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San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat Game 2 NBA Preview & Free Pick

San Antonio vs Miami Handicapping

It may get a little claustrophobic at American Airlines Arena tonight, where the San Antonio Spurs have a golden opportunity to place the Miami Heat in a small box when Game 2 of the NBA Finals tips off.

NBA Finals
San Antonio Spurs (1-0) at Miami Heat (0-1)
Sunday, June 9
American Airlines Arena, Miami
8 p.m. EST
Spread – Heat -6
O/U – 187.5

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If the Spurs can replicate their Game 1 victory, LeBron and his supporting cast will be placed in the uncomfortable position of having to win four of the next five games – with three of them in San Antonio – against a playoff-tested team that has lost a total of two games during its entire playoff run.

The Heat players know this, and have had several days to figure out how they managed to lose the opener in a game in which Miami outshot the Spurs from the field (43.6 percent to 41.7), the 3-point line (32.0 to 30.4), and outrebounded SA (46-37).

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James, meanwhile, is taking a little heat himself for turtling a bit in the fourth period, when San Antonio pulled itself out of a hole, outscoring Miami 23-16 down the stretch. James had six points in the period, but at times was Just Another Player when everyone in the world figured he would be taking over the game.

LBJ had an odd triple-double (18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists), but the real concern in Heatville ahead of Game 2 is the uninspired play of forward/center/whatever Chris Bosh, who mailed in a 6-for-16 Game 1 that included only five rebounds in 35-plus minutes. Bosh’s reluctance to bang is well-documented (just ask the Raptors), and James no doubt figured that if Bosh was paint-averse, he himself better some boards.
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And what of Mario Chalmers? The point guard on a team that included James and Dwyane Wade doesn’t have a lot of offensive responsibilities to begin with, and after his 3-for-10 shooting performance in the first three periods of the opener, Chalmers sat most of the key fourth-period minutes in favor of Ray Allen.

It will be interesting to see if Chalmers’s minutes get trimmed even more as the series unfolds.
The Spurs, meanwhile, are fat and happy as they contemplate the prospect of winning their fifth title (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) of the Gregg Popovich/Tim Duncan Era. Regardless of what happens they have pilfered home-court advantage, and starting Tuesday night will have three consecutive games at home.

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So the Spurs come in to Miami as 5.5-point dogs in Game 1, win it – and the number goes up a half-point for Game 2? Numbers guys must figure that the Heat’s key personnel (James, Wade) will play as many minutes as necessary to avoid falling into an 0-2 crevice. We like the Spurs to cover again.

Turnovers are the mother’s milk for Miami’s offense, and SA is just too sound fundamentally to give too many gifts. SA +6 in the second of series in which every game could go deep into the fourth period. Advise staying away from an over play on the total – both teams shot pretty well in Game 1 and the game still went under by 8 points.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!