Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Ron of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com. For more NBA news and updates, visit Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues today.
The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs seem like two almost evenly matched teams entering the 2014 NBA Finals. One team has the upper hand in a position but the other team has the edge on another sector. Let’s break down each position and examine where the Spurs are better and where they are worse than the Miami Heat.
Point guard
There is no question about who the best point guard of the series will be. Tony Parker is not just better than Mario Chalmers but in fact he is projected to be a key factor in this series. The only question for Gregg Popovich at the moment is if Parker will be at his 100 percent. Due to his recent ankle injury, the Frenchman point guard might not be able to stay at the top of his game. Hopefully, Parker will be available throughout the series thus making this matchup even more competitive and interesting.
Shooting guard
One of the most underrated factors in this Miami Heat team this season is Dwyane Wade. Of course, we all know how big of a superstar Wade is. Nonetheless, mainly due to his knee issues and his struggles last season, Wade’s contribution to the Heat’s three–peat push has been neglected. But still, Dwyane Wade was, is and will continue to be one of the biggest keys to success for the Heat. Erik Spoelstra conserved his superstar throughout the course of the season having the playoffs on his mind. Now, it’s the time for Wade to go full speed.
Danny Green, on the other hand, was simply superb last year during the postseason. He stole the show thanks to his accuracy from beyond the three–point arc. He is still one of the main contributors for the Spurs on both ends of the floor. However, Dwyane Wade clearly wins this matchup. The Heat hold the advantage at the shooting guard spot but expect Green to seriously test Wade’s endurance.
Small forward
No offense to Kawhi Leonard. He is going to be a superstar one day. But for now, his matchup at the small forward, LeBron James, is the man ruling the matchup. LeBron James is not just the better player out of the two starting small forwards. He is the true MVP of the playoffs and he will have to continue playing like that throughout the NBA Finals series. Leonard, on the other hand, emerged as a big factor for the Spurs this year. He is a tremendous defender and he is getting more and more responsibilities on offense, too. This will be a really interesting matchup.
Power forward
Tim Duncan is the starting power forward for the Spurs and Chris Bosh will guard him in several stretches of the game. So we’ll examine them together. This matchup can make the difference in the series. Duncan is a 38–year-old future Hall of Famer and also the best power forward to ever play the game. On the other side, Chris Bosh has faced several ups and downs through the season but he always responded with big performances when it mattered the most. If Bosh manages to drag Duncan in the perimeter, LeBron and Wade will have more room to operate inside. Nonetheless, Duncan could win this matchup sooner than later if he just stick to his habits and if he continues to play the pick and roll with Parker as greatly as he has done up to now. Defense, barricading the paint will be something both power forwards will have to do and the one who does better in this sector could greatly assist his team win the championship.
Center
Here we have Tiago Splitter against Shane Battier or Udonis Haslem or Rashard Lewis or you name it. Whoever Splitter’s opponent might be, this is a really unpredictable matchup. Rashard Lewis just recently scored more points in a single game than he did in all playoff games the Heat played up to then. Shane Battier can go for zero points for an entire series and then score 15 points in a single quarter.
Tiago Splitter, on the other hand, can use his size advantage against his matchup. However, during the 2013 NBA Finals he was the weak link of the Spurs starting lineup. Many times he got smashed on defense and on offense he was a non – factor. Don’t expect much more from him this year.
The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs seem like two almost evenly matched teams entering the 2014 NBA Finals. One team has the upper hand in a position but the other team has the edge on another sector. Let’s break down each position and examine where the Spurs are better and where they are worse than the Miami Heat.
Point guard
There is no question about who the best point guard of the series will be. Tony Parker is not just better than Mario Chalmers but in fact he is projected to be a key factor in this series. The only question for Gregg Popovich at the moment is if Parker will be at his 100 percent. Due to his recent ankle injury, the Frenchman point guard might not be able to stay at the top of his game. Hopefully, Parker will be available throughout the series thus making this matchup even more competitive and interesting.
Shooting guard
One of the most underrated factors in this Miami Heat team this season is Dwyane Wade. Of course, we all know how big of a superstar Wade is. Nonetheless, mainly due to his knee issues and his struggles last season, Wade’s contribution to the Heat’s three–peat push has been neglected. But still, Dwyane Wade was, is and will continue to be one of the biggest keys to success for the Heat. Erik Spoelstra conserved his superstar throughout the course of the season having the playoffs on his mind. Now, it’s the time for Wade to go full speed.
Danny Green, on the other hand, was simply superb last year during the postseason. He stole the show thanks to his accuracy from beyond the three–point arc. He is still one of the main contributors for the Spurs on both ends of the floor. However, Dwyane Wade clearly wins this matchup. The Heat hold the advantage at the shooting guard spot but expect Green to seriously test Wade’s endurance.
Small forward
No offense to Kawhi Leonard. He is going to be a superstar one day. But for now, his matchup at the small forward, LeBron James, is the man ruling the matchup. LeBron James is not just the better player out of the two starting small forwards. He is the true MVP of the playoffs and he will have to continue playing like that throughout the NBA Finals series. Leonard, on the other hand, emerged as a big factor for the Spurs this year. He is a tremendous defender and he is getting more and more responsibilities on offense, too. This will be a really interesting matchup.
Power forward
Tim Duncan is the starting power forward for the Spurs and Chris Bosh will guard him in several stretches of the game. So we’ll examine them together. This matchup can make the difference in the series. Duncan is a 38–year-old future Hall of Famer and also the best power forward to ever play the game. On the other side, Chris Bosh has faced several ups and downs through the season but he always responded with big performances when it mattered the most. If Bosh manages to drag Duncan in the perimeter, LeBron and Wade will have more room to operate inside. Nonetheless, Duncan could win this matchup sooner than later if he just stick to his habits and if he continues to play the pick and roll with Parker as greatly as he has done up to now. Defense, barricading the paint will be something both power forwards will have to do and the one who does better in this sector could greatly assist his team win the championship.
Center
Here we have Tiago Splitter against Shane Battier or Udonis Haslem or Rashard Lewis or you name it. Whoever Splitter’s opponent might be, this is a really unpredictable matchup. Rashard Lewis just recently scored more points in a single game than he did in all playoff games the Heat played up to then. Shane Battier can go for zero points for an entire series and then score 15 points in a single quarter.
Tiago Splitter, on the other hand, can use his size advantage against his matchup. However, during the 2013 NBA Finals he was the weak link of the Spurs starting lineup. Many times he got smashed on defense and on offense he was a non – factor. Don’t expect much more from him this year.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
