Wade was playing on Nintendo mode during the 27 game streak. The issue isn't can he do it, it's can he stay healthy. I'm hoping he can summon back a repeat of game four in a one and done environment. For all the space small ball is giving us when Wade is playing like a superstar there is no way for the Spurs to contain him and Lebron.
Also was a different injury. This year is (at least mainly) due to a bone bruise that won't heal until he gets some consistent rest. Make no mistake that knee hurts like a mother****er every time he's out there
The big fallacy is the perception that Lebron James is "struggling" this series. It's just not true. He essentially has had ONE bad game, which was Game 3. That was the one where he accepted responsibility that he played like a used tampon and so he stepped up in Game 4. But in Game 1 he has a triple double with 18 goddamn rebounds and 10 assists. Game 2 was where he and Rio authored the 3rd quarter run that broke the Spurs like wild horses (thought this was the post-up game but I might be thinking of another game). Lest we forget the epic block on Tiago Splitter? Oh and let's not forget to add 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals to his totals in that game. Game 4 was a pingaso nightmare for the Spurs as Lebron racked up 33 points (on 60% shooting), 11 boards, 4 assists, another 2 steals, another 2 blocks. Yet we're so used to that, Dwyane Wade's 32 points were the big story. He might not have been GREAT in Game 5 but he still had 25 points and 8 assists not to mention 4 steals. Then last night he goes 32-10-11 with another 3 steals and a block for good measure. He's averaging 23 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, plus 1 block and 2 steals per night, with a Triple-Double every third game. Let's take aside that he's also a power forward averaging 43 minutes a game while ludicrously chasing the best point guard in basketball all around the floor and playing great D on him. The mere averages, given the situation, if it were anyone else, would see a guy EXPLODING into superstardom and begging the question whether this is the next great one (maybe even better than Lebron James!). And that's a "I guess we have to give Lebron the Finals MVP if they win, but he's only been so-so."?
Honestly. I have NO idea how game seven is going to play out. This whole thing has been so sideways that I'm not going to even pretend that I have bearing on what's going to go down.
Right, but I don't think the issue is age. Otherwise there would still be issues with the original knee from last year. And Wade certainly wouldn't have played the way he did the first few months this year. I think he just suffered a crucial injury at the worst time. He needs a better offseason routine and a few less minutes per game next season, IMO.
Agreed. From an outside perspective, unless Wade is dead or dying hes in the game if Im the coach. You ride your best players til they ask out of the game especially in the playoffs where players that can create their own shot or shots for others are especially valuable. Like others said, Wade at 75% is still better then the other options available. You can count the players of Wade's caliber on two hands for the entire league.
I think it's going to be a lot like this game. The Heat are going to keep people plastered on Gary Neal and Danny Green. They're going to keep Bosh on Tim Duncan down low without much help, daring Duncan to keep it up for four quarters. They're going to keep Lebron guarding Tony Parker during important moments. The difference on the positive side I think is that Duncan won't be able to reproduce what he did in Game 6. But on the negative side I think the 4th quarter shattered any illusions the Spurs had about Boris Diaw having some kind of magic defensive cure for Lebron James, and they'll continue a "not at any cost" mentality on allowing Lebron to work inside the paint, even when the Heat have extra shooters out with James. From there I think either your shooters show up and you win, or they don't show up and you potentially lose. I would suggest that Popovich could finally thank Manu Ginobili for his services in Game 5 and send him to obscurity in Game 7, but I think Pop's respect for and loyalty to Manu runs too deep for that.
Being too hurt to play effectively and consistently three championship runs in a row suggests there's more than coincidence to this. I think age is affecting that inability to stay healthy for the playoffs. But I'm the one arguing that he's not "done" in the first place.
I can't picture a scenario in which Miami loses Game 7. I'm not happy about it, but it is what it is.
His minutes need to be more closely managed next season. And you don't play that "fall down 10 times, get up 11" style of play without having something like the knee issues he's having now. But I don't think this is a decline for him. He's still Wade, and can be for at least the rest of his contract, IMO. I can absolutely see the Spurs winning game 7.
Shane Battier: "After walking through the desert of solitude and missing shots for eons, I encountered an oasis and the tranquil waters of 3's." Real quote. I love this team.
If they do that it just comes down to whether Miller, Allen, and Chalmers can make wide-open 3s. I would take my chances with that before taking my chances with Wade hitting mid-range jumpshots. Actually very interesting to notice that when they were using that lineup, Miami's big man would be standing literally 3 ft out of bounds. I bet the NBA makes a rule change in the near future.
Thing is, they can rain 3's meaning you have to handle Duncan 1 on 1 b/c he can pass so well out of the paint. To me, this is more how LeBron should be used but our 3 pt shooters are just not as consistent as theirs.
Shane Battier is one of the reasons I've come to like this team, even though I root against them (Eastern Conference rivalry, blahblahblah). What a character.
I agree, but if I were them I would rather make Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and an ancient Ray Allen beat me than to choose death at the angry hands of the best basketball player in the world. The crowd will go nuts either way but I think they respond more when Lebron is doing his thing, and I think the rest of the team feeds on it more than when the shooters are making shots.
Right, but if Wade is on the floor then the choice becomes letting LeBron dominate or letting Wade throw up mid-range jumpers.
ISO ball vs team ball with Lebron either assisting or scoring on nearly every possession. I'd take the latter.
It could go either way. With that lineup everything is on Lebron to create because nobody else can. But if they're clogging the paint, that creates indecision on his part and he can end up being passive Lebron that dribbles 11 times against Boris Diaw and then settles for a jump shot. He can make the decision that he's going to attack the paint hell or high water, but then that puts tremendous pressure on him to kick perfect passes out to shooters so that they can shoot in rhythm, and oh by the way you've got a mess of bodies collapsed on you so good luck doing that perfectly without it resulting in turnovers at a high enough rate to cancel out your success with the 3's. And then of course if everything is a 3 point shot you can forget about 2nd chance opportunities from offensive rebounds. It could work if Birdman comes in to help Lebron down low and be a shorter distance target for Lebron to feed passes to once he starts approaching the paint and everyone gets itchy. But that can be dicey. You need Birdman to step up big and play better than his norm. I think a better option given the way Pop is likely to adjust might be to go the complete opposite direction and get Dwyane Wade into the game early. When he's into the game and having success, he doesn't feel the knee as much. When you're shuttling him to the bench, it starts locking up and he goes cold. He's the man the Spurs really can't account for right now. When he's on, those are body blows. Let a great player prove his greatness.
I pointed that out on twitter. You know that the protocol for that is to REPLAY the sequence? They would have had to replay that sequence TODAY or before game 7. That is a 1 shot technical for an illegal substitution.
GTFOH! Bill Simmons launches a three hour podcast after every Heat loss to rip them and speculate about their demise. Last night, he looked like his dog died. **** him. and did you forget Wade's game 4? How bout his game 5 where he had 25 and 10? He VASTLY outplayed the best player in the world in games 4 and 5, with an extremely painful injury.. Stop with the "benching" nonsense.
I didn't realize there were still people who respect Jeff Van Gundy Sent from my phone using Fapatalk 2
don;t forget...in 2011..he was on his way to Finals MVP had they won that year. He was nothing short of awesome in that series. He was pretty good last year as well.
Love Grantland. Think it's an awesome website and like his podcasts. Not saying he has transformed to a non Heat hater, but I no longer disdain him.
Yes. Heat were prepared to lodge protest that would have resulted in a Replay of the sequence. It is in the NBA bylaws.
Thank God it didn't come to that. Would have taken a transcendent game and made it a clown show. Squarely on Joey Crawford's shoulders that it even could have happened.
BTW, you know where I am supposed to be today? At Spurs practice. I was given a press pass to cover the Spurs practice. Decided to service some of my clients instead. We didn't get a camera crew cleared, So plan A went away... I was preparing to have Stu troll Coach Pop, and have Pop dress him down for the show. and guess......WHO is going to game 7 and will have Lockeroom passes? yeah..envy me. I AM MEDIA! lol. (which shows you what a joke sports media is)
BTW, LeBatard broke the story that the Heat was preparing the formal protest. then they won...tore it up.
Of course..I would be completely impartial in covering the two practices as I heckle the Spurs in shootaround and then cheer on the Heat when they do their shooting games.
But all through both of those playoffs was the same deal with him playing like *** one game and/or one half and then Michael Wilbon and others who speak with Wade privately saying, he's hurting...bad. They never go into details, but they always say, he's hurting bad. I said championship RUN but I didn't just mean the championship series. I meant the whole playoffs and in those other years he had entire bad series that were attributed to injuries. Just saying I think age probably plays a factor in that always being a storyline come playoff time.
Pretend for a moment that the Spurs hit a shot during those 5 seconds to avoid overtime. They begin celebrating, there's a trophy, etc. Would any of this have canceled that shot? I mean the game was 95-95 and Tony Parker went for a shot that Bosh ended up blocking, right? Let's say he made it and they go 97-95 and win. The Heat launch a complaint and the NBA has to replay a 1-shot technical...doesn't that just give the Heat a chance to make it 97-96 and still lose?
