To start, Tony Parker was the difference in this game. If TP
did not produce like he did in the late stages of this game, we could easily be
talking about a Miami win. ESPN Stats and
Information tweeted out: “Video
review shows the Spurs were 6-30 on contested shots. But TP made 2 in the final
3:30 of the game.” Here’s a tweet from NBA.com/Stats: “TP in the clutch (last 5min of a game, team
up/down by 5pts) this postseason: 25pts (10-22) in 38 mins, +18 when on the
floor.” ’Nuff said.
If Parker performs anywhere near the likes of last night,
the Spurs should be on their way to another NBA championship; Norris Cole and
Mario Chalmers can’t even DREAM about covering TP when he’s hot.
Tim Duncan was another game changer. Duncan finished with
8-19 from the field, 14 rebounds, 20 points, three blocks in 37 minutes. Not
only was he a huge factor defensively for the Spurs, he’s nearly unstoppable on
the low post. If Duncan can continue to expose the Heat’s paint defense, be
sure Gregg Popovich will go to that play as a source of instant offense. The
Heat allowed 40 points in the paint in Game 1.
The Spurs did a good job of limiting turnovers (four). Miami
ranked 3rd in the regular season with 18.6 points off turnovers (they
converted 15 points of the Spurs’ four TOV’s last night).
The last member of San Antonio’s Big 3, Manu Ginobili, did
not have a good game; he has to be a source of disappointment if you are a
Spurs fan. Ginobili finished with 13 points on 4-11 shooting in 30 minutes. As
someone tweeted me yesterday, Ginobili’s production or lack of production will
determine the series.
Kawhi Leonard played fabulously on LBJ. Leonard finished
with 10pts and 10 reb in his Finals debut, but he did the seemingly unthinkable
in disrupting LeBron’s flow offensively. Leonard did not appear intimidated by
LeBron at all, and if Leonard stays out of foul trouble, the Spurs may have
found the solution to winning this series.
On to Miami:
The bottom line from last night? The Heat did not come up in
the clutch moments of the 4th quarter. Miami finished with 16 points
in the fourth quarter (SAS finished with 23), and James did not take over the
game like we all expected he should have done.
The Heat won the first three quarters off the production
from their secondary players. Allen (13pts), Wade (17pts), Bosh (13pts), but
those guys were unable to continue that production for 48 minutes. Once Wade,
Bosh, and Allen declining offensively, James should have noticed and taken the
offense under his wing. Instead, Chris Bosh took 5 fourth quarter shots to
LeBron’s 4. How does that happen?! James missed his last shot in the final 5
seconds, finished with 7-16 shooting, and had his lowest scoring output of the
season (18 points in 42 minutes).
To be honest, it almost seemed that James did not really
exert himself scoring wise as much as he did getting his teammates involved.
James recorded his 11th career playoff triple-double, which ranks
him at third of all time in NBA history. Those numbers also meant that it was
his third finals triple-double, making him just the third player to have
consecutive triple-doubles in finals games (he posted a triple-double in last
year’s championship clinching game against Oklahoma City). James had 10 assists
and 18 rebounds on the night, which means that James had as many rebounds as
points. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realize that the Spurs will
live with those stats ALL SERIES LONG!!
Jon Krawczynski of
the Associated Press wrote eloquently: “The Spurs trailed for most of the first
three quarters, but Duncan kept the Heat from running away by controlling the
paint and moving the ball.” A lot of San Antonio’s shots were late in the shot
clock. Jon continued to write, “Each time Wade and the Heat appeared to be
taking control in the first 36 minutes, Duncan and the Spurs clamped down on
defense, got a quick bucket on the other end, and halted the Miami burst.”
While Game 1 doesn’t mean the Spurs will cakewalk through
the series – it’s the fourth time the Heat have lost a Game 1 in the “Big 3
era”. Miami went on to sweep the next four games in the previous three
instances – the Spurs look to be the stronger team overall when you compare
them against Miami. Plus, they may have found the answer to LeBron James, the
most confounding enigma in all of basketball.
Jinx Grand
jgsportstalk@gmail.com
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