A Game 7 To Remember as an Era Continues

You can say whatever you want about these NBA Finals. After seven brilliant games, I can only applaud both teams for leaving it all out there and giving us a series to remember. Game 7 had a lot to live up to and it did.

I salute the Spurs in defeat. Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich lost for the first time in these NBA Finals and they looked haunted as if they hadn’t already won four before.

Duncan gave it all these last two games but it was two easy shots in the paint guarded by a smaller Shane Battier that many will remember. His reaction afterwards made him more human and for one of the 15 greatest players of all time, it's hard to not feel empathy as he left the Finals for the first time without a ring.

It’s a heartbreaking moment similar to Tom Brady feeling dejected after the 2012 Super Bowl. A former champion at the closest he’s been to the mountaintop only to fall short and not know if that was the last chance.

NBA Finals: Game 7 and The Overratedness of Legacy

Regardless of what happens Thursday night, legacies will not be defined. That’s right. Win or lose, nobody’s legacy is at stake.

Why? Because a legacy can’t be defined in one game. It can’t be restricted to one game because that goes against the basic principle of what a legacy is.

It’s so easy to bring up that word. It’s thrown around so much that it’s become a cliché. As such, it’s misused and abused because people forget that in a team sport, legacy is always dependent on so many variables.

Why are we so obsessed with it? Why does it matter to define? Because it’s easy and as Game 6 reminded us, one person’s story can change at any time.

NBA Finals: A Masterpiece Game 6 Gives Us Game 7

Game 6 was a battle of will, desire and heart. And I loved every bit of it! Neither team wanted to lose and Tim Duncan and LeBron James are part of the reason why this game was an absolute gem.

Game 6 last night was the kind of Game 6 I'm used to seeing in baseball. The World Series is full of classic Game 6 moments. 2011 when the Cardinals came back. 1986 when the Red Sox blew that lead. 1991 when Kirby Puckett did everything to win that game.

We just got that as hoops fans. A masterpiece performance from both teams and several players. A memorable comeback. Both teams willing each other to the top and defense saving the day. All I can do is try to make sense of it and I hope I did in this video.

LeBron James gave us another great Game 6 to remind us of what he did last year in Game 6 vs. Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tony Parker reminded us how he won Game 1. Tim Duncan reminded us why he's still an All-NBA level contributor. Kawhi Leonard showed why he's going to be a very good player in this league.

And that's just some of the folks worth praising. How about Ray Allen on offense and defense? Chris Bosh being aggressive on the glass AND as a shot blocker. Shane Battier's defense! Alright, let me stop so you'll have a reason to watch this video. It's only fitting we have one more game of this and I'm so excited!

I also jumped on a podcast with my guy Paris and his brother Zeph and we talked more in depth on Game 6. Check that out here cause that was a doozy as we consoled Zeph on being upset that the Heat ruined his evening.

NBA Finals: A Ball of Brilliant Confusion

This has been a strange series. Game 1 had us thinking we were in for a series of close games a la 2011. What happened over the last four games is nothing short of confusing.

Two blowouts thanks to a silly 33-5 Miami Heat run in Game 2 and Gary Neal/Danny Green going bonkers in Game 3. Game 4 saw Dwyane Wade rise from his shooting slump followed by Manu Ginobili doing the same in Game 5.

Even weirder? All four of those games I mentioned seemed to shift in the third quarter. Games 2 and 5 had runs that started in the third and spilled over in the fourth.

So either we have teams that are remarkably balanced except for a 10-minute stretch or both teams figuring the right time when to use their advantages and pour it on. Got it? Good, cause I don't?

Here's Looking At You, Coach (Heat's on Erik Spolestra)

Somewhere right now, the Miami Heat are stewing. Dealing with the aftermath of a revenge blowout they got in Game 3. Good.

Many folks have said that this is exactly what LeBron James needs. A reminder that he can't table set anymore. Oh it's nice that he's averaging a double-double and leading Miami in assists. But folks don't appreciate that when you haven't scored 20 in any of the Finals games. It's time to go to Darth James. The killer of last year.

Me? I feel that way too but I'm aiming my biggest cannon at a guy who has been skating by most of my criticism. A guy losing a matchup I glossed over in my preview but I knew would be just as crucial as anybody on the court.

Erik Spolestra has been getting outcoached. Somewhere after Game 3, I realized that he's the one who needs to be plotting and stewing the most because Gregg Popovich has tactically mastered him so far.

NBA Finals: The Block And The Invisible Men

The Block. As humiliating as a poster jam is, few things hurt more than being blocked when you think you have an open score. Rejection isn't easy but embarrassment makes it worse.

Miami's 33-5 run was an explosion that I didn't see coming. A back and forth game suddenly became a runaway train as the Heat's defense overwhelmed San Antonio. For that glorious stretch, I felt like I saw the Heat that won 27 straight games.

Keying it all was LeBron James. He did what was needed: Setting screens, grabbing rebounds, finding the open man, scoring with ease after being in check most of the game. But that one play symbolized how much he had his fingertips on the game.

Too often, people criticize James when he sets the table instead of dominate from the jump. Nevermind that San Antonio is forcing him to use his mind as much as his strength. Nevermind that Miami has been close to the Spurs because of his stellar play. It's people expecting obvious greatness all the time instead of cerebral dominance in all ways of the game.

The Six-Year Itch for LeBron and Duncan (NBA Finals Preview)

To understand my thoughts on the 2013 NBA Finals, I have to go back to 2007. An NBA Finals I can't remember much of besides Tony Parker carving up the Cleveland Cavaliers and hugging Eva Longoria to celebrate afterwards.

I do remember one thing vividly. That video above of Tim Duncan being congratulated by a young LeBron James and Duncan telling the then 22-year-old James the NBA would be his one day. James was disappointed from carrying the Cavs to the NBA Finals but soon we'd all see him make Duncan a prophet.

6 years later, Duncan and LeBron meet again at the mountaintop. Both still All-NBA First Teamers. Both older, wiser and better. LeBron has a better team than he did in 2007. Duncan has a better version of Parker than he did in 2007 along with a strong supporting cast.

To be great, you have to go through greatness. For the Miami Heat to finish off one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, they have to go through one of the pillars of greatness over the last decade. A San Antonio Spurs team that has methodically eliminated their Western Conference playoff foes with precision and balance.

Here's my key things to watch.