The 2013 NBA season has come to a close. The reigning champion Miami Heat have successfully retained their title as NBA Champions. Three straight trips to the finals and 2 straight finals victories. Are we witnessing the development of a dynasty? Time will tell but I, for one, don't think we are.
The NBA finals were a lot harder for the Heat than most thought. Most believed that the Heat would win 4-1 or even sweep. They had the King, Bosh, Birdman and 2-time NBA Champ D. Wade. They even had Pat Riley calling the shots from the front office. They had home court advantage.
The Spurs looked old and tired on paper and despite dispatching the tough Grizzlies in a conference finals sweep, the same Spurs team was pushed by an upstart Golden State squad in the conference semi-finals. They had to win it in Miami. They looked poised for defeat.
For five games it looked like San Antonio had figured out a way to win. They got scoring from unlikely places. They shot an NBA record percentage from the 3 point line. They played sweeping defense. They seemed to always be playing from a deficit, yet they always fought back. Bosh and Wade could not seem to play well in the same game and with out support, King James could shoot or score to save the teams life.
I stated in my pre-series prediction that the Spurs had to win one of the first two in Miami. They did. They had the team and momentum to close it in San Antonio but couldn't. That left the final two games in Miami. (By the way, does anyone else hate the format change in the finals?) The Spurs went in to game 6 with a 3-2 series lead. Win one of the last two and they were NBA Champions. It seemed a lock since neither team had managed to win 2 in a row in the series. I stated in my prediction that the Spurs had to win the series in 6. If they let Miami take it to a game 7, in Miami, the Heat would win. And they did. Miami won despite the fact that Chris Bosh did not score. D Wade found his stroke and so did the King. They key, however, was Shane Battier. Battier could not miss from 3 and at one point hit 6 straight. James added 5 treys himself.
There were a lot of good things that came out of this series. Tim Duncan played like a seasoned veteran playing perhaps the best series of his storied career. A lot of role players for both teams contributed in a big way. Green, Neal and Diaw for the Spurs. Battier, Birdman and Chalmers for the Heat. Bad coaching moves were made by Pop and smart moves were made by Spoelstra. By the way, I was wrong in my series prediction, Eric Spoelstra can coach. It takes a smart and creative person to control a squad like the Heat and they obviously like playing for him.
In the final analysis, the Heat won the series and deserved to. San Antonio played tough but could not get over the top. Miami, in the end, had to much power and home court advantage. It's tough to win a game 7 on the road.
Having said all that, are the Heat on the verge of a dynasty? I think the answer is no. I believe the Heat will be challenged to get back to the Finals in 2014. Wade and Bosh are getting old. Wade is breaking down physically and Bosh can't hit a jumper anymore. LeBron is great but he can't do it on his own. Look at the 7 years he played in Cleveland. The Spurs exposed that weakness in the Heat's game. It takes a team, which explains why San Antonio almost pulled it off. No squad plays better as a team than the Spurs. Time will tell, but I see a different team form the East in the finals in 2014.
It was a good season and no one could have asked for a better finals series. My hat is off to the Spurs and NBA Champion Miami Heat!
