NBA FINALS GAME 7 PREVIEW: THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!

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It’s blood and guts now. Championship or bust. Both these teams have worked infinitely harder each day, but now, we get to see if the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs can put their money where their mouths are.

To lay down a brief history of the series so far: Wade and Bosh combine to be 1 true superstar, and Danny Green is the next Ray Allen. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are two of the smartest players to compete in this league, and so is LeBron. And Popovich is one of the best coaches ever, but you already knew that.

Neither team has lost two games in a row, and if all goes according to plan, the Spurs are set to win this one. However, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Game 7 is a playoff series in itself. The pressures of winning it all can be too much to handle. Any slight mental error can cost a team their title, and every possession is going to be more crucial than the former.

I have counted 10 major factors that will impact this game: five for each team. So I won’t hold all you readers back, here we go:

1.    Tim Duncan needs to repeat his Game 6 performance. In the first half of Tuesday’s game, Duncan was 11-13 with 25 points. He finished with 30 because of a slow 4^th quarter. Now, if he was on the court as a defensive presence before Allen hit the tying three, maybe the season would’ve ended. But Pop can’t think about that now, nor can Timmy. Duncan needs another 20+ point and 15+ rebound effort for this team to consider a victory.

2.    LeBron will attempt his third triple-double of the series. A feat no player has yet to accomplish, three triple-doubles in the NBA finals will make LBJ’s legacy that much greater. The best player in the world needs to prove that he is the best player ever, and that starts tonight.

3.    Danny Green needs to find his shooting stroke again. After only scoring 3 points in Game 6, Danny Green was a non-factor unlike every other game in this series. Bosh had said that day that DG won’t be open, and he was right. Tonight will be a different story. Pop and Parker will call plays getting Green open off screens, hoping to ignite the outside shooting of him and possibly Gary Neal.

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4.    Wade’s knees will prevent him from being a major impact. Wade can do it all. As a talented mid-range shooter, an excellent slasher, and top notch shot blocker at the shooting guard spot, Wade makes every opponent work for their buckets. Wade only played 37 minutes in Game 6 despite it going into overtime. He is clearly limited. If the Spurs can exploit that properly (strong pick-and-rolls), then San Antonio will find a way to win.

5.    Manu must be the Manu of old. Those eight turnovers he committed in Game 6 must transform into 16 Spurs points. Possessions will determine this game. Whatever team takes more shots will make more shots, and if Manu’s throwing the ball away every time he touches the ball, the Spurs will find themselves on a quiet plane ride back to Texas.

   6.    Ray Allen must be Ray Allen. That game-tying three put me on my ass. I was more shocked there than when half the Stark family got assassinated. Ray Allen haunts my dreams from his days as a SuperSonic to when he played for the Celts, and now as a Miami Heat. As a Knick fan, I associate Ray with Reggie Miller. The two just slaughter an opponent at the most vulnerable time. Ray will be Ray and hit the big shots when he’s got the ball, so the Spurs gotta get a body on him fast, like FAST.

7.    Does Tony want this? I mean, obviously he does. This ring will establish him as one of the top 10 best point guards to play the game, maybe. Tonight his hamstring woes cannot exist at all, and instead he must utilize his years of experience as an on-court coach and manage this game. If the Spurs win tonight, he will be MVP, so he must play like one.

8.    LeBron will show up. Now, although my second point references LeBron, he’s just that important to whether the Heat win or lose. Bosh will make open mid-range jumpers, and so will Wade, but in order for them to have an opportunity to score, LeBron needs to play aggressive and do almost everything for his team to win. He shot 63.6% in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and slowed Parker down to the point where the Spurs had no offense. LBJ has to defend Tony Parker on D, and facilitate and execute on offense. Sounds easy, right?

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9.    Popovich needs to make the right adjustments. I think we can all agree that benching Tim Duncan on that last defensive play was a mistake. He was clearly thinking the same think Frank Vogel was when Hibbert was pulled during Game 1, when LeBron had that game winner. Duncan and Leonard are the only proficient rebounders that the Spurs have, and every coach will tell you that rebounds will games. When the game is on the line, I’d keep Timmy out there.

10. The Heat must pack the paint. Duncan went 11-13 in the first half of Game 6 but finished 13-20. The forces of LeBron and Birdman must keep Duncan struggling. Whenever he posts up on Chris Bosh, the Heat need to collapse and keep Tim on his toes. He is not quick enough to make the best passes, only the right ones. So, as a Miami Heat defender, I would look to anticipate score first, pass second, but that means attack Tim and put him in an awkward position to do anything positive with the basketball.

Final Prediction:

LeBron James is a freak of nature. He won’t let his team lose in Game 7 on his home floor. He saw his season dwindle on Tuesday and willed a victory. Every time LeBron is on the court, the Spurs are threatened to lose. I expect King James to play 45 minutes, with those three minutes being rests at the end of the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd quarters. Tony will be shut down if LeBron guards him, and Duncan won’t be a threat if LeBron blocks him. LeBron will get his second ring, because the team with the best player on the floor usually wins. That’s history.

Heat 95 Spurs 91