I think I should be allowed to say this without making it a bullet, but that was probably the most dramatic NBA Finals game I’ve ever seen. So tense was it that I basically forfeited all hope of sleep later that night and productivity today, as I turned to Krissy once the 1st overtime started and said, “I guess I’m going in late to work tomorrow.” To say the least, just a wild finish…
1. You could have written a novel about LeBron James’ night. Starting out an ugly 3 for 12 as Miami trailed by double digits entering the 4th quarter, the Heat surrounded James with 1 big and 3 shooters, and let him go to work. He still threw in a couple of turnovers and missed shots at the end of regulation for good measure, but the Heat wouldn’t have even been in that position to begin with without him. His block on Tim Duncan (his 3rd great block of the series) and his 3 to pull Miami within 2 with under a minute to play will be remembered as his signature plays of the night. Despite the shaky 1st half shooting, James still finished with a triple-double.
2. Let the headband fables begin! This is one of those things that people tend to get carried away with, but at some point in the 4th quarter James lost his trademark headband, and from that point on it was like release the Kraken! James gets a lot of flack because as his hairline has receded like a low tide over the years, his headband seems to travel farther and farther up his forehead. It was like the headband was part tribute to LeBron’s youthful exuberance, part vanity object…but did anyone else notice the huge gash on the back of James’ head that the headband also seems to serve to cover up? The mysterious scar was almost the most fascinating part for me. Anyway, I think it would be kind of cool if from hence forth LeBron ditched the headband and rocked his balding dome. Male pattern baldness or not, it’s a much more mature grown-up look (like when Melo ditched the cornrows…still sporting a headband and double arm sleeves, but I will pick my battles), but I suspect we will see the usual head accessory again come Thursday night.
3. Tim Duncan turned back the clock for one night at least. Miami was obviously tired of the barrage of Danny Green 3’s through the 1st 5 games of the series, and TD reaped the benefits, as whenever he got a post touch in the 1st half he was afforded ample time and space to operate. Personally, I don’t think Chris Bosh did a terrible job defending either (not great, but not terrible), but even a 37 year old Duncan is going to work over almost anyone on the low block if you don’t send help, and he abused Bosh in single coverage for much of the game.
4. Please don’t tell me anything about the refs. I don’t want to hear a word about how Bosh’s block at the end of the game or Ray Allen’s strip on Manu Ginobili should have been fouls. Did you watch the game (or any game this series for that matter)? Both teams are finesse teams that aren’t really interested in playing bully-ball anyway, but nothing was a foul last night…as in all night. So please, save your officiating complaints for somebody else…at the same time, if I don’t see Joey Crawford’s cueball head for a few months, that couldn’t come soon enough.
5. Can the Spurs recover in time for Game 7? They wasted a 30 point game from Duncan, a 10 point lead heading into the 4th quarter, and a 5 point lead with less than a minute to play. Now, they will be forced to turn around in less than 48 hours and win a Game 7 on the road. One might think that it all could be emotionally, physically, psychologically too much to overcome. And yet, if there’s any team professional and tough enough to do it, it’s the Spurs, and I have a feeling we are in for an almost equally wild game on Thursday night.
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