NBA Finals 2014: Latest Odds for Heat vs. Spurs Game 5
"Mayday! Mayday!"
That distress call should be coming from South Beach, as the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat face a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals heading into Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Almost no one would have predicted this series would transpire this way, but thanks to impeccable teamwork and near flawless shooting through four games, the San Antonio Spurs are on the cusp of their fifth championship.
Most—including yours truly—predicted easy wins for the Heat in Games 3 and 4, but like Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweeted, we were only half right.
The Spurs have earned the right to go for the clinch on their home floor on Sunday night, and they deserve to be five-point favorites, per Odds Shark.
On a per-game average, San Antonio has outscored Miami 106-92 in the series. Closeout games are always difficult, but the Spurs have made almost everything else in this series look easy.
Heat Must Crank Up Defense and Intensity
San Antonio has played great through four games, but Miami hasn't played like a two-time defending champion.
There seems to be a lack of intensity from the backcourt, and there's no spark plug off the bench.
Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade look as if they have checked out of the series. Perhaps injuries are getting the best of both men, but their play is suffering on the court.
Wade was an abysmal 3-of-13 from the field with 10 points in Game 5. Chalmers has been bad the entire series. He's 5-of-18 from the field, and he's just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. The Heat depend on his outside shooting to help space the floor for LeBron James and Wade, but Chalmers has been off the mark.
Miami needs Wade and Chalmers to play well in Game 5 if it hopes to stem the tide.
What about LeBron?
There's not much more he can do. In 37.3 minutes of action, James is averaging 27.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists, making 60 percent of his shots from the field and 61 percent of his threes.
Those are NBA Finals MVP numbers.
After Game 4, James told reporters, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports: "It's not on my shoulder. It's not. I understand I get a lot of the limelight in the press and all that, but it's not all on my shoulder."
James is right, but you can bet that if the Heat lose, he'll get most of the blame. Unfair or not, the game's best player will be the subject of a whole new slew of memes and online abuse.
Such is the way of the world.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra must strongly consider turning to Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier and even Greg Oden for a stretch during Game 5.
His team needs a spark, and oftentimes that can come from veterans who haven't seen much tick, aside from the garbage time created by two Spurs blowouts.
Spurs Must Answer Miami's Initial Sense of Desperation
Any team facing elimination is going to come out strong at the outset of a closeout game. The Spurs are experienced and smart enough to understand that.
They must be prepared to extinguish a Heat team that could come out of the gates like a house of fire.
LeBron and Co. are still a talented and proud bunch. They won't go out without a fight. The Spurs have shot an insane 54 percent from the field and just under 47 percent from three-point range.
If that shooting comes down to a more human level, the Spurs might have to gut out a win.
Can they beat the Heat without a stellar shooting night?
Maybe we'll find out on Sunday.
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