Ginobili Takes Stroll Down Memory Lane, Aiding Spurs to Convincing Game Five Win

Sunday night’s Game Five of the 2013 NBA Finals was a hard-fought game on both sides, although the final score was closer than the actual game.

The Spurs were in total control, seemingly answering every Miami bucket with a score of their own. Although LeBron James and Dwayne Wade combined to score 50 HEAT points, it was the performance of Manu Ginobili [in his first game since Game Six of the 2012 Western Conference Finals]  (24 points, two rebounds, 10 assists, one steal) that “spurred” San Antonio to victory.

(rim-shot!) Thank you, I’m here all night! Try the champagne!

Anyway, Miami was simply outplayed on all ends of the ball tonight. Ray Allen was the saving grace tonight for the HEAT. His 21 points and four consecutive three-point shots kept them in the ballgame.

San Antonio’s other huge star in Game Five was Danny Green. He went 6-10 shooting from behind the three point arc tonight, setting the new NBA Finals record for most three-balls made (23.) The previous record holder? Ray Allen, who set the mark in 2008 as a Boston Celtic.

Miami shot 43 percent on the night to San Antonio’s 60. They allowed no fewer than 26 points in a quarter tonight. On the other side of the coin, the fewest points the Spurs allowed in a 12-minute period this evening: 19 in the first quarter.

The HEAT must stiffen up their defense in Game Six Tuesday if they wish to extend these NBA Finals to a winner-take-all Game Seven on Thursday.

A bit of good news for the Spurs: When The Finals have been tied at 2-2 in the 2-3-2 format, the winner of Game Five has won the championship 70 percent of the time.

This series has seen both teams alternate wins, and has the makings of being the first NBA Finals to go the distance in four years. Most of the sports pundits around the nation predicted this at the start of the series. It’ll be a shock if it doesn’t happen.

Remaining NBA Finals Schedule:

Game Six: San Antonio vs. Miami (Tuesday at 9:00 ET)

Game Seven: (if necessary) San Antonio vs. Miami (Thursday at 9:00 ET)

CFL Strengthens American Television Coverage, Adds ESPN2

In 12 days, the road to the 101st Grey Cup Game will begin as another season of the Canadian Football League kicks off. As usual, there were questions as to where American fans could watch games. We now have answers to those questions.

All CFL games can be viewed in America on three networks.

NBC Sports Network is continuing its relationship with the League for the second consecutive season, airing selected games beginning with the season opener between the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 27 in primetime at 9:00 Eastern Time, 6:00 Pacific.

ESPN3.COM will continue its live streaming of CFL games this year. Their coverage begins with the Wendy’s Friday Night Football season premiere doubleheader (Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions vs. Calgary Stampeders) on June 28 starting at 7:00 Eastern Time.

For the first time since the mid-1990′s, ESPN2 will air Canadian Football League action with a Game of the Week telecast, beginning with the Saskatchewan Roughriders taking on the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday, June 28 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

(NOTE: It is unknown if ESPN2 will keep the CFL telecasts on their schedule beyond the weekend of August 24 at this time, due to their marathon coverage of college football on autumn weekends.)

This is, without a doubt, the best possible broadcast deal that the League and its United States fans could have asked and hoped for.

NBC Sports Network did a great job bringing selected Canadian games to stateside viewers last year, with most of them airing live. It’s no surprise that the CFL re-upped the deal with them.

ESPN3 has brought quality live streams of CFL games in past years, and such Webcasts were brought to viewers in HD quality. This is made possible because ESPN owns a minority stake in TSN, the exclusive English-language television partner of the Canadian Football League in the Great White North.

ESPN2′s partnership with the CFL is the best part of the deal because The Deuce is carried by every major cable and satellite provider in the United States, reaching millions of American homes. This will give the League its best exposure it’s had in America in years.

The added exposure from ESPN will also benefit the players in the CFL because more NFL scouts will have the chance to watch games, which could be a springboard for the guys to make it playing football in the States. It’ll also ensure that the players’ loved ones will have a chance to see their boys play.

Be sure to watch the CFL beginning in a few weeks! This is OUR League!

LeBron and D-Wade Team up for Huge HEAT Victory, Series Knotted up at 2-2

Dominance. The collective performance of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade of the Miami HEAT can be summed up pretty easily with that one word, and coupled with the output of Chris Bosh, the performance can be described with “uber-dominance.”

LeBron led all scorers with 33 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 41 minutes of play Thursday night. D-Wade scored 32 points with six rebounds, four assists, six steals and one blocked shot in 40 minutes in Game Four.

Chris Bosh, who is drawing interest from the Bobcats organization to be traded from Miami in exchange for the #4 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft in two weeks, scored 20 points, had 13 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist in 38 minutes of play last night. The Big Three combined to score 75 of Miami’s 109 points in Game Four.

On the other side of the coin, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Danny Green only combined for 45 points last night. The Spurs can’t expect to win these NBA Finals if they allow easy buckets from Miami on a consistent basis, the way they did in Game Four.

If San Antonio were to come back and win this series, they’d have to work on their defense heavily in practice over the next two days. If they work their butts off in practice, they may have a chance to capture the title.

Remaining NBA Finals Schedule: (all games on ABC, WatchESPN, and ESPN Radio)

Game Five: Miami vs. San Antonio (Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Game Six: San Antonio vs. Miami (Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Game Seven: (if necessary) San Antonio vs. Miami (Thursday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Spurs Blow Out HEAT in Submissive Game Three Victory

Fans of blowouts had to enjoy last evening’s Game Three of the 2013 NBA Finals. This one didn’t look like it was going to get too out of hand at first, but a Finals record 16 three-point buckets for San Antonio did the HEAT in.

Miami was led by Chris Bosh, who scored 12 points, had 10 rebounds (eight defensively), a steal, and three blocked shots. LeBron James scored 15 for Miami, had 11 boards, four assists, a steal and three blocks.

However, James had a -32 in the plus-minus category, meaning the HEAT were terrible when he was off the court, giving up 17 points to San Antonio. Miami’s true saving grace was the play of shooting guard Mike Miller, who logged 22 minutes, converting on all five of his three-point attempts.

San Antonio came out like a well-oiled machine last night. Three of their five starters, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, and Danny Green, scored in double figures, with Green’s 27 points leading all scorers. Green also had four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

The Spurs played great basketball as a whole on Tuesday, shooting 49 percent from the field, 50 percent from downtown, and 58 percent from the free-throw line.

They scored 20 fast break points to Miami’s 11, 40 points in the paint to Miami’s 32, and converted 13 Miami turnovers to 17 points. Miami, on the other hand, converted 16 San Antonio turnovers to only 13 points.

This was a bad game, and a 35-14 romp by the Spurs in the fourth quarter put it away for San Antonio. Final: Spurs 113, Miami 77. San Antonio now leads the best-of-seven series two games to one. Whatever the Miami HEAT did in practicing for Game Two last Sunday should be revisited for Game Four tomorrow night.

Erik Spolestra should add three-point defense to the defensive gameplan for Thursday.

You can’t allow your opponents to go 16-32 from downtown and expect to win, especially in a series of this magnitude. Limiting the Spurs’ chances from three-point land will go a long way in making the Finals a 2-2 series heading into Game Five Sunday Night.

Remaining NBA Finals Schedule (all games on ABC, WatchESPN, & ESPN Radio. Telecasts to be preceeded by NBA Countdown 30 minutes prior to tip.)

Game Four: Miami vs. San Antonio: Thursday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Game Five: Miami vs. San Antonio: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Game Six: San Antonio vs. Miami: (if necessary) Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Game Seven: San Antonio vs. Miami: (if necessary) June 20, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

HEAT Take Control in Second Half of Game Two, Even Series

Sunday night’s Game Two of the 2013 NBA Finals was a must-win for the Miami HEAT, as they came off of a close four-point loss last Thursday night at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

For the past few days, the question nationwide was “How will Miami respond to the pressure?” Tonight, every critic of the HEAT was effectively silenced.

To start. the Spurs, who had only turned the ball over four times in Game One, had four turnovers within the opening minutes of this evening’s game. They finished with 16 on the night.

San Antonio, as a whole, was disastrous. Tim Duncan finished the game with just nine points (3-13 shooting), despite pulling down 11 boards.

Danny Green was San Antonio’s high scorer with 17 points, connecting on all of his shots. Tony Parker scored 14 points (5-15 shooting), and had five rebounds and a blocked shot.

Miami was led by (who else?) LeBron James, who had 17 points, eight boards, seven assists, three pick-pockets and three shots where he said “Uh-uh! Not on my side of the court!” (blocks.)

Mario Chalmers scored 19 points for the champs, who went on a 30-5 run to put Game Two on ice,

The HEAT led by double digits for much of the second 24 minutes of play, marking the first time in these NBA Finals that either team led by double figures.  As mentioned earlier, Miami’s 30-5 run in the second half was the dagger in the hopes of a 2-0 series lead for San Antonio.

Final score: Miami 103, San Antonio 84. The series is tied, 1-1 and now shifts to AT&T Center for the next three games, which are crucial for both teams.

Upcoming NBA Finals schedule: (All games on ABC, WatchESPN, and ESPN Radio. Telecasts preceeded by NBA Countdown a half-hour prior to tip-off.)

Game Three: Miami vs. San Antonio (Tuesday, 9:00 ET.)

Game Four: Miami vs. San Antonio (Thursday, 9:00 ET)

Game Five: Miami vs. San Antonio (June 16, 8:00 ET)

Game Six: (if necessary) San Antonio vs. Miami (June 18, 9:00 ET)

Game Seven: (if necessary) San Antonio vs. Miami (June 20, 9:00 ET)

NOTE: This is LeBron James’ first NBA Finals game victory over the Spurs (was 0-5 heading into Game Two)

Miami HEAT Collapse in Late Stages of Game One, Now What?

Game One of the NBA Finals was an exciting one. Both the Miami HEAT and San Antonio Spurs came out firing on all cylinders. A 24-23 first quarter got the series off to a great start.

Future Spurs Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan got off to a shaky start. He logged 10 first quarter minutes, but scored no points and had two personal fouls. Duncan rebounded over the last 36 minutes of play, scoring 20 points and snatching 14 boards.

Duncan is only the second player to accomplish such a feat in an NBA Finals game after age 35, joining the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who did this twice.

San Antonio took good care of the basketball last night, turning it over just four times. Those four turnovers tie the NBA Finals all-time low, set by the Pistons against the Spurs in Game Four of the 2005 Finals.

It’s obvious that the Spurs’ great offense and stingy defense were just too much for Miami at night’s end. The HEAT scored just 16 points in the last 12 minutes, whereas San Antonio put 23 on the board in the fourth.

LeBron James, who recorded his 10th playoff triple double, with 18 points, 18 boards, and 10 assists, scored just six points in the last quarter. Dwayne Wade, LeBron’s right-hand man, was kept off the scoreboard in the final 12 minutes.

In order for Miami to win Game Two on Sunday night, Miami will have to work on containing Tony Parker. They just were unable to defend him last night, and if this lackluster defensive effort carries into the next game, we could be looking at a short series.

Over the next two days, the HEAT must practice their butts off in order to make this a 1-1 series at the close of business Sunday.

Final score from Thursday, Spurs 92, HEAT 88. Game Two is set for Sunday evening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time back in Miami on ABC.

EDIT: The poll is now closed.

In Defense of LeBron James

It’s been almost a decade since an 18-year-old young man named LeBron James was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs got James by securing the first pick as a result of their win of the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery.

In the 2002-2003 season, James’ senior year at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School, the Cavaliers struggled through a dismal campaign, going just 17-65. As soon as the team won the Draft Lottery, James signed a contract with Ohio’s lone NBA franchise.

Many thought LeBron was going to be the guy to finally lead Cleveland to a professional sports championship. He had the skills to do it. James won the 2003-2004 Rookie of the Year Award over the #2 overall pick, Carmelo Anthony, then of the Denver Nuggets.

That summer, James guided the United States Men’s National Team to a third place finish in hoops at the 2004 Athens Games. Some detractors referred to James as “LeBronze.” The next NBA season came around, and LeBron and the Cavs just barely missed the playoffs.

The 2005-2006 season was James’ third year in the NBA, and his first playoff appearance. He was denied a ring. After an incredible Game Six from King James (32 points and 11 rebounds), the Detroit Pistons regrouped in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Fast-forward to 2007, when the Cavs found themselves in the Playoffs again. LeBron and company found themselves in the NBA Finals for the first time in Cavaliers franchise history. The Cavs were no match for Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, who swept Cleveland in four straight games. Duncan and company snatched their fourth ring.

In 2007-2008, Cleveland found themselves in the playoffs again. The Cavs faced the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a series that went the distance.

In spite of a 45-point output from James in the deciding game, the Celtics, led by a 41-point burst from Paul Pierce, advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and ultimately defeated the L.A. Lakers in six games to take the World Championship.

2008-2009 was the best season the Cavs ever had. They posted a 66-16 mark, securing the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. After sweeping their first two opponents, Cleveland ran into a juggernaut of a team known as the Orlando Magic. LeBron’s major highlight of the ’09 ECF: A game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer to take game two and knot up the series at a game each.

The Magic ultimately took the Eastern Conference berth in the 2009 NBA Finals, but were defeated by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals. This was Bryant’s fourth NBA title.

The 2009 off-season was highlighted by the signing of the legendary Shaquille O’Neal on the morning of the 2009 NBA Draft. In exchange for O’Neal, the Cavaliers rescinded their 2010 draft selections and cash consideration.

This was believed to be the acquisition that would give the Cavaliers a title for sure, but no dice. Cleveland didn’t even make it to the ECF that year.

It was a late spring and early summer of uncertainty for the Cavs franchise. They had no draft picks to build the franchise around, and LeBron’s contract was up. In an interview several years prior, James had said that he’d remain in Cleveland until the Cavaliers won a  championship.

It was obvious, however, that he didn’t want to stay. In July of 2010, LeBron announced on a highly-publicized and controversial ESPN special titled The Decision, “This fall, I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami HEAT.”

Clevelanders immediately resented James and wanted him to fail. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert composed an open letter to fans where he promised that the Cavaliers would win a title before King James did.

Uh, hey, Dan, how’s that workin’ out for you?

Cavs: Past three years: No playoff appearances

HEAT: Past three years: Three playoff appearances, three Eastern Conference Championships, one NBA title.

Cleveland fans, it’s time for you to be happy for LeBron. He left the Cavaliers for the betterment of his career. The move to the HEAT was a business move, one that paid off handsomely for him.

Watch The Finals over the next few weeks, but don’t hate LeBron because of how he supposedly wronged you. Appreciate his game. He is an awesome player and even a better person.