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| Was this LeBron's best block of his career?(Image from: SI.com) |
#blowout #skirmish #turnovers
That was quick. This game was close for 33 minutes with both teams trading leads. No team had a lead bigger than 5 points during that stretch. The Spurs actually had a one-point lead at 62-61 with more than 3 minutes left in the 3rd frame. Then, the floodgates opened in favor of Miami via 33-5 explosion that put the Spurs away. The bulk of that lead occurred with both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the bench. Miami turned up their defensive pressure as the Spurs committed 5-6 turnovers during that skirmish while the Heat started making their shots, a few threes as well courtesy of Ray Allen and Mike Miller. Coach Pop decided to wave the white flag with about 7 minutes to go in the game. LeBron James was not particularly dominating in Game 2 until the 4th quarter started where he had 9 points including a powerful block on Tiago Splitter. The encouraging part about the Heat's run was that their shooters found their touch and the defensive pressure increased. The discouraging part has to be Wade and Bosh still not playing at their best levels.
#SuperMario #roleplayers
Can you believe that Super Mario Chalmers was the best PG on the floor yesterday? When that happens, you can assume that the Heat won the game. Chalmers was brilliant in picking his spots and being aggressive. He attacked Tony Parker a few times and drew And1 calls. Super Mario ended up having more points and less turnovers than Parker. Chalmers had games like this in the Finals last year and if he keeps this up, Miami has a very good chance of winning in San Antonio. The other role players played stellar roles too with Miller hitting all 3 of his shots for 9 points, Ray Allen with 13 points and Birdman chipping in 9 points and 4 rebounds. During the first half, the Heat 3 combined for only 20 points but the Heat scored 50 and was up by 5 at the break. Miami needs their support players to bring their games to Texas because LeBron James has struggled shooting while Dwyane Wade seems to disappear in the 2nd half after having productive 1st halves.
#Kawhi #DG #roleplayers
Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green were having fantastic games for the Spurs. Both of them kept San Antonio close with their scoring and defense. Leonard had a monster game on the glass with 14 rebounds while Green was amazing from the field with 17 points on 6-6 shooting including 5 threes. Green at one point had more points than LeBron. DG also played terrific defense on LBJ including stopping him on a transition layup plus blocking a post move by LBJ. Heck, Green even dribbled past James for a nifty floater after James crowded him to prevent another three. Credit also goes to Gary Neal who had a good 2nd quarter to keep the Spurs close to the Heat. The support players of the Spurs played good enough to win but their Big 3 did not play well. Tony Parker only had 13 points on 5-14 shooting plus he had 5 turnovers after having ZERO in Game 1 while Tim Duncan and Ginobili combined for 14 points on 5-19 shooting. Manu in particular looked old and was very sloppy with the ball. The Spurs need Manu to be more careful and productive especially when Parker rests on the bench since the PG duties transfer to Manu.
Miami was the more intense and desperate team in Game 2. They needed this win more than the Spurs and it showed during their impressive run. The game was a blowout but it still counts as one loss and all it assured us was that there will be a Game 5. All the pressure is still on Miami since the next 3 games are in Texas where the Spurs are 6-1 during the playoffs. The Spurs dont necessarily need to win all 3 games since they know they can come back to Florida in win there. Miami can also win on the road (best road team in NBA) and they have to win at least one game there if they want to come back to South Beach for Game 6. The winner of Game 3 in a 1-1 series during the Finals has won 11 of the last 12 championships. So far, the keys to the game have been turnovers and points in the paint. The team with less turnovers and edge in points in the paint has won both games. Miami forced the Spurs to 17 turnovers after only 4 from Game 1. The Heat showed us another gear during their run which was mostly evident during their 27-game win streak. Can Miami showcase that in Texas OR can the Spurs match that gear?
#Player of the Night
Mario Chalmers (Heat) - 19 points, 4, rebounds and 2 assists and was +30
#Highlight of the Night
The BLOCK
#Tweets of the Nights
Best block I have ever seen in person. I'm sitting behind basket, it was incredible. Could see it coming too. LeBron is the Smoke Monster.
Miami is bringing the lettuce!!!!!!!!
No matter good the spurs burger is, if Miami brings the lettuce , they win!!
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