Spurs Thrash Heat Again to Clinch NBA Championship

Alright welcome in to the full recap of game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals where the San Antonio Spurs capture their 5th NBA title, routing the Miami Heat 87-104 to dethrone the now former-2x defending champs in 5 games.

Many thought this would be a great series again, full 7 game series, every game would go down to the wire, but man did the Spurs make sure they don't let a title slip away again. The Spurs dominated the Heat in every way possible all 4 games the Spurs won ended up being won in a rout and the Heat were able to come away with 1 victory in San Antonio with by a whopping 2 points. I thought this series would go 7 and San Antonio pulling out a nail biter, but they beat the Heat with ease these 3 games through team work, ball movement, and defense.

Miami Heat

The Positives

LeBron James, 31 points, 10 rebounds, 10-21 shooting. I am not going to bag on LeBron just because he lost his 3rd finals because out of the whole Miami Heat team, he has been the constant this finals. This finals for LeBron definitely remind us about his days in Cleveland where he was the only spark plug and trying to create offense for his team (not to mention they had an atrocious head coach in Mike Brown). Other than that, bottom line is LeBron came to play in these finals, while the rest of the Heat didn't.

The Negatives

The other two out of the Big 3. Dwyane Wade, 11 points, 4-12 shooting, Chris Bosh, 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6-14 shooting. Let's talk about D-Wade here for a bit. He's obviously showing some decline. Wade doesn't have the same explosiveness, the same jump in his legs as he once had. By the time the offseason starts, Miami's going to critically decide what to do with him, either make him stay and finish career in South Beach or release him, pave some way for the future. For Chris Bosh, if the Heat are considering keeping him, they need to give him cheap money because he's better off as a stretch 4. He couldn't hang with the Spurs inside the paint and that's been the Heat's biggest problem since the Big 3 era is the lack of a true rim protector.

The rest of the Miami Heat team. Yeah true Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers gave some lift, although it was in garbage time. Let's face it, aside from the Big 3, the role players for the Heat were downright atrocious. Ray Allen is getting up there with age, Birdman is getting up there with age, they didn't play Shane Battier or Udonis Haslem that much until it was too little too late. I said in my preview, the loss of Mike Miller will hurt them because nobody provided the hustle, shooting, and scoring he had and it greatly showed here in these finals because the players couldn't carry the burden of being the X-factor of the Heat. 

San Antonio Spurs

The Positives

Kawhi Leonard, 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7-10 shooting. The 2014 Finals MVP. He's come a long way, having missed a critical free throw last year that could've given San Antonio the championship, slow start the first two games this year, but he has responded at the right time, putting up stellar numbers the last 3 games for the Spurs. Since Pop gave him a pep talk to be aggressive, Kawhi has averaged 23.7 points per game these last 3 games. He proved it's not about how you start, but how you finished, and he definitely finished strong. Leonard will get better from here, only 22 and has a huge amount of upside.

Ginobili and Mills. Manu Ginobili 19 points, 6-11 shooting, Patty Mills, 17 points, 6-10 shooting. Early on the Spurs weren't getting anything from their starters, but once they inserted their bench, it gave the team new life. Ginobili played a much better game this year, barely turned the ball over while being aggressive, he has a true competitive heart, whenever adversity falls on him, he'll rise to the challenge and Manu did just that. Patty Mills, once he's hot, he's hot and when he gets hot, the momentum skyrockets for the Spurs. He filled in the void Gary Neal left behind very well and he'll get better from here. Mills is the definition of heart and team player whether he's on the floor or on the bench. 

Tony Parker, 16 points, 7-18 shooting. What a slow start for Parker, missing his first 7 shots, but like Leonard's performance in these finals, Parker may have started slow, but he finished strong, hitting a couple key jump shots and floaters late in the 4th quarter. That goes to show the depth of the Spurs, Parker was missing shots, but the Spurs were up big and when he got it going, all was pretty much lost for the Heat.

The Negatives

Danny Green, 0 points, 0-5 shooting. I guess you can say the only Spur who under performed was Danny Green. He had an unbelievable finals performance last year. This year, he was nowhere to be found. Lucky enough the Spurs are that deep. I think the Heat's defense really gameplanned against him this year, but they slouch on the other players that could shoot.

Conclusion

For the Spurs, they did it. They saved the dying beauty of team basketball in a professional level. As a Laker fan, I respect their philosophy of team first over individuality and they were always a tough team to go up against in the playoffs whether in the first round, second round, or conference final. With Tim Duncan winning his 5th ring, the debate is open whether or not him or Kobe dominated the 2000s. Personally for me, they deserve equal honors of being dominant players of the 2000 era and no doubt they're 1st ballot Hall of Famers and top 10 players all-time. For the Heat, a lot of questions to be asked in the offseason with the most important question of all "is the Big 3 era over?" Now where does LeBron go now that he's had success with Miami? Credit to the Heat though, 4 finals trips, really a tough task to make the finals and win it all multiple times. Other than that, this concludes my coverage of the 2014 NBA Finals and the 2013-14 regular season. It was a frustrating start, but I finished strong and that's all that matters. Aside from the NBA draft, Lakers' offseason activity, and the Kobe-Shaq article, I am not going to post that much until late August, but I will be collaborating with my friend, Stillmattic again on his Bleach blog http://bleachzealot.blogspot.com/. Until then, I'll see you guys later, stay classy.


Congrats San Antonio Spurs 2014 NBA Champions!

2014 NBA FINALS: Miami Heat @ San Antonio Spurs Game 5 Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: MIA 87 SA 104

Congrats to both teams for making it this far in the finals this season, but in the end there can only be one. The Miami Heat's quest for a 3-peat has ended, but the Spurs wanted it more, they wanted to prove that last year they were the better team and Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich cement their legacy even more among the all-time great players and coaches. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: MIA 58 SA 77

Explosive, explosive quarter from San Antonio. A block by Splitter on Wade started everything and especially Patty Mills getting hot at the right place at the right time. Now the Spurs are one quarter away from capturing that elusive 5th title, unless the Heat have something else to say to try and go on an improbable run to prolong the finals.

Q2:

Score: MIA 40 SA 47

GINOBILI! The Spurs, in the midst of an awful start the 1st quarter stayed calm and poised and their effort showed here lead by Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili in the 2nd quarter capturing a 7 point lead. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: MIA 29 SA 22

Slow start for the Spurs, but fast start for the Heat. Give the ball to LeBron and get out of his way and the results? LeBron already has 17 points in the quarter. Rest of the Heat players have to step up if they want to stay away from elimination. The Spurs offense, yikes, horrendous start for the starters, but once Pop put in the bench, they start generating some to go on a run, but currently Miami has the lead because of LeBron's hot start.

Game 5 Halftime Post

Score: MIA 40 SA 47

Alright welcome in to the halftime post of game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals where the Spurs come back from a horrendous 1st quarter that saw the Heat capture a lead for the first time in the finals at the end of a quarter and now the Spurs answer back and hold onto a 7 point lead at the half.

The Positives

LeBron James, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6-12 shooting. He's setting the tone alright, the King is setting the tone and he's the only Heat player in double-figures in the half. James is doing his part, he has been the most consistent in the finals for Miami, the only problem is, he's not finding help the last few games and that's why the Heat saw their fast start evaporated.

Kawhi Leonard 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5-7 shooting. If the Spurs win today, hands down Leonard deserves to be Finals MVP. It's really a tough decision on the Finals MVP because this Spurs team plays so well that the whole team needs one. But individual-wise, Leonard deserves it putting up great games the last 2 games and now he's helped the Spurs come back from a mini slump this game.

Manu Ginobili, 14 points, 5-7 shooting. GINOBILI! Let me shout it again GINOBILI! He's shown some vintage strides this game with a sweet coast-to-coast layup and a dunk. 

The Negatives

Tony Parker, 0 point, 0-7 shooting. Yikes Tony Parker. One could wonder how much the Spurs lead would stretch if Parker hit any of those shots. The Heat made the adjustments putting big bodies on him on defense, but from what I'm seeing, Parker is missing shots that he's usually making in these finals.

Heat role players. Like I said before, LeBron's doing all the work, the rest of the Heat have to step up. So far, no one has stepped up outside of LeBron. Ray Allen in the lineup, not doing anything, Lewis nothing, Wade, though 8 points, nothing, Bosh, nothing. They're riding the fact that LeBron will do the work to set the tone and get the team going, but they're not performing better even with LeBron's hot start this game. Someone has to step up.

Bottom Line

The Spurs need a better start at the beginning of the 2nd half if they want to end this. Do what they do best, suffocating defense and great ball movement and Kawhi's hot, give him the ball. For the Heat, who's going to be the X-factor outside LeBron to push the series back to Miami?


KEY: TEXT = San Antonio; TEXT = Miami

Spurs Breeze By Heat in Miami Again to Take Commanding 3-1 Lead

Alright welcome in to the full recap for game 4 of the 2014 NBA Finals where the San Antonio Spurs deliver a sequel to their stunning game 3 performance in game 4 against a demoralized Miami Heat team that have not found their championship swagger not once, but twice on their home floor in the big stage.

Well first off, good to be back and healthy and getting this game 4 coverage on the blog without any setbacks. I wasn't feeling well the last two days hence why I didn't post game 3 (I still watched the game in bed though), but it is what it is. So the last few games, Miami bounced back in game 2 and with the series shifting to Miami, people must be thinking "uh-oh San Antonio's in trouble" because of how Miami has been perfect at home. But since, San Antonio took it to the champs in their home floor, twice now. That is shocking, but credit to the Spurs, they were not going to be intimidated and they were going to do what they do best and that's play Spurs basketball.

San Antonio Spurs

The Positives

Kawhi Leonard, 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks. Kawhi Leonard has bounced back in a big way these last 2 games. After putting up whopping 9 points in the first two games, Coach Pop gave him a pep talk he needed and he told him to be more aggressive. Leonard took Pop's words to heart, putting up 29 points in game 3 and putting up a double-double this game. His activity has been relentless on both sides of the ball since the series shifted to Miami, now he has to put up the same performance at home as the series shifts back to San Antonio.

Tony Parker, 19 points, 8-15 shooting. Tony Parker was looking to be in attack mode all game long. It kinda surprised me that the Heat didn't go big on him early to disrupt his game, but as I said, he exploited that and ran around circles around the Heat didn't matter if it was Norris Cole or Mario Chalmers defending, Parker was hurting them pretty bad in this game and that hurt the defensive game plan adjustment of the Heat in this game.

Boris Diaw, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists. He's been spectacular facilitating the ball for San Antonio the whole playoffs. Pop pushed the right button inserting in the starting lineup in game 3, then here in game 4 and the results should be pleasing for the Spurs' fans.

Patty Mills, 14 points, 5-8 shooting. If there's anybody that I like on this Spurs squad it's the Australian native Patty Mills. Regardless if he's on the bench or on the floor, he lifts the spirit of that Spurs team up either way and he shot lights out from the bench. His 3 pointers this game were back breaking when Miami looked like they were making a run.

The Negatives

None. Aside from the turnovers, I don't see any negatives at all from this Spurs team this game. The full 13 man rotation for the team scored at least some points and San Antonio never let up, which is really impressive and they've done that all season while at the same time respecting their opponents regardless if they're the best team or the worst team.

Miami Heat

The Positives

LeBron James, 28 points, 8 rebounds, 10-17 shooting. The lone bright spot for the Heat this game is none other than the 2x Finals MVP himself. Looked like he was playing with 2007 Cavaliers squad all over again, the way he carried the team this game. Aside from Bosh and Wade, LeBron put up fantastic double-digit point totals, while the rest of the team didn't even step up. The same guys that helped him power this team to 4 straight finals took an off night.

The Negatives

Dwyane Wade, 10 points, 3-13 shooting. Just a bizarre game for Wade overall. He was missing free throws, missing shots that the old D-Wade would've made. It was a shocker to see him struggle like that especially in a critical game where your team could be facing a 3-1 hole if you don't respond back. He didn't look right this game.

Team effort on both sides of the ball. The team effort for the Heat was just awful. Looking at this game, they didn't look aggressive. We grow accustomed to this Heat team being aggressive, playing suffocating defense, trying to beat you by playing lights out offensively, but credit to the Spurs, they have dominated the Heat in the last two games, especially this game on both the offensive end and the defensive end. If you're a Heat fan, where does Miami go from here? How do they get back to playing with that aggressive mentality that every game is like a game 7?

Conclusion

Overall, brilliant display of basketball by the Spurs on the road, especially at the point of adversity where they looked like they lost home court advantage blowing game 2, but they responded back in a big way to be on the verge of capturing their fifth NBA title. For the Heat how do they respond after two lackluster games at home? They could've been the ones up 3-1, but they have been deconstructed, demoralized, and dejected so far in this rematch of last year's finals. The Heat are just looking for answers now, while the Spurs, they're not happy yet. You could see in the sideline expressions of Parker and Duncan, especially with a big lead, they're not satisfied yet. Crucial game 5 on Sunday, the Spurs trying to end the depressing memory of last year, while the Heat are not thinking 3-peat, they just want to prolong this series. I'll see you guys for that game.

2014 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat Game 4 Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: SA 107 MIA 86

Two straight routs against the Heat in Miami for the Spurs. They are now one win away from a fifth NBA championship after displaying another exhibition of team basketball. Miami has not lead all game since the opening shot by Bosh and that is shocking to hear. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: SA 81 MIA 57

The Heat continue to find no answer to the Spurs and the boo birds keep growing in South Beach. Only lone spot is that LeBron's mini sparks provided Miami some lift, but other than that, everything is still going wrong for Miami while everything is still going right for San Antonio heading into the 4th.

Q2:

Score: SA 55 MIA 36

The Spurs have dominated last game and now again this game with two things so far: with ball movement and suffocating defense. The Heat looked lifeless out there till LeBron's 3 pointer in the final seconds, maybe that'll spark some momentum in the 2nd half, but the Spurs taking it to the 2x defending champs on their home floor yet again. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: SA 26 MIA 17

Spurs, like game 3, close out onto an impressive lead after 1. Since the series shifted to Miami, the Spurs have hit their offensive stride not as much here as credit to the Heat, they adjusted somewhat defensively so that the Spurs don't get off to a fast start, but the Heat missed some opportunities to narrow it down to a very close margin and that's why the Spurs have a 9 point lead.

Game 4 Halftime Post

Score: SA 55 MIA 36

Alright welcome in to the halftime post of game 4 of the 2014 NBA Finals where the Spurs try to  repeat their dominating performance from last game, building a 19 point lead, yet another huge lead over the champs heading into the half.

The Positives

Tony Parker, 12 points, 6-10 shooting. TP is straight up in attack mode this game. Whatever happened to Miami putting bigger bodies on him? Parker's done a great job exploiting that observation and he's taking it to Mario Chalmers. Off topic, but Chalmers has not found the range nor found his game on D and Parker straight up is just taking him to school.

Chris Bosh 8 points, 3-6 shooting. The lone positive this game for the Heat as I can tell. Bosh has been on his offensive game for this finals so far aside from last game where he only took like 3 shots and he's not finding help from his other two musketeers.

Boris Diaw. He doesn't have to put up good scoring numbers, but just the way Diaw facilitates has been impressive. His no look pass to Tiago Splitter this game is definitely one of the highlights of the night.

Kawhi Leonard. 8 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks. Leonard had an epic bounce back game 3 offensively, here he's doing it all over the floor, harassing LeBron, getting after the ball and being aggressive. I like how he's responded after 2 disappointing outings early on in San Antonio. His putback dunk after the Patty Mills miss is also another highlight of the night.

The Negatives

Dwyane Wade, 4 points, 1-7. A lot of the Heat players I don't like, but I respect Wade and I think it's sad that he's missing shots that he could make. Wade missed a couple free throws, a couple of open shots in the first half, it seems that he hasn't found the lift in his legs. 

Heat defense. Where's the championship defense the Heat have put on the last 3 finals appearance? Heat fans in the crowd are booing them (typical bandwagoners *cough*) I see this Heat team demoralized right now not just on defense but trying to find their range on offense. What is going on with them?

Bottom Line

For the Spurs, continue to pound the ball, press on D, and take it to the champs just like game 3, for the Heat it's a disappointing display, but they never lose 2 straight games in the playoffs, they're on the verge, let's see how they respond.



KEY: TEXT = San Antonio; TEXT = Miami

Under the Weather

I am recovering from symptoms of dizziness, upset stomach, and fever. Today's coverage of game 3 is cancelled. I'll see you guys for game 4. Sorry guys, I am also frustrated at this terrible start.