The NBA Finals opened as such a juicy matchup of A-list stars.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for the defending champion Miami Heat against Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the old guard San Antonio Spurs making one last run at one more championship.
Big 3 vs. Big 3. Winner take all.
Once the series actually started, a group of D-listers crashed the party.
Gary Neal and Danny Green combined for 51 points and 13 3-pointers in San Antonio’s Game 3 victory over Miami on Tuesday night, carrying the Spurs to a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven series that has been controlled by no-names, not big names.
”We don’t expect a performance like this from those kind of guys, but they were great,” Duncan said after San Antonio routed Miami 113-77. ”They did it. They found their spots and knocked them out.”
Been that way all series. On both sides.
Green, who was twice cut by San Antonio and spent a summer in Slovenia, may be the early leader for Finals MVP after scoring 27 points in Game 3. He also hit four big 3-pointers in the Spurs’ Game 1 victory in Miami and was a perfect 6 for 6 from long range in Game 2, outshining the four-time MVP James every step of the way.
”Never thought in a million years that would happen,” Green said.
Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press
