As expected, the Spurs bounced back. Better yet, they bounced back equally (113 - 77). Once again in a blowout, the Big Threes sat early. That does not spell good for gamers who saved them for the Finals.
If you picked Danny Green or Gary Neal for Game 3, you must be grinning right now ear-to-ear. If not, you may be snapping your fingers saying, "I was thinking about going Green!" I believe you, because I had that thought myself. Except we did not. That's how the game goes.
I said Green will never shoot perfect again like he did in Game 2. Yeah, so he just shot 7 for 9 on treys contributing to a sweet PRA of 31! Even better! He was the fourth hottest pick with more than 8% ownership. The Heat should be smart enough to know they cannot leave Green open anymore.
Gary Neal is the steal pick of the day, owned by less than 2% in both fantasy games. He had 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as a backup point guard. His 6 for 10 from the trey complimented Green's as it seemed like it was raining threes. That should be Neal's peak this Finals.
Kawhi Leonard is still trending upwards, 21 then 25 then 28 PRA. Look out for this kid. He will definitely be in the pick mix for Game 4.
Tony Parker was the hottest pick, but he hurt his hamstring in the third quarter. Although he still got 8 assists, he only had 5 attempts from the field. 16 PRA was certainly what a quarter of the gamers did not expect. Keep an eye out for news updates regarding that hamstring.
Tim Duncan had an okay okay game with 27 PRA which should be 30+ if not for sitting out the fourth quarter in the blowout game. Manu Ginobili looks good moving around, but we are still waiting for that big game from him.
Mike Miller's 5 for 5 from the trey was the only good note for the Heat. He will continue to have minutes as long as Shane Battier remains cold.
Chris Bosh as expected played well in Texas with 10 rebounds. Treat that 24 PRA as a warm-up for better stats in the next game or two. [UPDATE: He gets my pick in both fantasy games.]
Dwyane Wade continued to be aggressive, and LeBron James continued to showcase his all-around game. Shooting, though, was forgettable. Look for the Heat to dole out their own payback in Game 4. If not, they are in deep deep trouble.
If you picked Danny Green or Gary Neal for Game 3, you must be grinning right now ear-to-ear. If not, you may be snapping your fingers saying, "I was thinking about going Green!" I believe you, because I had that thought myself. Except we did not. That's how the game goes.
I said Green will never shoot perfect again like he did in Game 2. Yeah, so he just shot 7 for 9 on treys contributing to a sweet PRA of 31! Even better! He was the fourth hottest pick with more than 8% ownership. The Heat should be smart enough to know they cannot leave Green open anymore.
Gary Neal is the steal pick of the day, owned by less than 2% in both fantasy games. He had 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as a backup point guard. His 6 for 10 from the trey complimented Green's as it seemed like it was raining threes. That should be Neal's peak this Finals.
Kawhi Leonard is still trending upwards, 21 then 25 then 28 PRA. Look out for this kid. He will definitely be in the pick mix for Game 4.
Tony Parker was the hottest pick, but he hurt his hamstring in the third quarter. Although he still got 8 assists, he only had 5 attempts from the field. 16 PRA was certainly what a quarter of the gamers did not expect. Keep an eye out for news updates regarding that hamstring.
Tim Duncan had an okay okay game with 27 PRA which should be 30+ if not for sitting out the fourth quarter in the blowout game. Manu Ginobili looks good moving around, but we are still waiting for that big game from him.
Mike Miller's 5 for 5 from the trey was the only good note for the Heat. He will continue to have minutes as long as Shane Battier remains cold.
Chris Bosh as expected played well in Texas with 10 rebounds. Treat that 24 PRA as a warm-up for better stats in the next game or two. [UPDATE: He gets my pick in both fantasy games.]
Dwyane Wade continued to be aggressive, and LeBron James continued to showcase his all-around game. Shooting, though, was forgettable. Look for the Heat to dole out their own payback in Game 4. If not, they are in deep deep trouble.
Parker is out and Khawi will not score better then he did in this serie... So the next pick should be Manu Ginobili... if avaible... He hasn't still got his big game...
ReplyDeleteMakes sense.
DeleteNow that is another thing that bugs me about DTTF.
ReplyDeleteYou save up players and then pick them in a blowout where they sit most or all of the 4th quarter (happened twice in three games now). Meanwhile all those who picked the bigs earlier to get in the Top50 or so are now scrambling for picks. They have to chose players like Green or even Neal... and hit the Jackpot, laughing all the way to the bank.
After game 1 I was kind of disappointed with LeBrons points, but overall it was a good game. Bosh in game 2 was better than expected (12-10-4), then he went and did the same thing again in game 3 (10-12-4). Duncan was great in the first three quarters of game 3... and watched the final 12 minutes from the bench. My remaining big name is now injured and questionable for the next match.
So, who to pick now? Green? After a career game in game 2 he had an even better game last night. Is he good enough to go 3 for 3? Or will the Heat make sure this doesn´t happen again?
Neal? The backup to an inured Parker, who may get a lot of time on the court in game 4 due to TPs hamstring? I don´t think he will come even close to that 31 again.
Leonard? He who has the task of the Finals? Covering LeBron? He does a great job, but the Heat just lost, so you can expect James to turn it up a notch or three. This may hurt Leonards productivity PRA-wise.
That´s about it. I guess I will go with Leonard and hope he will keep his streak going for one more game. Even though the Heat (= LeBron James) have to bring it because they sure as heck don´t want to go down 1-3 in the series.
This next game might even be competitive for more than 24 minutes. Who knows? Let´s go Spurs!
You were spot on about DTTF. But who would have thought we'll have two straight blowouts in the Finals? In the last two games, a team looked like it wasn't worthy of being there.
DeleteLeonard is the safe pick.
Great write up again, Taong. I just need some help on who I should pick tonight. I still have Wade, LeBron, Duncan, Leonard, and (I'm not really considering him) Gary Neal.
ReplyDeleteWho should I pick? Do I have to pick LeBron or Wade because I can't afford to lose 1 of them? Do I pick Duncan with hopes that he'll get 30+, like you said? Do I pick Leonard because he's trending upwards?
Definitely not an easy decision.
Hey Sam, pick only between LeBron and Duncan. LeBron vowed to be better in Game 4, pick him.
DeleteWow wish I had those options. Excellent options. First and foremost I would pick a Heat. They have their backs against the wall. I would go with LeBron. If Heat win, then San Antonio will be motivated to win the next game 5, which then you will pick Tim Duncan. If Heat Lose, you can probably go Duncan again game 5. He is more consistent than Wade anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf I had your options, I would def go with LeBron, from what he is saying he feels more motivated than ever to come out strong and be aggressive. He knows if they lose this game, most likely series is over.
Right on, Anonymous! Heat and LeBron will be looking for retaliation. Spo needs to figure out how to countet Pop
DeleteThanks for the advice, Anonymous and Taong! I will most likely pick LeBron. Good luck to both of you tonight!
DeleteI hope you did.
Delete15 pts at the half.
Just what I was afraid of. After going up up up Leonard came down to Earth exactly in the game that I picked him.
ReplyDeleteAnd, after game 1 it looked like Spurs in 4 or 5, after the clear win by Miami the Spurs seemed to be in trouble they couldn´t get out of. Them came the even bigger blowout in game 3, everybody planned the party on sunday, next comes game 4, and now the Heat are as good as guaranteed to win the series. I wonder what happens in the pivotal game 5?
That was it in 2011. Tied series after 2 games, tied series after 4 games, and whoever wins game 5 will claim the title. Good thing that game is in Texas. But my picks are running dry. I hope Green bounces back once more at home.
BTW I now officially throw in the towel in regards of catching you, Taong. I had 19 from Leonard, you got Bosh for 85 (or so it seemed). Now unless you start picking Juwan Howard and Tracy McGrady while Danny Green sinks 12 three-pointers in the next game I am afraid there is no way in heck that I will come even close to you.
Next year, my friend, next year...