FINALES DE LA NBA 2014 Andreina Nash 06/07/14 ESPN

FINALES DE LA NBA 2014
Andreina Nash
06/07/14
ESPN.com
Los playoffs de este año será una repetición del año pasado con los Heat de Miami contra los
Spurs de San Antonia jugando para el campeonato de la NBA. Este ano los Spurs tienen el
chance de redimirse en esta revancha. Según la predicción de los analistas de ESPN, los Spurs
ganaran las finales ganando cuatro de los siete juegos. Pero con jugadores como James, Wade, y
Bosh se hace difícil predecir el ganador con certeza. No hay duda que la final de este año será
una gran batalla que mantendrá a todos los fanáticos en expectativa.
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2082268-nba-finals-predictions-2014-heat-vs-spurs-scheduleodds-and-series-forecast
NBA Finals Predictions 2014: Heat vs. Spurs Schedule, Odds and Series Forecast
By Donald Wood, Featured Columnist
Jun 1, 2014
The 2014 NBA Finals would have been an exciting playoff series regardless of which
teams made the championship round, but the fact that the San Antonio Spurs will
square off against the Miami Heat makes it even more interesting.
San Antonio and Miami met in 2013 for the NBA championship, and a rematch this year
is what many predicted leading into this season. ESPN’s Drew Spevak was not
surprised by the meeting:
Take a look at the entire 2014 finals schedule and series predictions for the Heat vs.
Spurs:
Game
Date
Matchup
Time (ET)
TV Info
Predicted Winner
1
Thu, June 5
Miami at San Antonio
9 p.m.
ABC
Spurs
2
Sun, June 8
Miami at San Antonio
8 p.m.
ABC
Heat
3
Tue, June 10
San Antonio at Miami
9 p.m.
ABC
Heat
4
Thu, June 12
San Antonio at Miami
9 p.m.
ABC
Spurs
5*
Sun, June 15
Miami at San Antonio
8 p.m.
ABC
Spurs
6*
Tue, June 17
San Antonio at Miami
9 p.m.
ABC
Heat
7*
Fri, June 20
Miami at San Antonio
9 p.m.
ABC
Spurs
2014 NBA Final Schedule and Predictions
Source: NBA.com *If necessary.
Forecasting San Antonio vs. Miami Series
There are few matchups in the NBA that can polarize the sport the way the San Antonio
Spurs vs. Miami Heat tilts have in the past, and for the second year in a row, the two
teams will square off with the NBA championship on the line.
San Antonio is the quintessential team. There are no overpowering egos in the locker
room, and every member of the roster is fighting for the players around him.
Traditionalist basketball fans will side with the Spurs in the finals.
As for Miami, the franchise built its winning roster through free agency, and the team
was constructed around stars. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris
Bosh joining forces on the Heat, many fans have grown to dislike the defending
champions.
Fans are genuinely excited for this series, but they’re not alone. ESPN is also
anticipating the marquee matchup, and SportsCenter's official Twitter account and the
company’s stat department shared some interesting notes:
After beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, San
Antonio's Tim Duncan told ESPN about his excitement surrounding the matchup with
Miami:
It's unbelievable to regain that focus after that devastating loss that we had last year,
but we're back here. We're excited about it. We've got four more to win. We'll do it this
time. We're happy it's the Heat again. We've got that bad taste in our mouths still.
Both of these franchises know how to win and know how to be victorious in the NBA
Finals. With the right mixture of defensive pressure and offensive ability, there is no
doubt that this series will be an intense battle that should go the distance.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com took to Twitter to talk about the dominance of each team
in its home building:
While there is no discounting the offensive pressure that James, Wade and Bosh can
put on a defense, San Antonio has one of the best defensive game plans in the league.
With plenty of bench depth as well, the Spurs will not be afraid to get physical.
Forget the relatively calm nature of the first finals meeting between these two
franchises; both of these teams will be looking to ramp up the physicality and force the
other to make mistakes that can be capitalized on.
San Antonio has a smart core of players led by Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony
Parker—as long as the point guard's ankle injury isn’t a long-term issue—and that
should be enough to hold off the pressure from the Heat.
Regardless of which team is victorious, the big winners will be the fans.
Predicted Series Winner: San Antonio, 4-3
*Stats via NBA.com.