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    The NBA Finals took a turn for the record books last night from an unlikely hero in Danny Green of the San Antonio Spurs, who broke Ray Allen’s record of 22 3-pointers in a Finals series.  Green, who once wasn’t good enough to be teammates with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers and was cut by the Cavs after his rookie year in 2009-2010 is now one of the main reasons the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player is in serious jeopardy off losing another Finals series and not helping the Miami Heat repeat as champions.

     The 25-year-old Green, who was also cut twice by the Spurs and played three times in the D-League, as well as once overseas before the Spurs signed him again, showed that no matter what your dreams are to never give up.  Green, who went 6 of 10 from long range and was one of the leading scorers with 24 points in Game 5 in helping the Spurs to a critical 114-104 victory Sunday night over the Heat to give them a 3-2 lead in the series is playing every bit like he can be the unlikely Finals MVP if the Spurs go onto win the title.

    As Green has gone a miraculous 25 for 38 from 3-point land in this Finals series for a ridiculous 66 percent shooting from long range, which includes hitting at least four 3-pointers in every game against Miami except one.  Green also did it in front of Allen, who now plays for Miami and set his mark of 22 in a six game series for Boston when they won their last title in 2008.  Even though Allen is the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers he didn’t do it with anywhere near the precision that Green has to, as Allen shot just 52 percent that series.

    The Spurs original Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili finally getting all going by going for a combined 67 of the teams 114 points was also a huge factor in the victory and in particular Ginobili’s assertion into the starting lineup.  One that let Ginobili finally get out of his series long slump by going for a season high 24 points and 10 assists to put the Spurs Big Three one victory away from a 5th title and staying undefeated together in the Finals.

    If the new age Big Three of James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh for Miami are to make this series go to a seventh and deciding game to give them a chance at repeating they are going to need to get better contributions from their bench and role players.  As their Big Three went for 63 percent of their teams points and Allen was the only other Heat player to score in double figures with his 21 points.  If not than James and the Heat will lose their second Finals series in three years come Tuesday and be the object of criticism for yet another offseason.

    The NBA Finals get started later this evening and we have a really great matchup that has the makings of a classic type series between two really great teams in the ageless San Antonio Spurs and young run and gun Miami Heat.

     It isn’t the matchup many thought it would be at the beginning of the year, but there is plenty of headlines to draw even the most casual of fan into the series.  Whether it be the original Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili trying to stay undefeated in the Finals and perhaps trying to send Duncan nicely off into retirement with his 5th title or the new age Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh trying to cement their place in Finals history, as they try to build a new dynasty.  Or even whether it be Bron trying to exceed revenge on the Spurs for them sweeping his Cavs in the 2007 NBA Finals or players trying to cement their legacies.

     The Spurs may have most of the advantages on paper for a second straight series such as Parker at the point, Duncan and Splitter up front and even head coach Greg Popovich.  If any team has a fighting chance to beat Miami let alone actually win a series against them it would be the Spurs.

     As good as the Spurs have been throughout the playoffs, the Heat have a higher ceiling and the best player in the world in James, as well as a great 3-point shooting team.  With hot 3-point teams being an achilles heel for the Spurs and with Wade and Bosh finally starting to come around a little in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals I see Miami winning a very tough possibly classic type seven game series.  If Bosh and Wade don’t play up to par or Miami’s role players don’t step up the Spurs can sneak and take this series though.

     I think as crazy as it sounds Bron can possibly play even better this series than he already has and I think he will do so to exceed his long lost revenge for the Spurs sweeping his Cavs in the ‘07 Finals.  You know both teams cores are well experienced in the playoffs, which is why I don’t see either backing down and this series going all seven if not at the very least six games.  One thing is for sure though, we are in for one great competitive NBA Finals series just as it should be for two teams fighting for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

     Today one of the greatest players at not only his position, but of all-time, Jason Kidd retired from the NBA at the age of 40.   

     Kidd was one of the best at making others better ever and beloved, as well as respected by teammates universally throughout his career.  Whether it was helping lead the team that originally drafted him, the Dallas Mavericks to their only championship in 2011 in his second stint with the team, helping the Phoenix Suns to a 16 win improvement in his first full season with the team in 1997-1998, leading the then New Jersey Nets to a 26-game improvement in the 2001-2002 season and it’s first 50-win season in the franchise’s history or more recently just this past season helping be a big part of the New York Knicks 54 win season, which was an 18-game improvement from the previous season and the Knicks first 50-win season since 1999-2000.  

     As you can see Kidd’s chemistry with teammates helped solidify him as a great leader and teammate that everyone loved to play with throughout his career and opponents respected.  That isn’t even including his two stints with the Olympic team where he earned Gold in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008 with Beijing being the more memorable of the two because of the respect he got from players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in helping the the team win it’s first gold since 2000.  Kidd’s greatest accomplishment came with the Nets though when he took a perennial loser and switched it around not only to a winner, but a championship contender by leading the team to two straight Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.  The first and only ever appearances by the franchise to that high a ground.

     Till you look at his numbers you would never think that Kidd was a sure-fire future first-ballot Hall of Famer let alone a future Hall of Famer because of the way he carried himself on the court, was all-business, did things so quietly and was known more as an impact type player throughout his career rather than for any of his stats.  His career averages of 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game don’t look Hall worthy, but when you see the rest of his career numbers and the impact he had on improving teams you could see why he should be a Hall of Famer.  Whether it be him being the only player in NBA history to total at least 17,500 points, 8,500 rebounds, 12,000 assists and 2,500 steals for his career or his 12,901 assists being the second most in league history behind John Stockton, whom he is also behind and second in league history for steals.  With his assists total being more than current Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson, as well as his steals total being more than current Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Gary Payton.

     Known as a liability as a shooter early in his career, the 10-time All-Star, who led the NBA in assists five times during his career became more of a clutch shooter beyond the arc later in his career finishing third for most three-pointers in league history behind only future Hall of Famer Ray Allen and current Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.  Kidd also had numerous other ways to make his mark on games throughout his career, whether it be 107 triple-doubles (which are third all-time in the history of the league), his tenacious defense helping him be named to nine All-Defensive teams with four of those being first-team and also being named to six All-NBA teams with five of them being first-team honors.

     Kidd is not only one of the last true great players and warriors of his generation, but of any generation the NBA has ever seen and will be sorely missed more than anyone can ever describe or truly know till they realize he’s gone and no longer playing.  It’s also almost poetic justice in a way that the future Hall of Famers retirement comes only days after the NBA lost another great player in his 1995 co-Rookie of the Year, Grant Hill.

    In a series that the Memphis Grizzlies never seemed to fully recover in after suffering such a heartbreaking loss in overtime in Game 2 nearly a week ago it seems only right the Grizz got sent home packing in such a close game on their own home court Monday night against the fundamentally sound veteran group known as the San Antonio Spurs.

     The Spurs who where declared by many experts and non-experts including myself as not being young enough or Tim Duncan being as good as he once was to help slow down Memphis very tough aggressive frontcourt duo in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph proved they could stop them (they averaged a measly 25.2 points combined compared to the 37.8 points they combined for against the Thunder in the last round) and that despite how great their defense was they could not stop Tony Parker.  The plan was supposed to be to hold Parker in check and focus most the defense on him with nobody else being as big a threat as Parker on the floor for the Spurs.

     Memphis couldn’t as it was proved by Parker Monday night, so easily befuddling them with such steeler jumpers, smart passes and crafty drives to the basket for an effortless 37 points, six assists and four rebounds in helping the Spurs to a 93-86 sweep-sealing victory at FedEx Forum in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.  An effort that showed why the veteran point guard is the best player on the team and was the Finals MVP the last time the Spurs reached the NBA Finals in 2007.

     Whether it was cause they peaked to soon in the NBA Playoffs versus the Clippers and Thunder in the first two rounds sespite or ran out of stem the Grizzlies despite the close scores you see in Game 2 and last night’s Game 4 clincher where never really in the series after that Game 2 heartbreaker.  Their lack of experience and not having a closer or pure shooter like Rudy Gay anymore really showed, as well as how greatly the coaching disparity was and why the Spurs find themselves heading to a fifth Finals in the Duncan and Greg Popovich era.

     The Spurs could have a rematch of sorts in the Finals too if the LeBron James led Miami Heat move on to face them as expected.  It was that 2007 Spurs that lead by their Big Three of Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili sweep of the James led Cavaliers was probably one of the deciding factors in Bron wanting to form his own Big Three.  Now this veteran Spurs collective that is playing as well collectively as they have in their 11 seasons together will get some much needed rest to see if they do get a rematch of sorts against James or will face a tough physical fundamentally Pacers squad they match up very well with.