(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Well I guess we can say momentum don’t travel from state to state because all that momentum the Heat created in Miami during game 2 didn’t make the trip to San Antonio. And instead of the Spurs being the victims of another murderous 4th quarter, they were the murders this time. Spurs didn’t wait until the 4th quarter to start their big run though they began in the 3rd quarter. In the 2nd half the Spurs outscored the Heat 63-33, complete domination. At the beginning of the 3rd quarter it was 50-44 game, led by the Spurs. Nine minutes into the 3rd the Heat was looking at 20 point deficit. The Spurs went on a 23-8 run that killed the Heat’s soul. And it wasn’t because of the typical big 3 of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli, it was another Spurs Big 3 that included Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Baltimore’s own Gary Neal. The “Young 3″ as I will start calling them, contributed 17 points, 5 boards, and 4 steals to that run. Before you knew it, the Heat were looking at a 73-52 deficit. And to make it worse, Mr. 4x MVP was only 2-12 with 4 points.

(Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

The Heat would make a little run before third quarter ended, 11 points coming in the last 2 minutes of the quarter to make it 63-78 going into the 4th. Bronny contributed 9 points to that run and it look like Bronny would have that “magical” performance and lead his team to a comeback. Unfortunately for #HeatNation, reality kept hitting them in the face. The 4th quarter was even worse than third, starting with an 8-0 run for the Spurs in the first 2 minutes of the 4th. Danny Green and Gary Neal contributed all 8 points, 6 coming from behind the arc. And the bleeding didn’t stop it just kept getting uglier and uglier. By the 6 minute mark the Heat was down 71-102 and Bronny was still nowhere to be found. Spurs knocked down 6 of their 16 trey balls (NBA Finals Record) on that 6 minute 23-8 run. By time that run was over LeBron and the rest of the Heat starters were on the bench.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

I don’t know what got into Danny Green and Gary Neal. They both went HAM from behind the 3-point line. It was definitely fun to watch, only if you weren’t apart of #Heatnation. Both had spectacular numbers, Green 27 points (7-9 3PT) and Neal 24 points (6-10 3PT) off the bench, but they made big plays too. Neal closed out the 1st half with a trey ball to beat the buzzer that sparked that phenomenal 2nd half. And Danny Green hit 4 straight trey balls in the 4th quarter that basically ended the Heat’s night early. So far, Danny Green has been the Spurs best player. In game 2 he went 6/6 on the night (5/5 from 3pt land) and then you add this performance, you can say Danny Green is on track to be the Finals MVP if the Spurs take it all. So far he averages 18 points a game and shooting 69% from behind the arc in the Finals. Not to mention he played some good defense on LeBron James this previous game.

(Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)

I’m not really sure why the Heat was manhandled like that in game 3 especially after the performance they had in game 2. But then I look at the numbers and I can see that what happened in Game 2 didn’t happen in game 3, which was outstanding play by the supporting cast. In game 2 Mario Chalmers scored 19 points and was 50% from the field but in game 3 he was 0-5 with zero points. Ray Allen went 5-9 from the field scoring 12 points. Game 3 he went 2-2 but only 4 points. Mike Miller was the only player that matched his game 2 performance with 15 points, 5/5 from behind the arc. Miller has made his last eight 3 pointers and it’s no telling when he is going to miss. Overall the Heat didn’t look like they wanted to play. They came out with some energy but not enough to match the Spurs. Coach Pop and the Spurs did a great job keeping the Heat in half court and away from the transition offense. Without big plays, the Heat look lost. Half-court offense is not their strong point and I think that’s because they don’t have post player other than Bosh. Even though the pick-n-roll with LeBron was supposed to be their bread-n-butter this series, I think that was a one-time thing that worked well in one game.

(AP Photo/El Nuevo Herald, David Santiago)

We all know every game is different in the Finals, that’s what make the Finals great. Well in LeBron case it’s not a positive difference. In game 1, even though they lost, he had a triple double, 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 dimes. To me, that has been his best game this series. Game 2 I thought he didn’t play well even though he finished with 17 points, 8 boards, 8 dimes, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Now most of that came during the Heat’s blowout but in all it was a good performance. Now this game performance was nowhere near great or good. For the 2nd game in a row, LeBron went 2-12 in the first 3 quarters. For the 2nd game in a row he only had 4 points in at halftime. This is very unacceptable for a 4x MVP. And the sad part about it, this is not the first time we seen this type of work from him. Against the Mavericks 2 years ago he played with this type of lack of urgency and we all know how that ended. I’m not going go into a rant about how LeBron needs to do this or do that because it would be a whole story about him. I’m just going to say, Do better Bronny.

(AP Photo)

The Spurs really put the Heat in a coffin, buried them, dig them back up, and buried them again. I didn’t see much tweakage done by the Spurs except for they were hitting their shots. 48% from the field is a lot better than 41%, what they shot in game 2. Even the Big 3 didn’t perform great for the 2nd time, Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker only combined for 27 points with 9 turnovers but the Young 3 held the older cats down. I have really been impressed with the way Kawhi Leonard been playing. Kawhi averages 11 points, 12 boards (4 offensive), and has been doing a great job defending Bronny. But everything wasn’t peachy in Game 3 for the Spurs. During Game 3, Tony Parker strained his hamstring and has been listed day-to-day. I don’t think the injury will hinder TP drastically but I do think it will slow him down a little bit. Game 4 will be very interesting none the less because a lot is on the line. So far the story of the series has been all about the supporting cast. Which supporting cast will show up in Game 4?

(AP Photo/Christian Petersen, Pool)

Going into the 4th quarter, The Spurs was looking at a 10 point deficit but manage to hold LeBron James to 5-12 shooting. The supporting cast of the Heat was phenomenal, especially Mario Chalmers who led all scorers with 19 buckets and 4 boards to go with it. But back to this 4th quarter, which was 65-75 to start. While the Spurs went 0-3 (0-2 3pt) with 3 turnovers, the Heat capitalized big time. They went 4-5 from the field, one big three from Mike Miller, to create a 84-65 lead that the Spurs could not come back from. The momentum created in that 4th quarter was crazy and Bronny was the front man of it. During that 9-0 run, Bronny contributed 4 buckets 2 dimes and a “defining” block that will be a Finals memorable moment. For some reason Tiago Splitter felt as though he had the explosion of Dominique Wilkins and jumped from the dotted line to dunk on Bronny. Well that was a bad decision by Splitter. Bronny made one of the best blocks I ever seen. He met him at the rim and palmed Splitter’s dunk, tough.

(AP Photo)

The 4th quarter never got any better for the Spurs, Bronny and Ray Allen would combine for 11 points in the next 4 minutes. The second half was bad for the Spurs who never came back from a 5 point deficit at halftime. In the last 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter, the Heat went on a 14-3 run led by Mario Chalmers who contributed 8 points (2 AND 1′s) and 2 dimes. During that run the Spurs turned the ball over two times, something they didn’t do much of in the first game. The Spurs had a total of 4 turnovers in Game 1, they had four in 7 minutes of basketball between the end of the 3rd quarter and start of the 4th quarter. They would finish with 16 turnovers which is very unlike the Spurs who rarely turn the ball over. During a TV timeout, Pop was asked about his teams’s turnover situation. Coach Popovich spoke about his teams turnover woes, the funny thing is it was in the 1st half.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

I would like to applaud Coach Erik Spoelstra for his defensive adjustments. In game 1, Tony Parker finished with 21 points (50% FG), 6 dimes, 0 turnovers, and a game winner. Well in game 2 he scored 13 points (5-14 FG), 5 dimes, 5 turnovers, and he was on the bench before the game was over. Instead of letting TP roam freely in the backcourt, the Heat started doubling Tony whenever he drove and it really hurt the Spurs as a whole. Tony wasn’t the only Spurs’ starter that was struggling. Tim Duncan went 3-13, Kawhi Leonard 4-12, and even though he’s not a starter Manu finished 2-6. The Spurs starting 5 plus Manu combined for 52 points in game 2, a lot different from the 83 they dropped in Game 1.

(AP Photo/Larry W. Smith, Pool)

The Heat definitely turned up the volume on the defensive side this game. The Heat made the Spurs work for every bucket. Every shot at the rim was contested. But the Spurs definitely didn’t let that fluster them in the first half. It’s crazy how the game ended because the 1st half was up and down basketball. Danny Green was on fire in the first quarter, going 3-3 from behind the arc and kept the Spurs in it for a while. He finished with 17 going 5-5 from behind the arc. The 1st quarter only had 2 lead changes but finished in a 22-22 tie. The 2nd quarter might have ended the same if it wasn’t for 5-0 run in the final 1:52 of the quarter. I think the Spurs should have went to Danny Green a little bit more because he only got 1 attempt in the 2nd quarter and 2 in the second half, but never missed a shot. Why not keep feeding him the rock?

(Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports)

I would like to give another round of applause to the Heat’s supporting cast for the job they did. If it wasn’t for the role players outside of the Heat’s “Big 3″, the Heat would have loss this game for sure. I already stated that Chalmers led all scorers but then you add, 13 from Ray Allen, 9 from Mike Miller, and 9 from Chris Andersen, you don’t really need much from your big 3 who combined for 39 points and 4 turnovers. And it wasn’t just by them scoring it was when they were scoring. All four players made big plays at big moments. 7 of Mike Millers 9 points came in the 4th quarter. Birdman caused 2 fouls on that 4th quarter 9-0 run, and Ray Allen hit the trey ball after Bronny’s big block. It’s hard to beat a team when they have role players that can step up in big moments.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

I’m sure a part of Pop’s game plan this series is to make the others beat him and not Bronny. I guess you can say that backfired which is tough because prior to that 4th quarter Bronny was having a bad game. Going into the half he was 2-10 with only 4 points. Luckily for the Spurs they have 3 future hall of famers in players and a future Hall of Fame coach all with Finals experience, this loss will be forgotten about. I still think the Spurs have the advantage in the coaching area even though Spo made some big adjustments. The thing is, how many times can The Heat force 10+ turnovers on the Spurs this series because that’s what it’s going to come down to. The Spurs let the game get away from them once the Heat started scoring in transition and building momentum. The Heat are the best team ever when they have momentum and Bronny looks to be the best player ever because they feed off it so well. Going into game 3, I’ll say the Spurs need to slow down the game, stay away from the big plays, and tighten up on the turnovers which I’m sure they’ll do.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Skip Bayless put up a tweet about LeBron yesterday that said, “LeBron is great in garbage time”. This tweet was also after the Heat’s big 9-0 run and I kind of agree with him. I think it was the wrong time to say it just because this was great moment and would have been for anybody. But LeBron do look great in pointless periods of the game. By time Bronny had that big block, they were already up 15, that block just boosted the momentum. And during the entire game he was playing bad, the supporting cast saved him. I don’t think it’s just LeBron that looks good, I think the Heat team period is like that. Even though they spanked the Spurs by 19, the Spurs are still in the driver seat because they stole a game in Miami with 3 games in San Antonio ahead of them. So who’s really laughing?

(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

In the third quarter the Spurs went bucket for bucket with the Heat but didn’t really get stops so in result the Spurs trailed by 3 again heading into the fourth. In the fourth quarter I think the Spurs told each other this is our quarter we’re going to control the paint and contest those outside shots to see if they can still hit from the perimeter. Also the 2007 Finals MVP, Tony Parker, just simply took over the game by raising the intensity for his team as he broke the nob on offense scoring 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. His last bucket was against a “top on ball-defender” (as experts say) that being Lebron James and Tony Parker with the shot clock running down hood-winked Lebron with a fake delivering a dagger shot of the glass that closed the game. Before the game a lot of sports fans said Lebron could defend Tony Parker but after that clutch shot by TP showed sports fans and experts other wise. Tony Parker without question is the best point guard in game right now which he displayed it last night by not only going in take-over mode in the fourth quarter finishing with 21 points and 6 dimes but committed zero turnovers against a team who feasts on making you turn over the ball with their half-court pressure defense. Tony Parker also outscored the Heat’s “Big 3″ by himself in the fourth quarter, by doing this Tony Parker has to get superstar status. Can’t forget about my man Tim Duncan who started out 0-5 finishing 8-14 to give him 20 points, 14 boards, and 3 blocks just outright dominated the paint being as though I think the Heat don’t have a defender for him.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The defense of the Spurs was just purely phenomenal in the fourth quarter as they strapped two of the Heat’s “Big 3″, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, who only accounted for two of the team’s 16 points. Dwayne Wade didn’t score single point and Chris Bosh went 1-5 (20% from the field) after both had a combined 28 points shooting just under 50%. The Spurs defense not only did a great job on Wade/Bosh but also on the team holding the Heat to under 30% shooting in the fourth quarter. Last but not least I tip my hat off to Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard for defending Lebron James the best he could holding James to 2-8 from the field when guarding him and to “Coach Pop” for instilling his defensive schemes for the Heat to in the end get the W 92-88.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The Miami Heat came out on a mission in the first half forcing their tempo on offense and defense which the Heat out-rebounded the Spurs and shot better. The Heat knocked down 6 trey balls with their ball movement finding the open man mainly being led by their floor general 4-time MVP Lebron James. Heat’s guard Dwayne Wade came out on a tare scoring 13 first half points this being his highest scoring first half in the 2013 NBA Playoffs including a driving two-hand dunk that had me asking myself is Wade getting healthier? Wade in the first half was just getting what he wanted whether it be the jumpshot, posting, or just driving and finishing tough at the basket. The supporting cast of the Miami Heat also showed up big in the first half that including Ray Allen, Mike Miller, and Norris Cole providing 16 points which they were deadly from beyond the arc.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

In the third quarter Bosh and Wade continued their aggression on offense as they scored 10 of the teams total 20 points creating shots for themselves and after two back-to-back buckets from Bosh the Heat lead was pushed to seven points. Lebron James continued to facilitate the rock finding his shooters on the perimeter as he opened those shots for them by driving and getting the defense to commit to him.

In the fourth quarter the offense of the Miami Heat just couldn’t hit shots whether it be close-shots, mid-range shots, or behind the arc. Dwayne Wade who had 17 points through three quarters just simply disappeared in the fourth as he didn’t score at all not even get to the foul line. Chris Bosh was just off too, going 1-5 in the fourth, scoring just 2 points after shooting over 50% through three quarters, but in the closing quarter Bosh could not deliver. He relied too much on the jump shots to me and I think he is more than capable of scoring at the rim with his offensive skill set being a top forward/center in the league. Lebron on the other hand recorded his third triple-double in the finals scoring 18 points, grabbing 18 boards, and dropping 10 dimes to try to help his team win game 1. Some of his passes in the fourth were, in my opinion, good understanding by Lebron adapting to what the defense was giving him in a couple situations were a wide-open Bosh who James trust to hit the shot. Lebron scored 6 points in the fourth but attempted just four shots, one of those shots were a 3-pointer that Lebron actually could have found a better shot. Lebron must take more than four shots in the fourth quarter and make sure he’s taking the best shot he can which I think should be driving to the basket if he wants to see success in the fourth. Lebron shooting jumpshots on a forward that is 40lbs less is not what James should be doing because Kawhi Leonard defended Lebron well on the perimeter but in the paint he is no match. Also Ray Allen who has finals experience should have gave a better effort in the fourth as well. Although Ray Allen hit three clutch free-throws he was bailed out by the terrible aggressive close out by Spurs guard Danny Green and besides the free throws Ray Allen was on the milk carton as well.

(AP Photo/Steve Mitchell, Pool)

In Game 2 the Heat will have to show up as a team in the fourth for two reasons. One reason being Greg Popovich is not going to allow one person to beat his team specifically 4-time MVP Heat forward Lebron James. The second reason being if they have a fourth quarter like that in game 2 not only will they be down 0-2 but in my opinion the series will be over in San Antonio.

The Spurs on the other hand I will just say they will have to improve their efficiency on offense as they shot 41% from inside the arc and 30% outside which is poor but at the same time can’t be so poor they got the W. The Heat statistically shot better from both but still lost the game this is where numbers sometimes are deceiving.

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Atlanta Flacons 

Key losses:

Brent Grimes, Daunta Robinson,Tyson Clabo , Michael Turner, John Abraham

Key Additions:

Stephen Jackson, Osi Umenyiora

Key Draft Picks:

Desmond Trufant, #22 overall Washington Cornerback

Robert Alford, #60 overall Southeastern Louisiana Cornerback

The Falcons were one game away from the Super Bowl before losing to the Niners on their home turf. Falcons dominated the season last year, going 9-0 before losing to the Saints in week 10. I was never sold on their dominance but they played well as a team and closed games out. This year I think it will be a little bit tougher for them only cause they loss pieces on defense. They loss both corners and defensive end but did replace them. Umenyiora will definitely fill any gaps that are left from losing Jonh Abraham. What will be interesting is how their two new rookie corners will manage this season. Looking at the depth chart I think Trufant and Alford will see the field a lot. I really like the kid Trufant though, I think he will start opposite side of Asante Samuel. I spoke about him after he played astonishing against Stanford last  September. But the nucleus of their team is the offense and that’s still intact. Roddy White and Julio Jones should have another outstanding year, right now they are the best receiver combo in the league. The addition of Stephen Jackson should also make life easier for Matt Ryan. Stephen Jackson brings that same bruiser mentality that Michael Turner had but I think he is a better receiver out of the backfield than Turner. Overall, I see the Falcons winning the South again but it won’t be as easy as it was last year.

(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

New Orleans Saints 

Key Losses:

Jermon Bushrod

Key Additions:

Jim Leonhard, Benjamin Watson

Key Draft Picks:

Kenny Vaccaro, #15 overall Texas Saftey

Terron Armstead, #75 ovearll Ark-Pine Bluff Offensive Tackle

John Jenknis, #82 overall Georgia Defensive Tackle

The Saints went through Hell last season. Prior to the season starting they had to deal with the bounty bullcrap which resulted in them losing draft picks, players, and coaches for the season. The Saints played the Redskins in their season opener and they got spanked. You could definitely tell the difference without Shawn Payton calling the plays. Then you add to the fact their defense was the worst in the league, their 0-4 start signaled a terrible season.  Now with Sean Payton back on the sidelines, I’m sure the Who Dat nation is hoping things get back to normal. Saints didn’t make any major off-season moves, the most intriguing maybe the firing of Steve Spagnulo and the hiring of Rob Ryan as the defensive coordinator. Now I don’t know what happened with Spagnulo’s defense last year because he is actually a good D-Coordinator but the numbers didn’t show that. The Saints were dead last in total defense last season, allowing 28 points and 440 yards a game, stinky. What makes it even funnier is their offense was the 2nd best in the league averaging 28 points and 411 yards a game. So really it wasn’t that they needed Payton, they just need to make some stops. Overall, I think the Saints will be much better than they were last season. I won’t give them the edge over the Falcons yet, only because I have to see what that defense is going to look like. If it resembles anything from last season, ain’t nothing up for the Saints.

(DANIEL WALLACE /Tampa Bay Times)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Key Losses:

Michael Bennett, LeGarrette Blount, Steve Smith(Retired), Ronde Barber

Key Additions:

Darrelle Revis, Kevin Olgetree, Dashon Goldson, Tom Crabtree

Key Draft Picks:

Johnathan Banks, #43 overall Mississippi State Cornerback

Mike Glennon, #73 overall NC State quarterback

William Gholston #126 overall Michigan State Defensive End

 Do not sleep on the Buccaneers. They have more than what it takes to succeed in the NFC South. The only knock against them is their youth I would say. Last season they started 1-4 but their combined margin of defeat was 15 points. They would then go on to win the next 5 out of 6 and everything was looking good until they lost 5 straight. They added some vets this season with the acquisition of Goldson and Revis. Their secondary maybe second best in the league behind only the Seahawks. Mark Barron and Goldson as your safeties, 2 physical players that can cover alot of ground, with Revis Island on one side of the field will make it very difficult to throw on them. Upgrading the secondary was a very smart move by the Bucs because two of the best teams in their division pass the ball alot. The offense is what really needs improvement though. They wasn’t bad but they were very inconsistent, especially Josh Freeman. He improved his yards and TDs totals from 2011 but his completion rating was down. With Mike Williams, Vincent Jackson, and now Kevin Olgetree to throw the ball too, Freeman has an opportunity to have a big year. I’m very curious to see how well Doug Martin will do too. In his rookie year he ran for 1,454 yards and 11 Tds with 472 receiving yards. Can he do it again is the question? Overall, the Bucs should pride themselves on their defense like in the Warren Sapp days. With a secondary like that you can do some things defensively.

(Getty Images)

Carolina Panthers

Key losses:

Chris Gamble

Key Additions:

Chase Blackburn, Domenik Hixon, Ted Ginn

Key Draft Picks:

Star Lotulelei, #14 overall Utah Defensive Tackle

Kawann Short, #44 overall Purdue Defensive Tackle

Kenjon Barner, #182 overall Oregon Running Back

I feel like The Panthers are two or three players away from being a very good playoff team. They look at times like they could beat anybody but then they look like they should blow the team up. I can’t really put my finger on why the Panthers are not a good team, they have good players and a decent coaching staff. The only thing I can say is the problem is Cam Newton. The Panthers will only go as far as he take them. As the best player on the team Cam has to be better. He went through a sophomore slump, all numbers declined from his rookie season, which is common for young QBs. Cam seen a bunch of criticism last year because of how he handle losing and I think it was unfair. I’m glad that he didn’t take losing well because that let’s me know how much he wants to win. I was more critical of how he would blow the game in the final minutes. 7 of the 9 games the Panthers loss last season were only by 1 possession, and to make it worse, Cam had a chance to make give his team the lead in all of them. That has to change if the Panthers want to see success. Overall, like I said the Panthers need a couple more players to get over that hump. It would be cheaper if Cam would do it for them though.

(Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Now back in late November, the Spurs and Heat had a national televised game in Miami but Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Danny Green didn’t make the trip. The Spurs were fined (still don’t understand why) and Coach Gregg Popovich received a lot of criticism for it, which is funny because people acted like he never benched his starters before. Then when the Heat made the trip to San Antonio in late March, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Mario Chalmers sat out due to “injuries”. So essentially this will be the first time they will face off both at full strength. On paper the Heat look to be the better team but the Spurs have more experience and have a better post-season resume. The Spurs have only loss 2 games this postseason, both to the up-n-coming Warriors. The other 2 series against the Lakers and Grizzlies resulted in sweeps. I was real impressed with how they swept the Grizzlies because prior to the series starting, the Grizzlies were the hottest team in the playoffs. Tony Parker quickly extinguished that fire averaging 24 points, 9 dimes and 2 steals a game. Many debates have been started about where Tony P rank among the league’s best point guards. I say at the top because he torches all the PGs that everyone say is the best like Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Deron Williams, also he has 3 rings along with a Finals MVP. And what a coincidence, Tony won that Finals MVP the same year they swept Bronny.

(Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Now for Bronny, this should be an ideal situation for him. He is getting a chance to play the same group of guys that embarrassed him in his first trip to the Finals. Bronny only averaged 22 points in that Finals but I can say he is a lot better now than what he was in 2007. He also has a much better supporting cast with him this time too. The Heat didn’t see much challenge in the first 2 rounds, sweeping the Bucks and bumping the depleted Bulls 4-1 but the Pacers made them work HARD for their 3rd straight Finals appearance. Before the series started I thought it would only take the Heat 5 games to eliminate the Pacers but thanks to Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and David West playing some great basketball, it went 7 games. Game 7 was when the Heat flexed their dominance and experience, causing 21 turnovers in a 99-76 rout. We also seen D-Wade come back to life in that game 7, dropping 21 points and grabbing 9 boards (6 offensive). That was D-Wade’s first 20 point game since Game 2 against the Bucks in the 1^st round, he was long overdue. For some reason people have been very critical of D-Wade like he isn’t a Finals MVP himself. Of course he is not going to be the same D-Wade because he doesn’t have the same role. When he gave up the team to Bronny, he gave up his freedom a little bit also. Before, the team worked around him, now he has to work around Bronny.

(Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)

The Spurs are the true definition of a “BIG 3″. Tony P, Timmy D, and Ginobli has won 3 championships together and have all played for the Spurs their whole career. They actually BUILT a dynasty unlike the Heat who is paying for one. I’m a huge fan of all 3 players though but coach Pop is the mastermind behind it all. Coach Pop has developed all 3 of these players into future Hall of Famers. This is where I think the Spurs have an advantage, coaching. The Pacers took the Heat to 7 games but Coach Frank Vogel made some costly decisions that hurt the Pacers in the long run. Unlike Vogel, Pop is 4-0 in the Finals, so costly decisions are very rare from him. I have no clue of what Pop’s game plan is but I’m sure he has something special for LeBron. I think the best thing for them to do is make everybody else beat them and make sure they close out on the shooters. Don’t be so worried about collapsing on LeBron driving to the basket because he will have at least 3 shooters on the perimeter he can kick it to. Also I think they should aim to dominate the paint. That has been the Heat’s Achilles heel for the past 3 seasons. Not only should they feed Timmy D, who is averaging 18 buckets and 9 board in the playoffs, but let Tony Parker penetrate all game. The acquisition of Chris Andersen aka “BIRDMAN BIRDMAN” has helped the Heat interior problem but I don’t think he can contain Timmy D.

(USA TODAY Sports)

This BIG 3 here is paid for. Only 1 was drafted by the Heat, and none played with one another prior to the Heat, but hey, they’re winning so I guess they get a pass. Like I said before, on paper the Heat should win this Finals but the Pacers exposed some problems they still have like the interior. The Heat will have to win this series on the perimeter and by playing their game. With two of the best perimeter players in the world, that shouldn’t be hard. The Heat will have to run the Spurs just like they did Indiana in game 7. I don’t think the Spurs will turn the ball over that many times but run & gun is not their style of play. If I was Coach Erik Spolestra I would go look at the 2012 Western Conference Finals, where the Thunder outplayed the Spurs for 4 games straight. And they outplayed them with perimeter offense from James Harden and Russell Westbrook. In this situation you have Bronny and Wade which is even better. The Heat also should figure out a way to stop Tony Parker. People are saying LeBron will play him but I hope not. Tony Parker is way too quick for LeBron and it will be disastrous for the Heat. Zone defense may be the best solution for Tony P even though they like to run a lot of man defense. But most importantly I need to see another dominant performance from Bronny. I’m always critical of him and that’s because people say asinine comments about this man being greater than “insert name here”. He already has two Final losses under his belt, another one will be very detrimental to his legacy in my eyes.

Stevie U first National Championship trophy

After an action packed game that included a lot of scoring, Stevenson defeated Rochester Institute of Technology aka RIT 16-14 to bring home the school’s first National Championship. Lacrosse is a game of runs and that’s exactly what was in this game, runs. Stevenson started the game out with 5 straight goals in the first 6 minutes of the game. Midfielder, Peter Green, scored the first  and fourth goal in what was an all Stevenson 1st quarter. Green finished with 3 goals on the day, giving him 38 on the year. RIT finally stopped the bleeding and got on the scoreboard thanks to a goal from midfielder Allister Warren at the 5:53 minute mark. But with 20 seconds left in the quarter, attackman  Mark Pannenton added another Stevenson goal to make 6-1. It was far from over though.

(Larry French/NCAA Photos)

Just like Stevenson, this was RIT’s first appearance in the National Championship. They didn’t come all the way from Rochester, New York to Philadelphia just to lay down and like I said Lax is a game of runs. While Stevenson controlled the 1st quarter, RIT took over in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Midfielder Kyle Aquin, who finished with 7 goals tying the championship record, scored the first goal of the 2nd quarter off a man-up situation, making the score 7-2. RIT outscored Stevenson 5-3 in the 2nd cutting the lead to 9-6 at half, Aquin scored 3 of those 5 goals. But the 3rd quarter is where things got interesting. Thanks to some magnificent ball movement, RIT outscored Stevenson 7-1 in the third along with winning 7/9 faceoffs. Midfielders Eddie Kiesa and Aquin combined for 6 of the 7 goals in the quarter, Aquin with 4, to go into the 4th quarter with a 13-10 lead. But once again, it was far from over.

DIII National Championship.

While the 3rd quarter was going on I sat next to a former player and good friend Dave Cougler, and I told him they need this quarter to end because for some reason they weren’t there. I talked to defenseman Parker Bratton after the game and he agreed with me that they needed that quarter to end. But the way the game was going, it was Stevenson turn to go on a run. The Mustangs began the 4th quarter with a 3-0 run in the first 3 minutes of the game. Midfielder Michael Crowe, Pannenton, and midfielder Nick Rossi all scored within 1:24 seconds. Then 20 seconds after Rossi’s game tying bucket, attackman Glen Thompkins scored the go-ahead bucket making it 14-13. They would add 2 more goals but it was the defense that sealed the deal for them. Long poles Kyle Holechek, Callum Robinson and Bratton strapped down along with goalie Dimitri Pecunes who had 15 saves, 4 in the final 5 minutes, holding RIT to only 1 goal in the quarter.

Natty Champs

This was a great game to watch, especially since it was my boys that got it done. The game included 85 shots and 17 penalties combined by both teams and 22,000 fans witnessed it, highest attendance since 2006. This is truly a “started from the bottom but now we here” moment because 20 years ago it was no Stevenson Lax. 10 years ago they were considered a sub-par D3 team.  5 years ago everybody said they would never get over the hump. Now in 2013 they’re Natty Champs. The program will only get better though, as its been since joining the CAC in 2007. And to think they had to beat in-state rival Salisbury to get to the Championship game. I’ve been reluctant to say they were rivals in the past but with a title in the program, the rivalry is solidified.

Aquille Carr

I’m 23 and I have seen a lot of high school basketball in my years but it’s without question Aquille Carr aka CrimeStopper, is the best high school player I ever seen. For One he is only 5’7 140lbs but he play like he is 6’3 190lbs. Quille became a household name throughout the city after his sophomore season when he led Patterson High School to a 25-2 record and a trip to the state title game but his work during the season is legendary. In a Christmas tournament, he dropped 57 points on Forest Park. For a high school player to drop 57 points is incredible let alone a sophomore. That game included seven trey balls and 12-15 from the charity strike. In his freshman season, he gave current NBA player, Josh Selby, and the Lake Clifton Clippers, who was the defending champs at the time, 39 points and 19 dimes. Also during his freshman year he dunked on 6’3 UMD star and former City College star, Nick Faust. In his first two seasons Quille did things that 4 year starters dreamed about. He was voted by ESPN High School Player of the year in 2011. He averaged 28.4 buckets, 6 dimes, and 5 steals his first two seasons while also hitting the 1,000 point mark.

Quille going to the Rack against Gonzaga College(DC) in 2011

By his junior season in 2011, everyone knew who Quille was, even if you wasn’t from Baltimore. Quille became a national sensation, you can credit a lot of that Hoopmixtape and YouTube. The Baltimore Sun claimed him as a “MUST SEE PHENOM”. He averaged 32 points and led the Clippers to a 21-1(10-0 vs City teams) season record along with a City championship which is big here. Clippers would also win their first ever State Title, Quille dropping 28 points and 8 assist in that game. The only loss they suffered was to Gonzaga College thanks to a buzzer beater from another great talent Kris Jenkins. The Baltimore Sun couldn’t have stated it better though. How many high school players can you name that drew crowds of over 3,000 people? Quille was must see, reason for his nickname CrimeStopper. He got the name because whenever he was on the court, the crime rate in East Baltimore would decline because all the dopeboys wanted to watch him play. Even NBA players was amazed by Quille, it wasn’t surprising to see a NBA talent attending on one of his games. That Summer when the NBA was locked out and players was playing in pickup games all over, Quille was on of the few high school players that played with them.

Quille in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game.

Quille finished his high school career at Princeton Day Academy(Lanham, MD) to get college ready, where he averaged 28 points a game this past season. Quille was voted the most exciting player of the 2013 class and I can say that’s accurate. It’s nothing Quille can’t do despite his size. His handling is second to no one, he can body up with big bodies while making an acrobatic lay-up, don’t leave him open cause he do have range, and don’t sleep cause he might dunk on you. Don’t believe me watch this. Even though Quille transferred to get prepped for College, verbally committing to Seton Hall, he decided to forgo college instead to play pro overseas. After his sophomore season, he was offered a contract from  Lottomatica Virtus Roma in the Italian league worth $750k. He declined to finished high school but now that he is finished, its no reason for him not to go. He will attend the Adidas Eurocamp June 9th which showcase the best overseas talent with NBA and international coaches in attendance. Quille will be the only U.S player in the camp. Just like with Tavon, Quille give hope to anyone coming up after him that lives in this city. He will forever be considered a legend and should be everywhere, in my opinion.

Rucker Park

The Gift:

It’s nothing like streetball, especially at Rucker Park. Now I never been to the Rucker but it’s definitely on my bucket list. Rucker history dates all the way to the 1950s when Holcombe L. Rucker started having his own tournaments with Pro and amateur athletes. By the 70s Rucker was the place to play if you were a baller. NBA Hall of Famers like Julius Erving, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar played against neighbor legends like Pee Wee Kirkland and Earl “The Goat” Manigault. Summer nights at the Rucker was the place to be in Harlem. And back then players got their recognition through word of mouth, not YouTube. Due to NBA contracts getting more lucrative and players becoming more cautious, NBA stars sightings started to dwindle at Rucker but in 1980 a man by the name of Greg Marius would create a tournament that would become the Entertainers Basketball Classic. It started out as a game between local neighborhood rappers and grew into the largest streetball tournament in the world.

Bird eye view of an EBC game at Rucker

The EBC has been very pivotal in streetball culture even more so than AND1. President Clinton even showed up at the Rucker with commissioner David Stern to catch a EBC game, Stern even threw on the Terror Squad chain. The EBC basically bought top of the line basketball back to Rucker. Entertainers of all kinds put together what they think is an monster squad and try to win “The Chip”. The most notable summer at the EBC has to be when Fat Joe and his Terror Squad were SUPPOSED to meet Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella squad in the championship game back in 2003. Now leading up to the game both teams were running the field but were in different divisions, so it was inevitable for them to meet. But that summer bought many faces to the park such as Kobe Bryant, Beyonce, LeBron James just to name a few. Both Jay-Z and Fat Joe recruited NBA talent to make sure their team was loaded and ready to go. Jay-Z had the likes of Sebastian Telfair, Jamal Crawford, and streetball legend John “Franchise” Strickland while Fat Joe had Stephon Marbury, Rafeer Alston aka Skip to My Lou, Kareem Reid aka Best Kept Secret, and Zach Randolph. Both Jay-Z and Fat Joe had NBA reserves on call also like Lamar Odom, Amare Stoudimire, Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony and yes even the Diesel Shaq was supposed to play in that championship game. That would have been epic.

(Left to Right) Alimoe, Flash(RIP), Skip to My Lou, Half-Man Half-Amazing, High Octane

While AND1 grew global recognition and flamed out, the EBC stayed true to the game. Unlike AND1 the EBC has fancy moves and dunks in the game not the other way around. Players like AO, Half-Man Half Amazing, Alimoe(RIP) and Main Event all garnered their name at the EBC. And that’s another wonderful aspect of streeball, the nicknames. The most known name has to be Skip to my Lou. Skip wowed folks back in the mid 90s with his dazzling dribbling skils and charismatic showmanship. He was the prototype for a streetball player and most importantly, he made it to the NBA. Essentially, streetball have saved a lot of dudes from terrible situations, unfortunately there is a darkside to this culture.

Ed “Booger” Smith 1997 Sports Illustrated cover

The Curse:

This right here is Ed “Booger” Smith. Some say he is the last streetball legend to gain his fame through word of mouth, before the internet age. Booger graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and had a documentary about him, Soul in the Hole, released all in the same year. How is this a curse you might ask? During that period of fame, Booger was also heavy in the streets of Brooklyn. Booger was a streetball phenom at the age of 12 but he was also selling crack. Fiends would wait in lines until he was finished playing ball just to get served from him. Unfortunately this is most streetballers lifestyle. Booger also dropped out of high school but still had an opportunity to play JuCo ball out in Arizona but that stint lasted for only a year before he returned back to Brooklyn. Boog has been locked for 4 years (2004-2008) and has no connection to basketball except coaching a youth girls team. This the curse of streetball, the ills of the street. Boog couldn’t leave the streets alone even though he was gifted enough to be in the NBA. He even said himself in a SLAM Magazine interview that if he didn’t make it to the NBA he would be a drug dealer.

Pee Wee Kirkland

Pee Wee Kirkland may be the greatest streetball player to never play in the NBA. While at Norfolk State, John Wooden recruited him to transfer and play at UCLA with Kareem. Legend has it that Pee Wee is the inventor of the cross over dribble and spin move to the basket. He was drafted to the Bulls in 1968 but returned back to his home of Harlem to continue running his lucrative drug enterprise. Pee Wee claimed that he made more money off the streets than he would make playing in the NBA, which is believable, especially at that time. But like with Booger, he was another gifted baller trapped in a place where his claim to fame was through basketball. Just like Booger, Pee Wee was also a streetball phenom while selling drugs at the age of 13. Pee Wee became infamous from him dealings with streets though. He had a Rolls Royce before he could get a license. The money was fast and nice but it paid a price. Three years after leaving the Bulls, Pee Wee was arrested on drug conspiracy charges for 3 years. Then in 1981 he was once again incarcerated this time for tax evasion. He wasn’t released until 1981. Pee Wee is a legend in both streetball and street life, Pusha T said it best, “A legend in 2 games like I’m Pee Wee Kirkland.

Rucker Park

Street life is always the ills of street basketball. Stories like Kirkland and Booger are happening all over this country. Earl Manigault who stated earlier is another legend who could have had NBA success. Kareem even went on record and said that he Manigault was the best player he ever played against. Manigault couldn’t shake drug addiction so his legend only made it to the blacktop. Movies like “Above the Rim” depict how even the neighborhood dope dealers can even contribute to the ills of the game. And street life isn’t the only thing that cursed the streetball culture, commercialized success played a part too. After And1 had a show on ESPN showcasing their national tour, it became more about the tricks than anything. NBA coaches and college coaches started to lose respect for the culture because it took away from learning the fundamentals of the game of basketball. Kids would watch these dudes do fancy dribbling moves but don’t learn how to shoot a jumpshot or dribble without carrying the ball and traveling. Streetball legends like Kirkland, Manigult, Booger, AO, Main Event are long gone now though. But the culture still lives. Thanks to the NBA lockout the streetball culture seen some good games between NBA and streetball talents. Most notable has to be Kevin Durant dropping 66 at the Rucker. Yeah he did that.

I dedicate this to all the Streetball Legends that are no longer with us. 

(AP Photo)

Statistically, Floyd is the greatest Boxer ever. His 44-0 record can only be compared by Rocky Marciano who went 49-0 in his career. Now even though Marciano record is better, I think Floyd’s resume is much better. Rocky most notably fight was against an old Joe Louis. Floyd has ran through everybody in the 3 classes he has fought in, featherweight, lightweight, and currently Welterweight. Diego “Chico” Corrales and Jesus Chavez were his most notable featherweight fights and neither lasted 12 rounds. His fight with Corrales was when I first noticed Floyd. I knew who Corrales was because of his hitting power but he couldn’t hit Floyd. Floyd definitely could hit him though, knocking Diego down 5 times. He beat Diego so bad that Diego’s corner stopped the fight. Diego still wanted to fight but he was out of his league that day. From then on I followed Floyd.

(AP Photo)

And Like I said Floyd ran through 3 classes. Usually when fighters go up in weight class, sooner or later they found out they’re not the best cause not only are the fighters bigger but also stronger. But not Floyd, he proved time after time that he is un-hittable. His resume at the Welterweight division is why you can consider him the greatest. Floyd not only beat some great fighters, he embarrassed them. Zab Judah was getting beat so bad by Floyd he started blatantly low blowing to the point both corners emptied into the ring. Floyd’s uncle and trainer at that time, Rodger Mayweather, actually tried to fight Zab. Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, didn’t result to low bows but he couldn’t hit Floyd either. Floyd landed 207 punches to Oscars 122 in their 12 round bout. Sugar Shane Mosely received a straight clinic . He lasted all 12 rounds but he looked like he went through 12 rounds while Mayweather looked like he just finished sparring.

(John Iacono/SI)

Floyd also embarrassed Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Victor Ortiz, Miguel Cotto, and most recently Robert Guerro. All of them have one thing in common too, they couldn’t hit him. To me, that’s what puts Floyd above all, his defense. You rarely see him bloody or swollen all because when you aim for his head you get all shoulder. Then he makes it hard for the opposition to throw combinations because if you miss you’re in trouble. His counter combinations are deadly. For every one punch you throw, just know its a 2 or 3 piece combo from Floyd on the way. That’s another aspect of his game that makes him great, his speed and quickness. He never really had the big knockout power but he can do damage just from how many times he hit you. Arturo Gatti caught it the worse. It took only 5 rounds for Mayweather to beat Gatti to a pulp. Gatti face was swollen, eyes shut, and if I’m not mistaken his jaw was broken. Gatti’s corner had no choice but to stop it.

(AP Photo)

I love Mayweather. He has kept Boxing somewhat afloat because this is a bad time for the sport of boxing. My only knock against Mayweather is he didn’t fight Manny Pacquiao. Now I know Manny took a devastating loss to Marquez but prior to that fight, he was the best remaining fighter left to challenge Floyd’s unblemished record. I’m not sure why the fight never happened but as the best fighter you should want to fight the best to solidify your legacy, Ali did it, Tyson did it. Ali and Tyson would never let that fight go to waste if they were in Floyd’s shoes. And What classical fight can you say Mayweather had? Ali had “Rumble in the Jungle” and all the fights with Frazier, Ali’s resume signified greatness with adversity & triumph. Floyd never seen adversity in any of his fights, whether that’s because he was that much better or lack of competition, I’ll save that debate for another day. Essentially, Floyd will be debated as the greatest ever because of his dominance but to put him over Ali is like trying to put Kobe over Jordan, another on-going debate.