NBA Finals 2014: It’s Finally The San Antonio Spurs’ Time
Jun 12, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) reacts at the end of game four of the 2014 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. San Antonio defeated Miami 86-107. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The San Antonio Spurs have been doing everything right against the Miami Heat so far in this NBA Finals rematch. Last year, the Spurs had the championship in their hands, up 3-2 in the series before allowing Miami to make a comeback and take the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This year, they find themselves on the brink of another championship. However, this time it would take the biggest NBA Finals comeback in history for the Heat to beat the Spurs.
After defeating the Miami Heat two games in a row on the road, the Spurs are now up 3-1 in the series, only one game away from winning the title. They say history repeats itself, so if that’s the case then the Spurs should have no trouble closing this one out. No NBA team in history has ever fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.
After the game, Spurs point guard Tony Parker said:
"“They’re the two-time champs, they’re a great team and there is still one more game.” He added, “We have to win one more game.”"
Although he is right, they only have to win one game out of the next three. And quite frankly, with the way they have been playing, that shouldn’t be a difficult task.
Kawhi Leonard had another fantastic game for the Spurs. He finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds in the Spurs rout of the Heat, winning 107-86 on Thursday to take a 3-1 series lead.
The Spurs now travel to their homecourt for Game 5 on Sunday. They will have their chance to get revenge on the Heat and win their fifth NBA Championship. After the Heat defeated them in Game 7 last year, the win would be bittersweet to the players, coaches and fans of San Antonio. Again, they have three chances to close it out, but may only need one to get it done.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stated:
"“I’m pleased that they performed as well as they did while we’ve been in Miami, and that’s about as far as it goes.” He continued with saying, “Now we’ve got to go back home and play as well or better.”"
They did something no one has done all postseason, they beat the Heat in AmericanAirlines Arena. In fact, they did that twice in a row. Momentum and confidence is sky high for the Spurs right now.
LeBron James had a solid game, finishing with 28 points and 8 rebounds. However, Dwyane Wade struggled on the floor, shooting just 1 of 10 through the first three quarters and finishing with only 10 points.
"“They smashed us,” said LeBron James after the game. “Two straight home games got off to awful starts. They came in and were much better than us in these last two games. It’s just that simple.”"
No team has overcome a 3-1 disadvantage in the Finals and the way the Spurs have been shooting with pure confidence, it’s hard to see Miami being the first.
"“We put ourselves in a position where it is about making history,” LeBron said postgame."
For the Spurs, Tony Parker finished with 19 points and Tim Duncan added 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Spurs shot 57 percent from the floor in Game 4, including 54 percent from the floor throughout the series. They blew Miami away both games in American Airlines Arena, combining for 40 points in both wins. They lost twice in Miami last year to lose the championship, which was their only loss in a championship series. Things might look a little differently this year.
The Miami Heat find themselves on their heels for the rest of this series thanks to the surprising dominance by the San Antonio Spurs. They are making the quest for a third straight championship very unlikely, which is exactly what they wanted.
Miami’s home arena didn’t sound the same as it did in lat year’s Finals. Last year, the Heat celebrated with loud fans, confetti and trophies. In Game 4, we heard the fans booing the Heat late in the first half and we saw a lot of the fans leave early. In fact, with about three minutes left in the game, we heard chants of “Go Spurs, Go!” from the Spurs fans since most of the Heat fans were gone.
San Antonio has the chance to finish the series on their home floor, but if they lose then it will go back to Miami for a Game 6. Before last night, Miami followed their last 13 postseason losses with a victory. San Antonio stopped that streak by giving them two straight losses. It looks like the Spurs have run Miami out of gas. The Heat lacked energy and effort. Mix that with the Spurs’ excellent passing game and what do you get as a result? Wide open Spurs’ players with an easy shot. That would explain their high field goal percentage.
Their 57 percent field goal percentage in Game 4 was spectacular, but not even close to how they shot in the first half of Game 3. They set an NBA Finals record of 75.8 percent from the floor in Game 3’s first half. However, they still managed to open up a huge lead at halftime in Game 4, which took some of the pressure off for the rest of the game.
"“We were expecting a reaction from them but we were ready for it, so we just did the same thing,” Boris Diaw said after the game."
After Game 3, the Spurs knew they still had to play better defense. Their 19-21 start to Game 3 covered the fact that the Heat still shot above 50 percent. That’s exactly what the Spurs did, stepped up their defensive game. They limited the Heat to 35 percent from the floor in Game 4’s first half. They didn’t allow the Heat to find their rhythm.
"“They played great, and I can honestly say I don’t think any of us were expecting this type of performance,” said Eric Spoelstra, head coach of Miami."
Game 5 is on Sunday in San Antonio, where the Spurs will look to finish the series and take home their revenge of a trophy.
Editor’s Note: This is a guess post from Justin Becker of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com. You can him on twitter @NBAandNFLInfo or on theFantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ Page, and for morefantasy basketball news visit Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues – afantasy basketball blog