Five dollar players will be the ones with the most valuable to either San Antonio Spurs or Miami Heat winning the Larry O'Brien trophy. From there, we will look at other players working our way down.
Five DollarsLeBron James - This is the obvious first choice. LeBron had a fairly good NBA Finals against the Spurs. Granted, Kawhi Leonard is a year older which could be a factor into wondering how good James will be this June. For reference, he had two triple-doubles and three games with 30 points or more. Although in the two games against San Antonio this year, James struggled mightily with under 20 points and poor shooting in both games.
Kawhi Leonard - I think he is the most important player on the Spurs roster. Say he holds LeBron to under 23 points a game for the series and the Spurs win plus Kawhi ends up averaging around 15 points a game. He would easily be the Most Valuable Player of the Finals. Leonard had some big games down the stretch in last year's NBA Finals and if he is more assertive on the offensive end, he could do some big things in this series.
Chris Bosh - This is the player to watch in the series. Bosh has been coming on hot of late. He had three straight games with 20 points or more plus he is shooting 57.5 percent from the field in those three games. Bosh is red hot. He is also rebounding which is something I was highly critical of him in the past. He grabbed eight and 10 boards in the last two games. Don't be shocked if he is the NBA Finals MVP if Miami takes their third straight title.
Tony Parker - The health of Tony Parker is a major concern. He says it will be all good, but one tweak could disable him from being a factor in this series. He hurt his ankle recently and hurt a hamstring earlier on in the playoffs as well. If he is 100 percent, Parker is a huge game-changer. Not one player on the Heat can really guard him. Maybe Dwyane Wade is the only answer, but he has definitely lost a step in his defense.
Four Dollars
Tim Duncan - The last two games have been great for Duncan with double-doubles in both games as well Duncan scoring 19 and 22 points. The rebounding numbers were vast improvements from where he was after the Portland series. Duncan has some demons looming with him missing bunnies in the late game. Biggest thing for him is if there is a close Game 1 or Game 2, Duncan needs to hit a couple of those late and get the confidence back. Because if Duncan misses them again, the demons could return.
Dwyane Wade - Everyone talking about Miami to win the series are saying Wade will be the difference given his health is much better than it was last season. I don't disagree, but I don't know if he will be as effective as people believe him to be this series. Wade will have his moment though at some point whether it is a big game-winning basket or an iconic game like Game 4 last season.
Manu Ginobili - Many people are talking about how this is a redemption series for Duncan, but it is more so for Ginobili. He struggled mightily besides Game 5 and Game 7 last season. Granted, Ginobili came up big when it mattered the most, but he has something to prove in this series. A part of me feels Ginobili will come up huge for the Spurs at some point. He is having a real solid playoffs including probably being the difference maker against Oklahoma City.
Rashard Lewis - This might be an overreaction to Lewis' Game 5 and Game 6 performances, but you cannot overlook what he did in the last two games. He had 18 points with Game 5 and added 13 in the Game 6 win. If Lewis can basically be Sam Perkins for this team and just drill corner threes, huge addition for this team's offense. He also could spend the whole time on the bench and I wonder why I am wearing this f---ing shirt.
Boris Diaw - Big Game Boris??? He tends to come up big when San Antonio needs him the most. Diaw could be a true factor battling Miami's small lineup. The likely assumption is he will play a heavy (no pun intended) role into the Spurs offense with likely him playing at the four with Duncan at the five. Diaw should add something to the Spurs offense.
Three Dollars
Ray Allen - Every now and again, you will have 'Ray Allen Game.' They do not come often, but all the sudden, Allen hits a huge three in the waning moments of the game. He is completely lethal and terrifying to be out there on the court late in games. Ray isn't giving you 10 a game, but he will give a big three somewhere in this season.
Tiago Splitter - I know a lot of people are saying Tiago will not get much run because of the Spurs small lineup. I would disagree. San Antonio could put him with the small lineup forcing LeBron to play more in the post and hopefully draw fouls on him. Splitter might not score points or pull down a ton of rebounds, but his size could pay off for San Antonio.
Chris Andersen - He could be more valuable than this guarding Tim Duncan and the other big men in this series. They also need Andersen to be healthy because if he is absent from the series, San Antonio can have their way in the paint.
Danny Green - I really do believe there will be one game where Green comes out of nowhere and has five or more threes leading the Spurs. He had a huge stretch through Game 2-4 last season where everybody couldn't stop talking about him. Green did it one time against Oklahoma City, and I doubt he will be a ghost in this series.
Two Dollars
Mario Chalmers - He has not reached double-digits in scoring since Game 2 of the Brooklyn series, but he will still play a part in this series. If Chalmers can take advantage of Parker not being 100 percent, he could contribute to this offense plus the defense on Parker will be vital. Worth noting he had games of 19, 14 and 20 points against San Antonio last Finals.
Matt Bonner - He started the last two games for San Antonio against Oklahoma City. Will the trend continue? It doesn't sound promising looking at 2013 NBA Finals as he only played in garbage time in Game two through four.
One Dollar
Norris Cole - Every now and again, Norris steps up in a big way. He bails the Heat out off the bench from time to time.
Patty Mills - I believe in Patty Mills. I think Gregg Popovich doesn't trust him enough, but have a feeling weird feeling there will be a night where NBA Twitter is using Patty's name in all caps.
Prediction
Heart says Spurs in 7, head says Heat in 6. I really don't know. It is so damn close. Let's go with Miami wining in six games.
Charlie.
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