With a 2-1 series lead, and the next two games being played at home, the San Antonio Spurs can close out the series in five.
It’s been a rocky series for the San Antonio Spurs.
After a comeback win in game one, and a blowout loss in game two, the Spurs were looking more inexperienced than seasoned. The All-Star veteran team that’s made the playoffs the last 23 of 24 seasons was in dire need of a win heading into game three in San Antonio.
Being 1-1, it’s not bad,” Manu Ginobili said after the game two loss in Miami. “But you don’t want to play like this in an NBA Finals. You don’t want to give them that much confidence, and you feel bad about yourself.”
With home court advantage on their side, the Spurs’ three leading scorers combined for sixty-five points and rallied to beat the Heat, 113-77, in game three.
Dwayne Wade led the Heat at the end of the first quarter with eight points and was 4 of 5 from the field, and Tim Duncan led the Spurs with six points. The Spurs didn’t just lead 20-24 heading into the second quarter, they also led in turnovers.
San Antonio strayed away from bad habits. They finished the game with thirteen turnovers; three less than Miami. And they managed five more rebounds than Miami.
The Heat were scoreless for nearly five minutes into the second quarter, but got hot when needed. They went on a 10-0 run with under one minute remaining and brought their team within two.
Neal closed out the half with a three pointer at the buzzer and led the Spurs with an impressive fourteen points in fourteen minutes. Spurs led at the half, 50-44.
They led by twenty-one points with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, and were 10-20 from three point range.
LeBron James cut San Antonio’s lead to fifteen after scoring nine points to close out the third quarter. James finished the game 7-21 from the field, scoring only fifteen points.
Danny Green carried the Spurs with twenty-seven points, followed by Neal with twenty-four points. Dwayne Wade, who was the lead scorer for the Heat, finished with only sixteen points.
Tony Parker sat out the entire fourth quarter and finished the game with six points. The Spurs set an NBA finals record with sixteen three pointers.
