Spurs vs Heat - The official 2013 NBA Championship thread!

It was sad to see the Spurs fall apart like that at the end. And still without amazing shooting nights from Lebron and Battier, the Spurs win.

The good news is the Blazers top 4 players compare very favorably with the Spurs top 4, and the Spurs made it to the finals.

Let the optimism begin!

(Kingspeed: that's your que. )

 

Obviously the moral of the story is: "Come at the King, you best not miss."

 

If James showed a little more faith in his three point shooting, this series wouldn't have been nearly as close. In the last 3 games he could take an open three whenever he wanted, but his confidence in it was shaken. LeBron is superior to Kobe in virtually every way except this. You back off Kobe and concede wide open threes, and he'll take that shot every single time no matter how he's been shooting them, and the law of averages is such that he'll eventually kill you with it over 7 games.

 

He made inexplicably bad decisions every time the Spurs got a 1-game lead in the series, then turned the end of game 7 into a microcosm of a thrown series after starting the game fairly well.

 

Yup. Lebron looked like he was a bit scared of missing until the last game. Not a good trait for a top scorer, but it's good to have restraint and not chuck too much like Kobe and Melo.

 

Yeah, LeBron doesn't really take bad shots, which is to his credit. But he doesn't take all the *good* shots.

 

I'm amazed LeBron even had energy at all after 11 playoff win shares in two years, and an Olympic run.

I was very worried about his health. I hope he avoids a basketball for a couple of months.

Wade and Bosh looked broken down too, that's why the series was close.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

For all his triple doubles and ultimately coming out victorious, the lasting impression I have from James this series is the missing stone cold killer instinct in his make-up. Yes, he made some big shots, but the shots that leave the lasting impression are the missed ones or the ones he chose not to take because of the tiny imprint of doubt that rattles around in the back recesses of his brain that really reveals itself when things aren't going well. He has the confidence of a proud stallion when his teammates are hitting shots and the crowd is into the game, but the same confidence is zapped when they aren't. I don't think it's something he can change, it's just a part of his human make-up. Few people and players have it, and it looks like it will be the asterisk on his legacy once he's done and retired.

 

Physically and offensively, it's an easy comparison to be. But defensively, LeBron is so much more versatile. Malone was a tough defender, but hardly a game changer on his own. (That's why I think Duncan has surpassed Malone for best ever PF honors.)

 

Danny Green hitting 5 3s a game the first five games more than made up for it.

 

Karl Malone never, ever, would have been asked to guard a Tony Parker. Maybe a Malone/Pippen/Roberston/Magic hybrid, but the only thing James and Malone really have in common are exceptional physiques while still being agile.

 

So?

 

Good post. I'd add that Malone wasn't even *that* agile, at least nothing like LeBron. The Mailman was a great post scorer, a fantastic passer, had a fantastic midrange game and just knew the pick-and-roll better than maybe any non-PG ever. His huge frame and solid base let him set picks that nobody could match. But his game was based on strength and intelligence, not really agility.

LeBron is much more similar to Shaq. If you put his skill set into a traditional NBA body (for Shaq it would be 6'10, 250, for LeBron it'd be 6'5, 210) he'd still be a very good NBA player, maybe an All Star. But it's the fact that you have this guy with these prototypical talents in this incredibly non-typical powerhouse, oversized, athletic body, without giving up much in the way of speed. Sure, Shaq was huge, but in his prime he moved like a guy who was 6'10. LeBron is similarly massive for his skillset, but he moves like a guy who is 6'5. When LeBron goes to dunk, you pretty much have to treat him like Shaq or it's going to be an and1.

LeBron, of course, has a much better motor than Shaq ever did. Which is why he's added the three point shooting and defense, and why I think he'll have a more impactful career. And he's smarter and a better teammate.

But you think of the other greats in the game, and there are precious few examples of guys who gained such a massive advantage through a combination of strength and size while maintaining speed and agility.

 

You don't seriously believe Malone could have guarded smaller players on the perimeter if asked to? That's an extremely weak hypothetical situation you just created.

 

I just don't see the comparison with Malone, other than physique. Stockton mostly ran the offense, whereas LeBron spends a lot of his time playing PG. Malone did 70% of his damage on pick and roll/pop, whereas LeBron is much more varied.

Malone's never had much elevation. He dunked with force and dexterity, but he never skied.

LeBron is probably the most terrifying guy on a break I've ever witnessed because of his speed, size and ball handling. Malone could finish breaks, but he rarely ran them. (The Jazz were known for a fairly plodding half-court offense for a reason.)

Malone was the ultimate half court power forward, at least in terms of offense. He was just such a gifted scorer and passer in that environment. James may be the most complete player to ever play the game (or at least in my lifetime.) Size, speed, power, strength, vision, shooting....