Choosing sides - Heat and Spurs clash for 2013 NBA title

The 2013 NBA Finals have gone the distance, with game seven set for Thursday (Friday, PHL time) at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Will the San Antonio Spurs claim their fifth NBA title or will the Miami Heat dominate for a second straight championship? We asked our basketball experts which side they think will emerge victorious to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy.


Favian Pua, contributor to GMA News Online Sports

Miami Heat. In a series filled with so much randomness and variability, it is impossible to rely on historical trends. The mood of every game has swung much faster than that of a hormonal teenager. A sustained flurry from Miami and San Antonio in the second half determined the winner of each of the first six games. As much as the Spurs will have to forget game six and move forward, the gnawing what-if scenario remains. They already had the Heat against the ropes, up 71-58 with three minutes left in the third quarter, but failed to deliver the knockout punch. The fact that Tim Duncan's vintage first half still came up short is worrisome. The same goes for Tony Parker, whose hamstring is hampering his explosiveness to the basket.

On the Heat's end, LeBron James will need an encore for his triple-double showing to overcome Dwyane Wade's gimpy knee. Ray Allen, Mike Miller, and Shane Battier must also connect from downtown to keep the Spurs defense guessing. Remember the on-off switch that Miami has been struggling with for nearly a month? With their backs against the wall one last time, it will be on.


Renee Fopalan - writer, GMA News Online Sports

San Antonio Spurs. Manu will realize, if not be made to realize, that in the event that anybody on the Spurs is allowed to play hero ball, it is Tim Duncan, not him. The big three's of each team will get their numbers, but the difference will lie in the other pieces on the floor. The Spurs' roleplayers will feel the sense of urgency in fighting for Tim Duncan's legacy. It's all mental now.


Carlo Pamintuan - sports desk editor, GMA News Online Sports

I will go against my brain and say that the San Antonio Spurs will pull off a game seven victory. Right now, there's nothing going for them. They lost game six in the worst way possible. They are all tired, and history tells us that visitors cannot win back-to-back games to clinch a title in the NBA. However, I just have a feeling that Gregg Popovich will somehow will his veterans to play their heart out; together for what might be their last time.


Nico Baguio - owner and editor of Humblebola, columnist for GMA News Online Sports

I'm picking the San Antonio Spurs by the slightest margin, because of the following reasons:

This a series of adjustments. There's a reason why no team has won back-to-back in this series, because the other team usually countered well. When one team does something good (example, San Antonio took care of the ball in game one, negating MIA's traps and preventing them from leaking out), the other team counters (San Antonio had a TOV% of 16% in game two thanks in large part to nine steals).

This lasted until game six. San Antonio was on the verge of a fifth championship, before Spo unlocked Lebron James by surrounding him with not just two shooters but three. Spo used the Chalmers/Allen/Miller/James/Andersen lineup for more than half of the time. This was the line-up they used to turn a 10-point deficit into a two-point lead. It had everything Lebron needed - superior shooting and interior defense.

That worries me. The fact of the matter is that the Chalmers/Wade/LBJ/Bosh four man combination has been less than stellar. In 126 minutes together, that line-up scored 96.5 points per 100-possessions and conceded 111.8 points per-100 possessions. In fact, in 172 minutes together, Miami's Big 3 of Wade/LBJ/Bosh have scored just 105.3 points per-100 possessions and allowed 113.2 points per-100 possessions. Even more troubling is that in six Finals games, when Lebron and Wade play together, the Heat have an efficiency differential of -15.8. This means Miami's best bet to win against the Spurs is to not have those two play together, which ought to open the door for non-Wade players like Miller and Allen.

However, I think over the course of a game, playing Miller and Allen will prove to be more of liabilities, since neither can provide anything outside of shooting right now, than assets. I'm very confident that Popovich will have an answer for that line-up, and when that has been answered, I don't think Spo has anything in his bag of tricks left.

The only way I see Miami winning game seven is if LeBron wills them to one. That's still a good bet, but not good enough to sway me.


Chuck Araneta - From the Stands, contributor to GMA News Online Sports

I have the Miami Heat winning game seven. Why? Because I believe in LeBron James. There was a moment in game six right after two straight turnovers in the last two minutes that I thought LeBron James was done. He would be written off as a one-hit wonder that only won a ring because his team was more prepared than the Oklahoma City Thunder last year. It seemed he knew his legacy would forever be tainted in everyone's eyes.

Whether that is fair or not is for another story. But when LeBron made that crucial trey, getting the Heat near enough to give Ray Allen a chance to send the game into overtime, it was a resurrection that I never thought possible on this huge a stage. LeBron James was done, but he dug deep down, and with the help of his teammates, forced a game seven, even though not everyone in the stands were there to see it.

Moving forward, game seven is Bron's chance to finally silence everyone. Armed with the knowledge of how to contain Tim Duncan (front him and send help), Danny Green (do not leave him alone ever. Forever-ever. Forever-ever) and a line-up full of shooters surrounding the reigning MVP, I believe the Heat will make history as a dynasty in the making. The haters will have to be quiet and wait for another year, as LeBron continues his march to glory.


Job B. De Leon - writer, GMA News Online Sports

In the mid-2000s it was so difficult to root for the San Antonio Spurs, derisively dubbed as commissioner David Stern's pet team. But today they're protagonists against the villains from South Beach, where Tim Duncan needs to put away LeBron to win his fifth title. So in a perfect world, San Antonio wins the Larry O'Brien trophy, Timmy cements his legacy as the greatest power forward to play the game, while sending the entire Miami Heat organization to plumb the depths of despair and devastation (again). But HBO's Game of Thrones teaches us that life is cruel and nobody gets what they want.

Something awoke in LeBron during those last moments of game six. It might be later known as "The Headband Game" but it's the day he tore the Spurs' hearts out, and I'm not sure the Spurs can emotionally or physically recover from being a rebound or a missed free throw away from a title. LeBron smells blood and in the words of Catelyn Stark, he'll make San Antonio feel what it's like to lose what they love. In game seven, he's going to chew what's left of Duncan's organs, spit them out and set them on fire. I'm picking the Miami Heat.