Spurs were older than the Heat last year

[3ball]

Parker and Duncan were the Spurs top 2 scorers and they were 31 and 37 years old... the Spurs foruth-leading scorer was 36 (Manu).

So the Heat's loss can't be blamed on age... Does that mean the Heat loss is blamed on the 17 more playoff games they played over a 4-year period (2011-2014) than the Spurs?
.

[navy]

You know damn well the Heat were older than the Spurs the last 2 years.

[J Shuttlesworth]

Wasn't Kawhi the leading scorer in the finals?

And the Spurs had tons of young role players, where the Heat had old role players

What was the average age of each team? That's the best way to determine

BTW, people blame the loss on the fact that the Spurs were a better team, not old age.

[Genaro]

I was waiting for the gifs to load then I realized there was none.

[navy]

Average Ages
2013
Heat 30.3
Spurs 28.6

2014
Heat 30.6
Spurs 28.9

[nba_55]

Parker and Duncan were the Spurs top 2 scorers and they were 31 and 37 years old... the Spurs foruth-leading scorer was 36 (Manu).

So the Heat's loss can't be blamed on age... Does that mean the Heat loss is blamed on the 17 more playoff games they played over a 4-year period (2011-2014) than the Spurs?
.

Dude, come back to reality, these time travelling to Jordan' days has been affecting you mentally. Nobody blamed age for Heat loss, Spurs were simply the better team, where did you come up with that?

[J Shuttlesworth]

Average Ages
2013
Heat 30.3
Spurs 28.6

2014
Heat 30.6
Spurs 28.9
Oh. Well OP is an idiot then. He's just plain lying

[Done_And_Done]

Age has nothing to do with anything. The Spurs were just the better team last year and put on a clinic to substantiate it.

[nba_55]

Oh. Well OP is an idiot then. He's just plain lying
No point of arguing with them, he will come back and say '' I was talking about the leading scorers, they were older, i wasn't talking about the average age...... Jordan'', he is an idiot!

[3ball]

Age has nothing to do with anything. The Spurs were just the better team last year and put on a clinic to substantiate it.
okay, it wasn't age.

so what made the Spurs a better team?

[Milbuck]

okay, it wasn't age.

so what made the Spurs a better team?
An optimal playing style and superior navigation efficiency.

[3ball]

An optimal playing style and superior navigation efficiency.
they had these advantages against every team.

but they only went crazy offensively against the Heat.. why go off only on the Heat?

[J Shuttlesworth]

they had these advantages against every team.

but they only went crazy offensively against the Heat.. why go off only on the Heat?
-They were out for blood
-They blew out the Blazers in every game but 1
-3 of their wins in OKC were blowouts i believe

[3ball]

-They were out for blood
-They blew out the Blazers in every game but 1
-3 of their wins in OKC were blowouts i believe
the stats prove the spurs went crazy offensively ONLY against the Heat - the Spurs ORtg against the Heat was significantly higher than everyone else:

vs. MIA: 120.8
vs. OKC: 114.4
vs. POR: 113.1
vs. DAL: 113.1


clearly the normal range for the Spurs ORtg is 113-114.

[Kvnzhangyay]

the stats prove the spurs went crazy offensively ONLY against the Heat - the Spurs ORtg against the Heat was significantly higher than everyone else:

vs. MIA: 120.8
vs. OKC: 114.4
vs. POR: 113.1
vs. DAL: 113.1


clearly the normal range for the Spurs ORtg is 113-114.

Yup the Spurs definitely peaked vs the Heat, no question, but let's be honest, there's so many different factors as to why this could happen that its all subjective

[J Shuttlesworth]

the stats prove the spurs went crazy offensively ONLY against the Heat - the Spurs ORtg against the Heat was significantly higher than everyone else:

vs. MIA: 120.8
vs. OKC: 114.4
vs. POR: 113.1
vs. DAL: 113.1


clearly the normal range for the Spurs ORtg is 113-114.
Probably due to the fact that the Heat didn't have a paint presence with someone like Ibaka, or Lopez... and also the fact that the Heat were on their 4th straight finals with a lot of old role players.

I also think Popovich saved his best sets for the finals

[3ball]

Probably due to the fact that the Heat didn't have a paint presence with someone like Ibaka, or Lopez...


Dallas didn't have a paint presence either, and they did phenomenal compared to the Heat, so the paint presence isn't the reason.





and also the fact that the Heat were on their 4th straight finals with a lot of old role players.


It makes no sense to blame the worst loss in history on role players - the top contributors matter much more, and the Heat's top contributors were much younger than the Spurs.





I also think Popovich saved his best sets for the finals


Here's something that we don't need to "think" about, because we know - the ORtg numbers show a clear anomaly.

The most logical explanation for the anomaly would be the same thing that fans, media, and other players were saying at the time it was happening: the Heat defense gave up... the eye test was quite convincing of this, the Heat body language was obvious, and everyone watching agreed that the Heat had quit.

But the only motivation a team ever has for giving up on defense is when they feel their offense can't keep up - this is intuitive... so why was the Heat offense so much worse than the Spurs?... Simple - the Spurs employed a superior brand of offense.... vastly superior.... the Heat's offense was suboptimal and stagnant in comparison, and when it couldn't keep up, the defense had the motivation it needed to give up..

Based on the anomaly in the ORtg numbers, the other Spurs opponents felt their offense could keep up a little better or longer, so they didn't feel the need to quit on defense as easily.
.

[ninephive]

Wasn't Kawhi the leading scorer in the finals?

And the Spurs had tons of young role players, where the Heat had old role players

What was the average age of each team? That's the best way to determine

BTW, people blame the loss on the fact that the Spurs were a better team, not old age.
No, it was Parker then Leonard then Duncan.

[BuffaloBill]

Has nothing to do with age. The Heat would only have 1 ring in the past 4 years if it weren't for now 39 year old Ray Allen

[Hey Yo]

Has nothing to do with age. The Heat would only have 1 ring in the past 4 years if it weren't for now 39 year old Ray Allen
Or if the Spurs didn't blow a 13pt lead late in the 3rd or blow a 5pt lead with 28 seconds left.

[Bandito]

Because Lebron sucks? Is that what Op wants to hear? I dont get it...

[Bandito]

Or if the Spurs didn't blow a 13pt lead late in the 3rd or blow a 5pt lead with 28 seconds left.
Nah it was because of Ray Allen and Bosh's contributions.

[ArbitraryWater]

Or if the Spurs didn't blow a 13pt lead late in the 3rd or blow a 5pt lead with 28 seconds left.

Helluva choke... all those missed FT's, giving up rebounds, etc. coupled with Allen's shot...

People still try to discredit a legitimate ring :lol

[Hey Yo]

Helluva choke... all those missed FT's, giving up rebounds, etc. coupled with Allen's shot...

People still try to discredit a legitimate ring :lol
Yep

Ray's shot is quick to be pointed out, yet the Spurs not capitalizing and blowing big leads is never pointed out.

They lost that game more than Ray tied it.

[meat]

Parker and Duncan were the Spurs top 2 scorers and they were 31 and 37 years old... the Spurs foruth-leading scorer was 36 (Manu).

So the Heat's loss can't be blamed on age... Does that mean the Heat loss is blamed on the 17 more playoff games they played over a 4-year period (2011-2014) than the Spurs?
.

Yes. The three more hours of basketball a year for four years is
the reason they lost. Brilliant observation.

[StephHamann]

Probably due to the fact that the Heat didn't have a paint presence with someone like Ibaka, or Lopez... and also the fact that the Heat were on their 4th straight finals with a lot of old role players.

I also think Popovich saved his best sets for the finals

They didn't have paint presence like Dalembert and Dejuan Blair :confusedshrug:

[navy]

They didn't have paint presence like Dalembert and Dejuan Blair :confusedshrug:
Bosh is a pretty bad paint defender maybe even worse than those two, and the Heat defensive relies on the team trapping and moving rapidly so the Spurs quick passing led them a crazy amount of easy buckets. Add that in with them shooting 53% on contested shots or something like that and you got a blowout. Game 1 was close until Lebron went out with cramps. Game 2 the Heat won. Game 3,4,5 were bad. Heat have the 25th worst defense this year and were dead last for a lot of the season so it's pretty obvious Spolestra needs to adjust and create some new defensive schemes.

[La Frescobaldi]

Dallas didn't have a paint presence either, and they did phenomenal compared to the Heat, so the paint presence isn't the reason.



It makes no sense to blame the worst loss in history on role players - the top contributors matter much more, and the Heat's top contributors were much younger than the Spurs.



Here's something that we don't need to "think" about, because we know - the ORtg numbers show a clear anomaly.

The most logical explanation for the anomaly would be the same thing that fans, media, and other players were saying at the time it was happening: the Heat defense gave up... the eye test was quite convincing of this, the Heat body language was obvious, and everyone watching agreed that the Heat had quit.

But the only motivation a team ever has for giving up on defense is when they feel their offense can't keep up - this is intuitive... so why was the Heat offense so much worse than the Spurs?... Simple - the Spurs employed a superior brand of offense.... vastly superior.... the Heat's offense was suboptimal and stagnant in comparison, and when it couldn't keep up, the defense had the motivation it needed to give up..

Based on the anomaly in the ORtg numbers, the other Spurs opponents felt their offense could keep up a little better or longer, so they didn't feel the need to quit on defense as easily.
.

ABSURD.

[3ball]

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[3ball]

ABSURD
what other reason does a defense have for giving up, other than realizing their offense can't keep up?

that's the only reason a defense quits - a team's defense would not quit if they felt the offense COULD keep up... only if they see that it can't, like the Heat in the 2014 Finals.

[Droid101]

Or if the Spurs didn't blow a 13pt lead late in the 3rd or blow a 5pt lead with 28 seconds left.
Or, if it weren't for a now 39 year old Ray Allen.

[bdreason]

Old teams win titles, not young teams.

[aj1987]

what other reason does a defense have for giving up, other than realizing their offense can't keep up?
Tired, old, injured, etc.. :facepalm

They didn't "give up" they just weren't able to keep up with the Spurs.

[3ball]

Tired, old, injured, etc.. :facepalm


Spurs big 3 was much older - Duncan was 37, Manu 36, and Parker 31.

so being old is a bad excuse.





They didn't "give up" they just weren't able to keep up with the Spurs.


at the time the series was actually happening, all the media, fans, and other players were saying the Heat had quit... the Heat body language was very obvious, which led to the consensus that they quit.

and them quitting defensively would certainly explain why the Heat allowed the Spurs to have a record 121 ORtg, while all the other Spurs opponents kept it to 114 or less - that is a massive, anomalous gap.

and the only reason a team quits defensively, is because they know their offense can't keep up, when it makes no sense to continue putting forth the grueling, defensive effort.... the aforementioned statistical anomaly shows that the defenses of DAL, OKC and POR had a little more confidence in their offense and accordingly, hung in there a little longer defensively.
.

[aj1987]

Spurs big 3 was much older - Duncan was 37, Manu 36, and Parker 31.

so being old is a bad excuse.
:facepalm

The Finals MVP and the 2nd highest scoring Spur was 21 years old. TP (the leading scorer) was 31, which is not exactly old. Daw - 31, Patty - 24, Green - 25, etc.. Lets also not forget that the Heat went to 4 straight Finals, which is a shit ton of basketball.

Heat - 30.6
Spurs - 28.9


at the time the series was actually happening, all the media, fans, and other players were saying the Heat had quit... the Heat body language was very obvious, which led to the consensus that they quit.
Don't you even get tired to making shit up?


and them quitting defensively would certainly explain why the Heat allowed the Spurs to have a record 121 ORtg, while all the other Spurs opponents kept it to 114 or less - that is a massive, anomalous gap.
Again, kid, the Heat didn't "quit". They couldn't keep up with the Spurs' offense.

[3ball]

They couldn't keep up with the Spurs' offense.


so you agree that the Heat offense was vastly inferior to the Spurs offense and couldn't keep up, which is my entire point:

why would they keep giving the grueling effort defensively if they knew their offense "couldn't keep up with the Spurs' offense", like you say?... it's kind of hard to keep giving the effort and playing the grueling defense once it becomes clear your offense is vastly inferior and won't keep up anyway.

the Spurs ORtg was much lower versus all other opponents, which shows that DAL, OKC and POR had more confidence in their offense and accordingly, hung in there longer defensively.

how is this an issue - we all saw the heat defense give up last year, which they would never do if they had confidence their offense could match the spurs scoring frequency.

[rmt]

Heat's swarming style of defense is a good match-up for Spurs' offense. Carlisle did it the right way - as much man defense as possible - stay with your man - take the role players out of the offense - force SAS big 3(4) to score as much as possible - they can carry the offense for a few (couple) of games but not for a 7 game series due to age. Miami could not suddenly change the way they had been playing (swarming) defense for 4 years. As the series went on, not only did the Spurs' offense get into a fantastic groove but their defense was awesome the last 2 games.

As Manu said about a few of those quarters, "we just moved the ball and everything went in."

[aj1987]

so you agree that the Heat offense was vastly inferior to the Spurs offense and couldn't keep up, which is my entire point:

why would they keep giving the grueling effort defensively if they knew their offense "couldn't keep up with the Spurs' offense", like you say?... it's kind of hard to keep giving the effort and playing the grueling defense once it becomes clear your offense is vastly inferior and won't keep up anyway.

the Spurs ORtg was much lower versus all other opponents, which shows that DAL, OKC and POR had more confidence in their offense and accordingly, hung in there longer defensively.

how is this an issue - we all saw the heat defense give up last year, which they would never do if they had confidence their offense could match the spurs scoring frequency.
In other words, the Heat should've had a coach like Phil? Maybe then they would've 3/4peated.

BTW, your logic is beyond stupid. Not surprised though.