At 3-1, the Spurs are on the verge of their fifth NBA title. The Heat came out strong in the first period though, opening with an 8-0 blast, and a Ray Allen triple later on extended that lead to 22-6, five minutes and change left in the first period. However, Manu Ginobili led a 12-0 run to put the Spurs in the thick of things, 22-18.
LeBron James countered with five straight, but Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard scores sandwiched Norris Cole charities to arrive at the 29-22 score after the initial 12 minutes.
The Heat offense stalled in the second. They went nearly five minutes without a basket, conceding 14 unanswered to the Spurs, 42-35. James ended their silence with a seven-foot bucket, but Ginobili countered with a trey.
Both teams struggled to score at the beginning of the third, but when the Spurs woke up,it was a like a tidal wave hit the Heat. An 18-4 run, highlighted by three straight triples, two from Patty Mills and one from Ginobili, gave the home team a 65-44 buffer, 5:01 left in the third.
The Heat got back-to-back baskets, but Mills quickly squelched the run with another triple. Another four-point cluster by Miami got it to 17, 70-53, but once again Mills doused the fire with a triple, to return the buffer to 20.
Kawhi Leonard has scored 20 points to lead the home side, adding nine rebounds and two assists. Manu Ginobili has come off the bench to add 19, with two boards and three assists. Patty Mills exploded for 17 markers off the bench on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, while Tim Duncan has provided 12 points and seven caroms.
LeBron James has poured in 27 points and nine rebounds for the Heat but it hasn’t been enough. The team’s second-best scorer has been Chris Bosh with 11. - AMD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
