Happy Humpday, Boston Celtics fans!
I’m in good spirits today, following the San Antonio Spurs’ dismantling of the Miami Heat in Game Three of the NBA Finals last night. If I was a betting man, I would have put a lot of money on the Heat winning that game – but I’m not, and I’m glad.
So how did the Spurs hand the Heat ts first loss at home in these playoffs? Only by turning in the best first half in NBA Finals history:
"Before the game was the recital. It spanned 17 minutes and 15 seconds, the most outrageous stretch of offensive basketball in the history of the Finals, an exhibition of passing, cutting and shot-making so choreographed it should have been set in a theater and put to music. The performance started when a bank shot by Tim Duncan slipped through the net and ended when a three-pointer by Tony Parkerclanged off the rim. The notion that a San Antonio player could actually misfire clearly startled the Heat because they failed to corral the rebound. . .A national audience, which remembers the Spurs as those boring plodders who dumped the ball into Duncan a decade ago, may be surprised by this onslaught. But it was no fluke. The Spurs have evolved over the past five years into the most artistic and efficient offense in the NBA. They led the Western Conference in field-goal percentage this season and the league in three-point percentage. “There were no magic plays,” Ginobili said. “We just moved the ball and every shot went in. … It happens once in a while.” If anything even remotely like it happens two more times in the next eight days, the Spurs will take the title."
Of course, the fact that Kawhi Leonard had a huge night went a long way, too, which could explain why he is the talk of the town today. Both the Daily Dime and The Sporting News are giving Leonard much love today. Makes sense; after all, Leonard is the future of these Spurs – check out this video that explains why:
In other news, someone should tell the NBA that the Heat lost:
LeBron's SLAM plus the foul in Game 3, from all of the angles: http://t.co/ZaekIgJTfj
— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2014
No offense, but in a blowout loss, a slam and 1 really doesn’t deserve to draw headlines.
Looking ahead to the summer, Jay King over at Masslive.com wonders whether the Boston Celtics will have enough money to go over after some big name free agents:
"With the NBA season coming to a close and Marcin Gortat retweeting photoshopped pictures of himself wearing a Boston Celtics jersey (and later following up with a note that nah, his RT didn’t mean anything), now seems like an appropriate time to check in on the Celtics free agency situation.Projected salary cap for 2014-15: $63.2 millionCurrent Celtics salary for 2014-15: $59.92 million (misleading)As of now, the Celtics have $59.92 million in salary for next season, according to figures atBasketballInsiders.com. That figure’s somewhat misguiding, though. . ."
Finally, I’ve heard Aaron Gordon’s name tossed around quite a bit when it comes to how the Celtics will use the 6th pick in the NBA Draft. Gordon is a bit of risk – but do the rewards outweigh the risk? Head here to see why Gordon is a good fit for the Cs. [Bleacher Report]
Thanks!