The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs are about to battle in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a long and hard battle through the playoffs and after defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games, LeBron James and company will have the first two matchups at home after being the number one seed in the East.
The Spurs made quick work of the Grizzlies in the Western conference finals after sweeping out Memphis in four games and now the team is back in the finals for the first time since 2007 and it is against a familiar foe. The Spurs swept away James and the Cavaliers back in 2007 and now he will be able to get the chance at revenge in Game 1, which airs on ABC at 9 PM on Thursday night. The Spurs are looking for their third championship with the crew of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and they will have to do it against the new Big Three of James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
The Spurs finished off the Grizzlies last week with a 93-86 win and the game wasn't much of a contest as Tony Parker scored 37 points to continue his hot play in the postseason, while Duncan led the team with eight rebounds. Duncan has been playing like a much younger version of himself and he is looking for a fifth championship with the Spurs as the old guard takes on the new dynasty. Parker has been the MVP for the Spurs in the playoffs and he had 26 points and five assists in the previous game, which followed one of the best performances of his career when he dished out 18 assists. Duncan has been remarkable and he posted a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds in Game 3 before adding 15 points and eight rebounds in the clinching game.
San Antonio will have a tough matchup with Miami, as the Heat are back in the finals for the third straight year as they look for their second straight championship. James led the way once again against the Pacers in Game 7, scoring 32 points and grabbing eight rebounds as Miami routed Indiana 99-76 to advance. Dwyane Wade played much better than earlier in the series and Bosh stepped up as well to give the Heat a boost, while coach Erik Spoelstra sat down Shane Battier and that appeared to work wonders. James scored 30 points and 29 points in the two previous games and he will be the focal point again for the Miami offense. The team has the benefit of home court advantage and despite the Spurs being off for a week, the Heat will be ready Thursday night.
Miami and San Antonio is one of the best matchups the NBA could hope for and each side has their own big three and their own style of winning that should be an interesting matchup. James wants to win his second title and doing it against a team that once swept him will be something he will enjoy doing. James showed how dominant he can be in the games against the Pacers, including in Game 5 when he took over the third quarter and assisted or scored on 25 of 30 points as Miami overwhelmed Indiana. Game 1 of the finals is on Thursday night.
