2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 7

MIA (1) @ SAS (2) – NBA Finals - Game 7

The Miami Heat won game 7 of the NBA Finals at home, giving them their second consecutive championship. It was a back-and-forth game most of the way with each team leading by no more than 7, with 11 ties and 7 lead changes. A long buzzer-beating 3-pter by Mario Chalmers gave Miami a 72-71 lead heading into the 4th qtr. A few times the Heat were up by 6 in the 4th qtr, only to have the Spurs cut into the deficit multiple times. With 50sec left and the Spurs down by 2, Duncan missed a hookshot in the lane, that bounced off the rim. His offensive tip attempt was also no good, and the Heat grabbed the defensive rebound to secure their 2pt lead. After a timeout, Lebron increased the Heat lead by driving right and hitting the mid-range jumpshot - a shot that the Spurs have dared James to take all series long, giving the Heat a 4pt lead. The Spurs threw the ball away on the next possession, with James making the interception and hitting his next 2 free throws to put the game away for good. James and Wade scored 10 of Miami's last 13pts. The Spurs' "Big 3" combined for 4-of-13 field goals and 6 turnovers in the 4th qtr.

James had 37pts (5-of-10 3-pters - an NBA Game 7 Finals record for made 3-pters, 12-of-23 field goals overall, 8-of-8 free throws) and 12reb. Wade had his knee drained before the game and ended up with 23pts (11-of-21 field goals) and 10reb. Ray Allen and Chris Bosh were held scoreless but Shane Battier added 18pts (6-of-8 3-pters, including his first 5 in a row). Duncan had 24pts, 12reb and Kawhi Leonard had 19pts and 16reb. Ginobili added 18pts but had at least 3 costly turnovers in the 4th qtr. Danny Green disappeared in game 7, scoring on only 1-of-12 field goals (1-of-6 3-pters), and Parker was held to only 10pts.

James (37pts) and Battier (18pts) had their highest scoring games of these playoffs in game 7 of the NBA Finals, a feat that hasn't been achieved by 2 players on the same team since 1960. They scored 11 of the Heat's 12 3-pters between them. Lebron was awarded the Finals MVP trophy for the 2nd straight year. He joins Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as the only players to win NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP in the same year multiple times. 

The Spurs outscored the Heat 48-24 in the paint, but could not overcome perimeter shooting from James, Wade and Battier. Miami became the first team to beat the Spurs in a Finals series.

Quote from Dwayne Wade: 

"I talked to my knees today... I told them 'Both of you guys, if you can give me one great game, we'll have a great summer.'"

Video – Game Recap:
http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/20/0041200407-sas-mia-recap.nba

Top Plays of the Day:
http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/top_plays/2013/06/20/20130620-top-5.nba?tab=1

Finals Game 7 Micro-Movie (8min 47sec):

http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/21/finals-game-7-micro-movie.nba?cat=catId%3A54

Battier's Threes (1min 10sec):

http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/21/0041200407-sas-mia-play39.nba?cat=catId%3A54

2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 6

MIA (1) @ SAS (2) – NBA Finals - Game 6

The Heat stormed back at home in game 6 to force overtime and then a decisive a game 7 against the Spurs. Down by 13 with uder 4min in the 3rd qtr, the Heat and a struggling James (3-of-12 field goals after 3rd qtr) looked as though they were about to lose the game and the title. But in the 4th qtr and OT James came alive, scoring 18pts in a stretch where he lost and played without his iconic headband. 

Tony Parker put the Spurs up by 2 after a steal and spinning shot in the lane with 58sec left. Lebron turned the ball over twice in the final minute and were forced to foul San Antonio. With Miami down 5 with 28sec left, some of the Miami fans began leaving the arena, and officials were getting ready to bring out the yellow tape to block off the court for the championship trophy presentation. James bricked his first 3-pt attempt but then connected on a 3-pter with 20sec left. The Heat were forced to foul Kawhi Leonard but he only made 1 of 2 free throws, giving Miami the ball down by only 3. James missed a 3-pt attempt, but Chris Bosh managed to get the offensive rebound. James waved his arm for the ball back, but Bosh found a back-pedalling Ray Allen for the clutch 3-pter over Tony Parker to tie the game with 5.2sec left. Replays showed that both of Ray Allen's feet were behind the line, and after Tony Parker's wild shot missed at the buzzer, the game was sent to overtime for the first time in this series.

James put the Heat up by 1 with 1:43 left in overtime. Ginobili drove the ball but turned it over with 5sec to go, and Ray Allen converted both of his free throws to put the Heat up by 3. With the Spurs down, a play was drawn up for Danny Green to tie the game. However Bosh, who vowed that his team would play better defense on Green, blocked Green's 3-pt attempt at the buzzer to seal the victory. Green ended up making only 1-of-5 3-pters (1-of-7 field goals overall), after averaging 5 made 3-pters this series.

James had his 2nd triple-double this Finals series, 32pts (11-of-26 field goals, 18pts in 4th qtr and OT), 10reb, 11ast. Mario Chalmers had 20pts (4-of-5 3-pters), and Wade added 14pts. Duncan had 30pts (making his first 8 shots) and 17reb. Kawhi Leonard had 22pts, 11reb and Tony Parker had 19pts (6-of-23 field goals). Ginobili committed a career-high 8 turnovers and only scored 9pts.

The Heat will try to become the fourth team to win their final 2 games at home in the Finals, since 1985. They have not won consecutive games in their last two 7-game series. The road team has not won an NBA Finals game 7 since 1978.

Video – Game Recap:
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/18/0041200406-sas-mia-recap.nba

Top Plays of the Day:
http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/top_plays/2013/06/18/20130618-tuesdays-top-10.nba

2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 5

MIA (1) @ SAS (2) – NBA Finals - Game 5

The Spurs won their final game at home and are one win away from the 2013 NBA title, leading the Heat 3-2. The Spurs led by 13 at the end of the 1st qtr, but the Heat slowly clawed back to within 1 with 3:05 left in the 3rd qtr. The Spurs then went on an 18-2 run over the next 6min to put the Spurs up by 20 in the 4th qtr.

With Manu Ginobili contemplating retirement at the end of the season, he was inserted as a starter for the first time this season and scored a season-high 24pts, adding 10ast in perhaps his last game at home in San Antonio. He scored or assisted on the Spurs' first 6 possessions.Tony Parker had 26pts and Tim Duncan added 17pts, 12reb. Danny Green had 24pts (6-of-10 3-pters) on his way to setting a new Finals record for most 3-pters in a series (25, surpassing Ray Allen's previous record of 22 over 6 games in 2008). He has shot 66% from downtown on 25-of-38 attempts. Lebron James scored 25pts, 6reb, 8ast but struggled on only 8-of-22 shots. Wade had 25pts, 10ast. Ray Allen added 21pts (7-of-10 field goals, 4-of-4 3-pters including 2 4-pt plays), including 15pts in the 4th qtr.

The Spurs shot 60% from the field and 5 Spurs' players scored in double-figures whilst all playing less than 40min in game 5. Another win by the Spurs will give them their 5th championship in 14yrs. In order to keep their championship hopes alive, Miami will need to win back-to-back games 6 and 7 at home. They have not won back-to-back games in almost a month, having won and lost alternate games in the entire Indiana and San Antonio series. Losing to the Spurs may signal the end of the "Big 3" era, as the Heat would have to decide whether or not to keep the trio of James/Wade/Bosh after winning "only" 1-of-3 Finals series.

Video – Game Recap:
http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/16/0041200405-mia-sas-recap.nba

Top Plays of the Day:http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/top_plays/2013/06/16/201306116-daily-top-5.nba?cat=catId%3A58

The Finals: Game 5 Micro-Movie (6min 43sec):

http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/17/finals-game-5-micro-movie.nba?tab=3&p=3

Green's 25 Three-Pointers (2min):

http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/channels/playoffs/2013/06/17/20130616-greens-25-threes.nba?tab=3&p=3

2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 4

MIA (1) @ SAS (2) – NBA Finals - Game 4

Miami won a crucial game 4 on the road to even the series at 2-2. In the first half, both the Heat and the Spurs held 10pt leads, with the score tied 49-49 at halftime. The Heat headed into the 4th qtr with a 5pt lead, but Wade increased their lead with 8 straight points. The Heat started Mike Miller instead of Udonis Haslem, giving them another perimeter shooter and forcing the Spurs to play more perimeter defense. Miller scored 0pts, but the Heat were able to score 50pts in the paint - 20 of them coming from Wade who was 10-of-12 in the paint.

James recorded a Finals career-high 33pts (15-of-25 field goals after starting 6-of-7) and 11reb after guaranteeing a better performance in game 4, having not scored more than 20pts throughout the entire series. Wade had 32pts (14-of-25 field goals after starting 5-of-6), 6reb, 4ast, 6stl. Dwayne Wade is the first player since Isiah Thomas to record at least 30pts, 6stl in a Finals game since 1988. James and Wade combined for 21pts on 10-of-11 field goals in the 1st qtr alone. Bosh had 20pts, 11reb, combining with James and Wade for their combined playoff-high of 85pts, whilst shooting 58%. Ray Allen added 14pts. Spurs' Tim Duncan had 20pts, and Tony Parker, still nursing a strained hamstring, scored 15pts (after starting 5-of-6) and 9ast, but had 0pts in the 2nd half.


The Heat turned up their interior defense and blocked 7 shots in the game. The Spurs committed 19 turnovers leading to 23 Miami pts. Since Jan 10, the Heat are 12-0 after losing a game, winning by an average of 19.5pts. Both teams have a 2 day rest before game 5 in San Antonio, and then a return to Miami for game 6.

2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 3

MIA (1) @ SAS (2) – NBA Finals - Game 3

The Spurs won game 3 at home, smashing the Heat by 36pts for the 3rd biggest win in Finals history, and also giving the Heat their biggest loss in Heat playoff history. The Spurs set a Finals record with 16 3-pters, shooting 16-of-32. Miami went on a 12-1 run to tie the game with 37sec left in the 2nd qtr, only to give up a 3-pter by Parker. On the next possession Green blocked Lebron and Gary Neal hit a 3-pter at the buzzer to give the Spurs a 6pt lead. Lebron made 4 shots in a row in the 3rd qtr, but a dunk by Splitter with 0.1sec left in the 3rd qtr gave the Spurs a 15pt lead. The Spurs opened the 4th qtr with a 13-0 run, and led by as many as 37pts.

Spurs' Danny Green hit 7 3-pters for 27pts in 30min, whilst Gary Neal hit 6 3-pters for 24pts in 25min. Parker left the game at the end of the first half with a sore hamstring. Heats' Wade had a team-high 16pts, and Lebron had 15pts, 11reb on a dismal 7-of-21 field goals with no free throw attempts, after starting 2-of-13 from the field. Mike Miller scored 15pts after connecting on all 5 3-pt attempts, and is 9-of-10 3-pters in the series, making his last 8 3-pters in a row. Mario Chalmers who had a game-high 19pts in game 2 finished with 0pts and 4 turnovers.

The Spurs outrebounded the Heat 52-36, 19-9 on offensive rebounds. Games 4 and 5 will be hosted in San Antonio, and the Heat will need to win at least 1 road game in order to return back home for a game 6 in Miami. Since 1985, the winner of game 3 with the series tied 1-1 has won the championship 12 out of 13 times. The only team that didn't was Miami back in 2011 against Dallas, the first year the Miami's "big 3"  (James/Wade/Bosh) played together.

2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 2

SAS (2) @ MIA (1) – NBA Finals - Game 2


The Heat bounced back to blowout the Spurs in game 2 at home, evening the series at 1-1. After a close game 1, game 2 was also back-and-forth, with San Antonio up by 1 with 3min left in the 3rd qtr. Miami then closed the quarter with a 14-3 run, giving them a 10pt lead heading into the 4th qtr. Miami then opened the 4th qtr with 9 straight points en route to a 32-5 run to put the game out of reach. James put his stamp on the game with a massive block on Tiago Splitter's dunk attempt, then finished the play with an assist for Ray Allen's 3-pter. On the next play he stole the ball for a fast break 2-handed dunk to give Miami a 24pt lead. The Heat led by as many as 27, and both teams pulled their starters from the game with 5min to go.

Tim Duncan and Lebron struggled from the field, coming into the 4th qtr on 3-of-13 field goals each. James recorded 17pts, 8reb, 7ast, 3blk, but Mario Chalmers was the game's top scorer with 19pts. Miami had 5 players in double figures (Allen 13pts, Bosh 12pts, Wade 10pts, Chalmers 19pts, Lebron 17pts). Spurs' Danny Green made all 6 of his shots, including 5 3-pters (a finals record for 3-pters without a miss), with his first 3 giving the Spurs its first 9pts in the 1st qtr.

After only committing 4 turnovers in game 1, the Spurs committed 4 in the first 6min and ended with 17 turnovers, leading to 19 pts for Miami who only committed 6 turnovers. The Miami win ended the Spurs' 7-game winning streak. The Heat also avoided back-to-back losses, their last coming on Jan 10th this year. The Spurs return home for games 3, 4 and 5.

2013 NBA Finals - Game Day 1

SAS (2) @ MIA (1) – NBA Finals - Game 1

The Spurs topple the Heat in a back-and-forth game 1 on the road to steal home court advantage from the reigning champs. After trailing by 3 at the start of the 4th qtr, the Spurs pulled away after 5 turnovers from the Heat, who struggled in the 4th qtr and showed signs of fatigue after playing a full 7 games against Indiana. The Spurs biggest lead was 7 with about 2:13 to go, but the Heat cut it to 2 with 31sec to go. The Heat needed a defensive stop for a chance to win the game, and played excellent defense on Parker, who was cut off by Miami defenders as he dribbled his way around the court as the shot clock ticked down. It looked like Miami would get the ball back, as Parker lost his dribble, regained it,  lost it again and fell down on one knee, recovered, then spun around from Lebron with a head-fake and pulled off the leaning bank-shot just as the shot clock expired. The ball bounced off the backboard, and bounced on the rim twice before dropping in. A video review confirmed that the shot had beat the shot-clock, and the Heat trailed by 4 with only 5.2 sec left.

Tim Duncan scored 20pts, 14reb after going scoreless and missing all 5 shots in the 1^st qtr, and committing 2 fouls. Tony Parker had 21pts, including 10pts in the 4^th qtr. Lebron James had his 2^nd straight Finals triple-double (18pts, 18reb, 10ast), but only shot 7-of-16 field goals, often facing double-teams from the Spurs. Dwayne Wade contributed 17pts, and had his best game these playoffs, but was scoreless in the 4^th qtr. Spurs’ Danny Green had 4-of-9 3-pters, and Miami’s Ray Allen shot 3-of-4 3pters.

The Spurs were outrebounded by 9, and only shot 42% from the field, including 7-of-23 3pters. Each team only had 1 turnover each at the end of the 1^st half. They finished with 12 combined turnovers (Spurs 4, Miami 8) for the game, a playoff record-low. Miami plays at home for game 2, before the Spurs play the next 3 games at home. Because of the Finals 2-3-2 series format, after losing game 1, Miami must now win at least 1 road game in order to avoid losing the championship.

2013 NBA Finals - Preview

Miami (12-4 in the playoffs) and San Antonio (12-2 in the playoffs) square off in the 2013 NBA Finals. The Heat have come off an intense 7-game battle with Indiana, whilst the Spurs have had 10 days rest after sweeping Memphis in the Western Conference Finals.

Miami’s big 3 (James/Wade/Bosh) have averaged 52.2pts a game these playoffs, whereas the Spurs’ big 3 (Duncan/Parker/Ginobili) have averaged 52.3pts. The big 3 of each team have not faced each other in an NBA game since 14^th Mar 2011, where Chris Bosh scored 30pts.

Lebron James played against the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals whilst with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but struggled as double and triple-teams forced him to take shots from the outside, only making 35.6% of his field goals. Six years later, Lebron has improved his outside shooting, and has had the best shooting season of his career on his way to becoming the regular season MVP.

2013 NBA Playoff Round 3 - Game Day 11

IND (3) @ MIA (1) – Game 7

Miami won its 2^nd straight game 7 Eastern Conference Finals to reach the Finals for the 3^rd consecutive year, beating down the Pacers by 23pts. The Heat won despite shooting only 40%, but led by as many as 28pts, despite the Heat only scoring 5pts more than Indiana throughout the first 6 games. Miami trailed Indiana 12-6, and then trailed 21-19 at the end of the 1^st qtr. But Miami turned it around with a 33-16 2^nd qtr, led by James and a bounce-back game from Ray Allen who had struggled all series, but hit 3-of-4 3-pters and finished with 10pts. At the end of the first half, Lebron had 18pts, Indiana had committed 15 turnovers (including 9 in the 1^st qtr alone), and the Heat had a 15pt lead.

Indiana’s top scorer was Roy Hibbert with 18pts who picked up his 5^th foul towards the end of the 3^rd qtr. Paul George only had 7pts on 2-of-9 shooting and also picked up his 4^th and 5^th fouls in the final 46sec of the 3^rd qtr, eventually fouling out with 7:43 remaining in the game. Dwayne Wade finally broke out of his slump and showed some of his old “Flash” to score 21pts (7-of-16 field goals), 9reb - his first 20pt game since round 1 against the Bucks. Lebron finished with 32pts (8-of-17 field goals, 15-of-16 free throws), 8reb, 4ast, and sat out the rest of the game with 5min to go.

The Heat beat the Pacers at their own game and outrebounded them 43-36. The Heat and Pacers won each game alternatively in the 7-game series. Miami’s win gave them 78 wins for the season, the 11^th best season total in NBA history. The Heat (66-16 in regular season), having the better record than San Antonio (58-24 in regular season), get to play game 1 of the Finals at home on Friday. In the NBA Finals, the series format will switch from 2-2-1-1-1, to 2-3-2. This means the first 2 games are played in Miami, the next 3 in San Antonio, and the last 2 back in Miami. In last year’s Finals, the lower-seeded Heat lost game 1 in OKC, but then stole game 2 on the road. They were then able to win the title by winning all 3 of their home games to beat OKC 4-1.

Miami went 2-0 against San Antonio, although this cannot be used as a barometer for the Finals matchup. In the first game, Spurs’ Coach Popovich rested 4 starters (after the Spurs had played 5 games in 7 days) and as a result was fined $250,000 by the league. In the second game Miami played without 3 starters, stating that they were “injured”. The reigning champion Heat will face an aging/experienced Spurs’ team (4 championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007), who still have their core of Duncan/Ginobili/Parker/coach Popovich, who have won 3 of their last 4 championships together. The Heat will look to accomplish what the spurs failed to do in their championship run – win back-to-back titles.

2013 NBA Playoff Round 3 - Game Day 10

MIA (1) @ IND (3) – Game 6

Indiana avoided elimination, winning game 6 at home by 14pts to force game 7. Indiana outhustled Miami in a physical and sloppy first half (Indiana missed 5 dunk attempts and Miami hit only 3-of-22 from 2pt land), yet still trailed by 1 at the half. After a magnificent 3^rd quarter in game 5 by Miami, it was Indiana who dominated the 3^rd quarter of game 6, opening with a 14-2 run where Miami was held to only 1-of-11 field goals. Indiana led by as much as 17 in the 3^rd quarter as they outscored Miami 29-15, whilst shooting over 70% to the Heat’s 25%. In the 4^th quarter, Miami pulled struggling starters Wade and Bosh, and subbed in 3-pt specialist Mike Miller who had only played 7min the entire series. He knocked down back-to-back 3-pters as Miami cut the deficit to 4, however Indiana responded with a 9-0 run. During the run, the game was put out-of-reach when Lebron was called for the offensive foul after driving and colliding into Roy Hibbert in mid-air, and then called for a technical foul as he sprinted down the length of the court in protest. Miami’s assistant coach was also called for a technical straight afterwards.

Miami, without a true center in Chris Bosh (who is primarily a power forward), played more minutes for Joel Anthony, as Chris Andersen was suspended from game 6 after shoving Tyler Hansbrough in game 5. Indiana captialised as Roy Hibbert dominated on the inside with 24pts, 11reb, and Indiana outrebounded Miami 53-33 and outscored them in the paint 44-22. Bosh and Wade struggled and shot only 4-of-19 from the field, their lowest scoring output since they teamed up together in Miami. Lebron tried to carry the load in isolation as he did whilst playing for Cleveland, but struggled against Indiana’s stifling defense, which held him to 10-of-21 from the field, despite tallying 29pts, 7reb, 6ast. Indiana’s rising star Paul George took on the challenge against Lebron, and finished with a playoff career-high 28pts. Indiana’s David West suffered from an upper respiratory infection and a fever, and was sent home early from the morning shootaround by coach Frank Vogel. West insisted on starting the game anyway, and provided 8 key points for Indiana in the 4^th quarter alone, finishing with 11pts, 14reb.

Miami matched its lowest point total (77) this season (also against Indiana), shooting 36.1% and hitting only 16-of-54 on 2-pters. The Heat are 1-4 in Indiana this season, but will return home for game 7. This is now the second straight year that Miami will play a game 7 in order to progress to the NBA Finals. Indiana looks to return to the NBA Finals for only the second time in team history, their last time losing to Kobe/Shaq and the Lakers in 2000. The last time the Pacers played a game 7 in an Eastern Conference Finals was against Michael Jordan and the Bulls in 1998, who won game 7 and eventually the NBA title. This will be Lebron’s 4^th career game 7, and he has won only 1 out of 3 (2 with Cleveland), whilst averaging 34.3pts in those game 7s – the highest for any player who has played multiple game 7s. The pressure is on Lebron to deliver on his promise of winning multiple championships in Miami.