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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2005)
LA C K A MA Sprint • f SPORTS FACE OFF NBA Finals predictions The Heat will burn the competition Duncan and the Spurs will I McDonnell Michael McCormack Sports Editor 'lackamas Print lhe San Antonio Spurs are hands down the best team in the league, and will win the hampionship. Spurs are a real team; every contributes and plays a big role teams’ success. They don’t just ne or two guys doing it all, it’s effort. Yes they have superstar iincan. and fortunately for San o he is a smart player and knows use his teammates to perfection, mrs are fundamentally sound and make many mistakes down the ; they’re just solid. They are built teamwork and play a disciplined if basketball, and that is key to g championships, which is why r is their year. ither reason San Antonio is going way is their coach. The Spurs iho many consider to be one of it coaches in the NBA in Gregg ch. Popovich has been in the s numerous times and has seen it is one of the few coaches that has bntrol over his team at all times, is why he’ll lead San Antonio to ppions once again. mer MVP Tim Duncan and fellow lazr Mohammed, who the Spurs acquired form New York, make ¡h for other teams to get much cw. let aione guard. Tim Duncan aging 24 points and 11 rebounds i. which alone will give any team i time down low, but it’s his sur- ig cast that truly makes the Spurs Bind Duncan and Mohammed, Intonio has two big bodies that «finitely make an impact. Rasho Bovic and Tony Massenburg are 7 lid 6 feet, 9 inches, respectively, I weighing over 250 pounds. To ■wo huge guys like that is going | big when facing big men like Hix’s Steven Hunter and Amare ■mire, and potentially the Wallaces Detroit or Shaq and the Heat in the jk. They will especially come into ■ifthe “hack a Shaq” strategy came W ashington S tate RS UNIVERSITY ^VANCOUVER into plan. The best thing about these Spurs is their bench, and there is a lot more to it than just Nesterovic and Massenburg. San Antonio has one of the deepest if not the deepest bench in the league. They have a clutch veteran forward who is always a threat to hit the long ball in Robert Horry, and a former all star who provides some offensive spark in Glenn Robinson. Each of them plays a huge role and make tough match ups for most opposing teams’ bench players. Another thing that the Spurs have that nobody else does is Bruce Bowen. Bowen is a defensive special ist that will give them a defensive lift, who just happens to be one of the team’s best three-point shooters as well. With Duncan alone San Antonio is impressive, but with the contributions they constantly get from all these other forwards they are sim ply dominating. Oh, and what about the back court? The only word I can think of to describe the play of the Spurs’ guards this playoff is flawless. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have been amazing and will continue to be so. So far in the play offs, they have averaged a little more than 40 points per game. They both have also averaged a little more than four assists per game as well, proving to be too much for opposing teams. The Spurs have shown they are a dominant force and proved to be one of the front-runners for the title. Only time will tell if they truly can do it, but take my advice and put your money on San Antonio. watched the first game of the Miami-Detroit match-up and thought to myself, “Do I really think the Heat are going to beat defending champs?” Your darn tootin’ I do, even after that game one mishap. And not only do I believe the Heat will win the East, they wilt go on to win their first title in franchise history. But in order this to happen, they have to feed the ball to the big man down the stretch. The Heat acquired Shaquille O’Neal for this time of the year; playoffs are coming down to the end, and now is the time for “Shaq Daddy” to shine. O’Neal is bar none the most dominating force in the game, but no one really knows how much that thigh injury is affecting him. If he is going to be out on the floor, he needs to play with the intensity we all know he has. The big man will have to face tough foes in the final two series, like Ben gets to finals, Bruce Bowen of the Spurs will have a tough time guarding the slashing “D-Wade.” Wade needs to focus on being the leader and create the shots for his teammates, and not focus on scoring so much. At the other guard spot the Heat have a pair of basketball Jonesers in Damon and Eddie. The Jones are both averaging over 14 points per game in the playoffs, while shooting a com bined 45 percent from beyond the arc. If the Heat are patient on offense and feed Shaq the ball, he will be able to play off the double-team and will find the open man. Wade also needs to get past his man more often and create a collapse? in the defense for the kickout. The Heat is so deadly from all spots on the court, and just too athletic and versatile to be beaten. It is a tough road to the Finals from here on out, with the Pistons and eventually San Antonio (I don’t think the Suns stand a chance in the West), but Shaq has been here before and will take Miami under his wing. As for a real prediction in the final two series of season, the Heat will get it back together in game two against the Pistons, and find that groove we saw in the first two rounds. The key knows he can take over if he to winning this series is to get Ben Wallace into foul trouble, and keep wants it. Shaq’s surrounding cast the Pistons under 90 points. Miami is not too shabby in their wins the séries in seven games. In the Finals, the Spurs have no own right, led by sec ond year phenom, one to guard Shaq; he is just too big Dwayne Wade. for the likes of Nazr Mohammed and Wade has averaged Rasho Nesterovic to guard. They can 27.2 points per go ahead and throw the “hack-a-Shaq” game in the post on, but that will just give Shaq a rest Warren.mdlonline.com season, not to men on that ill-faded thigh. And as for the tion 7.9 assists per perimeter game, the Heat hâve great outing. In game one shooters, to go along with flashy play against the Pistons, Wade had a sub ers such as Wade and Keyon Dooling. par game, but he has proved he is a I don’t think the Spurs have the legs professional and I will look forward to keep up with the Heat’s floor game. to seeing a big series from him. Wade In the end the Heat take the finals in is simply too quick for Chauncey six games, and Kazzam himself will Billups to guard, and when the Heat win thé MVP. 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