2015 NBA Finals Prediction

          Last year the best team won the NBA Championship. This year, I predict the same will happen again. the San Antonio Spurs resigned all of their key players, and should stay atop the Western Conference until another proves that they can beat the defending champions. It is really hard to see that happening, as the Spurs have the defense, three-point shooting, strong bench play, veteran leadership and experience, and a core of proven winners who play incredibly well together for the best coach in the league.
          The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, has seen quite the mashup over the offseason, with the moving of LeBron James back home to Cleveland, and the balance of power shifting away from Miami to be more evenly spread out throughout the entire conference. The Cavaliers will be expected by many to win the conference, although the Bulls, Heat, and Wizards will have something to say about that. The Bulls have an incredibly talented roster, with a deep group of big men and some good young talent on the perimeter. They also have the former MVP of the league in Derrick Rose, who FINALLY seems to be healthy and ready to go. Although the injury-prone label certainly applies to him, if Rose is around when the playoffs start, that is all the matters and he is a true difference maker.

Spurs Predicted Lineup:

Tony Parker, PG
Danny Green, SG
Kawhi Leonard, SF
Tim Duncan, PF
Thiago Splitter, C

Key Reserves:

Manu Ginobili, SG
Boris Diaw, F/C
Marco Belinelli, SG
Patty Mills, PG
Kyle Anderson, G/F

Bulls Predicted Lineup:

Derrick Rose, PG
Jimmy Butler, SG
Mike Dunleavy, SF
Pau Gasol, PF
Joakim Noah, C

Key Reserves:

Taj Gibson, PF
Nikola Mirotic, PF
Kirk Hinrich, PG
Doug McDermott, SF

          Looking at these projected lineups, the Bulls have certainly enough talent to get them through the Eastern Conference, and have been together long enough with the same coach that they will gel immediately. The rookie Doug McDermott offers some intriguing possibilities for a team that is so strong defensively but last year needed other weapons on offense. With so much focus on Rose, McDermott should be able to thrive on the wing and put up some huge offensive numbers. The Spurs have a talented small forward of their own in Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who could very easily take the jump this year to become a league MVP candidate. He is an all-around talented player who will carry the Spurs this year in order to give their veterans some rest until the playoffs. The Spurs also have such depth on the bench that it seems impossible, even for Chicago and its solid role-players like Taj Gibson and Mike Dunleavy, for any other team to come out on top in a best-of-seven series.

Finals Prediction

Spurs over Bulls: 4-2

SAN ANTONIO SPURS WIN THE 2014 NBA FINALS

          The San Antonio Spurs have won their 5th NBA Championship in team history (all since 1999), with an incredible 104-87 Game 5 win to take the series 4-1 against the Miami Heat.  LeBron James played well, with 31 points, but he wasn't able to play up to his best-player-in-the-world status and take over the game.  Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard seemed to match LeBron blow for blow, as he had a stat line of 34 minutes, 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and made 3 for 4 3-point attempts.  Australian point guard Patty Mills had an insane performance off the bench with 17 points while going 5 for 8 from 3-point range.  Manu Ginobili seemed to turn back the clock with an other-wordly performance, draining threes with hands in his face and making plays consistently by driving to the lane, including an incredible one-handed dunk.  Tony Parker didn't even have a point until late in the third quarter, but at that point the Spurs were already put by 20 points.

          A total group effort by the Spurs, once again, won this game for them, and coach Gregg Popovich deserves all the credit in the world.  With Ray Allen starting for the Heat in place of a struggling Mario Chalmers, Miami got off to a blazing start and was leading 22-6 at one point in the first quarter, as the Spurs missed 11 of their first 12 shots.  However, Popovich got his team to come storming back behind a bench that outscored Miami's 47 to 24.  The Heat just had no one to turn to since they started Allen, and the starters themselves couldn't even do any damage after the initial rush.  LeBron James is now 2 for 5 in the NBA Finals, a mark which will most definitely affect his legacy, and his hopes at a three-peat are officially over.

          These Finals have proven that one player does not win a series, but a team does, as well as the fact that age is nothing but a number (Tim Duncan is 38, Manu Ginobili is 36, and Tony Parker is 32).  Truly every player on the Spurs deserves all the credit in the world for this win, especially the one-and-only Tim Duncan, who may have played his final game in front of the San Antonio faithful (he is a free agent after this season and is 38 years old).  Tim Duncan has exemplified toughness, loyalty, and hard work throughout his 17 years in the NBA, and will leave as one of the best players to have every played the game.  He now has 5 championship rings, and a possibly final stat line of 33 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and made 5 for 10 field goal attempts.  As each starter for the Spurs checked out of the game at the end of the fourth quarter one-by-one, each received a standing ovation, but none was louder than cheers for Tim Duncan.  And deservedly so.

Miami Heat Down Against Spurs and History

          Coming off a dramatic Game 4 win by the San Antonio Spurs over the Miami Heat 107-86, the Heat find themselves down 3-1 in the series.  In the history of the NBA, no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals, so the Heat obviously face a nearly impossible task.  However, there is a first time for everything, and when you have the best player in the world on your team, as the Heat do in LeBron James, anything is possible.

Player	Points	Assists	Rebounds	Turnovers	FG%	3-pt%
Leonard	16.8	2.0	5.5	1.5	57.1%	54.1%
James	27.5	3.8	7.3	4.5	59.9%	66.7%

       
          Before the series started, I noted how Kawhi Leonard would have to play his absolute best in order to match LeBron James in what would be a key matchup in the series.  He has done just that and, while playing great defense against the best player in the world, has held his own in the offensive categories.  In order for the Heat to come back and win this series, LeBron will need to play up to his superstar capabilities and separate himself from Leonard, not just in the points category.  As you can see, James has turned over the ball way too many times, while Leonard has been clean with the ball in his hands although still getting his touches and shooting the ball at a high rate.  LeBron has failed to do anything spectacular and take over this series, while Leonard did this:


     
          After the Game 4 loss, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "They played great, and I can honestly say I don't think any of us were expecting this type of performance."  That is exactly the problem: the Heat were expecting to win.  After winning the NBA Championship two years in a row it is understandable that Miami might assume a three-peat would be handed to them.  However, they underestimated the resolve of the deepest and most driven team in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs.  Gregg Popovich has done a fantastic job with this team and it should go down as one of the greatest teams in the last ten years.  That is not to say that Miami cannot come back and win, but it will be tough.  And "tough" is one heck of an understatement.  Adding to the fact that no team has ever come back from three games down to win the Finals, the Spurs are 10-2 at home in these playoffs.  They will have Game 5 at home to close out the series, as well as Game 7 if it comes down to that.  LeBron doesn't seem to have given up yet though, as he said, "We put ourselves in a position where it is about making history."  True, records are meant to be broken, but judging by how the Spurs played in Game 4, it sure won't be easy.
 

CBB to NBA Player Comparisons: Casey Prather

Casey Prather might be the most humble, hard-working player in all of college basketball this year, not to mention that he is an extremely talented player at the small forward position.  These characteristics alone suggest to me that Prather is very similar to Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard.  Neither Prather nor Leonard make any noise off the court, with press conferences that are so perfectly unexciting due to their quiet natures.  However, on the court, the story is different, as both players are game changers on offense and defense.  In terms of offense, both rely on their incredible slashing ability to put points up on the board, but they are also no stranger to knocking down outside shots. Defensively, they are extremely hard workers and have very quick hands, which leads to tons of fast break points. Coming out of college, Leonard was drafted with the 15th overall pick, with the expectation being that he would develop into a solid role player.  Leonard has far surpassed that mark, and is now perhaps the most important player on the Spurs.  Likewise, last year for the Gators, Casey Prather averaged just 6.2 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game, but this season he has emerged as the star player for a talented Florida team, averaging 14.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game.  These drastic improvements in Leonard and Prather's game speak to their unrivaled work ethic and dedication.  Any team that takes a chance on Prather will certainly be getting a hard worker who could eventually develop into a star.