The 2014 NBA Finals was a heavyweight rematch between the Heat and the Spurs. A year after Ray Allen’s heroics to earn the Heat their second consecutive championship, San Antonio convincingly ended Miami’s dynasty in five games in the 2014 NBA Finals. However, many have sparked debates to compare the talent among both teams. Both rosters were the home of four Hall-of-Famers each. But former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas refuses to accept any opinion stating the Spurs were as talented as the Heat.
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Arenas took to the Gil’s Arena Podcast to engage in a conversation between talent and chemistry. His panel of hosts transitioned to discussing the difference between the Heat and the Spurs. Former Lakers guard, Nick Young, believed the Spurs matched the Heat in talent. Arenas was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. He said,
“Who the f**k is the talent? They were a**! In comparison to Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen.”
Nick gets jumped for saying the 2014 Spurs were just as talented as the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh Miami Heat 😭 pic.twitter.com/5zaySPqC5b
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) December 29, 2024
The other hosts on the show were former NBA players, Brandon Jennings and Kenyon Martin who also disagreed with Young’s take. None of them argued against the fact that the Spurs had the better chemistry. Their results in the 2014 Finals speak for itself. The Spurs won each game by at least 15 points and did so through methodical ball movement.
When breaking down the talent pool of each team, Young brought up 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. However, Arenas refuted that suggestion stating that Leonard was a shell of the player he would eventually become. Additionally, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili were all in the latter stages of their careers. On the other hand, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were all in their primes.
No player on that Spurs roster averaged at least 20 points in that Finals series. They did it by committee, unlike the Heat who relied on their talent to get them to the promised land.
LeBron James didn’t receive much help
During that Finals series, James dominated but unfortunately didn’t receive much help from his supporting cast. Leonard earned the Finals MVP award in large part to his containment of LeBron but the Heat star’s stats suggest otherwise. Arenas pointed out this fact as another big reason why the Heat lost the series.
“What did [Kawhi] do to LeBron?” Arenas asked. “LeBron averaged 28 [points], 58% from the field, 53% from the three-point line. He was balling! It was the rest of the team.”
LeBron did dominate in that series, unlike what the narratives suggest. James had one of his most successful statistical Finals series. He averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 57% shooting from the field and 52% shooting from three-point range. However, Wade and Bosh became a shell of themselves. Wade averaged only 15.2 points per game, while Bosh averaged only 14 points per game. In hindsight, if LeBron received an adequate amount of help, the series could’ve turned out much differently.
However, the Heat were no match for the Spurs’ refined team game. Miami had the best player in the series but he couldn’t do it on his own. As a result, James left in the offseason, which brought an end to the Heat’s dynasty.
