Sounds simple, right? After all, Miami has LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. "The Big Three." The three best players in the NBA not named Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant.
Well, it's not that simple. San Antonio's size and defensive skill has made James, Wade and Bosh nothing more than average shooters. None of them have reached the 20-point plateau in any of the first three games. James and Wade aren't even shooting 50 percent from the field (close, but not close enough), and Bosh is continuing to perform in a supporting role with a pedestrian average of 13.3 points per game. At least, Bosh is trying on the boards with an average of 8.3 rebounds per game in this series.
As long as these trends continue in tonight's Game 4 in San Antonio, Miami is going to struggle against a Spurs squad looking for one more NBA title for their own "big three" -- Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. In particular, James will be the one to watch, as he is the most capable of having a breakout game. Wade's health still doesn't seem to be at 100 percent, and Bosh hasn't been a dominant force during this postseason. If James continues refusing to drive to the basket and struggle with his outside shooting, there may not be much hope for Miami fans.
As for San Antonio, look for the Spurs to keep protecting the lane and letting their depth of scoring talent (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green) be the overall difference in Game 4.
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