NBA Finals: Game 4 Preview

The Miami Heat faces a must game if they are to win their third successive NBA title. The San Antonio Spurs in game 3 were just amazing offensively as they set an NBA Finals record for field goal percentage in the first half of that game. Kawhi Leonard certainly did a better job than he did in game 2 and he affected the game on the offensive end. If the Spurs are to take a much bolder step towards another NBA Championship they will need a good offensive performance but their defense certainly has to be better. The Spurs scorching offence over shadowed the fact that they did not perform well on the defensive end. The Miami Heat shot 51.6% that is certainly a good percentage but they gave up 59.4% to the Spurs. The pace for game 4 will be high the Miami Heat will come out strong knowing that they must win this game in order to avoid going to San Antonio with a 3-1 deficit. The San Antonio Spurs are still waiting for Tony Parker to give a big performance in the NBA Finals.

The Miami Heat’s amazing defence that help got them in the Finals just simply hasn’t been there for the current champions. I think they will defend better especially in the paint in game 4. One thing that was quite noticeable in game three was that Miami Heat had a 3 pt shooter making easy trips to the basket, that simply can not happen in game 4. Lebron James will have to take control of the game down the end when it gets to the fourth quarter, He was missing in 4 quarter action in game 3 and that has to change. The turnovers hurt Miami in game 3 as they turned the ball over 7 times more than the Spurs. If Miami Heat is to win game 4 the turnovers have to stay at a minimum.

I am expecting a much better game from the defending champions and i think they will tie the series up at 2-2.

World Cup 2014 Preview: Brazil

The five time world champions are going into this year’s world cup high on confidence after defeating the current world champion in last year’s confederation cup final. The stats says that no team has never won the world cup after success in the confederation cup in the previous year, however Brazil will be looking to rewrite history and where better to do that than on home soil. I think if Brazil reaches the world cup final they will win the competition regardless of their opponents. It will certainly not be an easy task for the samba boys and in the latter stages of the tournament experience will play an important role and if one assess the Brazil squad it would be clear that there’s not a lot of experience players in the squad. The lack of experience can be an issue so it is therefore up to the leaders of the team to keep the younger players calm. Thiago Silva, Dani Alves and Julio Cesar  will have to be playing on the top of their game if Brazil are to win their 6th world title.

The Brazil squad is filled with skillful young players who are keen to impress on their home soil. Neymar Jr. certainly has a lot of eyes on him and i think he will definitely show up in Brazil. If one was following Neymar’s progress with the Brazil national team it is evident that he usually performs at his best for his country. Oscar is another talented young star that is destined for greatness, however I am not too sure if Oscar is on his best form. Oscar form had drop down to the end of a disappointing trophy-less campaign with Chelsea FC. Expect a lot of flair when Brazil take it to the field in Sao Paulo on June 12.

Thoughts on opening game v Croatia

Brazil will have to play at their best to avoid an early slip up. I think Brazil will concede but go on to win the game by atleast 2 clear goals.

Players to watch

Brazil- Neymar Jr. Oscar and Paulinho

Croatia- Luka Modic, Ivan Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic

NBA FINALS 2014- GAME 3 PREVIEW

The San Antonio Spurs are 9-6 in game 3’s after splitting the opening games of a playoff series. Through the two games the Spurs have played great offensively, their defense however has to improve if they are to stop the Miami Heat on their home court. In last year’s finals the Spurs forced Lebron James to shoot jump shots, initially he was frustrated until he started hitting on those shots. In game two of this year’s finals the Spurs made James a jump shooter and he made them pay. The Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard had his hands full and he was eventually fouled out of the game after failing to contain Lebron James . It is fair to say that Spurs would have Lebron James taking jump shots rather than driving to the basket were he is basically unstoppable. This therefore means that Leonard if he guards Lebron James in game 3 has to be more effective on the the defensive end. The San Antonio Spurs are waiting for a big performance from Tony Parker maybe it will come in game 3.

The Miami Heat in the previous two games has not played to their full potential on both ends of the court but more significantly on defense. The Miami Heat has to use the energy of the fans inside the AA Arena to get back to their identity on defense. Chris Bosh did a better job in game 2 than he did in game 1 on Tim Duncan but the Heat needs to keep the spurs out of the paint. Chris Bosh has to show early and make Tim Duncan shoot jump shot. It has been too easy for the 38 year old veteran. Dwayne Wade  needs to be more aggressive on the defensive end. The Miami Heat needs to move the ball better so that they may get a quality shot rather than a rushed low percentage shot. The bench of Miami Heat needs to be better if they are not able to be aggressive offensively then they need to impose their will on the defensive end. If the Heat moves the ball better they could get a crucial win on their home court.  Turnovers has been an issue in both games. It was better in game two than it was in game one, however in both games the team that had the most turnover at the end won each game. I am wondering how long will that streak last.

My Predictions

The series will be 2-1 in favour of ………

San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat: NBA Finals Preview 2014

Larry O’Brien

The San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat will face off once again in the NBA Finals. This will be the 1^st finals rematch since 1998, on that occasion the defending champion remained champion. One thing that is guaranteed is exciting basketball when the two teams take it to the court for game 1 on Thursday June 4. Some persons may be looking back on last year’s finals and wondering how can the Spurs and the Heat out do what they did last year, from the record breaking 3pt performance from Danny Green to the crucial “ series clinching three pointer by the veteran Ray Allen” I am wondering too. Let’s take a look at how both teams got to the Finals.

 

Spurs

Spus big 3

 

San Antonio Spurs had the best regular season record (62-20) at times they just looked unbeatable. That amazing regular season performance earned their coach Gregg Popovich his 3^rd coach of the year award. The San Antonio Spurs will have to move the ball as it is a key part of their game. In the 1^st round of the playoffs the spurs faced the number eight seeded Dallas Mavericks and it took seven games for the San Antonio Spurs to eliminate Nowitzki and crew however in the decisive game seven Spurs blew out the Mavericks to earn a Conference Semifinals match up with the Portland Trail Blazers who they completely outclass and eventually closed out in five games. They advance to the conference finals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder and through the 1^st two games it seemed as if spurs were going to sweep the series, however OKC made it a series after they went on to win game three and four. In the long run OKC was unable to win in San Antonio and they eventually lost in six games. The San Antonio Spurs leading up to the NBA Finals has averaged 106.6 pts per game and in the process they have held opponents to 98 pts per game and it has been balanced scoring for the four time NBA Champions with five players averaging double figure scoring.

 

Heat

Heat big 3

 

The Miami Heat during the course of the regular season looked like they were just dying to get to playoffs and it is fair to say that since the big 3 era it has been one of two things for the franchise and that is win a championship or disappointment. The Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra has done a great job with the limiting of Dwayne Wade’s playing time during the regular season; Wade has been playing smooth during the playoffs. The Miami Heat met Charlotte Bobcats in the 1^st round of the playoffs and they swept the series (4-0). I think the series would have been more competitive if Al Jefferson had been healthy. The Heat faced Brooklyn Nets in the conference semifinals. The Nets swept the regular season series (4-0), however it was a complete different story in the playoffs as they were eliminated in five games. The Heat went on to meet the eastern conference number 1 seeded Indiana Pacers in the well anticipated conference finals. Indiana won the 1^st game in convincing fashion, they were looking good “maybe the Indiana Pacers would force a game seven and then go on to win on their home court”. The Miami Heat recovered by winning the next three games and by that time it seemed as if Indiana had not gotten rid off their playoffs crisis. The Heat eventually closed out the series in six games and in the process setting up a finals rematch with the San Antonio Spurs.

 

Thoughts on Game 1

I am looking forward to an interesting game 1. The San Antonio Spurs has won each of their last 10 game 1’s by an average of 10 pts per game, will this record be broken? ABC has the answer at 9PM Thursday June 4, 2014. The big 3 of San Antonio has to set the pace. Tony Parker has to be effective on offence if the Spurs are to win game 1. The Miami Heat will be looking to steel one of these games on the road and if they are to do so in game 1 Chris Bosh has to be effective on both ends of the floor, Bosh clearly has to do a better job than what he did a year ago. Bench points will be crucial for both teams especially Miami.

 

Who will win?

The team with the least amount of turnovers will win the game.

 

Key Players

San Antonio Spurs- Tony Parker

 

Miami Heat- Chris Bosh