The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 110-95 to take game one of the 2014 NBA Finals.
This game was back and forth the entire night. The Heat did a great job in forcing turnovers which led to easy points. But the Spurs execution was spot on tonight. Other than the turnovers, they were able to do what ever they wanted. Eventually that wore the Heat down and they were never able to come back.
Tim Duncan did an excellent job inside tonight. He scored 21 points including shooting nine of ten from the field. This series should be one that he dominates simply because of his ability to score from the post and the Heat’s lack of big men. Tonight Duncan also rebounded the ball as grabbed ten rebounds. Duncan also had a very nice contribution from his teammate Tony Parker. He was a very big factor in this game as he scored 19 points. But his scoring wasn’t the only positive for him tonight. Parker also racked up eight assists which were very big for the Spurs tonight. Duncan and Parker were huge tonight. For this series they have to continue playing at this level and or better to beat Miami.
Manu Ginobili also was huge for San Antonio off the bench. Ginobili was huge tonight as he contributed 11 assists. His passing is very important for San Antonio’s second unit. Tonight he was able to pass the ball for open shots. He struggled in the finals last season, but tonight really gave the Spurs a nice lift off the bench. He also scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds in 32 minutes tonight.
For the Heat, down the stretch they fell apart. LeBron James left midway through the fourth quarter with cramps and never returned. His absence was a factor, but San Antonio also played a flawless game in the fourth quarter. James did impact the game before he left as he scored 25 points. James was relentless in his ability to get to the basket, but in the end wore himself out.
Wade and Bosh also provided scoring for the Heat. Wade scored 19 points while Bosh scored 18 points. Those two scored, but the rest of the team has to contribute if they want to win a third straight championship.
The conditions of the game may have impacted the Heat tonight, but the Spurs also had to play through the same conditions. LeBron struggled with cramps in the series against the Pacers, so tonight was no surprise. This game was won by the Spurs. They executed late and took the Heat out of the game. Game two should be a very entertaining game with both teams wanting to win. That game will happen on Sunday night in San Antonio.
Photo Credit: Andrew D Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
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