Jun 10 2012
Miami v Boston Game 7
Last night’s big game 7 contest of the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics showcased some of the best talent in the NBA. Unfortunately for Boston, that talent showed its age come the fourth quarter. The veteran leaders were consistently a step behind the younger, healthier Miami Heat.
I was really impressed by what I saw from Chris Bosh, Miami’s center. He had missed several games due to an abdominal strain. Now that he’s back, he looks rejuvenated. One thing does have me concerned for him going forward and that that’s his conditioning. When you take off as many games as he did, you need several games to get back in “game shape”. You can’t just show up and expect to be right back where you left off.
I genuinely felt bad for the Boston Celtics. I’ve had a lot of respect and admiration for this group of players. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett are all Hall of Fame-bound when their careers are over. There’s just no telling where they will be playing next year. Pierce is still contracted to play in Boston next year, but there’s talk that Boston could trade him for younger players. As for Garnett and Allen, they could land anywhere. Garnett looked terrific after Doc Rivers moved him to Center and Allen should be much better once his has surgery to have the bone spurs removed from his ankle. All of these guys have a couple years left. And the way Ray Allen takes care of his body leads me to believe he could be around for another five.
Miami will have their hands full with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. OKC is a very young and talented team. This is going to be one heck of a finals. It’ll star the two best players in the league: LeBron James and Kevin Durant.