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Riding the heels of a narrow Game 2 defeat and stinging from the loss of a home-court advantage that took 82 games to secure and two basketball-minutes to disappear, the Spurs came into Miami looking to right the ship and recapture what had been lost. They did so in resounding fashion, blistering the Heat with a historic first half that featured a 19-for-21 shooting start by the silver and black. Kawhi Leonard finally escaped foul trouble long enough to make his 2014 NBA Finals appearance, and he made his impact early en route to a career-high 29 points on 13 shots. San Antonio's shooting clip of 25 for 33 (75.8%) set the mark for the best shooting half in Finals history. The Spurs swooped in and unleashed fire on the court of AmericanAirlines Arena, and the result was a 21-point lead at halftime. Miami would surge predictably in the third on strong efforts from James and Wade, once whittling the advantage down as low as seven. Then Marco Belinelli did exactly what he is being paid to do by stepping up and hitting a big three from the wing which seemed to stem the tide. The Spurs were able to regroup going forward, and the result left Miami Heat fans streaming out of the doors at the 3-minute mark again.
The pressure lies squarely on the Heat's shoulders now. The Spurs have already accomplished their goal of a split, and some would say that they are playing with house money for this game. It can't be denied that Miami is facing the bigger test of for ude, knowing a loss tonight puts them in a historically deep 1-3 hole to go along with their boarding passes to San Antonio. I expect the Heat to come out with desperation after getting run out of their home arena two nights ago, and San Antonio will be facing a tall task just to put themselves in a position to win this game. Whatever happens tonight, the Spurs have the comfort of knowing they can fly home with home court advantage tucked in their pocket.
I understand this sentiment, but having this mindset would be a mistake. Miami is a very dangerous team, and the gap in complexion in this series between 3-1 and 2-2 is a ring too golden not to chase. The Spurs must get greedy. They must get nasty. They must get ready to rip this thing away from the two-time defending champions and say "not this year".
The Spurs have toppled the statistics several times on this playoff run. They slayed Serge-zilla. They tasted victory in Oklahoma. They beat the Curse of Tony Brothers. Now they must be prepared to topple the Heat's "wins-after-losses" streak which has largely been forged against the likes of Charlotte, Brooklyn, and Indiana. If the Heat think that this statistical anomaly guarantees them a win, they are in for a surprise tonight.
FTH.
5.
