The San Antonio Spurs celebrate their
Western Conference Finals victory.
Tony Parker
The San Antonio Spurs have swept the Memphis Grizzlies in four games in the Western Conference Championship. The Spurs will play either the Miami Heat or the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. Spurs point guard Tony Parker has come up big for his team in the Western Conference Finals, making big plays and racking up big point totals. Tim Duncan made some nice plays in the paint, and Manu Ginobli stepped up, as well. As a team, San Antonio was able to overcome Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs beat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals, and the Grizzlies upset the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Semifinal round. Originally, I thought the Heat would take on the Thunder in the Finals, just as last year, but the Grizzlies were able to pull off the upset and complete the upset. The Heat are said to be one of the best teams in NBA history, and I can't disagree. The Heat are leading the Pacers 2-1 right now, and I'm thinking Miami is going to be San Antonio's opponent in the Finals. Can the Spurs beat the Heat? Can they beat the Pacers? What are their chances in the Finals?
Tim Duncan
Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and a Memphis Grizzlies
team that beat the Oklahoma City Thunder was not enough to
stop the Spurs.
Manu Ginobili
Game 1 was all Spurs. Tony Parker had 20 points and 9 assists, and was Player of the Game. It ended up at 105-83, but the Spurs were not satisfied. Oh, no. They're still remembering last year in the Western Conference Finals. Just ask Tony Parker. "I can promise you this: Nobody's happy in our locker room, because we were up 2-0 (in the West finals) last year and we lost," Parker said. "It's just one game. It means nothing. We still have a long way to go." That determination worked in their favor. "We just didn't play well. It's not anything specific," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "It's just that we were running too fast, we missed some layups, we were taking bad shots and our defense was really awful. And the Spurs played well." Game 2 was a bit closer, with it ending in overtime. Parker had 15 points and a career high 18 assists. When he started running low on big plays, Tim Duncan was there to pick up the slack. At one point, San Antonio blew a 13-point lead and were forced into overtime. "I hate that we gave up that big of a lead in that situation," Duncan said. "But we were resilient enough to go to overtime and not let it affect us." Duncan opened the extra period with a layup, and then made a tiebreaking putback on Parker's missed jumper. He then made a runner that bounced high off the back iron and rattled in for a 91-87 lead with 1:08 to play. In the end, it was 93-89 Spurs. Tim Duncan had an amazing game, scoring 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists and 2 steals. Tony Parker had 15 points, 18 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Zach Randolph had 15 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Game 3 was very similar. The Spurs won in overtime, and Tim Duncan was great. The 37-year-old center took control in overtime for a second straight game, this time scoring the first five points as the Spurs rallied from an 18-point deficit Saturday night. "He was huge for us the other night in overtime and got it done for us, and he did it again tonight," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the two-time MVP. "That's why he is considered as great as he has for the last 17 years. He's been unbelievable. He feels a responsibility to carry us in those kinds of times, and he did it again tonight." "I'm not worried about how old I am or whatever, whatever it may be," Duncan said. "I'm very focused on having another opportunity to make it to a championship and try to win, that's all." He had 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Tony Parker had 26 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Manu Ginobili had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Game 4 was pretty close through the whole game, though the Spurs had the slight advantage through the whole thing. Tony Parker exploded for 37 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Tim Duncan had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal. Now an aged Spurs team has a spot in the 2013 NBA Finals, and is set to play either the Heat or the Pacers. Can the Spurs beat the Pacers? Yes. Can they beat Miami? No. The Heat are one of the best teams of all time, and the Spurs can't top that.
They're 13-37, which puts them in last place. They also rank last in Major League Baseball in runs, batting average, on base percentage and slugging. The best player batting average on the Marlins is held by Placido Polanco. What's he batting? .233. It's truly a miserable baseball season in Miami. When the Marlins changed from the Flordia Marlins to the Miami Marlins in 2012, they were projected to be one of the best teams in baseball. They got a new name, new logo, amazing new stadium in a new location, new colors, new uniforms, but, best of all, new playmakers. Guys like Jose Reyes and Carlos Lee headed to Miami to join this revamped squad. Plus, Giancarlo Stanton upped his game and Hanley Ramirez was a playmaking shortstop, but he had to be moved to third to fit Reyes in at shortstop. The Marlins had all the right tools, and everyone thought they were going to be one of the best and dominate in the tough NL East division. That didn't exactly happen. They finished 69-93, last in the NL East. The Washington Nationals won that division, at 98-64, and the Atlanta Braves grabbed a wild card at 94-68. Miami ended up trading Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers about three quarters of the way through the 2012 season, and Jose Reyes and ace starter Josh Johnson went north and put on Toronto Blue Jays uniforms following the end of the year. Carlos Lee retired in the offseason. They're even worse this season, as the 2013 Miami Marlins could go down as one of the worst teams in MLB history. They can't do too much about it, either, because they're out of money after their supersplurge last year. They need to get some serious money together fast so this nightmare can end, but the fastest that could happen probably means a couple of years, so it's not a good time to be a Marlins fan. All you can do is close your eyes.
LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and crew will take on Paul George, Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers
for the NBA Eastern Conference Championship and birth in the NBA Finals. If Miami advances, it would be their
third consecutive NBA Finals appearence and, if they win, it will be their second straight Finals victory. Can they
repeat?
It will be up to Roy Hibbert, Paul George, and the rest of the Indiana Pacers to
shut down the Miami Heat and keep them from appearing in
their third straight NBA Finals appearence.
The Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls four games to one, and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks four games to two in the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Indiana and Miami will now square off in the Eastern Conference Finals in a seven game series to decide who plays in the NBA Finals. The Heat are completely stacked, featuring names like NBA MVP LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen. However, the Indiana Pacers feature one of the toughest defenses in the NBA. The Pacers rank first in the NBA in rebounds and second in least points allowed in the 2012-13 season. A good defense is key in stopping Miami, and Indiana certainly has one. However, the Pacers offense is rather weak. They rank 23rd in points per game and 28th in assists per game. Miami can play offense and defense, but they can't seem to rebound, as the Heat rank fifth in points per game, seventh in assists per game, fifth in least points allowed and 30th in rebounds. Miami needs to focus on crashing the boards and working around the Pacers defense if they want to head to the Finals. Try to get as much offensive production out of LeBron James as you can from inside the paint and mid range. If the Pacers D trys to smother LeBron, just get the ball to Dwayne Wade and send that defense into panic mode. If Miami can utilize all of their weapons, they will be fine. The Pacers should focus on keeping LeBron covered. When teams can stop LeBron, they can usually stop the Heat. That's how Chicago snapped Miami's epic winning streak during the regular season. They kept LeBron under control, and the whole team fell apart. Indiana should also try to keep Paul George and Danny Granger on the floor as much as possible because they are their top scorers and they lack offensive skill.
If the Heat want to win, they have to get production from LeBron James in the paint and from mid range.
If the Pacers want to load LeBron with coverage, that's fine. Dish it to Dwayne Wade and watch him work.
If the Pacers want to compete, they have to keep LeBron bottled up, because when LeBron wins, Miami wins,
and when LeBron loses, Miami struggles.
Who Wins?
Miami Heat in 5
The Heat have too many weapons for even the Pacers to stop. Even if the Pacers could stop Miami's offense, Indiana's weak offense would be destroyed by the Heat. I can see the Pacers winning one game if they get lucky or the Heat are off their game one night, but in my opinion, the Rose-less and Deng-less Chicago Bulls were more of a challenge for the Heat. Miami wins in 5. Game 1 is tomorrow night at 8:00 on TNT.
The Detroit Tigers are defending American League champions. Last year, the Cleveland Indians were 68-94, 20 games back from the Tigers in the AL Central. This year, however, the Indians are giving the Tigers a little competition within their division. The Indians are currently 26-17 while the Tigers are 23-19. You could contribute this to a lot of key offseason moves made by Cleveland, and if you did, you would be right. Over the offseason, the Indians gave the boot to manager Manny Acta and hired Boston legend Terry Francona. In addition to their new manager, the Indians also acquired some new tools on the field in the 2012 offseason, grabbing Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, Drew Stubbs and Jason Giambi. As well as their additions, a few players, including Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis, had breakout seasons in 2012 and showed what they could do. But the breakout star for the Indians thus far in 2013 is Mark Reynolds. Tied for first in AL home runs with 12, third in AL RBIs at 37, and coming through in all the big clutch moments in Cleveland.
Mark Reynolds
So I think its safe to say Mark Reynolds is one of the main reasons the Indians are doing so well, as well as Terry Francona. But if you look at the Tigers, they are stacked. Not only are they defending American League Champions, but they also have Miguel Cabrera, who just won the triple crown last year, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, and multiple other all-stars. So if you ask me, the Indians should be able to stay up there with the Tigers for a while this season, but once the Indians mediocre to weak pitching staff goes down, I expect to see Cleveland go on a long losing streak of seven to twelve games. The Tigers will pull ahead then, and by the end of the season I expect Detroit to have the advantage over Cleveland by five to ten games. I just can't see the Indians doing anything without a pitching staff. If they could get some talent in their rotation and bullpen before 2014, then I can see the Indians beating the Tigers in the AL Central. They're already contenders without any pitching, just imagine what would happen if they added some.
It was one of the ugliest things I have ever seen on a baseball field. Bryce Harper had a ball hit over his head, and he turned around and sprinted after it as it carried, watching the ball the whole time, not paying any attention to where he was at on the field. Running full speed, he ran straight into the outfield scoreboard, which is covered in chain link. His body went stiff and his eyes shut. He crumbled to the ground and lay there still, face down, deep in the outfield. He was unconcious for a short time. It was ugly. Though this incident was much more severe, it brought me back to a moment when I was watching Harper playing for the Hagerstown Suns, before he made it to the bigs. He was playing right, and he got a fly ball over his head. In pursuit of the ball, he hit the wall and crumbled. It was almost a replay, other than all the blood that came with his latest collision.
Immediately after hitting the wall, Harper lays face down on the warning track, unconcious.
The collision left Bryce with 11 stitches in his chin. The chain link on the fence was what caused his chin to get cut up. Harper did not sustain a concussion, however, which is good. Everyone's immediate reaction was that he got a concussion, the way he hit his head off the wall, then laid on the ground for a while and got up and stumbled a bit, as if his head was in the clouds. Even MASN (Mid Atlantic Sports Network) announcer F.P. Santangelo said, "he's not all there right now" after Harper hit the wall.
A bloody chinned Bryce Harper walks off the field after running into the right field scoreboard at Dodger stadium
facefirst at full speed.
"He's not all there right now." - F.P. Santangelo
So is Bryce Harper too hardcore? Should he tune down his all out, 120% play? Ryan Zimmerman said it like this; "I would rather him not go all-out into the wall. Some people look at it as a bad thing. If you play that hard every day, there is something to be said about that. He's going to play a long time and you have to learn to take care of your body. As he grows, he'll learn what to do and what not to do." Jordan Zimmermann said "That's all you can ask for as a pitcher, a guy going 110 percent." I'm sure Zimmermann did not like seeing him hit the wall though. Nobody did. Manager Davey Johnson says he does not want to change Bryce. He shouldn't change. Nobody likes seeing him get hurt, but everyone loves watching Bryce Harper give it his all on the baseball field. It's what makes him Bryce Harper. Harper sent out a tweet the day after his injury, saying "I will keep playing this game hard for the rest of my life even if it kills me! I'll never stop! #RespectTheGame" Now that is just dedication. Harold Reynolds of MLB Now said that he believes Bryce should move back to catcher, his original position, or somewhere else in the infield. I can't really argue much with that. First off, Harper has always had a lot of trouble seeing the ball in the outfield. The colorful stands are the backdrop that he has to pick the tiny, white baseball out of, and his eyes aren't very good. The Nationals said they wanted to convert Harper into an outfielder to prolong his career, but they would always keep that catching option open. It doesn't look like the outfield is prolonging his career. If he were to move to catcher, he'd be competing with Wilson Ramos and Kurt Suzuki. I say if you're going to move him, try him at second base. Danny Espinosa hasn't done particularly good for a while, and he's actually a shortstop turned second baseman, so if you started Harper at second you still have Espinosa as an infield utility player. I truly believe Harper could play anywhere with his heart. There is no denying that Bryce Harper respects the game.
Yeah, if that is not respecting the game
then I don't know what is.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are full of talent. On paper, they look like World Series champions, and before the season, some thought we would be calling them such at the end of the year. Just looking at their roster almost makes you smile, with Matt Kemp, who I believe is the best all-around player in the Majors, Andre Ethier, ace starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Zack Greinke it goes on and on. But instead of tearing it up, they are in last place in the American League West, with one less win and one more loss than the dreadful San Diego Padres. What could possibly be wrong? This season looked so promising, and it has turned into nothing short of a nightmare.
Adrian Gonzalez
Clayton Kershaw
Hanley Ramirez
Los Angeles has lost 9 of their last 11 games. One of the most important stats in baseball is On Base Percentage (OBP). It is also one of the very few areas where the Los Angeles Dodgers have excelled this season. The Dodgers have the third best OBP in Major League Baseball. But aside from that, they haven't done much. Their 11th in batting average, 27th in slugging percentage, and, the biggest shocker to me, 28th in runs. HOW can you be 28th in the bigs in runs when you are third in OBP? Scoring runs is a direct result of getting on base, and their one of the best at getting on base, but they still can't score any runs. But outside the numbers, the Dodgers have been spending boldly to try to get that deep-in-the-postseason caliber team. First, they grabbed star shortstop Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins mid-season last year. Then, a little later in the season, they made the blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox, grabbing power hitting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, former all-star starting pitcher Josh Beckett, and speedy outfielder Carl Crawford. The Dodgers lost nothing in that trade but some minor leaguers and lots of cash. They have all of these weapons, and they STILL can't do any better than last place in the AL West. Its just unreal, I can't understand it.
Andre Ethier
Whatever the problem is with the Dodgers, its really bad. The beginning of 2013 for the Los Angeles Dodgers is something to forget. If they have a complete turnaround, they could probably still make some noise, but it is not likely. If only they could hold onto all their weapons for next season, when everybody will once again start 0-0.
It's actually pretty shocking that the Chicago Bulls are competing with the Miami Heat at all. The Heat look like the obvious choice to win it all, just as they did last year, with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James, who just won the 2013 NBA MVP award, his fourth MVP of his career. But nonetheless, a beat-up and bruised Bulls team are giving Miami a run for their money. Probably the most surprising thing about all this is the fact that Chicago is keeping up with the Heat without their star playmaker Derrick Rose. The Bulls are also without Luol Deng. However, their replacement point guard Nate Robinson has stepped up and been outstanding. Standing at '5 "9, Robinson has been making unbelieveable plays throughout the playoffs, plays that can sometimes look almost Rose-like. The series is 2-1 Heat, but the Bulls have looked great in every game but Game 2. The Bulls took a nail biter Game 1, 93-86. Nate Robinson scored 27 points and 9 assists. Jimmy Butler played all 48 minutes, snatched 48 rebounds and scored 21 points. Bulls center Joakim Noah had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. The Heat's numbers didn't look as spectacular. Miami was off their game in Game 1, yet they still brought the game right down to the wire. LeBron had 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Wade managed 14 points, 3 steals and 2 assists. There was not much else to speak of for the Heat in that game, and the Bulls were able to leave American Airlines Arena with a win.
Nate Robinson
Joakim Noah
.
Game 2 was all Heat. It was close for a little while, and then Miami started to dominate, and it was all over from there. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were both ejected in the fourth quarter. LeBron had 19 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Wade had 15 points and assists, Bosh had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Mario Chalmers had 11 points and 4 assists, Ray Allen had 21 points, and Norris Cole had 18 points and 6 rebounds. On the Bulls end, Marco Belinelli led Chicago in scoring with 13 points and 6 assists. Joakim Noah had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Nate Robinson had 11 points. In the end, the score was 115-78 Heat.
Carlos Boozer
Marco Belinelli
Game 3 was a shootout, just as Game 2 was, only Game 3 was much more chippy. In the first game of the series in Chicago, the Bulls took an early lead, building momentum on both offense and defense. It wasn't long until Miami was right back on the heels of the Bulls. Remember, they're playing in Chicago, one of the toughest venues to play as a visitor. When Chris Anderson stuffed Nate Robinson along the sidelines in the first half, Anderson's momentum carried him and caused him to crash into Robinson and land on top of him. As Anderson was getting off Robinson, Joakim Noah rushed over and shoved Anderson off Robinson. This resulted in the first technical foul of the game and the beginning of the fighting between the two teams. Later in the game, as LeBron brought the ball up the floor at the start of a Miami possession, Nazr Mohammed picked him up on defense. He played LeBron really tightly, and LeBron managed to get his arms wrapped up with those of Mohammed a little bit, intentional or not, causing both men to fall over. The ref standing right there called a foul on LeBron, causing James to stand up and argue the call. As he argued, Mohammed jumped up and shoved LeBron, sending him flying across the floor. Now, LeBron may have flopped, meaning he acted out the skidding across the floor, but whatever the case, Mohammed was ejected and the game moved on. At the end of the day, it was a 104-94 Miami Heat victory. LeBron had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Bosh had 20 points, 19 rebounds and 4 steals, and Norris Cole had 18 points. On the Bulls, Carlos Boozer collected 21 points, Jimmy Butler had 17 points and 5 rebounds, Nate Robinson had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Marco Belinelli had 16 points and 6 assists, and Joakim Noah had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists.
So can the Bulls actually BEAT Miami in the Conference Semifinals? Well, you can't tell that until the series is over. They have certainly gave the Heat a run for their money. It pretty much rests on Game 4 tonight at 7:30. If the Heat win, the series is 3-1 and a Chicago comeback is very unlikely, but if the Bulls can pull it off, the series is back to zero at 2-2 and Chicago is just a couple wins away from probably the biggest upset in NBA Playoffs history.
Last year it was the Mark Sanchez versus Tim Tebow controversy. The Jets said they were not going to designate a starting quarterback, using Mark Sanchez in more passing situations, and run Tim Tebow out of wildcat formations and as a change-of-pace quarterback to throw off the defense and/or give Sanchez a rest. But it didn't really work out that way. Sanchez was in the whole time and Tebow rarely saw a single play the whole season, even though Sanchez played terrible. In 15 games, Sanchez threw for 2,883 yards with 13 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He also had 9 fumbles, one in which he ran into his offensive lineman's butt and fell over after dropping the ball. But Tim Tebow remained on the bench, and when Sanchez didn't play, Greg McElroy played quarterback. So Tebow basically went from stardom in Denver to a third-string benchwarming quarterback in New York. Tebow was just released by the Jets this week, so he is now a free agent and has recieved job offers from the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League.
Mark Sanchez Butt Fumble
Tim Tebow
Geno Smith
But this year, the situation is a little different. The Jets currently have five quarterbacks on their roster, including Mark Sanchez, former Jaguars starter David Garrard, Geno Smith, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms. Mark Sanchez has been the starter for the Jets for four years now, since they drafted him as the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. To this point in his career, Sanchez has thrown for 12,092 yards and 68 touchdowns with 69 interceptions and 26 fumbles. He played pretty good in 2010 and 2011, with a 75.3 and 78.2 passer rating in those years. But his rookie and 2012 years were dreadful, at 63 and 66.9 passer rating. It really is a hit or miss with Sanchez, but I still don't think he's starter material. David Garrard was drafted in the fourth round (108th overall) in the 2002 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and eventually became their starting quarterback. He played in Jacksonville until 2010, and has been a free agent ever since, though he did spend a training camp with the Miami Dolphins one year. He is now 35 years old and seemingly at the brink of his career, though he does not think so. Over his career, he's earned a passer rating of 85.8, while collecting 16,003 passing yards and 89 touchdowns along with 54 interceptions and 29 fumbles. Geno Smith is a rookie, drafted in the second round as the 39th pick out of West Virginia University in the 2013 draft a few nights back. He's got a pretty good arm, able to hurl the ball deep. His accuracy is his biggest issue, however, as he has some room to improve in that department. He can also pick up some yardage on the ground. He's a speedy, mobile quarterback with a strong arm. But his maturatity seems to be at the lowest level. After he fell out of the first round of the draft, he threatened to drop out of the draft, and upon entering the second round, he fired his agents, sparking a firestorm of controversy. He displayed much frustration over his draft position. "He's going to have a tough time in New York," an NFC scout said. "Right now, he's coming off as a spoiled, pampered brat." Not too high praise. In response, Smith said, "My character and my play speaks for itself. The people who've known me my entire life, and who have coached me, have all come to my defense. As far as that goes, I'm just looking towards the future and really not worrying about the past." Mark Sanchez even chimed in, saying "I'll help him out as much as I can, but when we have to compete, we have to compete. That's the way it goes." Whatever the case, he doesn't have the attitude of an NFL starter, and his skills have to beat out four other guys who have been playing in the NFL for years. His goal is to be the Jets starting quarterback in Week 1, but I just don't see it happening, and lets face it, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms are not legitimate threats to win the quarterback job. I see both of them getting cut before the season. I think Sanchez will win the job, even though Geno will become the Jets starter eventually. Garrard's career is all but over, and he just can't compete with these young guns. Sanchez said Thursday he's "more motivated than ever" and he expects to be the 2013 starter. Truth is, I do too.
I think it is safe to say that LeBron James is the Michael Jordan of this generation. Nobody can really touch him on the court, just like Jordan in the 90's. It's almost like he was born to play basketball. He is a huge man, yet he's fast. He's no doubt among the top shooters in the NBA, and he's gotta be one of the top players driving to the rim and playing in the paint, as well. He is just the perfect basketball player.
Is LeBron James as good as Michael Jordan? Some find this question absurd, while others, like me, think he IS.
What can you say to that LeBron haters?
LeBron has won the 2013 NBA Most Valuable Player award. It will be his fourth MVP award of his career and his second consecutive MVP. He plays small forward for the Miami Heat, who won the NBA championship in 2012, when LeBron was Finals MVP. With his newest league MVP award, he will join Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win four or more NBA MVP awards.Will LeBron ever add a fifth MVP and tie Jordan's career total? Will he ever get six and beat Jordan? Well, LeBron still has plenty of years left in his tank, and I don't see how anybody in the NBA right now could beat King James in an MVP run.
The Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls four games to one, and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks four games to two in the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Indiana and Miami will now square off in the Eastern Conference Finals in a seven game series to decide who plays in the NBA Finals. The Heat are completely stacked, featuring names like NBA MVP LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen. However, the Indiana Pacers feature one of the toughest defenses in the NBA. The Pacers rank first in the NBA in rebounds and second in least points allowed in the 2012-13 season. A good defense is key in stopping Miami, and Indiana certainly has one. However, the Pacers offense is rather weak. They rank 23rd in points per game and 28th in assists per game. Miami can play offense and defense, but they can't seem to rebound, as the Heat rank fifth in points per game, seventh in assists per game, fifth in least points allowed and 30th in rebounds. Miami needs to focus on crashing the boards and working around the Pacers defense if they want to head to the Finals. Try to get as much offensive production out of LeBron James as you can from inside the paint and mid range. If the Pacers D trys to smother LeBron, just get the ball to Dwayne Wade and send that defense into panic mode. If Miami can utilize all of their weapons, they will be fine. The Pacers should focus on keeping LeBron covered. When teams can stop LeBron, they can usually stop the Heat. That's how Chicago snapped Miami's epic winning streak during the regular season. They kept LeBron under control, and the whole team fell apart. Indiana should also try to keep Paul George and Danny Granger on the floor as much as possible because they are their top scorers and they lack offensive skill.
