NBA Finals Game 3

[Dynasty]

A great offense by the Heat even better offense by the Spurs. Kawhi Leonard looks great.

 

[alexd]

Just got home from high school sports banquet and saw the score and the shot at the buzzer and assumed it was a halftime score...unreal offense by SA.

 

[Dynasty]

90% shooting by the Spurs. Amazing. And the thing is the Heat isn't playing bad defense.

 

[superjohn]

Best offensive half I've ever seen, they were 19-21 shooting before refs blew that and 1 call on the Leonard shot and then Tony Parker cam in and the offense got stagnant. Still think Heat will make a game of this.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Great Half for the Spurs.
Taking Home Court Back !!!

GO SPURS GO !!!!!

 

[Rocktheworld]

Woooooow two awful call/non-calls in a row against the Heat

 

[Gurleyman]

If you watched enough games Kemba's rookie year, you'd have a hard time rooting for Boris Diaw. Gawd, I couldn't stand him. Then he gets out of Charlotte and gets himself in shape - actually goes into the low post once in a while now.

 

[JLock819]

Refs are unbelievably bad in this one. Lebron needs to shoot it once in awhile instead of always trying to force the drive.

 

[UConnfan8]

The Heat's PG's are AWFUL. Chalmers is slow, doesn't play remotely any defense and creates no offense for himself. Cole is better than Chalmers and thats saying something. If Napier comes to the Heat, he WILL get minutes immediately and that will be awesome. The Heat don't need anyone spectacular at the point. They have all the scoring they need. But they need someone capable of impacting a game somewhat sometimes. Chalmers just ain't cutting it.

 

[traitor71]

I'm not sure I have ever seen a team shoot that well. I guess now we will see if Miami can bounce back as they always seem to.

 

[Gurleyman]

The Heat's PG's are AWFUL. Chalmers is slow, doesn't play remotely any defense and creates no offense for himself. Cole is better than Chalmers and thats saying something. If Napier comes to the Heat, he WILL get minutes immediately and that will be awesome. The Heat don't need anyone spectacular at the point. They have all the scoring they need. But they need someone capable of impacting a game somewhat sometimes. Chalmers just ain't cutting it.

Those two guys are supposed to be the young legs for this team too - guys who can pick up the tempo, get up on people on the defensive end, etc. Cole was terrible the first two games and was marginally better today after a bad start, but he's been tough to keep on the floor. They probably should have figured out a way to get Beasley in the playoff rotation since sometimes, you need someone to make an athletic play or two. Although Beasley supposedly has a ton of problems on the defensive end, and the Spurs would probably pick that apart.

Both teams have old cores, but the young legs for SA (Green, Leonard, Mills) are significantly better than Miami's.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Norris Cole is just not an NBA level player.

 

[UConn990411]

The Heat definitely have this series in the bag.

 

[champs99and04]

I've really been surprised by how little small ball Miami has played in this series. When the Spurs go with Diaw at the four - a lineup, by the way, that has killed the Heat in this series - you would think shifting LeBron to the four would be the natural counter.

 

[Gurleyman]

I've really been surprised by how little small ball Miami has played in this series. When the Spurs go with Diaw at the four - a lineup, by the way, that has killed the Heat in this series - you would think shifting LeBron to the four would be the natural counter.

With Chalmers and Cole so ineffective, and Lewis so effective from three to space the floor, it's been tougher for Miami to go small. They've gone to the no point guard lineup instead. I think the Spurs would also keep Leonard on LeBron regardless and live with Diaw on a guard.

But all it takes is a couple threes from Chalmers and the Heat may change their approach.

 

[champs99and04]

With Chalmers and Cole so ineffective, and Lewis so effective from three to space the floor, it's been tougher for Miami to go small. They've gone to the no point guard lineup instead. I think the Spurs would also keep Leonard on LeBron regardless and live with Diaw on a guard.

But all it takes is a couple threes from Chalmers and the Heat may change their approach.

With a player like LeBron, you really have the luxury of having the best of both worlds. If you want, you could throw out a lineup like Wade-Ray-Battier-LeBron-Bosh and be able to switch more defensively and maintaining your structure offensively (with Wade and LeBron initiating the offense).

I like what Lewis has done with his opportunity, but he can't be playing 33 minutes. I'm not the biggest Battier fan by any means, but him being banished from the rotation (even f'in James Jones is playing minutes) strikes me as odd. I know the Spurs are a juggernaut, and I know some of the stuff they were running in the first half was just downright unstoppable. But with an defensive as versatile as Miami's, I'm surprised Spo hasn't figured something out. They are out there over-helping like crazy and against San Antonio that's suicide. With forwards as ridiculously versatile as James and Bosh, you should be able to contain the pick and roll a hell of a lot better than they did tonight.

 

[tzznandrew]

They are out there over-helping like crazy and against San Antonio that's suicide. With forwards as ridiculously versatile as James and Bosh, you should be able to contain the pick and roll a hell of a lot better than they did tonight.

Miami's whole defensive strategy since James got there has been to jump the guard getting the pick to make it hard for him to do anything, and then overhelp and rely on their athleticism and good decision making to for teams into poor decisions.

The Spurs are a team that doesn't work as well against because they have such smart players and such great shooters.

But it worked well enough for the Heat to beat them in 7 last year (although but by the grace of Jesus Shuttlesworth), and they're still in this series. We can look at it two ways: the Spurs missed a ton of good looking 3s with under 3 minutes left that would have helped them win Game 2, so they are a hair away from being up 3-0; but perhaps with James in Game 1, the Heat are up 2-1.

From watching the teams, the Spurs were closer to 3-0 than the Heat to 2-1, but if the Heat win tomorrow night, it's 2-2 going back to San Antonio, where the Heat have proven they can win.

 

[Kitaman]

In 2-3 years K Leonard will be an all-star. He's turning into one of my favorite NBA players. Kid just balls, and doesn't complain. I don't know if Pop can build their future around him but I suspect they will make sure he stays a Spur.

UConn related, it really shows how special our 2011 team was.

 

[Strummer]

I'm no NBA scout, and I'm notoriously bad at figuring out which college players will excel in the NBA, but at least 1/2 dozen times last night I saw the dude on Miami with the flat top fro make a bad play or a take a bad shot and I thought to myself, completely sure of my analysis: "If that was Bazz instead of this Cole guy, Miami wins this game."

Seriously, Bazz with LeBron would be incredibly deadly, because, not only will Bazz drain almost every open shot that Cole clunks, Bazz is also a fantastic passer who would absolutely kill it getting LeBron the ball in a position to do something.

Miami needs to find a replacement for Cole - that guy is awful. Take Bazz at 26! Literally could both improve Miami tremendously and jump start Bazz's career.

 

[UChusky916]

I've been saying for a while now... Bazz would be a tremendous fit with the Heat. Bazz would benefit from playing on a contender with a superstar and also learn how to be a pro from fellow husky Ray-Ray. Could it get any better for him? He's an upgrade over Cole for sure and a better play-maker than Chalmers. Hope the Heat feel the same. Of all UConn guys to go pro, I really hope Bazz is the one who lands in a good situation.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Norris Cole is just not an NBA level player.

Norris Cole is one of the better young defenders in the league.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Norris Cole is one of the better young defenders in the league.

I don't see that, and neither do the stats. He's been barely above replacement level over his career, and he's below-replacement on offense.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Norris Cole is one of the better young defenders in the league.

He has a career PER of like 8. The Heat could pretty easily get a backup point guard that's better than Norris Cole.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I am a big fan of Splitter, and think he is a huge mismatch against Miami when he is on the court, because Bosh has to check Duncan. I am a little surprised that Splitter doesn't play more.

 

[HailUConn]

If you watched enough games Kemba's rookie year, you'd have a hard time rooting for Boris Diaw. Gawd, I couldn't stand him. Then he gets out of Charlotte and gets himself in shape - actually goes into the low post once in a while now.

Maybe, just maybe, Spurs franchise has that positive effect on whoever come in. Proof? Just looked back since TD was drafted...