Game One fake blog – as always, feel free to forward to others or comment:
As you may recall, I closed my pre-series analysis with a short discussion of the upcoming Game One. The key question was whether the rested but rusty Spurs could overcome the super-charged but weary Heat. I then analogized it to a championship game I had played in, probably last century, as follows:
Last night, after playing with the lead most of the night, the Heat wore down, and the Spurs outscored the Heat by 7 in the fourth quarter. After the game, D Wade was quoted as saying:
"I thought we were a little fatigued, honestly, in the fourth quarter. Looking around, we looked like a team that came off a seven-game series."
It is hard to imagine a clearer application of the Corman Outcome Theory. Obviously, the weariness of the Heat was too much for them to overcome, and if asked for a clear prediction last night before the game, that is what I would have said.
That being said, at the end of the third quarter, without having today’s advantage of perfect hindsight, I wrote a note to myself. The note said that the Spurs must feel like the legendary (or at least mythical) King Sisyphus. I am 100% super positiveeveryone reading this fake blog remembers Sisyphus from Greek mythology. Just in case I am wrong (or an educated fake blog reader forwards this outside the circle of trust), I will refresh your recollection: As a punishment for his trickery, Zeus forced King Sisyphus to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill. Before he could reach the top, the massive stone would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again – and he had to do it over and over again through eternity. (In modern terms, somewhat like cleaning the kitchen – especially if the dishwasher is not working well. Or you have teenagers. Anyway, back to the story.)
In the first 3 quarters, the Spurs did the same – they would get down 8 or 10 points, crawl back into the game, and then the boulder would roll back on them again and they would be staring at the same 8 to 10 point deficit. Most teams would have given up at some point and been crushed by the boulder. But like King Sisyphus, the Spurs instead kept rolling it back up the hill. Unlike King Sisyphus, they actually got the boulder to the top, and pushed it over. Take that, Zeus!! Or in this case, Lebron.
The shot that clinched it was classic Spurs and Parker. They always seem to remain calm as the shot clock is dribbling (so to speak) away, using yet another ball screen, confident that Parker will create just enough space to get a good look, because he has done exactly that so many times before.
And this is key: He never rushes the shot in order to ensure it gets away in time. If he rushes the shot, the odds are that he will miss. I always told my players – shoot it the way you always do, otherwise it won’t help us. Parker did not ‘quick-shoot” the ball, and the shot banked in. (Of course, the officials had to go to the replay booth to make sure Parker called “Bank”. The replay took a bit longer than normal, because with the French accent, it sounded like he said “Bink”.)
Which reminds me:
Other thoughts:
But for me, the huge stat was the Spurs had only 4 turnovers for the entire game – a Finals record. Some teams have that many on illegal screens and offensive fouls. And one of the Spurs’ turnovers was the first play of the game. They then played 47 and a half minutes with 3 turnovers – and this was against a Miami Heat defense that caused a very good Indiana team into 8 turnovers in the first quarter of Game 7 three nights earlier.
Miami had 8 turnovers, an excellent number – but 4 more than the Spurs. In an earlier fake blog, I pointed out that each turnover is worth about a point. Either by coincidence, luck or my undiscovered genius, the Spurs won by those 4 points.
2. On the other end of the floor, the Spurs committed only 12 fouls the entire game, only 3 per quarter – and Miami did the same. Another note to myself during the game – these are two smart, well-coached teams.
Their shot selection is outstanding. Indeed, whenever a bad shot is taken (like Bosh’s 3, or Manu’s 3, both in the last two minutes), it is rather jarring because it stands out so much. You know, like Jar Jar Binks.
5. There was much discussion prior to the Series of whether Miami would “go small”, which means they go with Lebron a/k/a Zeus as power forward/supreme deity, Bosh/Voldemort at center, and three shooters and/or two shooters and DWade. Of course, Miami did that – it is one of their better line-ups, especially on offense. Neither announcer pointed out that the Spurs went even smaller for two stretches. Indeed, for several minutes at the end of the second quarter, the Spurs had Duncan and 4 guards(Parker, Gary Neal, my Man Manu, and Danny Green). Green matched up on Zeus, and was not smitten.
6. Everyone is rightly praising Parker for coming through at the end. But going into the fourth quarter, he had only 10 points, 5 assists. He would up with 20 and 6, both below his regular season average, and well below his playoff average. Which is why I don’t understand why people are saying that last night proved the Miami point guards can’t cover him. Indeed, if the last shot didn’t go in, or he hadn’t called “Bank”, he would have been under 50% from the floor.
7. Speaking of “what is he talking about?”, the LA Times sportswriter, who is normally excellent, finished his description of this 4 point down to the wire Game One victory with the following: “Sadly for [David] Stern, and Miami, these Finals might not last very long.” Much as I would love the Spurs to sweep, a statement suggesting that a sweep is on the way after one hard-fought game is rather absurd. You know, like Jar Jar Binks.
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