NBA Playoffs Blog – Page 54 – NBA Blog

Spurs beat Heat 114-104 in NBA Finals Game 5

Manu Ginobili ran onto the floor as fans stood and screamed.

He went to the bench, and they chanted his name.

The sights and sounds of so many San Antonio spring nights were back Sunday – and the real party might be just a few days away.

Ginobili broke out of a slump in a big way with 24 points and 10 assists in his first start of the season, and the Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114-104 to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.

Tony Parker scored 26 points, Tim Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Ginobili had his highest-scoring game of the season as the Spurs became the first team to shoot 60 percent in a finals game in four years…

Danny Green smashed the NBA Finals record for 3-pointers, hitting six more and scoring 24 points. Kawhi Leonard finished with 16, but the stage was set when Ginobili trotted out with Duncan, Parker and the rest of starters in what could have been the last finals home game for a trio that’s meant so much to San Antonio…

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 25 points for the Heat, who host Game 6 on Tuesday night. They need a victory to force the first Game 7 in the finals since the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010…

San Antonio shot 42 of 70, right at 60 percent. The last team to make 60 percent of its shots in the finals was Orlando, which hit 62.5 in Game 3 against the Lakers in 2009, according to STATS…

Ray Allen scored 21 points on the night for the Heat as he watched Green shatter his finals 3-point record. Green has 25 3s in the series. Allen made 22 3-pointers in six games in 2008 finals for Boston.

Chris Bosh scored 16 for Miami, Wade had 10 assists, and James had eight assists and six rebounds, but it was their defense that let the Heat down in this one.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich’s move to replace center Tiago Splitter with Ginobili paid off quickly. Ginobili had seven points and three assists in the first five minutes of the game and never cooled off.

The Spurs weren’t pleased with the criticism Ginobili had been receiving.

“We’re not a team or organization that points fingers in that respect, so we’re confident in him,” San Antonio forward Tim Duncan said. “We know he has it in him. We’re hoping he can bring it for one more win.”

Reported by the Sports Xchange

Spurs, Heat benefit from stability at the top

Front offices across the NBA seem to be panicking a bit these days. Job security has long been an oxymoron for coaches in this league, but even by that what-have-you-done-for-me-lately standard, this offseason has been a particularly volatile one.

Twelve coaches have been fired since the season ended, including the coach of the year and five others who led teams to the playoffs.

Setting franchise records for victories in a season gets you fired these days. Leading your team to the Western Conference finals gets you fired these days. One tough season coaching a roster full of dead-legged journeymen and still-learning rookies gets you fired these days.

”Coaching has never been valued less and blamed more,” said ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, former coach of the Knicks and Rockets. ”Failure gets you fired and success gets you fired.”

While the ground all around them has never been more unstable, the last two coaches standing this season have found the kind of level footing that has become increasingly rare. The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals heading into Sunday night’s Game 5, have become the models for stability and managed to rise above the chaotic fray engulfing much of the rest of the league.

Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Heat at Spurs NBA Finals Game 5 tonight

Tony Parker’s hamstring, not Dwyane Wade’s knee, is the current chief injury concern.

Manu Ginobili not Chris Bosh is mired in the slump of the moment.

Things change quickly at the NBA Finals, and with everything suddenly seeming right with the Miami Heat, it’s up to the San Antonio Spurs to change them back Sunday night in Game 5.

“It is a must-win. We don’t want to go back down there down a game with two games remaining at their house,” Spurs star Tim Duncan said Saturday.

“Obviously, we lose this game, we’re not giving up or anything, but we want to go back up with a chance to finish there. Huge pressure if we have to go back there and try to win two.”

The Heat evened the series with a 109-93 victory Thursday night, setting up what’s often the pivotal moment of the finals. Of the 27 times the series was tied at 2-2, the Game 5 winner went on to win 20 of them.

“I think that’s what everyone would like, 2-2 in the finals for Game 5,” LeBron James said. “We are excited about the opportunity. We have another opportunity to win on someone else’s floor.”

It’s the same situation Miami was in two years ago, losing Game 5 in Dallas. But the Heat also had dropped the previous game, and James was struggling through a poor series by his standards.

Everything looks good for the Heat as they arrive at this stage now. James was dominant in Game 4 with 33 points and 11 rebounds, and Wade scored 32 points, not appearing to be bothered at all by a painful right knee that had limited his effectiveness in the postseason.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Heat trading wins with losses in playoffs lately

Stringing together a two-game win streak sounds routine for the reigning champion Miami Heat, but they have failed to do it for more than three weeks and must do so in the NBA Finals or risk losing their crown.

A victory in Sunday’s Game Five of the best-of-seven series would give the Heat their first winning streak since May 22. A loss would put them in an uncomfortable position of having to win two straight at home to repeat as champions.

“If we don’t do two, we won’t win a championship. I wasn’t that smart in school, but I do know that. The numbers don’t add up,” Miami guard Dwyane Wade told a news conference on Saturday.

“We have to find a way to put a string together. And hopefully our mentality and our play in Game Four can take over to the next game.”

After barreling through the regular season with a franchise-record 66 wins, including a 27-game win streak, followed by an 8-1 record over the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Heat have alternated wins and losses over their last 11 games.

Reported by Frank Pingue of Reuters

Heat coach happy with Game 4 lineup change

Erik Spoelstra indicated that he was pleased with how his lineup change worked out, with Mike Miller replacing Udonis Haslem to open Game 4.

“We feel this is the best move for now,” he said.

Though Miller went scoreless in 21 minutes and missed his only shot, “it was as impactful an 0-for-1 game as you can have in the Finals,” Spoelstra said. “Mike brings so many things on both ends of the court. There’s always a risk when you make moves like that.”

Popovich felt compelled to counter the Heat’s small lineup by replacing center Tiago Splitter with Neal just 47 seconds into the game.

“That wasn’t our intention,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not trying to play chess with guys to see if they blink first.”

Reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald

Gregg Popovich concerned with play of Manu Ginobili

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Friday he is concerned about the ongoing struggles of guard Manu Ginobili.

“Of course I am,” he said. “He’s having a tough playoffs. He hasn’t found a rhythm or found his game yet. He’s obviously not as confident as usual. He knows full well he hasn’t performed the way he would like or the way he used to.”

But Popovich added: “It’s simplistic to say: ‘What are you going to do to get him going?’ He’s either going to get himself going or he won’t. He knows he has to play better for us to be successful.”

Ginobili scored five points on 1-for-5 shooting in 25 minutes in Game 4. He is averaging just 7.5 points in the series on 34.5 percent shooting, well below his regular-season numbers of 11.8 points and 42.5 percent accuracy.

“Yes, I am surprised,” said Ginobili, whose playoff averages have dipped to the lowest points since his rookie season in 2002-03 (10.6 points, 37.7 percent shooting).

“I wish I could score more, but it’s not happening. I have to do other stuff. … I don’t have to force the issue.”

Reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald

Gregg Popovich a man of few words in NBA Finals press conferences

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is known in NBA circles as a man of few words and the curt speaker has been in top form at this year’s Finals.

With media seeking sound bites during a two-day break in a best-of-seven series that is tied 2-2, the two-time NBA coach of the year was in no mood to deviate from his often hilarious style.

“I’d hate to be trite and say anything is possible. Your question demands my triteness,” Popovich told a news conference on Saturday when asked about his strategy for Sunday’s Game Five against the defending champion Miami Heat.

The crusty 64-year-old cut off another reporter mid-question when he was asked to offer his perspective on the state of the game of basketball.

“You’re not serious. You want me to talk about the state of the NBA?” Popovich replied.

Reported by Frank Pingue of the Associated Press

Tony Parker appreciates time to rest before NBA Finals Game 5

Tony Parker pushed his tender right hamstring as much as he possibly could in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, and it will be hard to find a player in this series that needs the two days of rest before Game 5 more.

Parker had 15 points and nine assists in San Antonio’s 109-93 loss to the Miami Heat that evened the series at 2-2. But he was held scoreless in the second half as the Heat pulled away. Now he gets two full days for rest and treatment before the two teams play again on Sunday.

”It’s going to be huge for me,” Parker said after the game. ”Obviously, definitely got fatigued in the second half. Those two days I’m going to make sure I do a lot of treatment and get to 100 percent. Tonight I was not 100 percent. By Sunday, that’s my goal, to be good to go.”

Parker said after the game that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was hesitant to let him play after his star point guard tested it out in the morning shootaround and deemed himself ready to play. But Parker convinced his coach to let him start, and his strong play early sparked the Spurs before LeBron James and Dwyane Wade took over.

Reported by Jon Krawcyznski of the Associated Press

Manu Ginobili missing lots of shots in NBA Finals so far

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Friday that Ginobili hasn’t found a rhythm in the playoffs. But he says it’s too simplistic to merely ask, ”What are we going to do to get him going?”

Simplistic, maybe. But their prospects of the Spurs winning a fifth title may hinge on just that.

Ginobili scored just five points in Thursday night’s loss. He’s averaging 7.5 points in the Finals, down from his 11.8 scoring average during the regular season.

Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

Heat Big 3 step up in Finals Game 4

With their backs against the wall and hopes of repeating as champions fading, the Miami Heat’s Big Three used a dominating performance to beat the San Antonio Spurs 109-93 on Thursday and even the NBA Finals at 2-2.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had their best game of the NBA Finals, combining for 85 points as the Heat reclaimed home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

“I mean, it was on our shoulders, obviously,” James, who had a game-high 33 points, told reporters.

“When all three of us are clicking at the same time, we’re a very tough team to beat.”

Wade turned in his biggest offensive performance of the playoffs, scoring 32 points, while Bosh equaled his postseason high by chipping in with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

“All of them provided us great energy defensively. And that got us off to a decent start. And quite obviously they are big components to what we do offensively,” said Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra.

“We run almost every trigger through them. This happened to be a game where they were all able to be aggressive. The next game might present a different challenge. But we needed every bit of it tonight.”

Reported by Frank Pingue of Reuters