It was a close series, but when it mattered most, LeBron James came through and delivered.
The Miami Heat have won the 2013 NBA Finals. It took seven games against a very difficult Spurs team with a big three of their own, but in the end, Miami came through and emerged with their second straight NBA Championship in their third straight Finals appearence. While this outcome raises many questions; Should the Heat have been more dominant? Can they threepeat? What does this mean for LeBron James's legacy? It also shines through a reality; today's Miami Heat are one of the best basketball teams in NBA history.
The Heat's big three (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh) came out on top against an aged San Antonio Spurs big three (Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili).
Down by three with seconds left in the
fourth quarter of Game 6, Ray Allen
drained a fadeaway three pointer to
tie the game and send it into overtime.
Miami went on to win that game and the Finals,
and had Allen not hit that three, the Spurs
would have almost certainly won Game 6,
eliminating the Heat and winning the
Finals.
It was a back and forth battle through the whole series. Miami let Game 1 slip through their fingers, losing 88-92. Tony Parker played big, and LeBron tried helping his team in other ways, such as passing and crashing the boards. He only had 18 points, but 18 rebounds and 10 assists as well. Game 2 was all Heat. It was close for most of the game, but then Miami heated up in the end and blew San Antonio out 103-84. Miami got production from an unlikely source in Mario Chalmers. He had 19 points 2 assists and 4 rebounds. Then came Game 3, and it was San Antonio's turn to dominate. After an ugly game from the Heat's standpoint, it was 113-77 Spurs. Young Danny Green owned the whole game, draining three's all night and ending up with 27 points. By the time the series was over, Green would break Ray Allen's record for most three's made in an NBA Finals series. LeBron pushed all the blame for his team's failures on himself, saying he needed to play better and that he was letting his team down with his performance. LeBron finally had a big scoring day in Game 4, dropping 33 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, leading his team to a 109-93 victory and tying the series at two a piece. Game 5 was quite the average scoring day by LeBron's own standards, collecting 25 points. However, this time it would not be enough for a W, as the Spurs, led by a 26 point game from Tony Parker, won 114-104. The Heat now found themselves in a tough spot, needing to win 2 straight games if they wanted to take home the gold. And then there was Game 6. The best, most competitive game of the series, no doubt. LeBron's mid-range shooting started coming to life in the fourth, as he made quite a few from field goal range. LeBron appeared on the court in the fourth quarter without a headband, and it was kind of funny because I have never seen him play without it, but it wasn't hard to pick him out of the crowd, because you knew he was the one out there dominating. Mario Chalmers hit a deep three to beat the buzzer ending the third quarter, and Mike Miller lost one of his shoes in the fourth, but that did not stop him from draining a three, then calmly putting his shoe back on. It didn't look very good for Miami with seconds left in the game, as they were down by three. Off the inbound, LeBron found an opening and took a three. He missed. Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound, and kicked it out to Ray Allen in the corner. Allen drained a fadeaway three pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime. In overtime, with time running out and the Heat ahead, Tony Parker found an opening from the perimeter and rose up, but before he could get his shot off, Bosh ran in and stuffed him like a turkey, then held onto the ball and let the remaining seconds run off the clock. The Heat had pulled it off, and forced a Game 7.
Mario Chalmers Beats Third Quarter Buzzer from Deep
Mike Miller Hits Three with One Shoe
Ray Allen Clutch Three to Tie Game 6 with Seconds Left
The Spurs big three of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan failed to
add a fifth ring to their collection, but their legacy cannot be denied.
Tim Duncan
Game 7. You could feel the tension in the air at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. It was a close game all the way through the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan was scoring well, getting 24 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists. But the Spurs defense was no match for LeBron James, and on the biggest stage, he delivered. Anytime there was a little opening anywhere on the field, he took advantage and nailed it. Countless times LeBron rose up and dropped something from mid-range in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan had an open layup, but when he went to lay it in, it rolled of the rim. He grabbed the rock again and tried to tip it back in, only for it to roll off the rim once again and Miami to take the rebound. At the end of the day, it was 95-88 Heat, and the place went nuts. LeBron had 37 points, 4 assists and 12 rebounds.
