For the first time in the NBA Finals, one team has looked completely dominant over the other for an entire game. The Spurs were masterful against Miami last night, dominating early and often to put themselves only one victory away from once again, capturing basketball glory. I can’t stress how much better, free and clear, the Spurs were than the Heat during most of the last night’s game. Is it too much to say that Miami looked slightly like the the 2007 Cavs? Only in the sense that LeBron James was doing everything possible (mostly in the 3rd) to get his team back into the game, only to be answered by more excellent basketball by San Antonio. Remember game 4, when the Spurs were scorching hot from the field? Well, i’d argue that they played even better than that last night. Their shooting wasn’t as great from a pure statistical point of view, but they played more effectively as they created better looks, spaced the floor at their will and had the entire squad in sync. Did anyone else realize that the Heat’s only lead of the night was at 2-0? From that point on, it was all Spurs. Kawhi Leonard continues to make leaps and bounds in his young career. The Spurs forward once again was the best player on the court last night, showing what he can do on the court while continuing to keep his stoic, professional demeanor off the court. Even as a Mavs fan, it’s hard to dislike the guy. And while I don’t want to discredit anything that Leonard did last night, the #1 reason the Spurs were so much better is an obvious one: all-around team basketball. Since the start of the series, Gregg Popovich has maintained the same philosophy and in the last two games it’s clear that Miami has no answer. It was also a record night for Tim Duncan but everyone on the Spurs deserves just as much credit for reaching such a high level last night. Can the Heat find some way to stay alive?
There have to be some pretty drastic changes in Miami’s performance for me, and anyone else, to believe that they’re going to make this a series. The record for teams down 1-3 in the NBA Finals spell absolute doom for LeBron and co. The biggest reason for Miami’s demise? Their supporting cast. While the Spurs supporting cast has gotten better as the series matures, the Heat’s non-existent “non-Big 3” players have continued to disappear more and more. And I don’t want to hear any of this fatigue nonsense. Yes, I brought up the point nearly a month ago about Miami’s grueling four year stretch but it’s not like San Antonio has been sitting on their couches for that same period. Only the 2011 postseason was a short one for them but for the past three seasons, the Spurs have played nearly as many games as the Heat. Sure, Dwyane Wade’s older now but i’m sure Duncan and Manu Ginobili would love to hear just how “old” Wade (10 pts last night) and knees feel right now. The excuses can keep mounting for Miami but the simply response is that the Spurs have outworked, outsmarted and ultimately, outplayed the Heat in pretty much every aspect of the game. I’ve never been big on numbers but even if Miami were to somehow climb back into this series, nothing from last night indicated that they will do so. Maybe if they showed some competitive fire. Maybe if a massive LeBron, Wade AND Bosh game happens. Maybe if the Spurs decide that they want to win on the road instead in front of their home crowd. It’s going to take some extreme circumstances for this series to go back to Miami and I don’t see it happening. The Spurs have been on a mission since their heart-breaking loss to the Heat in last year’s Finals and finally, after such a long journey, they have the chance to redeem themselves. Some might call it destiny or fate but i’d like to call it the will of champions. There’s is no reason to doubt that the Spurs will once again don the word “champions” after Sunday night’s (8pm ET on ABC) game ends.
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