Miami to cover Green … now
Column: RICK SOLEM
RickS@mwfbroadcasting.com
It’s all over.
The San Antonio run to a fifth NBA Championship since 1999 ends tonight.
It’s Game 6. The Spurs have a 3-2 series lead over the Miami Heat. And Danny Green was on his way to being the Finals MVP, mainly because he’s currently 25-for-38 from beyond the arc, but not anymore. None of that matters now. Now that Chris Bosh has spoken.
“He has a knack for shooting, but he won’t be open tonight,” Bosh said Tuesday. “We’ll see how he shoots with somebody always on him.”
It’s Game 6. He’s 25-for-38 in the series. He’s shooting 66 percent.
NOW … now the strategy is to put someone on him? 
You can’t go in the gym alone and shoot 66 percent … unless you hit two of your first three and quit, I suppose. Even then, you’d be somewhat lucky.
Did it really take six games and an NBA record for 3s made and 3-point percentage for the Heat to think, “Hmmm, maybe we should cover him.”?
You can watch all 25 3-pointers here at Yahoo! Sports.
And you can look at comical breakdown here at CBS Sports.
I watched the video of these 25 makes and broke them into four categories: Wide open, someone running at him after he shoots it, covered and really deep.
Ten of these shots he’s wide open. Miami doesn’t even bother attempting to run out at him.
Twelve of the makes, someone is running at him, but the shot’s already off and they are just closing out.
A few of the defenders already know the outcome by the time they get to Green – either by the crowd’s reaction, because they’re so late to get out on him, the ball is through the hoop, or just the fact that they know, it’s too late, he got too clean a look and they’re body language says, “Crap.”
Three of these shots he’s totally covered. Three. Three of 25 makes he has a guy in his face.
And one shot, one of these three shots that he’s covered, in fact, Green is about three-feet behind the arc. And he’s double teamed. It must have come at the buzzer, because it’s hard to understand why they would guard him three feet beyond the arc with two defenders on this shot, rather than the 22 of 24 shots where nobody is on him.
It’s just comical. Bosh’s comment … in Game 6 … after 25 makes in 38 attempts … and the fact that he wasn’t covered in 22 of those 25 makes.
It would be interesting to see the 13 misses and whether he was covered on those shots. I’m guessing maybe half.
Trying to argue for Miami, someone said to me, “But he’s open because they’re doubling Duncan.”
Well, yeah, I’d double Duncan, too, if Chris Anderson and Chris Bosh were my best defenders on one of the greatest players of all time.
I’d double Duncan, too … until Danny Green goes 4-for-9 in Game 1. I’d double him, too, until Green goes 6-for-6 in Game 2. And I’d double Duncan, too, until Green goes 9-for-15 in Game 3.
In fact, I’d keep doubling Duncan, but I’d QUIT SENDING GREEN’S DEFENDER DOWN TO DOUBLE! And I’d have done that somewhere in Game 1.
But, it’s all old news now. Miami is going to guard Green. Sorry San Antonio. Your fifth title in 15 years won’t come tonight. Maybe next game, when they forget to guard Green again.
Sometimes players shouldn’t talk. Most times, actually.