As if there wasn’t enough on the line for this NBA Finals, the Spurs and Heat have directed talk towards each other through the media leading into Game 1.
Tim Duncan’s comments immediately after winning the Western Conference proved how much San Antonio were driven this season to return to the Finals and avenge last year’s loss to Miami.
The power forward said the Spurs wanted the Heat and subtly guaranteed a different outcome, claiming, “We’ll do it this time.”
LeBron James took notice of the future Hall of Famer’s remarks and fired back. “They don’t like us. They don’t,” said James. “I can sense it from Timmy’s comments over the last couple of days.They want us, so they got us.”
While San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich dismissed James’ words as “silly”, Manu Ginobili shed some light on his personal motivations.
“Every time you play a team in the playoffs, you don’t like them,” said Ginobili. “That grows on you. It’s such a challenge, you want to beat them so bad that you start to grow that challenge of you don’t want the opponent to score on me, you don’t want them to do good. You want to do everything you can to limit them.
“In some ways it’s sort of dislike, but the same happened to me against Dallas and against Portland and against Oklahoma City. It’s part of what the playoffs are about.”
The other storyline which will have a tangible effect on the court is the status of Tony Parker’s injured ankle. The point guard aggravated the injury in the series-clinching Game 6 win over the Thunder, sitting out the second half.
“He’s getting better every day, and I expect him to play,” said Popovich.
Parker has been the leader of San Antonio’s offence, averaging 17.2 points and 4.9 assists in the playoffs. The point guard, however, admitted his ankle problems started in the second round against Portland and since Game 4 of that series, he’s scored 20-plus once and finished in single digits three times.
In last year’s Finals, Parker averaged 14.3 in losses and 17.7 in wins, including a six-point effort in the 36-point blowout victory in Game 3, which he sat out much of.
The four days off before the Finals will help Parker heal, but the wait has also seemed to make the players anxious to start the highlyanticipated rematch.
