Whether Chris Bosh wants to admit it or not, Game 7 is bigger than him and the fans that left American Airlines Arena early on Tuesday night.
There is nothing bigger in the basketball world than the NBA Finals and almost equally as big: a postseason Game 7 appearance. This is when legends are made, careers are defined, and expectations are elevated.
The imaginary crowd can start to go crazy at any time now.
To be honest, there are plenty of things the Heat can do on Thursday night to secure their second consecutive NBA title. Whether its Dwyane Wade getting off to an early start, easy transition buckets or Juwan Howard wearing his lucky “I should be an assistant coach” suit, believe me, there’s plenty to name.
Here are five keys to a championship tonight and LeBron silencing a few more haters…
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1. Struggling Superstars
It’s no secret that both the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade have been struggling as of late, but the bigger problem for Game 7 looks like Wade’s knees. A possible glimpse into the future, Wade banged his knee against Ginobili and has experienced swelling due to the recurring injury.
Most likely a game-time decision, Erik Spoelstra will have to decide whether Wade is worthy enough to start or play in crunch time minutes down the stretch, and if he does play, how long is too long for the star guard. If Wade puts his struggles to the side, stops settling for long ISO jumpers from 20 feet, and possibly gets out in transition, the Spurs may have a long night at the office.
2. The Guy in the Headband
We all saw something magical happen on Tuesday night. Not only did LeBron James lose his headband (and prove to the world that Rihanna doesn’t have the biggest head in America) he also scored big in the second half and was one of the key components in overtime.
If King James gets off to a hot start for the hot Heat, it could be a game of runs and turn out in the Heat’s favor. James needs one of his classic almost triple-double stat lines for this to go their way. I’m thinking 30pts/12rebs/8asts.
3. Containing Tony Parker
Tony Parker can be a problem for the suffering backcourt of the Heat, hurting hamstring or not. We’ve witnessed the Frenchman pull another croissant out of the bag and start executing open-court spin moves that left Norris Cole‘s flat-top slightly ajar.
Although Parker is an excellent finisher around the rim with elite body control, the Heat made him settle for multiple jumpers from 18 to 23 feet in Game 6. That’s the defensive mentality that will keep the Heat ahead of the Spurs for most of the contest if played correctly.
Keep reading to hear how the Heat could contain Tony Parker…
There also needs to be an emphasis on not closing out on Parker too soon on the perimeter. With a quicker closeout, Parker will split defenders with his blazing first step. To alleviate this, they might play Parker with a cushion and dare him to shoot from farther than he’s use to, the same tactic being used on James and Bosh near the perimeter.
However, if Parker goes off for another 20-points/six-plus-assists contest, the Heat may find Bosh crying in the locker room for the second postseason in three years.
4. Add another scorer for the game
Whether Jesus Shuttlesworth graces the court one last time or Mario Chalmers finds his range early, there needs to be another 20-point scorer for the Heat to solidify their chances against the Spurs tonight.
Even though the balanced scoring at times has helped the club, they can go up early with balanced scoring from two players. Bosh can play finesse in the low post, Wade can get involved cutting to the rim, whatever the case may be, the Heat need this part probably the most of all the key points displayed.
As we’ve seen, James has a tendency to get locked down by Boris Diaw and Kawhi Leonard. Let me stress that he’s been locked down by Diaw of all players. That needs to change ASAP.
5. Continue to force turnovers
The Heat have been masterful at forcing turnovers against the Spurs all series. When the Heat get steals or block shots around the rim, they have proved they are unstoppable on the other end. Ask Jason Terry.
But Miami would need to be more disruptive than ever to truly get the upper hand over the Spurs because even though they’ve been turning the ball over at immense rates, they still find ways to win down the stretch. This will be one of the main indicators of what can jump-start their offense and lead to a big run in the first or fourth quarters.
Will Miami win tonight?
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