For the fifth time in the last 15 seasons, the San Antonio Spurs are the NBA Champions. The Spurs avenged last season’s loss to the Miami Heat in the Finals by ending this year’s matchup in game five with a 104-87 victory.
San Antonio outscored Miami by an average of 14 points per game. All four of the Spurs’ wins in the series were by more than 15 points. The Spurs were powered by the hottest shooting NBA Finals in the shot clock era. They knocked down 58.2 percent of their shots (0.1 percent better than the 1991 Chicago Bulls and the 1989 Detroit Pistons), reports ESPN Stats & Info.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and power forward have been the cornerstones for the team during this decade and a half run. Duncan joins John Salley as the only two players in history to win titles in three different decades
In game five, the Heat stormed out to 22-6 advantage out of the gate. The Spurs tightened the game late in the first quarter and trailed 29-22 after the opening period. Miami small forward LeBron James had 17 points and six rebounds in the quarter.
Over the next two quarters, the Spurs outscored the Heat 55-29 and held a 77-58 lead going into the fourth quarter.
James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Center Chris Bosh and shooting guard Dwyane Wade were also in double figures.
The Spurs were led by small forward Kawhi Leonard for the third straight game, as he compiled 22 point and 10 rebounds on his way to being named NBA Finals MVP.
“Losing in the semifinals my first year; then we lost in the championship, and now this year we won; it’s been a progression for me really,” Leonard said after the game on NBA.com. “I just believed in the hard work that I put in.”
In addition to being the primary defender on James, Leonard posted 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in the series. He shot 61.2 percent from the floor and 57.9 from behind the 3-point line, according to CBS Sports.
Prior to game five, the Heat were confident that they would become the first team in history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. Bosh guaranteed a win in game five, and James stated that history was meant to be broken.
In game four, the Spurs won their second straight game in Miami with a 107-86 victory. They scored at least 26 points in every quarter. Leonard and power forward Tim Duncan both posted double-doubles.
In game three, San Antonio came out scorching, making 19 of its first 21 shots en route to a 111-92 win. Leonard recorded a career-high 29 points. James and Wade led the Heat with 22 points each.
Two days earlier, the Heat seized home court from the Spurs by taking game two 98-96. Late in the fourth quarter, San Antonio miss four straight free throws, which proved to be the difference in the game. James posted 35 points and 10 rebounds. Duncan amassed 18 points and 15 boards, and Spurs point guard Tony Parker netted 21. Shooting guard Manu Ginobili added 19 points off the bench.
In game one of the series, the Spurs used a late fourth quarter surge to win 110-95. James missed the waning moments of the game due to cramps he sustained as a result of the hot temperature in the arena from a problem with the air conditioning. With James sidelined for the final four minutes, the Spurs outscored the Heat 16-3.
When power forward Boris Diaw was on the court for the Spurs, they outscored the Heat by 30 points. Five players for each team were in double figures. Duncan was the high-man for the Spurs with 21 points, while James led the Heat with 25.
The Heat, who have made four straight appearance in the NBA Finals, fall to 2-2 in that stretch.
“They were the much better team,” James said in his postgame press conference after game five. “That’s how team basketball should be played. It’s selfless. Guys move, cut, pass. You get a shot you take it, but it’s all for the team, and it’s never about the individual. That’s the brand of basketball, and that’s how team basketball should be played.”