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Finally, the Spurs' dream came true after a previous season's nightmare, as they finished off the NBA finals series 4-1 over the Miami Heat, knocking them out in game 5, 104-87.
Kawhi Leonard ended with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and was crowned as the NBA finals' most valuable player (MVP). Tim Duncan scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Tony Parker, Patty Mills, and Manu Ginobili combined for 52 points.
Lebron James scored 31 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists. However, he got little support as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh struggled throughout the entire series. Wade had 11 points, while shooting 4-12 from the field, and Bosh recorded 13 points, while shooting 6-14 from the field. The trio put together a solid 1st quarter, but in the end we re-lived game 3 and 4 scenario where James was the only player who played to his abilities down on the throughout.
In the first quarter, the Spurs suffered from a cold shooting, and the Heat finally looked alive, as James had 17 points in the first quarter. The Heat ran out to a 22-6 lead and we wondered if Chris Bosh's prediction of a win in game 5 would come true.
The Spurs turned it upside down with a soul-crushing 2nd quarter where they outscored the Heat 25-11 to go from down 7 to up 7 at the half, 47-40. At that moment, Leonard had 15 points. The team was 28.6% from the field in the first quarter, and 50% in the second quarter.
The Spurs' momentum was carried over into the 3rd quarter, as the Spurs outscored the Heat by 30-18, and credit goes to the Spurs secondary player Patty Mills. Leonard and Mills took over the game, shooting 5-8 from 3-point range. Parker, who started 0-10 from the field, finished 7-7 to score 16 points. The Heat fell behind by 20 and had nothing left for a comeback. The final 17 point win and 4-1 series win was a proper conclusion to the Spurs' offseason misery after losing to the Heat last year.
Match Facts:
Kawhi Leonard, at age 22, is the youngest Finals MVP since Magic Johnson in 1982.
— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) June 16, 2014
DO NOT SLEEP on Tim Duncan, when talking about the all-time greats. pic.twitter.com/FMi0WMsZl0
— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) June 16, 2014
Duncan, Parker & Ginobili become first set of 3+ teammates to win 4 titles together since Magic, Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper & Kurt Rambis.
— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) June 16, 2014
And Tim Duncan is the second player in NBA history (John Salley) to win titles in three different decades. The man never stops.
— Quixem Ramirez (@quixem) June 16, 2014
Heat started 22-6. Since then, Spurs 50, Heat 20.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) June 16, 2014
Important Reactions:
Chris Bosh on these Spurs: "Best team I ever saw. Best team I ever played against."
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 16, 2014
Spoelstra: "Were a very good offensive team, but we weren't able to do much. You have to give credit to the Spurs."
— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) June 16, 2014
Pop: "It's somewhat still disbelief, but because they're such a great team, it really makes it worth it to us."
— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) June 16, 2014
"It's the sweetest one. It's unbelievable to win seven years ago and to come so close last year." Tony Parker on 2014 title
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 16, 2014
Game 5 Mini-movie:
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