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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

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

Chris Bosh fined $5,000 for flopping

The NBA continues to do its part in trying to curb a growing fad by players to flop their way into getting a favorable call from the officials.

Miami Heat center Chris Bosh has been fined $5,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

The incident occurred with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter of the Heat’s 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, June 13 at the AT&T Center.

To view the play, click on this link.

Some fans have asked why more players aren’t receiving flopping fines, but there’s no way to prove that a player really fell in a manner that wasn’t natural. Even some falls that look “obvious” aren’t quite so clear when seen from a different angle.

But, what Bosh did in that play certainly did look like he exaggerated what little contact there was.

Fortunately for Bosh and the Heat, his team came away with a big Game 4 win.

Heat beat Spurs 109-93, tie NBA Finals 2-2

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison had a message as he walked to the winning locker room.

”The death of the Big Three was overrated,” he said.

Sure was. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his three prized players, are just fine.

So are the Heat’s championship hopes.

Riding big performances from their three All-Stars, the Heat tied the NBA Finals with a 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night in Game 4…

James had 33 points and 11 rebounds after failing to break 20 points in any of the first three games of the series, and Wade scored 32 points, 11 more than his previous high this postseason.

Bosh matched his playoff high with 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, he and Wade supplying the baskets that finally put the Spurs away for good midway through the fourth quarter.

Three players, 85 points. Just the way the Heat envisioned it when they signed James and Bosh to play with Wade in 2010.

”When Bosh, Wade and James score the way they did tonight and shoot it the way they did tonight, a team is going to have a difficult time if you help them like we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

”When those guys are playing like that, you better be playing a perfect game.”

The Spurs weren’t, committing 19 turnovers that led to 23 points…

Tim Duncan scored 20 points for the Spurs, who have one more game here on Sunday. They fell to 10-3 at home all-time in the finals, failing to back up their 113-77 victory in Game 3 that was the third-most lopsided score in the history of the championship series…

Wade shot 14 of 25, adding six steals, six rebounds and four assists in a performance that James compared to when Wade was MVP of the 2006 finals.

Tony Parker had 15 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who made a finals-record 16 3-pointers on Tuesday but got up only 16 attempts in this one. Gary Neal scored 13 points and Danny Green had 10, solid nights but nothing like when they combined for 13 3-pointers two nights earlier.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Tony Parker will play in Game 4 against Heat

Spurs guard Tony Parker said he will play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after his availability was in doubt because of a mild right hamstring strain.

Parker wouldn’t address his injury at practice Thursday other than answering ”I’ll be ready to go” to multiple questions about his health. The All-Star was hurt early in the second half of Game 3, which the Spurs won to take a 2-1 lead over the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven series.

The question now is whether Parker will show any signs of being sore or ailing against the Heat. An MRI taken Wednesday revealed a Grade 1 strain, the mildest level, but Parker had been uncertain about his status until Thursday morning.

Despite Parker getting hurt Tuesday night, the Spurs still walloped Miami 113-77.

Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

Spurs rout Heat 113-77 in Game 3 of NBA Finals

Danny Green and Gary Neal aren’t NBA royalty like LeBron James.

Either undrafted or unwanted, they were once more likely to be found playing in summer league or some other country than against the mighty Miami Heat.

On Tuesday, they led the San Antonio Spurs to one of the best-shooting, biggest blowouts in NBA Finals history.

Green made seven of the Spurs’ finals-record 16 3-pointers, Tim Duncan had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and the Spurs clobbered the Heat 113-77 on Tuesday night to take 2-1 lead in the series.

Green scored 27 points and Gary Neal made six 3-pointers while scoring 24 as San Antonio went 16 of 32 from behind the arc, rolling to the third-biggest victory in finals history.

”Those guys shot incredibly,” Duncan said. ”Gave us the breathing room when we needed it.”

Neal could be even more important going forward, after starting point guard Tony Parker revealed fresh concerns about his sore hamstring. He plans to get an MRI on Wednesday…

James finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but missed 11 of his first 13 shots against the excellent defense of Kawhi Leonard, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds…

Duncan shot 3 of 13 for nine points, his worst performance ever in his 25 NBA Finals games, in the Heat’s 103-84 victory Sunday. Parker wasn’t much better, shooting 5 of 14 and committing five turnovers, and Manu Ginobili admitted afterward the veteran trio had to play well for the Spurs to win…

Mike Miller made all five 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Heat, who broke open Sunday’s game and seized momentum in the series with a 33-5 run in the second half.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Heat beat Spurs in Game 2 to tie NBA Finals

Mario Chalmers marched toward midcourt with a message.

”I felt like we had them on the ropes at the time. I told him, ‘Let’s go for the kill,”’ Chalmers said. ”He said, ‘I’m with you.”’

And once LeBron James joined in, the Miami Heat were back with a blowout in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Chalmers led the charge, James broke out to finish it with a flurry and the Heat used a 33-5 run to rout the San Antonio Spurs 103-84 on Sunday night and even the series at one game apiece.

James missed 10 of 13 shots through three quarters and the Heat trailed by a point late in the period before unleashing the lethal brand of basketball that led them to a franchise-record 66 wins this season.

Chalmers finished with 19 points, and James had 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks – the best on Tiago Splitter’s dunk attempt – while shooting only 7 of 17 from the field…

The Heat made 10 of 19 3-pointers and got 13 points from Ray Allen, and 12 points and 10 rebounds from the previously slumping Chris Bosh.

Danny Green made all six shots, including five 3-pointers, and scored 17 points for the Spurs. They host Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Tony Parker had 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting for the Spurs, who were so precise in their 92-88 victory in Game 1 but threw the ball all over the white-surrounded court Sunday, committing 17 turnovers that led to 19 Miami points…

Tim Duncan shot 3 of 13 and finished with nine points and 11 rebounds…

The Spurs had only four turnovers in Game 1, tying an NBA Finals record low. But they surpassed that total in the first quarter, Parker committing two of their five after not coughing it up once in the opener, and the Spurs looked more like the sloppy Indiana Pacers from Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals than the Spurs of Game 1.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

NBA Finals Game 2 is must-win for Heat, says D-Wade

“Must-win” talk is typically reserved for playoff games later in a series. But with a less than typical situation on hand for the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals’ 2-3-2 home-court format, Dwyane Wade already views Game 2 as critical against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.

“It’s very urgent,” Wade said Saturday after the Heat’s practice. “Obviously you don’t want to go down 0 2 going to San Antonio for three straight games. Odds are not that good. They are not in our favor. We’re not a team that really says too much [like], ‘This is a must win game.’ But this is a must win game.”

Before losing the Finals opener on Thursday night, Miami was 7-2 at home in this year’s postseason. The Spurs are 6-1 in the playoffs at AT&T Center and 9-2 overall in Finals history in San Antonio.

LeBron James took a different public tone Saturday than his sidekick, saying, “Every game is important. Game 1, Game 2, 3, 4, no matter 2-3-2 format or it could be a 3-2-2 format. No matter what the format is, it’s The Finals.”

Reported by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports