5 bold predictions for the NBA Finals
The first NBA Finals rematch since 1998 will tip off Thursday night in San Antonio, with the Miami Heat looking to win their third straight championship, while the Spurs are once again searching for their franchise's fifth title.
With so many storylines surrounding these two teams, we're turning to theScore's NBA editors to get their thoughts on the series and some bold predictions on what might happen over the next two weeks.
Duncan calls it a career after winning Game 7 on home court
Blake Murphy - Maybe that's not all that bold since Duncan is 38, but consider that he has a $10 million player option for next season and that he's yet to show the normal signs of aging you'd expect from someone inching towards 40.
There also isn't really a good basketball reason Duncan should call it quits.
But a fifth championship ring and a rather tidy bookend to a 17-year career that saw him win a title as a sophomore, not to mention the allure of "going out on top" and leaving before your body forces you to, may be too perfect an exit to pass up.
Plus, there's all that paintball waiting to be played.
Boris Diaw will continue to be a thing
William Lou - Spurs forward Boris Diaw played a pivotal role in helping San Antonio triumph over the Thunder. In Game 4 to Game 6, Diaw averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor. He baffled the Thunder's defense with his mix of mobility, creativity and outside shooting touch.
Diaw's skillset should translate well into the Finals against the Heat. Last year, Diaw acted as an effective deterrent for LeBron James, as his size effectively kept James from driving to the hoop. However, with the Heat's defense slower this time around, Diaw should be able to punish the Heat's rotation-heavy defense.
With the bulk of attention paid to Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Diaw will be the beneficiary of open looks and lesser defenders, giving the fancy Frenchman the opportunity to flourish.
Danny Green will have some big moments (again)
Carlo Campo - In retrospect, it seems ludicrous to think that there was talk of Danny Green being named NBA Finals MVP in 2013. But before the final two games of the series, Green's shooting was so good that the conversation was completely justified.
He shot 56.6 percent from the field in the first five contests, and by the time the Miami Heat had won their second successive championship, his 27 made three-pointers in the series were a new NBA record. In Game 2, Green went 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, and he followed that up in Game 3 by going 7-of-9. It was something to behold.
Although Green may not smash records in this year's NBA Finals, he'll have more than his fair share of big moments. His postseason hasn't been remarkable thus far, but neither was his playoff run before last year's NBA Finals.
Green has already sent a warning shot or two in the Heat's direction. Game 5 of the San Antonio Spurs' series against the Portland Trail Blazers saw him drop 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Game 2 of the Western Conference finals versus the Oklahoma City Thunder saw him post 21 points while going 7-of-11 from three-point territory.
Be afraid, Miami.
Kawhi Leonard will be named NBA Finals MVP
Gino Bottero - In last year's Finals, as a 21-year-old, Leonard averaged 14.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals.
Flash forward to this season and a Heat team that has taken a big step back defensively will still be focusing its attention on the Spurs' Big Three. That leaves Leonard to the team's secondary defenders, putting him in a prime position to rack up big numbers.
It's certainly going to take something special to steal the award away from the likes of Duncan and Parker, but the San Diego State product may have what it takes to do just that.
Spurs will win the title in less than 7 games
Joseph Casciaro - After Miami and San Antonio's instant classic Finals matchup last year, NBA fans are hoping for another nail-biting, seven-game epic. But sequels rarely live up to originals, and while the Heat are the two-time defending champs and boast the undisputed best player alive, the Spurs have been the league's undisputed best team all season.
The Heat's offense has been explosive in dismantling top defenses in Charlotte and Indiana this postseason, but the Spurs have been dominant on both ends of the floor all year and boast the much more consistent defense. San Antonio allowed just 100.1 points per 100 possessions during the regular season (second-best) and have allowed only 101 points per 100 possessions during the playoffs (second-best) despite matching up with some of the league's most potent offenses in the Mavericks, Blazers and Thunder (all top-seven during the season).
The Heat, meanwhile, have the prolific offense but a somewhat concerning defense, as the champs have allowed 105.3 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs despite matching up with two bottom-10 offenses (Charlotte, Indiana) and a middle of the pack attack (Brooklyn). What kind of damage might an offense that can actually, y'know, score, inflict?
Finally, the Spurs have home court advantage this year and have won eight straight home games by an average margin of 21.5 points, while the Heat have gone 2-3 over their last five road games in Indiana and Brooklyn.
We all want a thrilling Finals, and the safe bets would be to side with LeBron and co. again or to take the Spurs in an evenly matched seven-game series. Bold is taking the Spurs to actually look like the much better team en route to a fifth championship.