NBA Finals: Is this the last shot for the 'Big Three' of the Spurs, Heat to leave their marks?
A Clear Channel billboard in San Antonio might best describe the NBA Finals, which get underway Thursday night with Game 1 in the Alamo City.
"Built vs. Bought."
In one form or another, that will be the underlying story of the matchup. The Spurs' "Big Three" of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have remained in San Antonio their entire careers, all accepting contracts below what would have been available on the open market.
Duncan has been there for all four of San Antonio's NBA championships. Ginobili and Parker have joined him in the other three.
The Heat, meanwhile, purchased an even "Bigger Three" in 2010 when LeBron James and Chris Bosh left their teams during free agency and joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. The Heat have appeared in three consecutive NBA Finals and won the past two.
Of course, that included a seven-game victory in the 2013 NBA Finals over the Spurs after San Antonio appeared to have the series won, holding a five-point lead with less than 30 seconds to play in Game 6 on Miami's floor. The Heat sent the game to overtime on Ray Allen's improbable 3-point shot, won that game and closed it out in Game 7.
San Antonio's approach has left enough remaining salary-cap room to put perhaps the league's deepest team around Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. The Heat, with three players eating up nearly $57 million, have won despite a lack of depth.
However they're constructed, it could be the last time either Big Three competes for a title together. Each of Miami's stars has the option to test free agency this summer.
And Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley said he's "guessing" Duncan, 38, is ready to step away. He defended Duncan's overanalyzed "We'll do it this time" vow after the Western Conference finals, suggesting he was trying to motivate his team one last time.
On a conference call for the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Barkley said: "I think it was really cool what he said. ... They know they gave away the championship last year, and he wants to retire."
Here are 10 things to watch as the Finals unfold:
Tony Parker's bum ankle. The Spurs say he will play Thursday night, but will he be right? A player doesn't miss the entire second half and overtime of a playoff-elimination game unless he's hurting pretty badly.
Dwyane Wade's bum (fill in the blank). Wade has been playing extremely well, and the Heat managed his body pretty well during the regular-season grind. But it always seems like he's one fall to the floor from a twisted this or a strained that.
Size matters. And the Heat don't have it. The Spurs will come at them inside with Duncan, Tiago Splitter (if he's out of coach Gregg Popovich's doghouse) and even Boris Diaw. The Heat took a flyer by signing Greg Oden to help with this sort of thing, but their ability to find success playing small and fast is more important.
Boris Diaw, a real-life X-Man. We don't have to tell fans in Phoenix that Diaw is like a man made of rubber. That's not a comment on his, um, pliable physique. No, he is seemingly able to mold himself to any situation or matchup. Popovich said he's never seen him play better than he has in these playoffs.
A format flashback. In 1985, when it seemed the Lakers and Celtics would play in the NBA Finals every year and the media had to fly back and forth across the continent, the format was changed to 2-3-2. For the first time since, it returns to a 2-2-1-1-1. The Spurs have homecourt advantage, so will play host to Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 if it goes the distance.
Kawhi Leonard won't need to blow in LeBron's ear. The Eastern Conference finals got a little awkward when Lance Stephenson of the Pacers tried to get into the head of the Heat star first with trash talk and then, in what he might have thought would be a more direct route, by blowing into his ear.
Leonard will get there with talent and doggedness.
The Bird Flu. The energy of Miami's big man Chris "Birdman" Andersen is contagious, especially when Miami is playing at home. He missed two games in the Eastern Conference finals and was limited in the decisive sixth game because of a thigh bruise, but is ready to go.
The whole "They don't like us" thing. It was deemed trash talk when star Duncan said San Antonio would "do it this time" after the Western Conference finals. It prompted James to conclude that the Spurs don't like the Heat.
It sort of reminds us of the line in "Casablanca" when Peter Lorre's character Ugarte says to Humphrey Bogart's character Rick Blaine, "You despise me, don't you?" And Rick replies, "If I gave you any thought, I probably would."
Now that's talking trash!
Manu mania. If the Heat can run Ginobili off the 3-point line, they're going to have a much better chance to win the series. His three best playoffs from behind the arc have been in 2003 (38.4 percent), 2005 (43.8) and 2007 (38.4).
He is hitting 38.3 in the playoffs thus far, his fourth best postseason from 3-point range.
Oh, did we mention the Spurs won championships in 2003, '05 and '07?
This is the King's court. The Spurs are a great team. But James is the greatest player since Michael Jordan and the greatest team player since Magic Johnson. How do you beat that?
Prediction: You don't — Heat in six.
On TV
All NBA Finals games on Ch. 15.
Game 1: Thursday night, at Spurs, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, at Spurs, 5 p.m
Game 3: Tuesday, at Miami, 6 p.m.
Game 4: June 12, at Miami, 6 p.m.
x-Game 5: June 15, at Spurs, 5 p.m.
x-Game 6: June 17, at Heat, 6 p.m.
x-Game 7: June 20, at Spurs, 6 p.m.
x — if necessary