Spurs dominate Heat again, take 3-1 lead

Manila, Philippines (UPDATED) – The San Antonio Spurs put up another clinic of basketball perfection on Friday, June 13, trouncing the Miami Heat for the second consecutive time on their home floor, 107-86, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the 2014 NBA Finals.

Game 5 is on Sunday (Monday morning PH time) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

After displaying another picture-perfect half of basketball in the game’s first 24 minutes, the Spurs looked to put the finishing touches on their opponents in the early goings of the third canto.

Sensing the season slipping away, LeBron James started to get aggressive on offense, looking more for his shot rather than setting up teammates. In the first 4 minutes of the quarter, the four-time NBA MVP recorded 10 quick markers, cutting San Antonio’s lead to 13.

James, who had 19 points in the third quarter, finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. On the other hand, Kawhi Leonard, whose second straight dominant effort concluded with a 20-point, 14-rebound performance, spearheaded the Spurs’ well-rounded attack.

Following the Heat’s run, the Spurs answered in fantastic fashion by calmly swinging the ball to get open looks every time. A 7-0 run put a stop to the Heat’s rally, while extending the game’s disparity back up to 20.

A three-pointer by Leonard later on pushed the edge to 24, which the Heat couldn’t come back from. As the final buzzer sounded, the Spurs had taken a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Tony Parker had another masterful game, submitting 19 markers, while Patty Mills came off the bench to put up 14 points – mostly on open threes.

Tim Duncan also had another impressive outing of 10 points and 11 rebounds, passing Magic Johnson on the NBA’s all-time postseason double-doubles list.

Boris Diaw scorched Miami’s defense from all angles, putting up a near triple-double statline of 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.

It was another disappointing start for the Heat, which found themselves down by 9, 13-4, a few minutes into the basketball game. With his club desperate and in need of instant offense, Chris Bosh took the responsibility of producing points, attacking the rim rather than settling for jumpers.

Bosh totalled 12 points and four boards for the game, but the Heat received a mediocre performance from Dwyane Wade, who recorded 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting.

Nonetheless, the road team responded well to end the first period. By keeping the Heat to just one shot every time on offense, San Antonio was able to get on the break and draw easy fouls and scoring opportunities. A three-ball by Mills, who just entered the game, put his club up 22-13.

At the end of one, another incredible start by the Spurs gave them a comfy nine-point breathing room, 26-17.

The second period had the same theme, as San Antonio continued to play like the more desperate team by getting faster to rebounds, attaining loose balls, and making critical extra passes. Some beautiful ball movement by the Western Conference Champions led to more easy opportunities at the rim, as the Spurs built a 13-point lead, 33-20.

A pair of Ray Allen threes were critical, as Wade looked old and slow and wasn’t able to get elevation on his floaters and lay-ups. But after their lead was trimmed to 9, San Antonio responded well again, icing the Heat by utilizing the pick-and-roll on almost every play. A Manu Ginobili trey later on place his team up 14 with 5:20 left in the first half.

Miami’s offense continued to falter. With LeBron unable to attack the paint – due to Leonard’s terrific defense – and his comrades struggling to get anything to go in, San Antonio took advantage perfectly and was ahead by 18 in the blink of an eye.

"All we can do is worry about Game 5" LeBron on the need to take it 1 game at a time, facing 3-1 #NBAFinals deficit pic.twitter.com/KvzyGqllN4

— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2014

At the half, Miami trailed 55-36, as their season hinged on the edge of breaking apart.

The Spurs shot 57% from the field while the Heat were limited to just 45%. San Antonio also outrebounded Miami, 44-27.

Scores:

San Antonio (107): Leonard 20, Parker 19, Mills 14, Green 9, Diaw 8, Ginobili 7, Splitter 6, Belinelli 4, Ayres 3, Bonner 4, Joseph 2, Baynes 2

Miami (86): James 28, Bosh 12, Jones 11, Wade 10, Allen 8, Andersen 5, Cole 4, Chalmers 4, Haslem 2, Lewis 2

Quarter Scoring: 26-17, 55-36, 81-57, 107-86

– Rappler.com