Spurs-Heat: The Rematch We All Deserve.

As the NBA season’s picture cleared up in the months of March and April, it felt like we were due for the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs to run it back one more time in the NBA Finals. It is like seeing a great match at Wrestlemania and need to see a rematch in one of the lesser Pay-Per-Views the following month.  Both teams turned the rematch into a reality this weekend with Miami’s blowout win against the Pacers and San Antonio holding on in overtime despite not having Tony Parker to put away the Thunder. We will have another rematch, and I don’t think many people are complaining about it.

Even before Miami and Indiana tipped off, it felt like a foregone conclusion the Heat would win the game on Friday night. That's usually not the case when Game 6 happen in sports, but the series felt over.  That's really weird to explain after seeing Indiana winning in Game 5 with Paul George scoring 37 points. Heat looked the strongest they have been all series dashing Indiana's dreams from the get-go. Miami led by 26 points at halftime allowing Heat fans to start the party early. No one really had a memorable game rather Miami had all their players contribute in a major way with both LeBron James and Chris Bosh adding 25 points ensuring this series was not headed back to Indiana. One team took its place in the Finals and would their opponent join them after Saturday?

The answer is yes. San Antonio lost Tony Parker for the second half of the game, but the Spurs willed their way to victory. The game went back and forth for all four quarters delivering the first great game in this series. It appeared like the Spurs were going to put away Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter as they had a 10 point lead. But Russell Westbrook helped get the Thunder back into the game with his strong play late sending this game to overtime. Manu Ginobili had a bad night going 4/14 from the field, but he hit the biggest shots of the game with a big 3-pointer putting San Antonio ahead late in regulation plus added big free throws down the stretch. Tim Duncan also had a throwback game with a 19 points and 15 rebounds performance.

The stage is set for a Finals rematch. There are some pieces missing from the last time plus the series will begin in San Antonio. Duncan and Gregg Popovich will attempt to win their five NBA title, and win a title 15 years later after their first one. We will talk later this week, but it feels like either way, one of these two might be done with basketball after this season.  As for Miami, they could have the first three-peat since the early 2000's Los Angeles Lakers. The whole promise of 'Not one, not two, not three' would start to become more of a reality instead of laughing it off like we did when James uttered that famous phrase. Plus the whole discussion of how we perceive each team if and when they lose because there are some interesting storylines there as well.

Rematches aren't always the best thing for the professional sports product, but right now, this is one of the best things going in sports. Happy we will get to see LeBron against San Antonio at least one more time.

Charlie. 

Paul George Pushes Pacers Past Heat to Avoid Elimination

Indiana Pacers' collective backs were up against the well. They faced elimination last night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse as Miami Heat could have ended the trilogy between the two teams with an emphatic whimper. But Pacers would not be deny as they won 93-90 with a strong second half from Paul George, propelling the team for a return to South Beach and try to force an inexplicable Game 7.  There was much to go over from this game ranging from the favorable whistle, Lance being Lance to the final non-shot by LeBron James.

Indiana needed its superstar to be great, and George did exactly that in the second half with 33 of his 37 points coming in the final two quarters. He made 15 field goal attempts with five of them coming from 3-point range. If you take out the nine missed threes from George's stat line, he made 15 of 20 baskets from the field making it a more impressive stat line. He looked in full control for the first time in the series. It showed the importance of LeBron James in foul trouble because George was able to take control of his basketball game with The King spending much of the time on the bench. It also nice to see a player back up his talk after George's bizarre Game 4 comments, it seemed like he had a purpose out on the basketball court. Curious to see how he carries it over to Game 6 on Friday night.

You never want to be 'that person' in the group whom blames everything on the officials, but man, it sure did look like the zebras did their best to help Indiana.  At one point, Grantland's Bill Simmons points out Miami had 19 fouls to Indiana's 10. What exactly happened?  LeBron is definitely not known for getting fouls called against him. Personally, I believe LeBron should average around four fouls a game leading to him fouling out more often, but the league is selective on when to call fouls on Bron. Maybe he put himself in consistently bad situations allowing for fouls to be called or maybe the officials listened to George's $25,000 complaints after Game 4. The whistle against James had much to do with him struggling last night going 2/10 from the field with seven points. LeBron never got into a rhythm affecting how he played last night.

Lance Stephenson continued to be the pest of the playoff after blowing in LeBron's ear and jumping into the huddle between a couple Heat players. He is baseball's version of Manny Ramirez.  There should be just Lance headlines because he is the only capable of pulling some of this shit. He picked up a 10,000 dollar fine for flopping last night in addition to the antics above. I do think wherever Lance goes this offseason because it will not be Indiana, we need to keep him in whatever conference LeBron is in so we can get at least three or four games of this plus a playoff series. Odds LeBron punches Lance next season are pretty high. Just needs to happen once.

Speaking of James, much criticism has come from James deciding not to take the layup at the rim. Those are the closest LeBron hate squad jumping on every mistake he makes in life. A couple things worth noting as to why James likely gave up the shot to Chris Bosh in the corner. One, LeBron had five fouls. They go to overtime and James fouls out, it is curtains for the Heat plus extra five minutes spent playing Game 5.  Two, Bosh has hit those shots all year. ESPN's Bomani Jones nicknamed him Big Shot Bosh because he found a way to hit late-game jumpers. Granted, Bosh's shot wasn't the greatest yet still, not a terrible decision. If you buy into the old adage, 'Play for overtime at home, win on the road', James tried to do exactly that on Wednesday night.

If anyone thinks this series is going the full seven, they are either a perpetual drunk or a Pacers homer because LeBron is ending this thing on Friday night. We are in store for an iconic James performance on Friday night and I hope Lance is ready for it along with his other Pacer teammates.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recap: LeBron Drops The Hammer on Pacers

"Don't throw stones if you live a glass house and if you got a glass jaw, you should watch your mouth cause I'll break your face."

The quote comes from the great poet 50 Cent in his song 'Patiently Waiting' off his first album. It is really a shame LeBron James didn't quote this line to Lance Stephenson given the Pacers guard's comments about James. LeBron and the Miami Heat's dominated Game 4 in a 102-90 victory where James delivered a top notch 'Best Player in the World' performance along with the revival of Chris Bosh plus why is Lance trying to become the next DeShawn Stevenson?

James had full control of this game. It lit a fire under his ass, and he played at his A+ level. James was not playing poorly through the first three games of this series, but he took it to another level on Monday. He scored 32 points with 10 rebounds and five assists missing only eight shots and only taking three 3-pointers delivering an efficient performance. Only three of LeBron's made 13 shots were outside the paint. The man was clearly on a mission.  LeBron shoved every single piece of Lance's comments right into his face on Monday night.

Why anyone would tempt LeBron these days is beyond me. No one needs to give LeBron any motivation these days. No one questions James ability to come through in the clutch anymore nor does anyone recycle any of the former narratives about The King. He earned the right to be called The King and no one really can even come close to his Iron Throne. Lance runs his mouth as he has been accustom to in the past only to get buried by James and company. There is another LeBron could have went with 'If you swing at the king, you better not miss.'

Chris Bosh didn't have one of the best playoffs thus far. He became the number two man for Miami this season as Dwyane Wade battled through injuries all season. Bosh became this player known for his big shots. But in this series, Bosh strung together three straight games of single digits getting frustrated by the Indiana big men. He started off fast which was different for both the Heat and Bosh with quick 10 points in the first quarter of the game. Bosh had control throughout the game with 25 points making seven shots including three 3-pointers. He spread the floor paving the way for opportunities for LeBron and others on the Miami roster. Wade had two big games and now Bosh added his own to the mix. This could be curtains for Indiana.

I am still trying to figure out why Lance Stephenson opened his mouth. He did the same thing two years ago making a choking gesture to LeBron on the bench which paved the motivation for the rest of the series. Remember DeShawn Stevenson?  Same last name, different spelling, same stupid trash talk. Stevenson did get redemption in the twilight of his career but during his prime, LeBron made DeShawn look like a complete jackass including a diss song written by Jay Z.  He might of had the last laugh against James, but he is known for his career as being the player whom shit talked LeBron and got destroyed because of it. The aforementioned Jigga Man once said, "Don't be the next contestant on that Summer Jam screen." And that basically describes Stephenson.  

But then again, maybe Indiana is delusional as an entire team. Paul George blamed the officials and said they would have won the game if the refs were better. That is complete and utter bullshit. Then again George got catfished on the Internet so I mean it is fair to wonder if his judgement is impaired a little bit. Maybe his Gatorade got tainted or he had a bad Papa John's pizza post-game because this is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. George wants to make the fans feel better even though they watched their Pacers team getting beat by 20 points in the second half. George also would like you to know that Thomas Dewey beat Harry Truman, it was just a technicality.  

Indiana is done. I felt good about predicting the Heat in five after the Game 2 victory. It does seem like the Pacers have no answer for this version of the Miami team. They could have had Game 2 and Game 3, and failed to capitalize in both games. Heat will put them to bed Wednesday night.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recap: The Return of Blue Collar Gold Swagger

For 75 percent of the NBA year, people were fired up to see Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. People knew these were the two best teams in the East, and Indiana looked poised to take down Miami after coming close in the last two years. Then shit hit the fan with the Pacers where they looked like a fringe playoff team at best, yet Indiana still found their way to meeting Miami again for a third consecutive year in the playoffs. 

Many people expected a disappointing third act, but Game 1 proved the Pacers might be more of a threat than many expected as the Pacers win 107-96 taking the first game of the series. Indiana had full control of the game in the second half with the Pacers relentlessly attacking the lane, getting to the free throw line and why it is fair to question Miami's defense plus the continued struggle from Chris Bosh against Indiana.   

Indiana had a great game from all five of their starters as they all finished with double figures. Paul George led the way with 24 points and seven assists. George utilized all of his abilities by getting to the lane and also making three 3-pointers. David West put in another great postseason effort as he had 19 points with seven rebounds.  All of the Indiana starters were extremely efficient on Sunday afternoon taking it to Miami like they have been in the last couple of years at home as the Pacers have won seven of their last eight games at home when playing the Heat. Indiana basically got the performance everyone had been waiting for in the last two months making you wonder if they were just waiting for Miami. 

Roy Hibbert has been one of, if not, the biggest NBA player storyline, and once again, he acted like a known Miami killer, perhaps we should call him Dexter Morgan. He had 19 points and eight rebounds plus causing Miami to shoot more from the outside versus them attacking the lane. The Heat only shot 15 free throws for the entire game as well as shot 23 threes missing 17 of them. Miami wanted nothing to do with Hibbert. They hadn't faced a seven footer in the playoffs and their lack of size shined brightly in this basketball game. Chris Bosh needs to find a way to bring Hibbert out of his comfort zone, but Bosh's continued problems against the Pacers should be a worry to Heat fans. 

For whatever it's worth, I think Bosh had one of his better seasons as a member of the Big Three. He had to takeover the sidekick role for Dwyane Wade as he battled through injury all season, but still he hasn't been able to figure out how to play against Indiana. Bosh needs to be more aggressive if Miami wants to avoid this kind of game again.  With Wade still not being the Wade of yesteryear, Bosh needs to be a factor night in and night out.  Getting only nine points on 4/12 shooting will not help anyone whatsoever.  Also what might help is the team not playing such lackluster defense.  

Much has been made about Miami's inability to play defense this season. It is a true problem for this team with their numbers being higher than they have been in the first three years of the Miami legacy. They allowed way too much inside, and that's a big problem. Now, this is the first real test for the Heat. Brooklyn ran out of gas nearly every game. Charlotte isn't a real playoff team so possibly, all it will take for Miami is an adjustment here or there. Erik Spolestra has been good in past years of finding that one key adjustment that flips the series completely on its head. Spo will need to do that to avoid a 2-0 start to the series, something that doesn't happen very often to Miami.  

Game 1's are always so tricky. It shouldn't be taken for a grain of salt nor should it be bible of what will take place in the series.  This could be the best effort we see from Indiana for the rest of the series, or we could be in for a better third act than we believed last week.   

Charlie. 

SnoTap NBA Conference Finals Preview

2014 NBA Playoffs delivered the best first round in NBA history. The second round didn't deliver like the first round did, but it still brought a ton of fun. The two seeds in each conference are in the Final Four meaning it went completely chalk, but that doesn't mean we will not have great games. It should be very exciting. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1.) San Antonio Spurs vs. 2. Oklahoma City Thunder 
Game 1: Monday May 19th 8:00 pm TNT
Game 2: Wednesday May 21st 8:00 pm TNT 
Game 3: Sunday May 25th 7:30 pm TNT
Game 4: Tuesday May 27th 8:00 pm TNT 
Game 5 (Thursday) Game 6 (Saturday) Game 7 (Monday) -  If Necessary

Reason Spurs win: They are at full strength... sorta - Oklahoma City swept San Antonio in the regular season, and Brooklyn-Miami thought us that it is meaningless in the postseason, but if you look at how many key players for San Antonio missed an Oklahoma City is pretty interesting. Manu Ginobli missed two of them, Tiago Splitter missed one, same goes Kawhi Leonard. Tony Parker's hamstring is a concern, but other than that, San Antonio is coming in with their full unit. Also Gregg Popovich getting a couple extra days and an extra game to look at this version of Oklahoma City is always a good thing.  
Reason Thunder win:  Reggie Jackson, the Spurs killer - There are not many people whom have their best games against San Antonio, but Reggie Jackson is one of those rarities. He owns San Antonio. Jackson averaged 21 points against the Spurs which was his highest total against any Western Conference opponent. If Tony Parker is hurt plus Patty Mills not being a great defender, Jackson could have a transcendent series off the bench. It will be interesting to see how Scott Brooks manages the minutes between Jackson, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.  

X Factors:  Spurs - Kawhi Leonard, Thunder - Steven Adams - Leonard is going to be the Durant stopper. He could do some of the similar things Tony Allen did in the first round. And Leonard has done some good work against KD as he only averages 27.3 this season which was second worst against a Western Conference team along with only shooting 43 percent, one of his lowest numbers. If Serge Ibaka's calf is worse than we think, Adams becomes an even bigger player, but he showed some real promise in extended minutes in Game 6. He will obvious frustrate Tim Duncan and Splitter, but in no way get under the skin like he did in Los Angeles.   

Prediction: Thunder in six - Doesn't it just feel like it is Oklahoma City's year? After coming back in Game 5 against Memphis, Zach Randolph getting suspended, the refs controversy in Game 5 of the Los Angeles series, everything seems to be breaking for them. I also think Durant has been on another level and poised to make it back to the NBA Finals. It really does seem like KD is possessed to get back to the NBA Finals.  

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1.) Indiana Pacers vs. 2. Miami Heat 
Game 1: Sunday May 18th 2:30 pm ABC 
Game 2: Tuesday May 20th 7:30 pm ESPN 
Game 3: Saturday May 24th 7:30 pm ESPN 
Game 4: Monday May 26th 7:30 pm ESPN 
Game 5: (Wednesday) Game 6 (Friday) Game 7 (Sunday) - If Necessary

Reason Pacers win: Paul George plays like a superstar - There have been a couple shining moments for George whether it be Game 4 against Washington or Game 7 against Atlanta, but the consistency hasn't been there. In five of the 13 games in the playoffs, George scored 18 or less points which isn't what you want from a superstar. Now he has a thrill for playing against Miami so maybe George elevates his game to another level, but he will need to be much better than he was for the majority of the Washington series.  

Reason Heat win: Dwyane Wade needs to be a true second banana. LeBron James is obviously important to Miami winning basketball games, but Wade will be needed in this series. Indiana's defense is still good no matter how dysfunctional they have been for the last couple of weeks. They will shutdown James at some point and will need a solid second option. In three games against Indiana, Wade scored 21.3 points plus he showed some signs of life on offense in the past few games. He needs to actually be a factor rather than a guy whose just there with a big name. We have seen in this rivalry before where Wade has a throwback game so don't be surprised if he throws out a 35 point night. 

X Factors:  Pacers - George Hill, Heat - Chris Bosh - Because Roy Hibbert has been subpar, no one is realizing how poorly George Hill is playing right now especially in the last couple game as Hill turned in two single digits effort. He needs to be a factor with Indiana's offense. Chris Bosh had one big shot against Brooklyn, but other than that, he really just been another guy. Bosh will face a tough inside game with David West and Hibbert, but his ability to spread out the defense could pay off huge dividends.  

Prediction: Heat in five -  You know how movies will come out with sequels or trilogies based on the success of the first two movies? And sometimes the sequel is great, and then the third movie is complete shit. Godfather Trilogy is a great example of this and basically, the third serving of Indiana-Miami feels like this will be the Godfather III. Not really that exciting of a series leading to Miami dominating in five games.   

-Charlie. 

NBA Playoffs Weekend: Collapses, Threes & Spurs Dominance.

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Clippers stun Thunder, tie up the series.
It really seemed like Oklahoma City was heading home being up three games to one. ABC showed a
graphic about the Thunder never losing with a 3-1 lead. Los Angeles kept battling back though in the fourth quarter taking their first lead of the game with about three minutes left in the game. Darren Collison came out of the shadows with eight points in the final three minutes of the game leading the furious comeback. Clippers had 38 points in the final quarter with Collison playing a large part in the effort with 18 total points. Jamal Crawford also added 18 off the bench hitting his usual big buckets. Chris Paul started the comeback early on as he finished with 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds with Collison and Crawford finishing sending this series to a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Kevin Durant's stat line looks pretty good when you see he had 40 points with eight rebounds including going 50 percent from the field. But there is a dark underbelly with KD's performance yesterday afternoon. He had eight turnovers and a big free throw miss with 100 seconds left. That cannot happen. I used to rag on LeBron James for the same thing. As an MVP players, free throws are something that cannot be missed in the late game situations.

Paul George's big second half pulls Indiana past Washington
There are sometimes when a star player takes over and becomes the story of the game. Paul George is a fringe superstar. He is starting to get the media attention and doing more commercials. Games like this one is why he gets commercials. George had 28 points in the second half leading a furious comeback as the Pacers trailed by 19 points in the second half. George added 12 rebounds as well only missing eight of his 20 shots on the night. He looked great out there becoming the key cog to the game. Indiana needs more from their bench though. Only two points from their second unit is not going to win many basketball games. Pacers are lucky to pull this one from their teeth. It does seem like the Wiz received a knockout punch. I don't know how they recover from this one.

Brooklyn's outside arsenal sinks Miami
After two games where the Heat found a way to get full control in the second half, Brooklyn delivered a taste of their own medicine by pulling away with a huge 3-point effort with the Nets making 15 threes going 60 percent from the outside. Mirza Teletovic had a big second half making him one of the difference makers in this game with 12 points including four big threes. Keep an eye for Teletovic for the rest of the series. He had 20 points in Tuesday's loss as well. Miami needs to find a way to keep him contained because he seems like the type of player if he gets hot, Teletovic could make 20 threes. Joe Johnson also had a nice day at the arena with 19 points sinking in five threes. Joe Cool continues to have a good playoff performance.

I am a little puzzled why James Jones didn't get more time last night. He had nine points in nine minutes making three 3-pointers. It seems like a guy you would want out there more than nine minutes. Jones has went from playing around 16 minutes a game in the Charlotte series to only playing five minutes. I don't know what Erik Spoelstra has in mind right now.

Spurs found their mojo again... ruh roh
Poor Portland. They are getting completely steamrolled by San Antonio. The Spurs have won the first three games by a combined 18.6 points. That's not even close. Like is this Portland team that bad or are the Spurs that good again? Should we be even more impressed with what Rick Carlisle did taking the series to seven games? I really cannot explain it. We talked about at the beginning of the series, Tony Parker could expose their bad perimeter defenses and that's what's happening. Parker scored at least 29 points in three of the last four games. It is pretty clear how good San Antonio is when Parker is healthy. Portland's bench has been downright terrible. Minus Will Barton's 13 points in garbage time in Game 2, the Trail Blazers' bench has 21 points through three games... Not good.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recap: OKC's 1-2 Punch Delivers & Return of Roy

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

KD & Russ: OKC's Watch The Throne  
A day after Kevin Durant won an MVP and gave an emotional speech that made every mom fall in love with KD, he came through with his pal Russell Westbrook with near triple-doubles from both of them (Russ technically had a triple-double but that was a weak 10th assist). It was like watching Kanye West and Jay Z on the basketball court. We can debate which one is whom. Durant looked completely in control early on with 17 first half points and Westbrook finished them off in the second half. He helped them pull Oklahoma City away in the second half. Huge effort from Westbrook in terms of energy and what he brought to the table. If we keep getting this version of Russ, Oklahoma City will be hard to beat for the rest of the playoffs.

It is worth mentioning the developing storyline of Serge Ibaka's defense against Blake Griffin has been stellar for the first two games of the playoffs. Griffin scored 13 points in the first two games of this series against Ibaka's defense. He needs to figure it out against Serge and be a factor because if not, the Clippers inside presence isn't really there.

ROY HIBBERT LIVES 
I struggle with Indiana in the worst kind of way. One minute, they look like complete hell and the next, Roy Hibbert drops 28 points with nine rebounds to go along with it. According to Hibbert, he went fishing with Paul George whom had TMZ-esque rumors about him with Hibbert's wife, and helped clear his mind. Also Andrew Bynum left the team as well. I think we need to look at Indiana from a one game a day. We shouldn't expect this in Washington, and sort of wait and see. I will add this about the game, it was an old-school Indiana win.

Old school is only a year ago, but Indiana won this game by playing defense. Paul George and David West combined for 20 points and they still won this basketball game.  That's extremely impressive.  Additionally, Lance Stephenson was 3/12 on the night which all seem like recipes for failure, but not for Indiana as their defense willed them to the victory along with a few big shots.

Charlie.

NBA Playoff Recaps: WE'RE GOIN' TO GAME SEEEEEVEN!

Every night there is some sort of drama about the NBA Playoffs. Every game is worth talking about even if it is just to make fun of somebody. The recaps look at the game itself and what could be upcoming for the teams.  

Indiana's furious late comeback saves their season 
It appeared like Atlanta was going to do it. They were up five points with three minutes left to go in the game, but then the #lemonbooty hit the Hawks like it has so many times before. Indiana went on a 14-1 run to force a Game 7.  Much of it was led by David West who played terrific with 24 points, eleven rebounds and six assists including some key shots to finish off the Hawks. Paul George had 24 points as well, but most came in the first three quarters of the game although he hit a big 3-pointer late to help push Indiana past Atlanta. For George, more is being talked about him leaving the bench during the George Hill and Mike Scott scuffle. Technically, George could be suspended for Game 7 for leaving the bench. I doubt Adam Silver will bring the hammer here eve though people will cry out conspiracy if George does not get suspended. George barely leaves the bench and he doesn't try to start the fight. Best game of the night in my opinion.

Mike Scott v. George Hill


DOY: Mike Scott - Probably the best one of the playoffs thus far.


Durant drops 36 in a blowout road win 
Earlier on Thursday, a  newspaper, The Oklahoman came out with a headline that read 'Mr. Unreliable' referring to Kevin Durant and his struggles against Memphis. Durant's people including his brother and mother took offense as well as others in the media. This led to the paper saying they overreacted a bit, but Durant shrugged it off. But you cannot tell me Durant had some added motivation dropping 14 first quarter points and finishing with 36 in a convincing 20-point win over Memphis plus he added 10 rebounds. He played with a chip on his shoulder that we haven't seen in a little bit from Durant. He seemed angry and wanting this game more than anyone on the court. He dazzled out there. Russell Westbrook wasn't shabby either as he went for 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The bash brothers were back, and I have a feeling they are sick of everyone's shit which could be trouble for Memphis.

Warriors hang on in an ugly, choppy game 
There is nothing from the box score that makes you happy. Three of the major players fouled out in the game - David Lee, J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin. Each team shot horribly from the free throw line with Golden State missing 14 attempts while Los Angeles missed eleven. Neither team shot the ball well either. But someone had to win the game, Golden State took it as they got a boost from their crowd and Andre Igoudala. In games where nothing seems to work, if you have a raucous crowd behind you, it can be the difference in the game. That's what it felt like on Thursday night at the Roracle.  Also it didn't hurt Iggy had seven big points down the stretch for the Dubs.  Out of the three Game 7's on Saturday, this might be the most unpredictable. I am not sure what exactly will transpire, but it has the potential to be a great finish into the wee hours of the night.

Charlie.