The NBA Playoffs 66 year history is marked by a nominal plethora of thumbnails and snapshots, names and images, that resonate with basketball aficionados each and every post-season, collecting like dust that rises and rises each year. Sometimes these images haunt, sometimes they dazzle, but all of them stick, as if an adhesive placed upon the cerebral cortex of each and every fan who witnesses the magnitude of each moment, of each second, of each game. Go ahead and add Ray Allen to the list of images that will forever remain in Playoff infamy, a permanent blemish that’ll find itself on the hearts of each Spur, even if they win the deciding Game 7. A game that looked lopsided in the 4th, which might as well have had the Larry O’Brien packaged, engraved, and mailed to San Antonio, will now have to wait upon a final Game 7 to receive its destination-and the Spurs couldn’t be more disconsolate. Instead of rambling, I will just list off my notes from the game:
1) Poor Manu Ginobili. The 10-year veteran had the worst game of his career in terms of turnovers (8). This isn’t a throwaway statistic, it was THE WORST game of any that he’s played in either the regular-season or post, and he played to a plus-minus ration of -21. Arguably the most important turnover of the entire series was made by the Argentinean, although it looked to be a clear foul on Ray Allen, with under 5 seconds to go in OT with the Spurs trailing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us9uVuW2yQc
2) Tim Duncan didn’t show up for the 4th quarter or OT for the first time in the 2013 Playoffs. Duncan has been dominating OT, taking control in multiple games of both the Golden State and Memphis series,’ but was nowhere to be found Tuesday night. Duncan started hot but ended evanesce, and it hurt the Spurs immensely. To clarify, Duncan has had one of the worst shooting series in his playoff career in the 2013 NBA Finals, but he played like a man possessed Tuesday night. Duncan scored 13 straight points during one run in the 2nd quarter, ending with a huge 30pt 17reb performance, but was shut out after the 3rd quarter.
3) Ray Allen has never really been known to be a clutch performer. When the game’s on the line, Allen might be the fourth or fifth option for the Miami Heat when looking for a big time basket, but Tuesday night represented the crown jewel of Allen’s career, especially if the Heat can close out the series. With mere seconds to play, Allen received a pass from Chris Bosh and drilled a corner three to tie the game, even with Parker playing neighboring defense. I guess that’s what happens when the all-time 3-point leader in the history of professional basketball gets off a fairly clean look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HANFrnozQ
4) LeBron James played with poise, an element that critics have harped the King on since his inception in the league. Starting 3-12 shooting in the first three quarters, King James scored 16 in the 4th, sans trademark headband, and put up yet another triple double, finishing with 32pts, 1orebs, and 11asts (the first 30-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist game in the Finals since Charles Barkley in 1993).
Lebron James: Sans Headband
5) Chris Bosh came to play. Although Bosh only finished with 10 points, he came up huge on the boards late and had two key blocks in the OT period, including a block on Danny Green to end regulation.
6) San Antonio needs to start hitting their free throws if they want to have a chance in Game 7. Kwahi Leonard missed a huge free throw down the stretch which would’ve extended the lead to 4, all but sealing the game for the Spurs. Keep in mind that this kid is 21 years old, he can barely buy himself a drink and each game he’s played in has been the biggest in his life. Time to step to the plate Kwahi, although he did put up some nice numbers aside from the missed free throw. The Spurs shot 75% from the free throw line in Game 6 (21-28) but missed huge opportunities to seal it with under 2 minutes to play.
6) Tony Parker is playing like a hero right now. Hard to fathom that Parker still put the Spurs in a position to win the game and the title through the tumultuous pain he’s currently enduring, stating in an interview earlier this week that his right hamstring could tear “at any time now, but it’s the NBA Finals. If it gets a tear, it’s life.” What!? Not only is Parkers biggest asset speed and maneuverability, but the pain he must be enduring has to be numbing. Parker still did everything he could to bring the title back in the 4th quarter, hitting a clutch three-pointer to tie and an acrobatic spin-jumper in the lane to give them the lead with under a minute to play, but it was not to be.
Parker was completely spent after Game 6
Well, it’s time for every basketball fan’s dream, Game 7 to decide the Championship. Here’s what I’ll be looking for Thursday night in what looks to be an amazing finale to an outstanding season:
1) How will the Spurs come out of the gate? The Championship was sealed, stamped, and sent to San Antonio and yet Miami still found a way to extend the game and eventually force Game 7. The Spurs looked as dejected as any team in recent memory following the loss, and that can often ware on the minds of the losing team’s players, especially those of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, who were utterly demoralized as the final seconds ticked away.
2) Will LBJ rock the headband? What a silly question that the media clung to like porcelain following the Miami win, but it’ll be interesting to see if King James shows off that receding hairline for a full 48-minutes on Thursday night, it looked like it worked for him in Game 6.
3) Will Danny Green find a way to get open shots. Bosh noted before Game 6 that Green would have trouble hitting the 3-pointers he’s grown accustomed to if Miami swarmed him with defense, and Green only had 3pts on 1-7 shooting (1-5 from deep). The Spurs not only need Green to be more active offensively, but to play better defense as well (aside from his swipe of LeBron, Green gave up countless baskets in the paint in Game 6).
4) What’ll Spoelstra do with his lineup? In the blowout loss that was Game 5, Spoelstra sat Chris Andersen, choosing to go with the more experienced yet crumbling Udonis Haslem, but switched entirely for Game 6 as Andersen played 14 minutes to Haslem’s 0. Norris Cole also didn’t play in Game 6, so it’ll be interesting to see if Spoelstra chooses the lineup that kept the Spurs away from a title for at least another game, or the lineup that has won him countless matchups this post-season.
Whether you’re for Miami or San Antonio, at this point we’re all fans of basketball. Come Thursday night we’ll again experience the magic that can only be found in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to decide the best team, literally, in the world. Don’t blink, you’re not going to want to miss this.
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