat. If the Spurs play their game and defend the way they are capable of, they will be tough to beat. Game seven could go either way, you never know who could step up on the biggest stage and win it for their team. A buzzer-beating dunk from the free throw line by Matt Bonner anyone?