The NBA Finals matchup is set, and so are the schedules. Here are the official SWN predictions, complete with dates, times and TV channels where you can watch all the hardcourt action.
Game 1 - Thu, June 5, Miami at San Antonio, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2 - Sun, June 8, Miami at San Antonio, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 3 - Tue, June 10, San Antonio at Miami, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 4 - Thu, June 12, San Antonio at Miami, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5 * Sun, June 15, Miami at San Antonio, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 6 * Tue, June 17, San Antonio at Miami, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 7 * Fri, June 20, Miami at San Antonio, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
The Miami Heat escaped an elimination Game 6 in last season's NBA Finals against these very Spurs in dramatic fashion, with Ray Allen sinking one of the most clutch shots in league history. The Heat went on to win the series in seven games, and left the Spurs to think about their missed opportunity all year.
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 2 Miami Heat
Spurs Advantages:
Frontcourt Size-The Spurs are the bigger team in this series, so Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter should be able to take advantage of Miami's small lineups and get easy looks at the rim. Unlike many other teams with size, both Duncan and Splitter are highly skilled passers as well, helping the Spurs precision offense hum from any spot it's initiated. Rebounding should be an advantage for the Spurs, and scoring in the paint could be tough for the Heat.
Kawhi Leonard- Like the Pacers who have previously given Miami fits, San Antonio features a premier wing defender in Kawhi Leonard, who has the length and strength to keep LeBron James from playing at a superhuman level. James will still get his points, rebounds and assists, but if he can be held to under 30 points, or forced to score inefficiently, than that is considered a San Antonio victory.
Manu Ginobili- Last season Ginobili was simply a name-a paper tiger. He had been playing very poorly, and the Heat exposed him as an aging star that couldn't be relied upon. This season Ginobili reversed that trend, and is once again the dynamic sparkplug that keeps the Spurs offense rolling when the starters take their rest. That's crucial vs. Miami, because they can't afford any lulls.
Heat Advantages:
Chris Bosh 3-point Shooting- Like the just-vanquished Pacers who have a pair of big men expected to dominate the smaller Heat, Bosh has the 3-point capability to stretch out Duncan or Splitter and render one of them irrelevant. If Bosh is connecting at a 40-percent clip or more from deep, it may force the Spurs to totally change their game plan.
Dwyane Wade- The presence of Dwyane Wade as a second elite scorer puts Gregg Popovich in a tough spot. Does he deploy Leonard on LeBron and try to contain him, or should he try and shut down Wade completely with Leonard and allow LeBron to run wild on Danny Green or one of the Spurs bigs? If Wade is in top form, perhaps even Leonard won't be able to stop him. It will be an interesting wrinkle to this series.
Athleticism- In their series with the Thunder, the Spurs admitted their athletic disadvantage against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. That disadvantage is at work in this series as well, so if both sides are executing that athletic superiority could tip the scales in Miami's favor.
Prediction: Heat in 6. The Spurs are a well-oiled machine, but LeBron James and the Heat will be able to exploit the Spurs' older legs in smarter fashion than the Thunder were capable of. It doesn't help that Tony Parker's going to be somewhat slowed by the hamstring issue that kept him out of Game 6's second half. The Heat will have enough firepower to match the Spurs' scoring, and Bosh's shooting will neuter Splitter.
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