The Rest of the Playoffs

Ominous note from tonight's game:

"starting point guard Tony Parker revealed fresh concerns about his sore hamstring. He plans to get an MRI on Wednesday."

Parker says he might not be available for game 4:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/spurs-break-nba-finals-3-point-record-16-rout-heat-article-1.1369985

Hi,
I watched just the end of the 1 quarter and the beginning of the 2nd.
A few very distinctive things: crisp, fast passing by SAS that Mia could do nothing about; at times it seemed that LJ was the only capable defender on Mia side; SAS did everything in their power to limit LJ and DWade to jump-shooting (considering that one of DWade's 15ft jumper hit nothing but air - great strategy).
I hope it continues and TP's injury is not serious.

AK

No matter what you think of the league office, they know marketing and promotion, including putting together this nice little video. Click on the link and then look for "The Finals: Game 3 Micro-Movie". It may be off the first page, depending on when you look for it. It's only six minutes and very well done.

http://www.nba.com/video/playoffs/

I especially like the bit with George Gervin at the start. I also got a kick out of the snapshot of the Spurs huddle after Mike Miller had made some threes, with Popovich giving a not-so-subtle criticism of Gary Neal's defense. It's at the 2:40 mark in the video. Pop: "Oh, Gary. Tony told me to tell you, if you don't mind, don't every leave Miller or Allen, no matter where they're at on the court. Okay?"

Option 6 is most likely, though I'd prefer option 1.

I don't know why this happens every year in the playoffs, but so many people, including supposedly knowledgeable sportswriters and commentators, fail to appreciate the flow of a seven-game series. Sorry to repeat the device I used for the Ray Allen thread, but here's what comes to mind:

The Spurs steal game 1 -- Miami is in trouble! If Miami doesn't do something real fast, it could be the Spurs in 5!

Miami blows out the Spurs in game 2 -- Momentum has shifted! Miami has won 7 of 8 quarters! It could be the Heat in 5!

The Spurs blow out Miami in game 3 -- The Spurs are unstoppable! Wade and Bosh are bystanders, and LeBron is a shell of his MVP self! It could end Sunday in San Antonio!

Miami blows out the Spurs in game 4 -- The Big Three are back! Miami has home court advantage back! No way can San Antonio counter that! Miami will be the champs!

I find this approach to a competitive long series curious. It's like these people have the attention span of a gnat. If you paid attention to seven-game series since, oh, the beginning of the NBA, you'd know that each game is totally separate animal often completely disconnected to the previous games. The biggest shame is that by looking at the series in such a short-sighted manner, they're missing the drama and majestic unpredictability of a truly competitive seven-game series. In this age of glorifying spectacular individual play, the narrative of a competitive playoff series, especially in the finals, is one of the true pleasures for a fan.

I want the Spurs to win, but no way am I pessimistic about their chances, although they do need to win game 5. With the 2-3-2 format, I assumed from the get-go that the Spurs had to win two games in Miami because the chances of winning three in a row at home against the Heat are slim. Both teams are very, very good. Both teams have excellent coaches, and the chess match between them is a treat in itself. I do hope for more competitive individual games, but that's about the only complaint I have so far. This finals is a joy to watch.

Awesome D by the Spurs, whom vegans prefer over the Heat 41 to 17%

Danny Green is just lights out.  The new 3-point king; that's quite a record.  How do The Spurs keep finding these guys?  Great win...Spurs have Miami on the ropes now.