Heat Beats Spurs
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MIAMI — Breaking open a close game in the second half, the Miami Heat stormed back again, evening the NBA Finals at a game apiece with a 103-84 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.
Heat star LeBron James was held in check as a scorer for the second straight game, but he played facilitator with excellent success Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
He finished with 17 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. He also had two blocks, including a spectacular rejection of Tiago Splitter, who was trying to dunk on him in the fourth quarter.
James’ all-around play helped overcome the Spurs, who led by one point with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Heat then went on a 33-5 run.
The Heat’s leading scorer was not one of its “Big Three.” Point guard Mario Chalmers had 19 points. Heat stars Dwyane Wade (10 points, all in the first half) and Chris Bosh (12 points, 10 in the first half) also contributed.
The Heat snapped the Spurs’ seven-game playoff win streak by showing their trademark resiliency. Miami has not lost consecutive games since Jan. 10.
The venue now shifts to the AT&T Center in San Antonio for three straight games in
the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Tuesday night.
The Heat, which was nearly unbeatable from Feb. 3 through the first two rounds of the playoffs, going 45-3, has suddenly gone relatively cold. Even with Sunday’s win, Miami is just 5-4 in its past nine games.
But don’t tell that to the Spurs, who struggled on offense and defense.
Danny Green led San Antonio with 17 points, making all six of his shots, including five 3-pointers. However, the Heat held down Spurs stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Still, the Spurs left Miami with at least some sense of accomplishment, having split the two games on the road.
The Spurs also have to feel pretty good about their veteran core. Duncan (nine points, 11 rebounds), Parker (13 points) and Ginobili (five points) have won 98 playoff games as a group. The only trio ever to win more was the Lakers’ Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper with 110.
The Heat went on a 23-3 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. That burst pretty much put the Spurs away.
Miami closed the third quarter with a rush to take a 75-65 lead. It was the first double-digit lead for either team in the series.
The Heat led 50-45 at the half after neither team led by more than five points. Wade and Mario Chalmers led the Heat with 10 first-half points each, and Chris Andersen went 3-for-3 for seven points.
That helped make up for James’ relatively quiet first half. He had just four points on 2-of-7 shooting.
San Antonio’s first-half wild card was guard Danny Green, who had 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting, all on 3-pointers.
The teams were tied 22-22 after the first quarter. The Spurs, who turned the ball over just four times Thursday, had four giveaways in Sunday’s first quarter.
