ESPN experts pick Spurs (12/18) to win the Finals against the Heat

[Solefade]

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MIA against the world

#lebronfamily is all we have left

[J Shuttlesworth]

Underdogs again :eek: Did jordan ever win a ring as the underdog?

[Mr Feeny]

Underdogs again :eek: Did jordan ever win a ring as the underdog?

Are you serious? Or just trolling?

1991 against LA and 98 against Utah.

[EnoughSaid]

I don't understand the "Spurs in 5" picks. You honestly think Miami would win ONE out of FIVE? Jesus. :facepalm

[no pun intended]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bmb-p2QCEAAFWd2.jpg

If Wallace believes the Spurs are winning, then they are winning.


Underdogs again :eek: Did jordan ever win a ring as the underdog?

And there doesn't always have to be a favorite and an underdog in every matchup...it's not black and white :facepalm

[Solefade]

i just noticed Windhorst picked Spurs in 7 :biggums:

[wordsRweapons]

espn knows whats up

[SamuraiSWISH]

Are you serious? Or just trolling?
Are you?

3 of his 6 rings were as underdogs:

'91 v.s. Magic's Lakers
'93 v.s. Barkley's STACKED "Team of Destiny" no HCA
'98 v.s. Mailman's Jazz @ 35 years old ... no HCA

:pimp:

[JohnMax]

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http://i.imgur.com/lQ8wbJl.jpg

[Mr Feeny]

Are you?

3 of his 6 rings were as underdogs:

'91 v.s. Magic's Lakers
'93 v.s. Barkley's STACKED "Team of Destiny" no HCA
'98 v.s. Mailman's Jazz @ 35 years old ... no HCA

:pimp:

Are you drunk? Didn't I just mention the 91 and 98 series before you just wrote down what I said?

The 1993 finals, you're having a laugh. Jordan himself admitted they were coasting that season after the long offseason with the olympics. Not having home court because they were coasting does not equal them not being favorites.

That's like saying the Lakers were underdogs against the Kings in 2002 because Shaq had a habit of coasting in the regular season and turning it on when it mattered.

[navy]

At the bottom it's just us.

[Solefade]

Are you drunk? Didn't I just mention the 91 and 98 series before you just wrote down what I said?

The 1993 finals, you're having a laugh. Jordan himself admitted they were coasting that season after the long offseason with the olympics. Not having home court because they were coasting does not equal them not being favorites.

That's like saying the Lakers were underdogs against the Kings in 2002 because Shaq had a habit of coasting in the regular season and turning it on when it mattered.


you're right about everything except for the bold lol


sac was a more talented team from top to bottom and they should have won



fvcking refs doe

[r0drig0lac]

I would not be betting against the reigning champion 2x, with the best player in the league in his prime, but is espn

[Mr Feeny]

you're right about everything except for the bold lol


sac was a more talented team from top to bottom and they should honestly have won.
fvcking refs doe

Really? I reckoned it was because they executed their plays better than LA and played like a team. I agree that they were shafted but i honestly can't agree that Webber +Christie + Divac + Bibby + Peja 》 Shaq , Kobe, Fox, Fisher? Horry.

Shaq agrees with you, for what it's worth. He said that he always thought the Kings were a more talented team than his Lakers were but that the Kings choked (Chris Webber was annoyed by these comments)

[Solefade]

Really? I reckoned it was because they executed their plays better than LA and played like a team. I agree that they were shafted but i honestly can't agree that Webber +Christie + Divac + Bibby + Peja 》 Shaq , Kobe, Fox, Fisher? Horry.

Shaq agrees with you, for what it's worth. He said that he always thought the Kings were a more talented team than his Lakers were but that the Kings choked (Chris Webber was annoyed by these comments)


bobby jackson, young hedo?

[Mr Feeny]

[QUOTE=Solefade]bobby jackson, young hedo?[/QUOTEpretty do forgot about Jackson completely. They were ptetty deap. Fair point. Pollard as well.

[Droid101]

And there doesn't always have to be a favorite and an underdog in every matchup...it's not black and white :facepalm
Five games doesn't mean one team dominates. Every game can be a close game with lucky bounces determining it.

[16X]

Honestly, I think the Heat are more likely to win in 5 than the Spurs are. Heat will win one of the first two, and then if they can win the next two on their home floor, they could very well end it in 5. I don't see it happening, but still I see that as a possibility, and I see no possible way SA wins it in 5.

[Rob123]

Do yall watch basketball????

The Spurs DESTROYED portland, okc, winning by as much as 30 points in their victories.

The heat beat who, Charlotte, Bklyn and Indiana?

What are yall smoking, holy shit the Spurs absolutely crushed competition that was infinitely better than anything the heat had to face.

The Spurs deserve to be favored.

That said Lebron is lebron so it should be a good match up.

[Kingwillball]

I don't understand the "Spurs in 5" picks. You honestly think Miami would win ONE out of FIVE? Jesus. :facepalm


Seriously, and the ones picking Spurs in 5 are the writers I never heard of.. :rolleyes:

[BlazerRed]

Miami in 6.

[Nuff Said]

Miami unfavored yet again. What's new? When will these people learn?

[GimmeThat]

the 2-2-1-1-1 is going to teach the experts a lesson

hell, I don't even know what that lesson is going to be or what it means

[Byobob]

These so called "experts" can analyze the shit out of this series. But at the end of this series, Lebron James will determine the outcome. Meaning they lose if he couldn't elevate his game(choke) and they'll win if he plays like the best player in the world.

[hawksdogsbraves]

And there doesn't always have to be a favorite and an underdog in every matchup...it's not black and white :facepalm

What? Yes there does. These guys have to pick a winner and a loser.

Vegas has to give us a line.

It's black and white.

[Eric Cartman]

I think Broussard is right in the money here.

Heat in 6.

[Ne 1]

you're right about everything except for the bold lol


sac was a more talented team from top to bottom and they should have won



fvcking refs doe
Too bad the Queens choked at the line
And Peja air balled a wide open 3 pointer. Blame the refs though.

[Droid101]

Miami unfavored yet again. What's new? When will these people learn?
The Heat were favored by most "experts" last year.

[Droid101]

I think Broussard is right in the money here.

Heat in 6.
He usually is.

http://i.imgur.com/IK0pB.png

[chazzy]

Do yall watch basketball????

The Spurs DESTROYED portland, okc, winning by as much as 30 points in their victories.

The heat beat who, Charlotte, Bklyn and Indiana?

What are yall smoking, holy shit the Spurs absolutely crushed competition that was infinitely better than anything the heat had to face.

The Spurs deserve to be favored.

That said Lebron is lebron so it should be a good match up.
Parker's injury makes things a bit more unpredictable. It was bad enough that he had to sit out half of a crucial playoff game. He struggled with a hamstring injury during last year's finals so we'll have to wait and see how this will affect him

[RoseCity07]

Heat in 6.

[All Net]

Ha well you know what will be said if they win

Spurs were suppose to win.

Miami are stacked though, yeah?

[East_Stone_Ya]

yeah i have Spurs in 6 as well :applause:

[xoracle55]

These so called "experts" can analyze the shit out of this series. But at the end of this series, Lebron James will determine the outcome. Meaning they lose if he couldn't elevate his game(choke) and they'll win if he plays like the best player in the world.

:rockon: Pretty much!


But He needs his supporting cast to show up four times in a series.

I would like this so called experts to bet their homes on the Spurs :D ..

[Dresta]

Do yall watch basketball????

The Spurs DESTROYED portland, okc, winning by as much as 30 points in their victories.

The heat beat who, Charlotte, Bklyn and Indiana?

What are yall smoking, holy shit the Spurs absolutely crushed competition that was infinitely better than anything the heat had to face.

The Spurs deserve to be favored.

That said Lebron is lebron so it should be a good match up.
But Portland suck: untested in the playoffs, beat a woeful Houston team (:applause: James Harden, what a player), and got overrated for doing so even though 3 of the games went to OT. The Spurs also struggled to 7 games against the lowly Mavs, and 6 against an OKC team largely missing one of its most impactful players, so have hardly had an impeccable run.

[xoracle55]

Whats up with morris picture?! His face is in black and white, but his shirt is color?! Anyways, take anything ESPN has to say with a grain of salt.....

I think they did the same in 2012 against OKC.

They never learn. :hammerhead:


Lets go Heat!

[El Kabong]

Heat in 6.
Yep. LeBron will drag them through.

[Springsteen]

surprised fatty windhorst picked the spurs over his idol lebron :lol

[Mr Feeny]

surprised fatty windhorst picked the spurs over his idol lebron :lol

I hate that fat f#*k:lol

[DaSeba5]

Only Heat in 6 or Spurs in 7 seems logical to me. I would be shocked if one of these teams only wins 1 game in the series. I highly doubt it in ends in 5.

[MostHated305]

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[ROCSteady]

Whats up with morris picture?! His face is in black and white, but his shirt is color?! Anyways, take anything ESPN has to say with a grain of salt.....

His hipster ass wanted it that way

I say Spurs in 6. Last season I said Heat in 6.

I believe Spurs just have too many guys that can chip in and make plays at all times of the game. Between Diaw, Bellinelli, Green, Splitter, you have inside out steadiness to contribute when the teams have to utlizize their bench. Not to mention the starting group that has been on a roll if Parker is good to go.

I can't really trust the collective group that is the Heat to find ways to overcome the coaching and chemistry this year's Spurs team has for 7. I kno it's as personal as it ever will be for that group too. Duncan is on his way to HOF Retireland and I kno they wanna flip the script.

[Real14]

yeah i have Spurs in 6 as well :applause:
you will be wrong. This league will not let lebronella lose this finals:no:

[greymatter]

Are you?

3 of his 6 rings were as underdogs:

'91 v.s. Magic's Lakers
'93 v.s. Barkley's STACKED "Team of Destiny" no HCA
'98 v.s. Mailman's Jazz @ 35 years old ... no HCA

:pimp:


91 Bulls were a Sam Perkins 3pter away (game1) from sweeping the Lakers. Seeing as how the Lakers had the 3rd best record behind Portland and Chicago, calling the Bulls underdogs in that series is about as stupid an assessment as has ever been made on these boards.

93 Suns were hardly "stacked". They almost lost to the 8th seed Lakers in the first round, going down 0-2 (best of 5 series) before coming back. Needed 6 games against SA. Needed 7 against Seattle. A "stacked" team doesn't struggle nearly as hard as they had to in order to reach the finals. Nonetheless, I'd say that this was the only "real" competition Jordan had in the finals where you could call his opponent the favorite (only very slightly).

98 Jazz were a classic case of overachievers in the regular season who made it top priority to secure HCA in order to knock off the battle weary champs. This narrative sound familiar? Was anyone honestly stupid enough to believe that a team featuring Stockton/Malone/Hornacek/Ostertag/BryonRussell was going to beat a far more talented core of Jordan/Pippen/Rodman/Kukoc?

Jordan's team was only a "real" underdog in 1 out of his 6 title runs (93 Suns); and even then only by a tiny margin.

[BIZARRO]

91 Bulls were a Sam Perkins 3pter away (game1) from sweeping the Lakers. Seeing as how the Lakers had the 3rd best record behind Portland and Chicago, calling the Bulls underdogs in that series is about as stupid an assessment as has ever been made on these boards.

93 Suns were hardly "stacked". They almost lost to the 8th seed Lakers in the first round, going down 0-2 (best of 5 series) before coming back. Needed 6 games against SA. Needed 7 against Seattle. A "stacked" team doesn't struggle nearly as hard as they had to in order to reach the finals. Nonetheless, I'd say that this was the only "real" competition Jordan had in the finals where you could call his opponent the favorite (only very slightly).

98 Jazz were a classic case of overachievers in the regular season who made it top priority to secure HCA in order to knock off the battle weary champs. This narrative sound familiar? Was anyone honestly stupid enough to believe that a team featuring Stockton/Malone/Hornacek/Ostertag/BryonRussell was going to beat a far more talented core of Jordan/Pippen/Rodman/Kukoc?

Jordan's team was only a "real" underdog in 1 out of his 6 title runs (93 Suns); and even then only by a tiny margin.


Not even the Suns. From Chicago, watched almost every game of his career, The only team I was remotely worried about at the beginning of the series was Portland in '92 because they matched up well against the Bulls (sort of like the Rockets always did).

But no, the Bulls were always the favorites. I would like to see any evidence to the contrary. IF you find some I'd be surprised, but even if there was evidence, the Bulls were always the "real" favorites by those in the know due to Mike.
Would bet on the Bulls at the start of every one of those series for sure.

[Roundball_Rock]

They were significant underdogs in 1998. They barely beat the Pacers in the ECF while the Jazz swept the Lakers and had HCA. The Bulls-Jazz played a close series in 97' and all indicators suggested the Bulls had declined since the previous year while the Jazz were at the same level.

[tomtucker]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ki5EPOdCHyM/SOF_l5fDGfI/AAAAAAAAAXw/xYcFWegmzVc/s400/ESPN+NBA+2008.jpg

2008

[red1]

The Heat were favored by most "experts" last year.
nope

[Mr Feeny]

91 Bulls were a Sam Perkins 3pter away (game1) from sweeping the Lakers. Seeing as how the Lakers had the 3rd best record behind Portland and Chicago, calling the Bulls underdogs in that series is about as stupid an assessment as has ever been made on these boards.

93 Suns were hardly "stacked". They almost lost to the 8th seed Lakers in the first round, going down 0-2 (best of 5 series) before coming back. Needed 6 games against SA. Needed 7 against Seattle. A "stacked" team doesn't struggle nearly as hard as they had to in order to reach the finals. Nonetheless, I'd say that this was the only "real" competition Jordan had in the finals where you could call his opponent the favorite (only very slightly).

98 Jazz were a classic case of overachievers in the regular season who made it top priority to secure HCA in order to knock off the battle weary champs. This narrative sound familiar? Was anyone honestly stupid enough to believe that a team featuring Stockton/Malone/Hornacek/Ostertag/BryonRussell was going to beat a far more talented core of Jordan/Pippen/Rodman/Kukoc?

Jordan's team was only a "real" underdog in 1 out of his 6 title runs (93 Suns); and even then only by a tiny margin.

No, Swish is pretty much spot on. If you were old enough to have watched the 1991 finals then you wouldnt be embarassing yourself right now. The fact that the Bulls dominated LA has nothing to do wiyh whether they were favored or not. EVERYONE predicted a Lakers title. Riley, their ex coach, was quite abnoxious about it and expected LA to dispatch Chicago with contemptuous ease.

Similarly, the fact that the 04 pistons destroyed the lakers doesnt mean that they were favored. The Lakers were overwhelming favorites in 2004; the pistons just happened to outplay them. If you need a history lesson, let Swish or I know, and we'll be glad to give you one.

[Mr Feeny]

They were significant underdogs in 1998. They barely beat the Pacers in the ECF while the Jazz swept the Lakers and had HCA. The Bulls-Jazz played a close series in 97' and all indicators suggested the Bulls had declined since the previous year while the Jazz were at the same level.

That's pretty much exactly right. The Jazz players themselves had a diff demeanor before the finals. They EXPECTED to beat Chicago by 98. The Bulls were anything but favored.

[Paul George 24]

Heat Is Overrated

[rhowen4]

ooooh michael wallace picked the spurs. it's over.

[stalkerforlife]

Underdogs/favorites/blah blah blah.

This Heat team SHOULD win this series, but picking against them is merely saying they are stacked, but overrated. They are the most stacked team in the history of the NBA relative to each era, but they are also highly overrated because they are obviously a lot more beta and cowardly than you are led to believe.

If the Heat lose, it will be a MASSIVE FAILURE.

[Xoush]

I dont know how anyone can take ESPN "experts" seriously...

[no pun intended]

lmao

[StephHamann]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sGcUoVOGCd8/U45A4Hy-xkI/AAAAAAAAALo/fbqwp67cZl8/w304-h664-no/spursvsheat2014.JPG

MIA against the world

#lebronfamily is all we have left

Morris be like

http://media1.giphy.com/media/p7zliElu3L236/giphy.gif

[bingoa]

Opinions by Haberstrob and Gutierrez should be ignored as they have made careers out of covering the Heat