Day: June 5, 2014

Too Hot To Handle: Twitter Recap of Game 1 of the NBA Finals

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The Miami Heat fell short to the San Antonio Spurs tonight, 110-95, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. With a broken air-conditioner, LeBron James’ legs just could not take the rising temperature (which supposedly reached 90 degrees), and he ended up having to be carried off the court because of severe cramping. Check back soon for my Game 1 reaction. Game 2 is on Sunday, June 8 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

Burnin’ Up: Halftime in San Antonio

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According to just about everyone currently at Game 1 of the NBA Finals, it is pushing 85 degrees on the court. Blazers are coming off, cold drinks are being chugged; people on media row and in the stands are doing everything they can to stay cool. But neither the Miami Heat nor the San Antonio Spurs seem to have lost focus due to the malfunctioning air-conditioner.

Currently up, 54-49, the Spurs came out with high energy, took smart shots and locked down on defense. At the end of the first half, they are 7-of-14 from beyond the arc and are shooting 50 percent from the field. However, they do have 10 turnovers under their belts.

The Heat stayed away from the slow start I warned against, and made sure they played at their own pace. All the members of the Big Three are currently in double-figures. LeBron James leads the pack with 13, and Ray Allen has been a key contributor too, with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.

For the most part, it seems as though these two teams are playing equally; as of now anyways. The Big Three and the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are all doing their parts and leading their squads in numbers. On top of this, Miami is only shooting 2 percent less from the field than San Antonio and has one less turnover as well. With that said though, the Spurs’ bench is out-working that of the Heat by 12 points, and as a team have gotten to the line six more times. Miami also stands at 5-13 from the three-point line.

In order to take this one, the Heat need to cut back on the rushed shots, help their bench players find their rhythm and be a little tighter defensively. So far it seems as though they have found no answer for neither Duncan nor Ginobili, which could turn dangerous.

Here’s to an even better second half, and fingers crossed that the AC turns on soon…

Bringing The Heat Gets A Shout-out!

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Last week, I was fortunate enough to be asked on Radio DePaul, as a guest speaker via Scrawl. The topic of the day was blogging, and of course, I had to give Bringing The Heat some love. I also made sure to wear my LeBron Summit Lake 9’s! Check out the episode here: http://ucwbling.chicagolandwritingcenters.org/you-can-handle-this-blogging-and-twitter-101-scrawl-s10-e07/

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Rematch: Game 1 of the 2014 Finals

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(Photo Credit: www.espn.com)

Come June 5, the NBA will hold it’s first playoff final rematch since 1998. Last year, the Miami Heat were victorious over the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series, winning their second consecutive championship. Miami, gunning for a three-peat, hopes to once again come out on top.

The Heat, fresh off of a six-game series win over the Indiana Pacers, know that their overall performance must improve if they indeed wish to be successful against the Spurs. Slow start, streaky play and spotty defense cannot have any part of this matchup.

LeBron James, who struggled with his energy and finding his rhythm in the beginning of the Eastern Conference Finals, must leave that bad habit in the past, and start off strong. Miami always seems to do better when they get to set the pace. Likewise, key components such as Chris Bosh must be present. Bosh, who was ineffective on both ends of the floor for the first half of the series against the Pacers, must do everything in his power to keep up the groove he found himself in, in Game 4.  James and Dwyane Wade need the third wheel of their Big Three tricycle to maneuver their way past San Antonio.

With all that said however, defense will be the deciding factor. The Spurs, known for their depth and ball movement, will take it anything but easy on Miami. Left with a sour taste in their mouths, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the rest of the Texan-gang want their revenge. Although sticking to the fundamentals as usual, San Antonio has played stellar basketball this year. They came out of the regular season with the best record in the league, using a whopping 30 different lineups, lead by head coach Gregg Popovich who has guided the Spurs to six final appearances.

However, this is not to take anything away from the Heat, whose bench has outscored the opponents’ bench in 11 of 15 games during the postseason. Their record ties their best playoff start (from 2011) through 15 games in team history and head coach Erik Spoelstra is only the thirteenth NBA coach to win multiple titles.

Miami has tied 1-1 with San Antonio during the regular season and it is now time to see how they will fair during their postseason battle. Personally, my guess is the Heat in 7, but how do you all feel? Let me know via the poll, below!