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
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^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.
I
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