adminMIAMI. — The San Antonio Spurs sealed a comprehensive 107-86 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday to take a 3-1 lead in the Finals and stay one win away from the 2013-14 NBA title.
Kawhi Leonard came up with yet another superb performance leading the Spurs with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals, leaving Miami in a tough position of becoming the first team in the NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
The Spurs can win their fifth NBA championship with a victory at home in Game 5 on Sunday and avenge their seven-game loss to Miami last year.
Although LeBron James led all scorers with 28 points, the night belonged to Leonard who recorded his fourth double-double performance of the season. Pat Mills came off the bench to score 12 of his 14 points from behind the arc, and Boris Diaw was crucial with 8 points and a game-high 9 assists for San Antonio.
Chris Bosh opened the score with a mid range jumper for Miami, Tim Duncan evened the game at 2-2, and San Antonio never trailed again, leading by as many as 25 points.
San Antonio stepped on court with a sense of urgency, defending aggressively, and contesting most Miami’s shots, which resulted in a 44-27 rebounding advantage.
Duncan finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds in 30 minutes and set two new records: First, for most minutes in playoffs history followed by a record for most double-doubles in playoffs.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that Duncan probably “would not care about it.”
“It is an honour to be in that position. Having won helps, but the focus is winning one more,” Duncan explained.
Tony Parker was 8 for 15en route to 19 points for San Antonio who, offensively, was not as efficient as in Game 3, but finished the game with an impressive 57% field goal, and an excellent ball movement that included 25 assists.
Miami struggled throughout the game to find answers to San Antonio’s suffocating defense, and with James scoring 19 of Miami’s 21 points in the third quarter it became clear how unable Miami were to contest the Spurs.
“They move the ball extremely and put in you in positions that no other team in this league does, and it is tough,” James said of San Antonio’s performance.
San Antonio will host Miami tomorrow for Game 5. — SuperSport
Online Reporter