Miami Heat don’t have what it takes to hang with the San Antonio Spurs
Jun 13, 2014, 8:18 PM | Updated: 8:19 pm
Look, I am not surprised the Spurs are up 3-1 in this series. I picked them three months ago and said that this was the best Spurs team I had ever seen. I had them winning this series in five games because I believe they are that much better than Miami. But no one could have seen this coming. San Antonio isn’t just beating the two-time defending champion Heat, they are destroying them. Demolishing them. Embarrassing them.
The Spurs are beating Miami like a drum and if I was the NBA I might consider installing a mercy rule for Game 5 in San Antonio. Yes, it’s that bad. San Antonio has won by 15, 19 and 21. That’s three wins by a combined 55 points!
But why? How? What are the Spurs doing that is making the Heat look so bad?
In a nutshell it is simple: San Antonio has more scorers, more players who can create, better team defense, better coaching and a deeper, more talented bench.
Yes, Gregg Popovich is that much better of a coach than Eric Spoelstra. I know Miami won last year but they needed a little bit of luck to do it. Popovich is the best in the NBA at developing a bench. Bench players need rhythm and confidence in order to be successful, they get that under Pop. All of the San Antonio role players are playing great. Patty Mills, Danny Green, Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw, Marco Belinelli. Popovich played these guys all year, none of his starters averaged 30 minutes a game. These bench/role players are prepared to and capable of helping the Spurs win.
Kawhi Leonard is torching the Miami defense — or lack of defense. The Heat have no interior presence, and I mean NONE. I keep getting messages about how Miami should play Udonis Haslem more because they need another big. Really? Haslem isn’t a big. He is 6-foot-8 but can’t jump. Chris Bosh has never been a center. The Heat have no idea how to defend the Spurs because they can’t. Just look at the shooting percentages of Duncan, Leonard, Splitter and Green.
From the Heat perspective, this has very little to do with LeBron and has everything to do with his cast of characters. He has no help. Dwyane Wade is not the same player he once was as his knees have given out on him. His career is going in the wrong direction. If they want Carmelo Anthony or any other player for next season it shouldn’t be LeBron taking a pay cut; it should be Wade playing for around mid-level.
Miami will show up ready to play in Game 5, ready to save their season. But against the Spurs it’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight. They are just outclassed in this series.
