2014 NBA Finals Schedule, Preview, Dates: San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat Prepare for Finals Rematch
There are no surprises this year. The two best teams will be going at it for a chance to win the 2014 NBA Championship. Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will battle for the Larry O'Brien Trophy again. We saw these same teams face each other last year with the Heat coming out victorious in seven games.
The Miami Heat will be playing in their fourth consecutive Finals and will be trying to win their third straight Championship.
The Heat are led by their "big three" of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. James is easily the best player in today's NBA and shows little weakness. James is not only a great scorer, but he's also a pinpoint passer and great defender as well.
Then there's Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Over the last few seasons, Wade's minutes have decreased during the regular season, so he will be ready to go for the postseason. Even during the regular season, Wade was still extremely efficient shooting 54 percent from the field. Bosh on the other hand is going to have to improve. He's been a tremendous addition and has hit many clutch shots, plays great defense, and he can even hit perimeter shots. But the Heat are going to need Bosh to be more consistent down low as a true power forward.
The Heat also have some role players that look to help them win, such as Ray Allen, Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers and Chris "Birdman" Andersen.
The Heat have two big things going for them into these finals. One, they are 8-0 at home this postseason, and two, they haven't lost consecutive playoff games since the 2012 NBA playoffs.
Then there's the Spurs. The Spurs have the advantage in experience and coaching. They don't have the speed and athleticism to compare with younger Heat team, but they do have the size and the 3-point shooting.
Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter are going to have to play big in this finals and take control down low in the paint. They need to expose the Heat's front court and get to the free throw line. Don't play into the Heat's fast pace game.
Tony Parker is viewed by most people as the best player on this Spurs squad. But he is dealing with an ankle issue, and he struggled with Russell Westbrook much of the Western Conference Finals. Struggling with Westbrook shouldn't keep Spurs fans worried because Parker has always had one-on-one problems with him. The ankle issue is more of a concern right now. Thankfully for the Spurs, the series does not begin until Thursday.
In the closeout game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs bench outscored the Thunder bench 51-5. No, that's not a typo; it was really that big of a disparity. The Spurs have a lot of depth from their bench.
Leading the way off the bench is 36-year-old Manu Ginóbili. Ginóbili saved the Spurs on many occasions against the Thunder when he not only lit up the scoreboard in limited minutes but also proved he can take over the point guard position as well. Another player to keep a very close watch on is Danny Green. Green is a 3-point specialist that can light it up from the perimeter and plays underrated defense. Kawhi Leonard is also a great defender who will be on LeBron James a lot in this series. Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli also give the Spurs depth off the bench.
This should be a great series for basketball fans because these two teams are undoubtedly the two best teams in the league. Game one of the 2014 NBA Finals begins Thursday 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
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