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Game 6 of the NBA Finals is upon us.
Everything is on the line for the Miami Heat and LeBron James as they face elimination against the San Antonio Spurs at home in Miami. Pressure has mounted and their backs are against the wall. Win and survive to play for everything; Lose and go home to a summer of criticism and speculation.
If the Heat go down, don’t expect LeBron James to be the cause. He will play great in Game 6.
The NBA Finals are nearing the end of the road (cue Boyz II Men). As we stand only three games removed from the conclusion of the 2012-13 NBA season, the speculation as to where this summer’s prized free agents will land is beginning to swirl at a fever pitch.
It was only days ago that three NBA franchises were hit with fines for tampering with eventual free agents Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets being among them.
The idea of Howard and Paul playing together has been circling the rumor mill for quite some time, especially since there are a handful of teams keen on replicating Pat Riley’s model in Miami for building a championship caliber team centered around a core of superstar players.
Recently, the story is that Paul and Howard have been in constant discussion of the possibility of teaming up. This prompted a sharp response from ESPN NBA Analyst Bill Simmons.
Hey Dwight? You thought playing with Kobe was hard? On a day-to-day basis, CP3 is even more relentless and unforgiving. But good luck!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 14, 2013
Friday, as many were still digesting the Miami Heat’s victory in Game 4 over the San Antonio Spurs, ESPN’s Chris Broussard—citing multiple sources—confirmed that the two star free agents are in fact communicating and would like to play with one another.
One source confirmed that “they would love to play together if somebody can make it happen.”
Yet, the team with the most flexibility available to acquire the two of them—the Atlanta Hawks—appears to have soured on both impending free agents. As Broussard’s sources stated that while Howard would be willing to play in Atlanta if Paul wanted to go there, the All-Star point guard is not as fond of Atlanta as he once was.
“It would be very tough for him to go to Atlanta. He loved Atlanta when they should have drafted him in ’05 but not so much since then. But hey, everybody is an option at this point.”
While it may sound like Atlanta is losing favor, the fact that they have the most money readily available to dispose of cannot be forgotten.
As the saying goes, “Money talks…”
Previous Tweet Posts:
Tweet of the Night: Mike Wilbon wonders where the Dwyane Wade haters went
Heat hold remote Game 4 preparations
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Michael Brumagin is the “Tweet of the Day” columnist for Sheridan Hoops.
The NBA Finals have yet to disappoint when it comes to headlines and talking points. From LeBron James registering a triple-double in a Game 1 that ended in spectacular fashion—with a Tony Parker play that seemed unbelievable—to two straight blowouts (one favoring each team) in Game 2 and Game 3, this year’s Finals have been a roller coaster of entertainment.
Twitter has been as lively as ever, with most people questioning Miami Heat and their leader James.
What’s wrong with the Heat’s defense? Why is LeBron being so passive? When will coach Spoelstra make adjustments?
As if Game 4 of the NBA Finals didn’t already have enough allure, the Miami Heat took their show on the road for their morning shootaround Thursday, opting to hold their practice session in a remote location.
“I played like —-.”
LeBron James was as blunt as ever as he spoke to the media Wednesday follow the Miami Heat’s 113 – 77 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He did not shy away from blame, on the contrary, he took it all on the chin.
I take full responsibility for our team’s performance last night. Me as a leader, I can’t afford to perform like I did last night and expect us to win on the road, it’s that simple. So I’m putting all the pressure on my chest, on my shoulders to come through for our team. That’s the way it is.”
And, to a degree he is right. While he can’t take blame for everything—such as the terrible job his teammates did covering San Antonio three-point shooters Danny Green and Gary Neal or Mario Chalmers’ complete melt down—he was clearly not himself, especially on offense.
[Podcast: Why is LeBron James afraid to shoot jumpers?]
Shot chart courtesy of NBA.com
James’ performance was atrocious. He shot an abysmal 7-of-21 from the field. Five of his seven makes came in the paint, where he shot 71-percent, but was 2-of-14 outside the painted area (just 14-percent).
That is a significant drop-off from the 42-percent that he shot on shots ranging from 10-feet to the three-point line during the regular season. He was 1-of-4 from beyond the arc in Game 3, a dismal 25-percent compared to the career mark of 40-percent that he set this year.
During the Heat’s post-practice media session, LeBron made it clear that he intends to play better in Game 4. The NBA posted his vow on the league Twitter account for all to see—so there won’t be any leniency should he fail to live up to his own words.
[blackbirdpieurl="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/344903962450882560"]
While the Heat were practicing Wednesday morning, James could be seen posting from the right elbow—working on spin moves to the basket. So, one could easily surmise that he intends to make more of a concerted effort to have a presence in the post in Game 4.
[RELATED: Podcast: What to make of LeBron James' Guarantee?]
There was a problem connecting to Twitter. There was a problem with the blakbirdpie shortcodeTeammate Dwyane Wade seems confident that James will do what is necessary to have more of an impact in the next game.
There was a problem connecting to Twitter.Heat fans can only hope that he’ll follow through on his words and make the adjustments necessary to have a much more competitive Game 4 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. If the Heat, and particularly LeBron James, fail to play more efficiently on offense (and continue to give up open threes on defense), there will not be a repeat champion in 2013.
Previous Tweet Posts:
Reactions of NBA players and others from Game 3 of the NBA Finals
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Michael Brumagin is the “Tweet of the Day” columnist for Sheridan Hoops.
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