Spurs point guard Tony Parker has dealt with ankle issues and missed the entire second half of Game 6 of the West finals, which could be the exact push the Heat need to maintain their status as favorites.ĭid you know? This meeting is the 12th NBA Finals rematch but only the fifth since the NBA-ABA merger of 1976. And the Heat buy into everything from coach Erik Spoelstra, who no longer has to prove himself to earn his place among the NBA's best. No team stretches a defense quite as well as the Heat, with James and Wade penetrating and everyone else hitting open three-pointers. Third All-Star Chris Bosh also played well to close the Pacers series. Wade has returned to form in the playoffs after regularly sitting out during the season to keep his knee fresh for this time of year. There's an air of invincibility with this Heat team right now, as though it's their fate to join the legendary three-in-a-row champions of NBA years past. They seemed primed to lose last season to the Spurs, then just didn't. The Heat are the two-time defending champions. Why the Heat will win: LeBron James is LeBron James, still the best player in the world even as Kevin Durant stripped him of the NBA MVP. Also, this could be Tim Duncan's final season, and it's easy to imagine the four-time champions coming up with one last dominant performance to win a fifth ring. Allen and Chris Andersen, the best players on the Heat bench, dealt with injuries against the Spurs, and the Heat already were not going to match up with the Spurs' second unit favorably. The West was much tougher than the East, so the Spurs have had to be in form for longer in the playoffs. The Spurs were less than 10 seconds from the championship last year against the Heat before Ray Allen hit a miracle three-pointer to send Game 6 to overtime. Popovich's system negates the effects of opposing stars better than any other, not by shutting down players like James as much as making them less impactful on the outcome of the game. That's a product of coach Gregg Popovich, who is the very best in the business. They have unprecedented depth, with no one averaging 30 minutes a game in the regular season, and they play with a natural grace through ball movement that makes them one of the most beautiful-to-watch teams in the NBA. Why San Antonio will win: The Spurs have been the best team in the NBA all season. Scoring leaders: Spurs PG Tony Parker (16.7 points a game), James (27.1). Heat SF LeBron James, Spurs SGs Danny Green and Manu Ginobili vs.

Matchups worth watching: Spurs SF Kawhi Leonard vs. Points allowed per game (per 100 possessions): Spurs 97.6, Heat 99.5 (Spurs 102.4, Heat 105.8). 1 seed Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference finals. 6 seed Brooklyn Nets 4-1 in the second round and No. 7 seed Charlotte Bobcats 4-0 in the first round, No. 2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 in the Western Conference finals. 5 seed Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 in the second round and No.

8 seed Dallas Mavericks 4-3 in the first round, No. Season series: Split 1-1, with Heat winning 113-101 Jan.

Game 7* in San Antonio: Friday, June 20, 9 p.m.

Game 6* in Miami: Tuesday, June 17, 9 p.m.

Game 5* in San Antonio: Sunday, June 15, 8 p.m.

Game 4 in Miami: Thursday, June 12, 9 p.m.

Game 3 in Miami: Tuesday, June 10, 9 p.m.

Game 2 in San Antonio: Sunday, June 8, 8 p.m.

Game 1 in San Antonio: Thursday, June 5, 9 p.m.

2014 western conference finals