June 2013 TELESCOPE 55
Sports Feature
54 TELESCOPE June 2013
With the 2013 NBA Finals commencing this month, Sham Majid predicts that last
season’s final two teams, Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder, have the pedigree
to be in the running again. He charts their progress this season to make his case.
Heat
Moments after the Miami Heat
were crowned NBA champions
following their sensational 4-1
series victory over the Oklahoma
City Thunder on 21 Jun 2012, power
forward LeBron James was awarded
the prestigious NBA Finals Most
Valuable Player (MVP) gong.
James—with averages of 28.6
points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists
in the series—was instrumental
in the Heat winning their second
NBA championship in history. “It’s
about damn time,” James exclaimed
to NBA.com after receiving the
award from basketball legend Bill
Russell. “It’s everything and more.
I’ve dreamed about this moment
for a long time, including last night,
including today,” James was quoted
by CNN. “My dream has become
reality now, and this is probably the
best feeling I’ve ever had.”
One year on, the Heat are
showing no sign of slipping up in their
relentless quest for a third NBA title.
Boasting a frighteningly
formidable lineup of players that
includes the Big Three—Dwyane
Wade, LeBron James and Chris
Bosh—the Heat opened their
However, inspired by their
own golden trio—power forward
Serge Ibaka, small forward Kevin
Durant, and point guard Russell
Westbrook—Thunder then chalked
up five consecutive wins following
their loss to the Hawks. December
also proved to be productive for
the Thunder as they notched eight
straight victories before falling to
the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their
11 victories that month put them
firmly back in contention to regain
their Northwest Division title.
The Thunder juggernaut was by
now well and truly in motion, and a
106-90 win over the Portland Trail
Heat &
2012/13 campaign with a nail-
biting 120-107 home win over the
Boston Celtics on 30 Oct 2012. On
16 Jan this year, James became the
youngest player in NBA history to
score 20,000 points as the Heat
earned a 92-75 victory against
the Golden State Warriors. The
former Cleveland Cavaliers player
also reached 5,000 assists in the
same match, testament to his
magnificent work ethic.
Having already extended
their wins to a franchise-record
of 15 consecutive victories when
the Heat edged the Minnesota
Timberwolves 97-81 on 6 Mar, Erik
Spoelstra’s charges fought back
from a 17-point deficit to dispose
of the Boston Celtics 105-103
about two weeks later to clinch
the Southeast division for the third
straight year. This meant they had
extended their winning streak to 23
games, the second-longest in NBA
history. After prolonging that streak
to 27 games against the Orlando
Magic on 25 Mar, they lost 101-97
to the Chicago Bulls—the Heat
were finally stopped cold.
Nevertheless, they romped
to the summit of the Southeast
Division with 66 wins and 16
losses. Boasting such a superior
record over their nearest Eastern
Conference rivals, the New
York Knicks (54 wins), James
and his teammates snagged
home court advantage for the
entire playoffs.
Thunder
After being comprehensively beaten
by the Heat in last year’s finals, the
Oklahoma City Thunder slumped to
an 86-84 defeat to the San Antonio
Spurs on 1 Nov last year in the
opening match of the new season,
then lost 104-95 to the Atlanta
Hawks three days later. They had
just one win in their first three
matches of the regular season.
What’s All the Hoopla?
Thunder
“Afterprolongingthatstreakto27gamesagainstthe
OrlandoMagicon25Mar,they
lost101-97totheChicagoBulls—theHeatwere
finallystoppedcold.”

56 TELESCOPE June 2013
On the basketball court,
when your team is down to
just three players, every shot
is make or break, everything
moves at a faster pace, and
players have to turn on their
A-game throughout. That’s
the excitement of 3-on-3
basketball tournaments.
In an effort to introduce
this format to younger fans in
Asia, the National Basketball
Association (NBA) is holding
the first ever NBA 3X event
at the Ngee Ann City Civic
Plaza. Happening from 21–23
Jun, the event will also feature
slam dunk contests, basketball
clinics, three-point shootouts
and autograph sessions. The
electric atmosphere will be
enhanced by NBA dance
teams, live bands and DJs.
Helping to publicise this
event was NBA legend Tyrone
Curtis Bogus, better known as
‘Muggsy.’ Between 1988 and
1997, when he played for the
Charlotte Hornets, Muggsy
set the record for the number
of minutes played, assists
and steals—all achieved even
though he was the shortest
player in NBA history (he is
160cm tall).
“The aim of NBA 3X is
to get more young people
involved in the game. We are
using basketball as a tool to
help these kids find out what
their gifts are,” Muggsy said.
Telescope took the
opportunity to seek Muggsy’s
opinion about the upcoming
NBA Finals:
What are your thoughts on
the teams this season?
The Miami Heat are the
defending champions, and
the way they are playing right
now looks like they are
going to repeat that.
You can’t discredit teams like
Oklahoma City Thunder either.
The team that really surprised
me this season was the
Golden State Warriors.
Which team are you rooting
for to win the NBA Finals?
I’m not rooting for anybody
because I just like good
basketball, although I wouldn’t
mind seeing Stephen Curry
from the Golden State Warriors
get his due.
Which NBA teams from now
and then (the 1990s) would
make the ultimate match-up?
I’d like to see the Chicago Bulls
from the 1990s take on today’s
Miami Heat. The Bulls had
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen
and Dennis Rodman... but I
believe that LeBron will take on
that challenge.
Dead or alive, who are the
players you’d like on your team?
Larry Johnson, because I know
he is going to fight as hard
as he can even with his back
against the wall. I’ll pick Dell
Curry, too. That way, I get a
shooter, a rebounder and I am
a penetrator. I got everything I
need to win.
3X the Adrenaline
NBA 3X will be held at Ngee Ann City Civic
Plaza from 21–23 Jun.
Blazers on 12 Apr
saw them storm
their way to their
ninth Northwest
Division title.
Overall, they
registered 60 wins
and just 22 losses
during the regular
season. It was also their
third straight division title win.
Aside from the fearsome trio
of Ibaka, Durant and Westbrook,
Scott Brooks has assembled a team
blessed with power, finesse and
deadly efficiency. Yes, although
they stumbled at the final hurdle
and were outclassed 4-1 by the
Heat in last season’s NBA finals,
Brooks issued a warning to the
other teams when he told CNN:
“I think when you play against the
best, you learn. You don’t get better
by playing bad teams. We’ve played
against the best three teams in the
last few years and we’ve learned.”
And indeed they have learned.
Judging from their barnstorming
results during the regular season
and having already secured home
advantage for the duration of the
conference playoffs, the Oklahoma
City Thunder are looking like a team
hell-bent on going all the way to
the finals—again—and claiming the
prize on offer in June. With both
Heat and Thunder in fine fettle during
the 2012/13 campaign and having
already secured their respective
division titles, it appears that the
2013 NBA finals could well see both
outfits once again battling each other
at the final stage.
Reigning NBA champions the
Heat have been buoyed by their
recent success and do not appear to
be lacking in any drive or motivation
whatsoever as they attempt to
defend their crown. The Thunder, on
the other hand, are determined to
exorcise their 2012 demons—results
so far this season suggest that coach
Brooks could well cajole his team to
go one step further this year.
WHEN?
NBA Playoffs and Finals
21 Apr–Jun
NBA TV (CH 216)