Let's Run That Back: VICE Sports' NBA Finals Preview, Part 2

Through an 82-game regular season and the arithmetic of the NBA's playoffs. It all came together like an inevitable Rube Goldberg device drawn up at a Swiss watchmaker's drafting table. An outsized game of 'Mouse Trap' consisting of sweat bands, impossibly long arms and so many three-pointers have all led to this: 'Miami and San Antonio: The Sequel'; 'Miami and San Antonio: Remember the Alamo'; 'Miami and San Antonio: The Pain at Biscayne'. You get the idea. High drama for us, the spectators, but for both teams the reality of a legacy-cementing title is at stake and far more demanding of their attention. "Can the Spurs exact revenge following last season's game seven?" "Will the Miami Heat fans show up before halftime?" "Will people stop talking about Steve Ballmer?" The entire series has the energy and excitement that Hollywood executives can only dream about. And Spurs-Heat does have a certain summertime, blockbuster sequel sex appeal to it. Plus, it's only the thirteenth rematch in NBA history—keep that factoid in your back pocket and impress your friends when you drop it at the bar—so let me be your guide as I walk you through a preview of this damn fascinating series.

The Overarching Themes

For the defending champs? A shot at joining NBA royalty as the first team to three-peat since the early aughts Lakers squad that pulled off the trifecta between 2000 and 2002, and only the sixth team to ever pull off the trifecta—rarefied status for a franchise that has already claimed three titles in the past eight seasons. Beyond the team, another title for LeBron James means another feather in his cap and another middle finger in the air to the haters pointing, evermore cartoonishly, backwards at Michael Jordan's legacy. Say all you want about LeBron and his [insert whatever sublimated issue you have with his game here], but three rings and a continued reign as best player on the planet is a mighty cooling salve to your verbal barbs, sir.

For the rest of the Miami Heat? Another championship run would shore up the Hall of Fame credentials for the likes of Misters Wade, Bosh, Allen and Spoelstra. But that's where we're at with this Miami Heat run: assured Hall of Famers dotting the i's and crossing the t's of their first-ballot resumes. Beyond those guys? Yes, we all want a deserving veteran like Michael Beasley to get his first ring. Same with Birdman and his second ring. (Kidding on both counts. Well, not about Birdman.)

For the San Antonio Spurs? A palate cleansing shot. A chance not to rewrite history but to craft a new chapter with a happier ending after coming up just short last year. Beyond the simple motivations of redemption and vengeance, San Antonio has the chance to further lock down their own legacy as a factory that produces world-caliber basketball players and Larry O'Brien trophies. For scowling zing-meister Gregg Popovich, it is yet another chance for success; another chance to announce to his invisible demons that he sees them and he will vanquish them one by one and title by title. In all honesty, I see Popovich as more or less an ideal. Work hard, trust your system and get everything done that you can in any given day. He would be this astoundingly proficient at double-entry bookkeeping if he so chose, it's just that being a hoops coach was his calling. Tim Duncan? The dude has been cast in bronze for ages and yet he is still out there. Night after night, year after year, Duncan has taken all comers and while not impervious to defeat, his legacy still stands like a seawall against so many crashing breakers. Ditto for Timmy's comrades internationale who helped him get three of his four rings.

For the Spurs not named Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, the series presents them with the outstanding opportunity to etch their own names onto the list of Spurs legends. Kawhi Leonard is a household name to NBA junkies, but now is his chance to remind everyone who hasn't seen him since last June what a complete and dominant two-way player he has metastasized into. Patty Mills? Not just a brand of baking soda anymore! Boris Diaw?? A punchline to a buffet lunch joke still, but one with a championship to his name. All this and more if the Spurs can beat the Heat.

The Brass Tacks

The Spurs by practically all measures have gotten a little better this season. Diaw is more comfortable taking shots (witness that 26 on 8 of 14 in the series-clincher against the Thunder). Mills is way more comfortable taking shots and running the point. Kawhi, again, is now a fire-breathing tiger on defense who can and will blanket anyone. Manu is back to doing Manu-esque stuff (the positive Manu-esque stuff, guys) and Parker's ankle is ready to go. The Miami Heat by most measures have taken a minor step backwards this season, but during this playoff run Miami has looked just as dominant as they have in years past. The Spurs faced a sorta "Heat-lite" team in the Thunder to get to this point and I think they'll be prepared for the tricks up Spoelstra's sleeve. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have not faced anyone Spurs-like since they played, uhh, the Spurs in the regular season. On top of that, Miami has had something of a cake walk through the Eastern Conference playoffs (sorry Hornets, nee Bobcats, Wizards, and Pacers fans) and there's a small but distinct possibility of Miami coming out flat or getting blindsided by the passing blitzkrieg and intensity of the Spurs.

Still, when we saw these two teams tango last summer the Spurs did struggle with Miami's myriad of traps. The Spurs offense is that much more evolved than they were last year, though, and that should make a difference. Their pinballing passes and constant movement have never looked crisper than in the last two games against Oklahoma City and if they play like that, Miami's defense could be in for a long series.

Even if Miami's defense does struggle however, their offense, which has been clicking at an unholy pace all playoffs long, should be able to find the holes in San Antonio's defense to keep every game close. And if that's the case, Miami only needs to keep it close in the fourth quarter and then go into the ultimate endgame scenario: LeBron James. Yes, even with all of their improvements the Spurs will need to continually (OBVIOUSLY) be prepared for the force of nature that is King James. Leonard will likely be matching up with King James through most of the series and the young Kawhi is one of the rare talents with the reach and quickness to bother LeBron even when LBJ is muscling him around.

There's more to consider on both sides, still. A healthy and resurgent D-Wade has made his presence felt in these playoffs. It's weird to acknowledge, but Wade is practically an afterthought at this point. Not necessarily because of health reasons but more along the lines of a perfectly good toy on a child's shelf being overlooked for the newer, shinier, bigger toy (LeBron). But Dwyane Wade is still Dwyane Wade and he is, like many of these cagey Heat vets, all too eager to show you your still-beating heart after he's cut it out. Something that should be keeping the Heat's coaching staff up at night is the fact that the Spurs have become so good at adapting—compare: games three and four vs games five and six in the Thunder series. Another, possibly even more worrisome issue for Miami is the depth that the Spurs have. Miami's bench, while not necessarily slouches, will have some real issues containing Manu, Patty Mills, et al especially if Good Manu shows up. Other things to look for? How about Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers vs. Tony Parker and Patty Mills. Cole has always been a very good man-to-man defender and he has only gotten better this postseason. His quickness and ability to recover against, yes, even someone as fast and cunning as Parker should give the Frenchman something to contemplate for an extra millisecond before diving into the lane.

The pangs of rumor swirling around A) the inevitable retirement for Duncan/Popovich/every Spurs player ever OMG or B) LeBron's pending option to opt out on July 1 can all wait. These games and this series should be enough. Let tomorrow come tomorrow, today there is basketball to be played and there is basketball to be watched.

Miami in six.