Who can beat the Heat?

The Miami Heat are back in the NBA finals for the fourth straight time and they have a familiar foe as dancing partner.

The ageless San Antonio Spurs found a way to win in overtime on the road even without playmaker Tony Parker, who suffered an ankle injury and sat out the second half. Boris Diaw and Kawhi Leonard connived with veteran Tim Duncan to carve out a 112-107 win to clinch the series in six games. Duncan hit two crucial free throws and the insurance basket in the thrilling encounter that saw both teams get equal chances of winning.

Looking back at the East, the Indiana Pacers tried everything, even the unauthorized shenanigans of Lance Stephenson—who thought he could rattle James by blowing in his ear, tapping his face and even sneaking into the Heat timeout. Quite simply, the Pacers had nothing on both ends of the floor to stop the scorching Heat in Game 6.

The Indiana offense sputtered and as TV analyst Jeff Van Gundy so succinctly put it, the Pacers are clearly in need of a shot generator in the future.  Paul George and David West need help, specifically scorers, if they are to carry the Pacers beyond the conference finals.

On defense, the Pacers could not stop James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh from dominating.  To a large extent, James is like Michael Jordan leading the Heat on the break or on the halfcourt set.  But the difference on the break is that James is more muscular, more devastating than Jordan, who was more graceful and rhythmic. James is a force of nature as unforgiving as the tornados that tend to ravage that part of the United States where the Heat live and play.

James is also such a focused athlete that no amount of distraction can deter him from what he and his teammates want to do on the court.  Once in the open court, James can rely on the virtuosity of Wade, who finishes the break in reliable fashion.  The roles can also be reversed when Wade spearheads the break and James is streaking down as a trailer ready to slam the ball home.

Pacers president Larry Bird and his front office need to review its lineup to find better players and find a more reliable offense.  You don’t need to review the numbers from Game 6 to see how the Pacers offense simply melted.  The team also needs players who will know how to shift into playoff-Eastern conference final mode at the start and through out the playoffs.

This is where the Heat are different.  To beat them, you have to give them a different look, a more creative approach so that they will be forced to play out of what they want to do. You can’t wilt if they look you in the eye and take you for a ride on the break.

In the Finals, the Spurs will have to do more than just turn back the hands of time and play the most unforgiving defense they can come up with to control the possessions and limit the Heat fastbreak.

The Heat have now joined the Celtics and the Lakers as the only teams that have made the Finals for four straight years.  And if they win the title for the third straight year, they would join the delightful debate if they are truly one of the best NBA teams.