Miami vs. San Antonio - Game 1: 9 p.m. Thursday in San Antonio
This, to me and I think a lot of other people, is an extremely tough series to pick. The Spurs basically had the championship wrapped up last season in six games before a meltdown at the end of Game 6 in the final
minute. The Heat went on to win at home in Game 7, their second straight NBA title. San Antonio has made it known it was not happy about how last season ended. Tim Duncan, normally a pretty quiet dude, said as much recently. LeBron James and the Heat have said they will draw motivation from the Spurs being angry. It should be a great series. This is the first time a series is a rematch since the 1997 and '98 finals between the Bulls and Jazz.
The two teams split their regular-season series, 1-1. Miami mostly coasted through the Eastern Conference playoffs while the Spurs really had to grind a bit to get through the tough Western Conference playoffs. The
health of Tony Parker will be a key for the Spurs, as he has a bum left ankle. That is one of my concerns for this series. Will the Spurs and their aging veterans be able to hold up? The long season and long playoffs could get to them. I think the Spurs have played better all year and have a great chance but I also think Miami has another gear it has been able to turn to in the playoffs. All year, the Pacers and Spurs were pushing to be No. 1 in the league. Meanwhile, the Heat were biding their time, not always pushing that hard, waiting for the playoffs and making sure they were rested. That has paid off in the playoffs as Dwyane Wade's performances have shown. The Heat veteran took lots of time off in the regular season to ease the wear on his aging knees and now he is averaging 18 points per game in the playoffs.
The Heat I think will be more rested for this finals. The Spurs might be better but I have concerns about their endurance. Miami has barely had to push itself in the playoffs. If the Spurs stay healthy and surprise me, I like them in seven. But when it comes down to it, I think it'll be the Heat again.
Prediction: Miami in 7
Stanley Cup Final: I know next to nothing about hockey and don't generally pay attention to it but I know the Kings and Rangers are facing each other in the Stanley Cup Final (my friend and former coworker from Lynchburg, Ryan Pronk, specifically told me it is "Final" without an "s"). This is the first New York-L.A. major sports championship since 1981 (Dodgers-Yankees), which is crazy to me that it has been that long. The Rangers have had a bit of a storybook run through the playoffs. Even Ryan, who is a Rangers fan, didn't expect them to get this far. The Kings weren't exactly on the top of the pile either in the Western Conference, but they have the more recent championship pedigree (2012 champs) and home ice advantage. And they won Game 1 on Wednesday night, 3-2 in OT, in Los Angeles. Even before the first game, though, I would have picked the Kings.
Prediction: Los Angeles in 7
This, to me and I think a lot of other people, is an extremely tough series to pick. The Spurs basically had the championship wrapped up last season in six games before a meltdown at the end of Game 6 in the final
The two teams split their regular-season series, 1-1. Miami mostly coasted through the Eastern Conference playoffs while the Spurs really had to grind a bit to get through the tough Western Conference playoffs. The
health of Tony Parker will be a key for the Spurs, as he has a bum left ankle. That is one of my concerns for this series. Will the Spurs and their aging veterans be able to hold up? The long season and long playoffs could get to them. I think the Spurs have played better all year and have a great chance but I also think Miami has another gear it has been able to turn to in the playoffs. All year, the Pacers and Spurs were pushing to be No. 1 in the league. Meanwhile, the Heat were biding their time, not always pushing that hard, waiting for the playoffs and making sure they were rested. That has paid off in the playoffs as Dwyane Wade's performances have shown. The Heat veteran took lots of time off in the regular season to ease the wear on his aging knees and now he is averaging 18 points per game in the playoffs.The Heat I think will be more rested for this finals. The Spurs might be better but I have concerns about their endurance. Miami has barely had to push itself in the playoffs. If the Spurs stay healthy and surprise me, I like them in seven. But when it comes down to it, I think it'll be the Heat again.
Prediction: Miami in 7
Stanley Cup Final: I know next to nothing about hockey and don't generally pay attention to it but I know the Kings and Rangers are facing each other in the Stanley Cup Final (my friend and former coworker from Lynchburg, Ryan Pronk, specifically told me it is "Final" without an "s"). This is the first New York-L.A. major sports championship since 1981 (Dodgers-Yankees), which is crazy to me that it has been that long. The Rangers have had a bit of a storybook run through the playoffs. Even Ryan, who is a Rangers fan, didn't expect them to get this far. The Kings weren't exactly on the top of the pile either in the Western Conference, but they have the more recent championship pedigree (2012 champs) and home ice advantage. And they won Game 1 on Wednesday night, 3-2 in OT, in Los Angeles. Even before the first game, though, I would have picked the Kings.
Prediction: Los Angeles in 7
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