(Sports Network) - Two of the NBAs most successful franchises, not just during this regular season, but over the past 15 years, will square off in the NBA Finals, starting Thursday night. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, who also double as the defending NBA champion, will have home-court advantage over the Western Conference winners, the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat finished with the NBAs best regular-season mark, a staggering 66-16, which featured a 27-game winning streak, the second-longest in the history of the league. The Spurs had the third-best record in the NBA at 58-24. If not for a Tony Parker ankle injury late in the season, San Antonio might have well earned the next-best record behind the Heat. But one season hardly makes for a successful franchise. The measure of greatness in professional basketball can be counted by the number of Larry OBrien Trophies in team headquarters. Since 1997, the Spurs have the best postseason winning percentage in the league. The Heat are third. The Heat won last seasons title and lost in the Finals the previous year. The Spurs have four championships since 1999, with the last coming in 2007. That year, San Antonio knocked off a young Cleveland Cavaliers team led by LeBron James. Fast-forward to June of 2013 and James is already staking claim to the title of one of the best players in NBA history. Hes won four MVPs, including the last two, and is a much more-seasoned force. "My Cleveland team, we were very young, and we went up against a very experienced team, well-coached team. And they took advantage of everything that we did," James said after the Heats Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Mondays Eastern Conference Finals. "I think for this team, this is our third year advancing to The Finals. So were very experienced as well. Were not young, were not inexperienced. We understand the opportunity that we have. "And Im a much better player. Im 20, 40, 50 times better than I was in the 07 Finals." James had to be that much better a player to get by the Pacers. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the other members of Miamis Big Three, which is slowly becoming the Big One, had dreadful series against Indiana. Wade came alive in Game 7 with 21 points, but hes battling a balky knee. The Spurs have been sitting home since a week ago Monday. They swept the Memphis Grizzlies in four games in the Western Conference Finals. The rest is a good thing for an older Spurs squad, led by their own Big Three. Tim Duncan, a three-time Finals MVP, enjoyed a career Renaissance this season. After shedding 25 pounds in the offseason, Duncan averaged 17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 2.7 bpg. He returned to the All-NBA First Team for the first time since the 2006-07 season and was Second-Team All-Defensive. Parker emerged as an MVP candidate until an ankle injury sidelined him during the second half. And Manu Ginobili, while struggling with his shot during the postseason, is still a huge piece. When it comes to sizing up Big Threes, San Antonios is historic. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have combined for 98 playoff victories. That total is second all-time to the Los Angeles Lakers trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Michael Cooper. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have played 150 playoff games together. That is 72 more than the next highest trio of active players - Bostons Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. (Wade, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers are third with 69.) And while James at times took games over, hell need Wade, Bosh and everyone in a Heat uniform to play at a high level. "Obviously were a much better team when we have everyone clicking at the same time. Thats obvious," James said after the Game 7 win. "And weve had more games where everyone was clicking than not so. It just happened that this series guys were just not in the rhythm, not feeling like themselves." These teams are both so strong and sadly, the head-to-head regular-season matchups offer little insight. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who can join Pat Riley and John Kundla in third place in NBA titles as a coach, famously sent Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Danny Green home the day of the first regular-season matchup in Miami. The NBA fined the Spurs $250,000 for the action, but the Heat barely squeaked out the victory In the second regular-season meeting, this time in Alamo City, the Heat clinched the best record in the league and sat James and Wade. Miami still prevailed. "Theyre still the defending champs. Theyre still the best in the regular season," Duncan said. And the respect goes both ways. "Theyve got a bunch of Hall-of-Famers, so I look forward to the challenge," James said. Hydro Flask Sale . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Wholesale Hydro Flask Authentic . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. http://www.wholesalehydroflask.com/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Hydro Flask Cheapest . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Wholesale Hydro Flask Water Bottle . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. LA Clippers?rookie Brice Johnson, the teams first-round pick in the 2016 draft, has a herniated disk in his lower back, the team announced Saturday.The Clippers said Johnson is out indefinitely, but a source told ESPNs Jeff Goodman that Johnson is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.Thats tough for a rookie, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, according to the teams website. Hes not going to miss the year or anything, but just missing two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, foor a guy whos that young, thats a hard break for him.dddddddddddd But it happens.Johnson suffered the injury Thursday in the fourth quarter of the Clippers preseason victory over the Toronto Raptors.Johnson, a 6-foot-10 forward listed at 230 pounds, was selected 25th overall in the first round by the Clippers out of North Carolina. ' ' '