Overanalyzing the NBA Finals

Photo from the @spurs Twitter account

I didn't pay a ton of attention to the NBA this season compared to the NFL or the NHL. I followed the Bulls to some extent, and was, like a majority of people outside the Miami area, rooting for anyone but the Heat to win the title. So when I turned on ESPN on my way home last night to listen to Game 5, I was pleased to hear that the San Antonio Spurs were dominating the Miami Heat en route to their fifth title in 15 years. I of course had to watch the end of it. Even though I didn't see much of the series, the parts I did were just beautiful basketball.

I'm on the record here as hating the Miami Heat. I do. I respect the talent on that team, especially LeBron. But I hate the collusion that took place to build that core. I hate the arrogance they displayed once assembled. I don't like that LeBron rarely gets called for traveling despite traveling on a semiregular basis. I hate that he and Dwyane Wade flop. I hate that the two of them whine like there's no tomorrow. I don't have as big a problem with LeBron as a I do with Wade, but that combination... I hate the Heat. So I was thrilled with how the Finals turned out. If that makes me a "hater", so be it. I'm not ashamed of it.

Photo from Reuters

So what does this mean for various legacies among these two teams? For the Spurs, I'd argue that it makes them the best franchise in the post-Jordan era (it's either them or the Lakers). A lot of knowledgeable basketball fans already had him here, but he's cemented his place as the best power forward of all time. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili become arguably the best players from France and Argentina, respectively, and are in the conversation for best foreign-born player. And with the youth on this team, even if Duncan were to retire, this team still has a pretty solid core around to reload. They've kept proving people who call them too old or too boring wrong for years now. And they put on one of the best performances in the history of the NBA Finals to win their fifth title.

On the other side, a lot of people are, whether you think it's fair or not, blaming LeBron for the loss. Honestly... I can't do it. Let's look at the numbers:

• LeBron James: 28.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.4 bpg; 57% FG/52% 3PT/79% FT (while he falls just short of Bill Simmons' "42 Club", can you really complain about these numbers? This doesn't account for the cramps in Game 1 or his leaving for good with about 6:30 left last night, but I can't really blame him for those either. Especially when you consider...)
• Dwyane Wade: 15.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.0 bpg; 44% FG/33 % 3PT/69% FT (as I was compiling these stats... they aren't horrible, but for someone who's supposed to be a "superstar", it's not good, especially when you see how much he fell off the table in the final two games.)
• Chris Bosh: 14.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.2 bpg; 55% FG/38% 3PT/82% FT (Again, he did almost nothing here, though his shooting numbers aren't terrible. He had minimal shots in Game 3, and other games he was so-so.)

Photo from Andy Lions (NBAE/Getty Images)

One of the big takeaways is that LeBron did pretty much all he could, he just got no help from his supporting cast. The troll in me would like to point out that Game 6 of the '98 Finals was pretty much singlehandedly won by MJ as a counterpoint, but I'm not sure how apt that comparison is. Ultimately though, this year's Finals reminded us what it takes to win an NBA championship, and it's something I tackled in the NBA Tournament of Champions I ran last summer. The Spurs are the essence of a team, and they proved it throughout this series. It's arguably one of the most one-sided Finals in history, especially in recent memory.

It also means that the Heat need to go back to the drawing board, and maybe try to add a couple role players to help out. LeBron can't do it himself. Either way, I considered last night a victory for not only San Antonio, *puts on "hater" hat*, but for America and the good of basketball everywhere. To me, this series was a restoration of the balance of the basketball universe for the reasons stated above. I'm legitimately happy for this Spurs team. They proved they were the best team in the league this year in a major way these past couple weeks. And they earned an invitation to next summer's NBA Tournament of Champions II, which I will hopefully have the time and energy for, since I'll have access to all 64 teams invited this time.