The Miami Heat got the split they wanted and needed in San Antonio to start the NBA Finals against the Spurs. With the series now shifting to Miami for Game 3, will the Spurs, one of the better road teams in the NBA during the regular season, be able to play the kind of game they want to play? LeBron James will try to keep San Antonio from having a chance to respond.
Tuesday, June 10th – 9:00 PM ET
NBA Odds: Miami –4.5
Why The Spurs Can Win:
They are on even terms with the Heat even though they missed eight free throws in Game 2 of the series and committed 22 turnovers in Game 1. The Spurs have not played their best. They certainly haven’t shot the ball very well. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, their most reliable players over many years, are the best players for San Antonio in the finals. The Spurs should be happy to be 1-1 in this series with Kawhi Leonard not being as good as he can be, and with Danny Green getting into foul trouble in Game 2. The Spurs’ bench was supposed to have been a strength for the team but that bench has not been great in this series so far. It’s been better than Miami’s bench, but not as much of a difference-maker as a lot of people expected. San Antonio can shoot free throws better, and it can play with more savvy in general. As long as the Spurs make a few basic corrections to the way in which they play, they should be able to win this game in Miami and change the direction of the series in general.
Why The Heat Can Win:
They are going to be flying at home after getting such a satisfying split in San Antonio. The Heat really had to be fuming among themselves after Game 1, in which LeBron James cramped up due to extreme heat caused by a lack of air conditioning in San Antonio. The Heat had to feel that they were robbed of a chance to win that game, and they had to sit around for two full days before Game 2 this past Sunday. Yet, Miami was able to win on the road and get a split before returning home for Game 3. The Heat should be playing with a lot of confidence. LeBron, who scored 35 points in Game 2, should be ready to play well again. Dwyane Wade, coming home, should be able to make even more of an impact in this series than he did in the first two games. The Heat’s bench hasn’t done very much at all. It has been worse than San Antonio’s bench. People in the NBA say that home teams usually get their supporting casts to play better. Miami will win this game if it receives merely modest improvements from its non-Big Three players.
Outlook
This is a close series, one that seems likely to go the distance. Games are probably going to be extremely close on a regular basis. A spread of almost five points for the Heat is understandable, but San Antonio should be angry after losing Game 2. Take the Spurs plus the points, and to win outright as well.
Pick: Spurs +4.5
