Heat will retain NBA championship – Foyle

Former Vincentian NBA player Adonal Foyle has tipped defending champions Miami Heat to retain the 2013 championship trophy.{{more}}

Foyle, speaking to SEARCHLIGHT last week from California, where he was promoting his new book and a charity golf tournament, said that this year’s finals seems evenly balanced, but gives the edge to the Lebron James-led heat over Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.

“I don’t think anybody could beat Miami. I think if anybody’s going to beat them, it’s going be the Spurs, because they’re skilled enough, and they have enough big men to give them trouble inside, but if Lebron and (Dwayne) Wade show up at about 50 or 60 per cent, I don’t see them losing.”

The 1997 eighth round draft pick gave some tips about what he believes is the secret to ruling the seven-game series, which was tied at 1-1 at the time of the interview.

“The foul is determinant a great deal as to who is going to dominate the series,” Foyle noted.

“If Lebron goes to the basket or San Antonio goes to the basket, it’s whether you going to challenge the shot, its whether you going to take the charge… defence to me is going to be crucial in this series, not only covering the paint, but also covering the three-point line, so that’s going to be huge.

“Also I think the team that can get some easy fast break baskets would be the team that could potentially take advantage of this, and I think for Miami to run, and for San Antonio to run, they have to have rebounding, and rebounding is gonna trigger the break and get them moving, so I look to those things.”

Foyle also said that the team which turns over the basketball the least would have a good chance of winning the series, an area which he gives the edge to San Antonio.

“Because they don’t make a lot of mistakes when it comes to playing this game, they allow you to beat yourself; they don’t beat themselves, and I think this is also gonna be huge.”

Despite that, Foyle believes that a fully charged, on-fire James, “playing to his potential, with wreckless abandonment,” is what will give Miami its third title, and James, his second championship ring.

“I’m definitely leaning on the Heat on this one,” Foyle noted.

“I’d like the Spurs to win and give Tim Duncan another championship, but I don’t see it happening,” he laughed.

The San Antonio Spurs, under Duncan, has won four championship titles.

Up to press time Wednesday, the Spurs had a 2-1 lead in the series.(JJ)