NBA Finals 2014: Updated Schedule Info and Prediction for Heat vs. Spurs Series
The Miami Heat showed on Thursday night exactly why the San Antonio Spurs are favored to win the 2014 NBA Finals.
Cramps forced LeBron James to exit Game 1 with 3:59 remaining in regulation. San Antonio only held a two-point lead. But Miami scored one field goal the rest of the game, losing by the score of 110-95.
Here are the schedule and predictions for the rest of the series.
| 2 | Sun., June 8 | 8 p.m. | SA | MIA | ABC |
| 3 | Tues., June 10 | 9 p.m. | MIA | SA | ABC |
| 4 | Thurs., June 12 | 9 p.m. | MIA | SA | ABC |
| 5* | Sun., June 15 | 8 p.m. | SA | MIA | ABC |
| 6* | Tues., June 17 | 9 p.m. | MIA | SA | ABC |
| 7* | Fri., June 20 | 9 p.m. | SA | MIA | ABC |
Prediction
James performed phenomenally in the series opener, scoring 25 points and shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. But when a team loses primarily because its superstar player only plays 33 minutes, there's an issue with its depth.
No Spur entered the Finals even averaging more than 32.6 minutes per game this postseason. San Antonio can have that and still blow teams out. Miami, not so much.
Ray Allen is the only Heat reserve who scored more than two points. San Antonio had eight players score at least seven points. Miami had just five (and Boris Diaw, the only Spur who didn't, had six assists).
The more scoring threats an offense has, the more efficient it's going to be. San Antonio had nine players contribute offensively, and it shot 58.8 percent from the field and 52.0 percent from downtown. It's almost impossible to beat a team shooting that effectively.
Miami will bounce back. It's a two-time defending champion. This series will be long.
However, the Spurs' wealth of talent will win out against a Heat team centered on three players.
Prediction: San Antonio in seven
David Daniels is a columnist at Bleacher Report and reporter at Wade-O Radio.
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