"beyond the obvious stakes …
If the Spurs win, they become a true dynasty: 16 years of sustained excellence, five titles, with a possible second championship bookending the era.
They should probably be in that conversation already, but a win in the next two weeks forces the issue. Likewise, on an individual level, a Spurs win solidifies Duncan as the greatest player of his generation, cements Popovich as one of the three greatest coaches of all time, and probably changes the way we view Parker's career.
Parker's been underrated for a while now, but a win here, and suddenly he becomes the best point guard in basketball, and one of the best players of the past 10 years. Right?
If the Heat win, Wade adds to his reputation as one of the most successful shooting guards of all time. Like Jay Kang wrote here, he's the ultimate deflater. Bosh adds to his résumé as well, earning even more credit for changing his game to fit the Heat model. And a win here forces just about everyone to admit that, OK, the Heat blueprint worked. But who are we kidding? It's all about LeBron. It's his world.
A win here makes him this generation's answer to Michael Jordan, and puts him one step closer to catching up with the ghosts he's been measured against since basically his rookie year. If he shuts down Parker on one end and dominates the Spurs on the other … What can anyone say?
A Spurs win forces us to appreciate one of the greatest teams of the past 30 years. A Heat win forces us to appreciate one of the greatest players basketball has ever seen. But for the record, both those things are probably true regardless of what happens the next two weeks. Appreciate them now. And then remember we get to watch these legends collide on the biggest stage possible starting Thursday night. Does it get any better than that?"
