NBA Finals match-up set, Love in Boston

May 31, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard

(20) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward

(35) during the fourth quarter in game six of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

After a pair of Game Six victories over the weekend by the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, respectively, we’re all set with a rematch of the 2013 NBA Finals. In other, less exciting news, Kevin Love is in Boston for the weekend.

The Miami victory over the Indiana Pacers was convincing, with a final score of 117-92. There was never any doubt about the supremecy of the Heat over the up-and-down, offensively-challenged Pacers.

The Spurs, on the other hand, were able to emerge as the victors in the only game won by the road team in the series. Despite trailing by 7 points at halftime and the Thunder holding momentum, the Spurs surged ahead down the stretch. Trailing by two with under a minute to play, a three-pointer by Manu Ginobili gave the visitors a lead, and an eventual Ginobili miss at the buzzer of a tie game sent the game to overtime.

The Spurs hung on down the stretch to emerge with a 112-107 victory after Kevin Durant missed a three-point attempt that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining in overtime. Boris Diaw made one of two free throws, Russell Westbrook missed a three-point attempt of his own, and the game was all but over with 7 seconds left.

Even though we were treated to a Heat-Spurs Finals just a year ago, it’ll still be a ton of fun to follow. The Spurs are basketball poetry on offense, and the Heat are a weird combination of LeBron James‘ brute force and a bunch of finesse via outside shooting. The Spurs can bang down low with Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter if they so choose, especially in comparison to the, um, thin front line of the Heat.

There are a number of intriguing storylines, too. The Heat are going for the first back-to-back-to-back Finals victories since Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers teams of a decade-plus ago. The Spurs lost Game Six and ultimately Game Seven in epic and devasting fashion last June to these same Heat. And Miami is playing in it’s fourth consecutive NBA Finals. Of course, the series will also feature the NBA’s best coach in Gregg Popovich, as well as the best player in James. There is plenty to be excited about, even though it’s not necessarily a fresh, new match-up.

As for your Timberwolves, there isn’t much new to report. Plenty of sources reported that Kevin Love was spending a few days in Boston to “check out the city”, so much so that the Boston Globe actually got involved in trying to approach the Wolves’ superstar, ultimately getting a big fat no-comment from Love when asked to talk about his trip.

Who knows if there is anything to it; it seems more like tabloid fodder and wishful thinking than anything else. It’s not like Love gets to pick where he goes if he’s traded in the next few months, or even that Flip Saunders would necessarily give him the courtesy of knowing where he could potentially be shipped.

At any rate, it qualifies as ‘news’, I suppose. As far as the coaching search, there’s still nothing clear or confirmed brewing. Let’s hope that changes soon, with the draft now just weeks away.