The NBA 2013 Playoffs Roundup: May 26-27, 2013

Both the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs got closer to setting up a Finals clash this past weekend. The Spurs beat Memphis in OT for a commanding 3-0 series lead out West, while Miami rebounded from a Game 2 loss by blowing out the Pacers at home for a 2-1 ECF lead.

The Best:

•        The Spurs’ terrific twosome of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were, well, terrific in handing the Grizz their first home loss in the postseason. Timmy and Tony paired up for 50 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as San Antonio threatened to sweep Memphis with an historically insurmountable 3-0 series advantage.
•        Out East, Dwyane Wade wrested control of Miami and led them to a resounding Game 3 victory over an erstwhile confident Indiana quintet. Wade dropped 18 points, dished out 8 assists, had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal for the Heat. He also shot an impressive 8-of-14 from the field.

Dwyane Wade stepped up in Game 3 to help Miami
bounce back in the ECF.
(image by Al Diaz/AP/Miami Herald)

The Worst:

•        Slowly, it seems like the combined performance of Jerryd Bayless and Tayshaun Prince is becoming the barometer for the Grizzlies’ success. In Game 3, they just produced a combined 14 points on 3-of-18 shooting. Yikes.
•        The same can be said of Indiana’s Lance Stephenson. Stephenson, when shooting well, makes everyone forget that Danny Granger isn’t playing, but when he shoots like he did in Game 3 (2-of-10 from the floor), then all anti-Heat fans (maybe 90% of the world’s population) begin to really miss Granger.

Final Score: San Antonio 104, Memphis 93 (OT)

The "Believe Memphis" towels from the raucous home crowd waved vigorously at the start as the Memphis Grizzlies stormed out of the gate. Undeterred, the stoic 37-year-old Tim Duncan and his San Antonio Spurs never wavered. Duncan netted seven of his 24 points in overtime and the Spurs downed the Grizzlies, 104-93, in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. After consecutive overtime triumphs, San Antonio took a commanding 3-0 series edge and can advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007 and fifth in the last 14 years with another win in Memphis on Monday. The Grizzlies had been undefeated at FedEx Forum this postseason and had prevailed in 19 of their last 20 home tilts dating back to the regular season. San Antonio overcame an 18-point, first-quarter deficit and committed eight of its 17 turnovers in the opening 12 minutes. The veteran-laden Spurs hung around and didn't hold their first lead until the early stages of a tightly- contested fourth quarter, which saw 11 lead changes and 10 ties. San Antonio seized control in overtime. After Duncan and Zach Randolph exchanged buckets to begin the extra session, Duncan converted a three-point play and Tiago Splitter flipped in a hook shot on back-to-back San Antonio possessions to give the Spurs their largest lead of the game at that point, 93-88, with 3:29 left. Mike Conley split a pair of foul shots at the other end, but Memphis never got any closer as Tony Parker hit a pull-up jumper and Splitter put home a layup to vault the advantage to 97-89. Parker registered seven turnovers, but did supply 26 points and five assists, while Manu Ginobili chipped in 19 points and seven boards. Duncan pulled down 10 rebounds in the triumph. Marc Gasol recorded 16 points and 14 rebounds, Conley poured in 20 points and Zach Randolph finished with 14 points and 15 boards for Memphis, which hosted its first conference final.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker came up big to give the Spurs a commanding
3-0 series lead against the upstart Grizzlies.
(image by Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

Final Score: Miami 114, Indiana 96

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The Miami Heat raced out and stayed ahead on the day the Indiana Pacers honored the Indianapolis 500. LeBron James led the way in Miami's franchise-record 70-point first half, and the Heat pulled away to down the Pacers, 114-96, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. After two closely contested battles in Miami, the Heat used crisp- and-clean ball movement to jump out to a 14-point first-half lead on 62.8 percent shooting (27-of-43). James netted 18 points on a 7-of-11 clip from the field in the opening 24 minutes. Udonis Haslem added 13 first- half points on 6-of-7 from the floor, while Chris Bosh poured in 12 and Dwyane Wade chipped in 10 before Miami headed into the locker room. The Heat, who took a 2-1 series edge, stayed unbeaten on the road during the postseason while handing the Pacers their first home playoff loss. Indiana, which will host Game 4 on Tuesday, checkered Bankers Life Fieldhouse with white and navy blue shirts. James finished with 22 points total for Miami, which held a commanding 52-36 points in the paint edge and committed a playoff franchise- low five turnovers. Wade recorded 18 points and eight assists in the triumph. Roy Hibbert had 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Pacers, who had a 2-1 series lead in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals against the Heat before dropping three straight. David West registered 21 points and 10 boards in defeat. Paul George had 13 points on just 3-of-10 shooting to go along with eight assists.