Spurs bury Heat in Game 3 for 2-1 series lead

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The San Antonio Spurs came out guns ablaze and never looked back in Game 3, defeating the Miami Heat, 111-92, to regain series lead of the 2014 NBA Finals on Tuesday evening, June 10 (Wednesday morning PH time) at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

Kawhi Leonard was the best performer of the night, registering 29 points and four rebounds while thoroughly outplaying LeBron James, who finished with 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 7turnovers.

It was also an impressive outing for Danny Green, whose barrage of baskets in the second quarter played a critical role in San Antonio’s record-breaking first half.

The former Tar Heel finished with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while Tony Parker had 15 markers and 4 dimes of his own.

Entering the fourth period, it was an 11-point affair in favor of the road team, 86-75.

After making almost everything they attempted in the first two quarters, the Spurs started to struggle in the third quarter. Their cold spell continued into the fourth period, but a number of turnovers by James disabled the Heat from trimming the lead.

After Leonard missed an open corner three that could have put his club up 16, Ray Allen hit his long-range bomb to make the count 90-80. But Kawhi answered right away, converting 4 quick points while getting the Heat in the penalty.

Allen, who is a few three-pointers away from breaking an NBA Finals record, finished with 11 markers.

A key stretch took place with a little under 6 minutes to go, as Allen failed to convert an open lay-up on the break. The miss led to a rebound for Manu Ginobili, who attained a loose ball foul that led to two charities and an 18-point lead.

Ginobili and Duncan, the two other members of the Spurs Big 3, combined for 25 points in the victory.

With 3 minutes to go and the fans leaving the arena, LeBron missed a bunny at the rim, putting down any chance at a miraculous Heat run.

Dwyane Wade had 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Chris Bosh made all 4 of his shot attempts but ended with just 9 markers.

San Antonio shot 59% from the field for the entire game, while the Heat converted on 52% of their attempts. Miami, though, succumbed to 20 turnovers, leading to 23 easy points for their opponents.

Game 4 is on Friday, June 13. 

The Spurs’ offense was a picture of perfection in the first quarter, as the team converted on 13 of their 15 shot attempts led by the heroics of Leonard. Miami put up some baskets of their own, but had no answer for San Antonio’s onslaught.

Leonard and company took advantage of every fast break opportunity and coasted to a dominant 41-25 lead at the end of 12 minutes.

San Antonio didn’t stop pounding on the defending champions in the second quarter, converting on 5 of their first 6 shots – three of which from Green – to go up 23. Later on, LeBron managed to snag a steal from Leonard, only to give the ball back and allow another jumper.

Spearheaded by two Rashard Lewis 3-balls, Miami brought some life back to their building with a 10-2 run, trimming San Antonio’s lead to 18. The Spurs countered after Gregg Popovich called time-out, as Duncan converted two shots in the paint while Parker proceeded to unload a nifty floater and 18-foot jumper.

The Heat made 10 of their 21 attempts from downtown, while San Antonio finished 9-of-20.

At the half, the Western Conference Champions were ahead, 71-50.

Miami came out the more aggressive side in the second half. Thanks to an acrobatic Wade and-one and trailing triple from Bosh, the Heat forced Coach Pop to call for time-out 43 seconds into the third period.

The Spurs, however, were able to weather the storm and convert a couple of short stabs at the rim to keep their lead at a comfortable margin. A number of offensive fouls didn’t do Miami any favors as well, as San Antonio went back up by 17 following a vintage Ginobili scoop shot.

With James and Parker taking a breather, Wade started to take control of the handle and altered the pace of the game, which favored his team. His floater and a Norris Cole reverse managed to get the Heat within 7, completing a 10-0 Heat run, before an open Marco Belinelli – his only shot of the game – stopped the bleeding.

Scores:

San Antonio (111) – Leonard 29, Parker 15, Green 15, Duncan 14, Ginobili 11, Diaw 9, Splitter 6, Mills 5, Belinelli 3, Baynes 2, Bonner 2, Ayres 0, Joseph 0

Miami (92) – James 22, Wade 22, Lewis 14, Allen 11, Bosh 9, Cole 8, Andersen 3, Chalmers 2, Douglas 1, Oden 0, Haslem 0, Battier 0, Jones 0

Quarter Scoring: 41-25, 71-50, 86-75, 111-92

Game Notes: The Spurs 41 first quarter points were the most scored in the first quarter of an NBA Finals game since the 76ers did it in 1967; in the second quarter, LeBron entered the top 10 all-time postseason assists list, passing Dennis Johnson; San Antonio shot 75.8% from the field in the first half – an NBA record for shooting percentage in a half in an NBA Finals game. – Rappler.com

Game 1: Duncan leads Spurs to game 1 win over Heat

Game 2: LeBron scores 35, leads Heat to Game 2 win