The NBA playoffs standings for 2014 have the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs as the last two teams left and both Tim Duncan and LeBron James have championship legacies on the line as the NBA finals Game 1 starts on TV on Thursday with coverage from ABC and WatchESPN in San Antonio as Miami goes for a third straight title and the Spurs try and avenge their loss from last year and now the Spurs are up 1-0 after winning a game wher LeBron James had to leave because of cramps.
Miami won the title last season after coming oh so close to losing it and they survived Game 6 in elimination territory after a last second shot from Ray Allen and now the Heat have the chance to win their third straight NBA title. James is looking to put himself in some lofty company, as Kobe Bryant and Michal Jordan are the last two players to three peat and Jordan did it twice while with the Bulls. James has part of his legacy on the line in the series, as he will not be able to three-peat again for another four years and that makes this series even more urgent. Dwyane Wade sat out 30 games this past season with injuries and for rest and that has paid off, as he looks healthy and ready to go in the finals.
James comes in after leading his team in scoring, rebounding and assists in the series against the Pacers and he now has the chance to win his third NBA title and finals MVP this year. The Spurs have been thinking about this since last year and all they have wanted is another shot at the Miami Heat and now they have it. Chris Bosh, Wade and James have the chance to win another title and this time it will be very difficult. The Spurs are a better team, but so is Miami and players on the bench may end up deciding the series.
James scored 25 points in the final win over the Pacers and the drive by Indiana to get home court advantage ended up being a waste of time, as the team never came close to beating Miami. Game 6 was a blowout after Miami lost in Game 5 and now many expect this to be a close series after San Antonio and Oklahoma City played to a bunch if blowouts.
The AT&T Center will be host to the first two games and Game 1 starts on Thursday at 9 pm and will be on ABC and WatchESPN, while Game 2 will be on Sunday night and starts at 8 pm. The games shift to South Beach and American Airlines Arena for Games 3 and 4 and those will be big for the Heat, as the format is 2-2-1-1-1 after being 2-3-2 last season and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
