The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here

[fastbreak]

Spurs advance to Finals, sweep Grizzlies 93-86



MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Go ahead and count out the San Antonio Spurs as simply too old to win another title with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich.

They're back anyway with the chance they've wanted so very much the past six years.

Parker scored 37 points in his best game this postseason, and the San Antonio Spurs finished off a sweep Monday night of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 93-86 win on Monday night for their fifth Western Conference title.

"It's a great feeling,'' Parker said as he sat with the Western Conference trophy perched in front of him.

"Since last year, I promised to him (Duncan) that we will go back, go back to the Finals and get an opportunity to win the whole thing and I'm trying to do my best, try to be aggressive every night. I think everybody on the team, we really want to do it for him. We win the West and now it's one more step. This is the hardest one.''

The Spurs now wait for either Miami or Indiana having swept two of their three opponents already this postseason, this the first sweep in a conference final since the Nets did it to Detroit in 2003. They also have won six straight in these playoffs, handing two straight losses to a team that had been undefeated on their own court in their best postseason in franchise history.

Memphis finished off its best season ever swept by the very same franchise that needed four games to knock them out of their first playoff appearance back in 2004.

"We will be back,'' Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said.

Parker had his best game this postseason as he hit 15 of 21 and all six at the free throw line earning the Spurs and Duncan plenty of rest before Game 1of the Finals on June 6.

"He's been amazing,'' Duncan said of Parker. "Every year he gets better and better and better. He's been carrying us. You can see tonight he carried us the entire game.''

Duncan hugged Ginobili before heading off the court, celebrating the chance at a title that slipped away a year ago when the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead to Oklahoma City losing four straight. The 37-year-old Duncan finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 11.

"We want to get back there,'' Duncan said of making the finals. "We've had some really close years where we fell right on the verge of getting back. It feels like forever since we've been there.''

Popovich said the fact they are back in the finals after a six-year drought is something he'll think about once he hits the bed, though he already felt pretty good.

"You don't expect that to happen maybe this late in the game with the same group,'' Popovich said. "It's tough to do, to maintain something that long. But it just shows the character of those three guys and their ability to play with whoever else is brought in around them. They deserve a lot of credit for that.''

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had talked about how his Grizzlies needed to dig deep for something they didn't know they had to take the first step back into this series. But they couldn't outshoot the Spurs and got beaten once again at their own inside game.

"We just never could gain control of the paint,'' Hollins said. "They controlled the paint.''

That the Spurs did as they shot 51.3 percent (39 of 76) from the floor and outscored Memphis 52-32 in the paint, even though the Grizzlies had a 41-34 edge on the boards. Memphis led only briefly and the last at 6-4 as the Spurs took control early.

Memphis stayed close only by getting to the free throw line, making more shots there (17 of 24) than San Antonio took (12 of 13). The Grizzlies also got a career-high 22 points from reserve Quincy Pondexter, 18 of those in the second half. Pondexter was the only player from Memphis to shoot over .500. Zach Randolph finished with 13, continuing his struggles at the line where he was 5 of 8, and Marc Gasol had 14.

"We learned that winning isn't easy and winning championships is one of the hardest things you can possibly do,'' Pondexter said. "I think our guys really dug deep to get as far as we did, and San Antonio's a tremendous team. We're going to take a couple pages out of their book.''

Duncan had taken care of the Grizzlies scoring the big points in overtime in each of the last two games. Parker took over this time as he hit 14 of his first 18 shots, and he hit the biggest shot with 9:15 left when he knocked down his lone 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of both Tony Allen and Randolph after Memphis gotten within 76-73 with fans sensing the most life out of the Grizzlies all night long.

Parker and Duncan took turns making buckets before Parker got hit in the eye by Gasol's outstretched hand after missing a shot. When Parker returned with 4:43 left, Gasol went over to him and Parker told him he was fine. Parker then hit a jumper with 4:13 remaining for an 89-81 lead.

"He was outstanding the whole series, and he controlled the series with his penetration,'' Hollins said of Parker. "He made shots, made plays. One game he has 18 assists, today he has 37 points. He was huge. But their team played well. You've got to give them credit.''

The Grizzlies made one last run and got within three one last time when Gasol scored on a runner in the lane with 48.7 seconds left at 89-86. But Parker hit four free throws in the final 29.7 seconds to seal the victory for San Antonio and its first Western Conference title since the Spurs' last NBA title in 2007.

The Spurs made it impossible for Memphis to get off to a quick start as they had more points in the paint (16) than the Grizzlies scored in the first quarter as San Antonio went up 24-14 shooting 52.4 percent (11 of 21).

The Spurs cooled off a bit in the second quarter, missing six of seven shots in a stretch. Memphis got into the bonus early, and the Grizzlies used the free throw line to keep San Antonio from doubling up its lead by hitting 8 of 10 at the line. Even Randolph, who has struggled mightily at the line in this series, breathed a sigh of a relief when his first attempt went down, and he knocked down two straight.

The Grizzlies also got a couple 3s from Bayless, the second after Memphis got its best break of the first half when officials called a 5-second call on the Spurs inbounding the ball. Danny Green missed his would-be buzzer beater, leaving the Spurs up just 44-38.

Gasol's frustration spilled over in the third quarter as he headed to the bench for a timeout when he smacked the press table with both hands. He also went to his knees when officials blew their whistles after he rebounded a miss. But Pondexter, who missed 23 games to a sprained left knee suffered Dec. 29 against Denver, kept the Grizzlies close almost singlehandedly as he scored 12 points in the third.

"We're going to be better because we played against, to me, one of the greatest teams there's been in the past 15 years,'' Gasol said.

Notes: Parker's previous best this postseason came in Game 3 when he had 32 points against Golden State in the semifinals. ... Teams are now 108-0 when leading a series 3-0. ... The Spurs now are 11-1 in closeout games since their last title in 2007. .. The Grizzlies had owner Robert Pera in the stands for only the second home game this season. ... The Spurs missed their first eight 3-pointers before Green finally hit in the third quarter.

 

[fastbreak]

Pacers get even with Miami after 99-92 victory



INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indiana Pacers played desperate Tuesday night.

They relentlessly attacked the basket, continually won the battle for loose balls, dominated the glass and, yes, turned the tables on Miami yet again.

Roy Hibbert finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, Lance Stephenson added 20 points, and the Pacers closed the game on a 16-6 run to pull away from the defending NBA champs for a 99-92 victory.

Just like that, the Eastern Conference finals are tied at 2 and the pressure has swung back to Miami.

"We're never going to give up. We're relentless,'' Hibbert said after another big game. "All those guys in there, they believe we can win. No matter what all the analysts or whoever says anything, they count us out, those guys in the locker room were ready to play and we went out and played our hearts out.''

Hibbert will get no argument from coach Frank Vogel, who challenged his team to bring it or go down swinging.

Indiana scored with punch after punch.

The Pacers revved up the crowd with an opening 11-0 run, got the Heat in foul trouble and answered every challenge Miami posed in a physical game that had bodies flying, tempers flaring and LeBron James stunned after fouling out of a playoff game for only the second time in his career.

Indiana believed this was the only way it could get back into the best-of-seven series after giving home-court advantage back to Miami two nights earlier.

The players promised to treat Game 4 as if they were playing a decisive seventh game, and it showed.

An angry Paul George uncharacteristically smacked the floor after being called for a foul in the third quarter, leading to a technical foul on Vogel that seemed to get Indiana refocused. The defense continually contested shots by James and his high-scoring teammates. The four-time MVP finished with 24points but was only 8 of 18 from the field. And Indiana reverted to its more typical style, holding a 49-30 rebounding advantage and outscoring Miami 50-32 in the paint.

"That's what the series is about, who can get to who and do it for longer periods of time. They kept us out of the paint,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We'll just have to do it better.''

The Heat now face a stunning must-win scenario Thursday night in Game 5 or come back to Indy for Game 6 fighting for their playoff lives.

Over the next 48 hours, the Heat will try to figure out what went wrong in a game full of oddities.

Chris Bosh crashed to the court clutching his right knee after a first-half collision. In the second half, he limped to the locker room after appearing to twist his right ankle on a foul call but returned a few minutes later trying to shake off the injury.

Dwyane Wade limped noticeably during the first half and wound up in foul trouble, too.

Miami's three All-Stars were a dismal 14 of 39 from the field, even though James spent part of the night being defended by Stephenson because of George's foul trouble. Bosh finished with seven points, Wade with 16 and no Miami starter had more than six rebounds.

"We had them right where we wanted them, but every time we would get a stop, especially in the fourth quarter, we didn't come up with the rebound,'' Bosh said. "It was there for us, but we didn't capitalize.''

Nobody was more frustrated than James, who was called for a technical foul in the first quarter and four fouls over the final 12 minutes - the last an offensive foul. After walking from one end of the court to the Miami bench, James sat disbelievingly on a press table and spent the final 56 seconds mumbling to the officials.

Again he promised to make amends.

"It was a couple of fouls that I didn't feel like were fouls, personal fouls on me, but that's how the game goes sometimes,'' James said.

Miami had its chances, but Indiana simply refused to back down.

When the Heat used a 9-0 run to take a 60-54 lead early in the third quarter, Indiana answered immediately with a 10-0 run to regain the lead. When James committed an offensive foul with 2 seconds left in the third quarter, his first turnover since the end of Game 2, the Pacers got a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Stephenson to make it 77-70.

When the Heat rallied in the fourth, charging back from an 81-72 deficit to take an 86-83 lead, the Pacers answered again. George drew a foul on James and wound up tying the score on a three-point play with 5:38 to go.

Ray Allen broke the tie with a 3 from the left wing late in the shot clock, but Indiana answered again. This time, David West made 1 of 2 free throws, Stephenson knocked down a 19-footer, Hibbert scored on a putback and then completed a three-point play to end the 7-0 run that gave Indiana a 94-89 lead with 90 seconds left.

Miami never got another chance to tie it.

"I just felt the guys showed a lot of fight,'' West said. "We've got a group of guys on this team that are full of heart. A tough group, willing to step up to the challenge. We knew this was a make-or-break game for us.''

Notes: West finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. .. Indiana is now 3-1 against Miami at home this season and 7-1 at home in the playoffs. ... Two days after shooting 54.5 percent against the Pacers, Miami was just 30 of 77 for 39 percent. ... Katie Stam, the 2009 Miss America from Indiana, sang the National Anthem.

 

[fastbreak]

James scores 30, Heat take Game 5, 90-79



MIAMI (AP) The game was very much in doubt. A sold-out arena was basically silent. The chance of getting back to the NBA Finals for a third straight year could have slipped away.

Cue LeBron James.

A third quarter for the ages by the four-time MVP turned the game, and perhaps the entire Eastern Conference finals, around. James scored 16 of his 30 points in the quarter, fueling what was a 20-point turnaround at one point, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 90-79 in Game 5 on Thursday night.

The Heat lead the series 3-2, with a chance to finish it off in Indiana on Saturday night and move on to a finals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.

"That's what I came here for, to be able to compete for a championship each and every year,'' James said. "I'm one step away from doing it once again. It's not promised. It's not promised at all. I made a tough decision. Obviously, I think we all know the story. I envisioned something that was bigger as far as a team ... and we've got an opportunity as a team, once again, for the third year straight to make a trip to the NBA Finals.''

Indiana was up 46-40 early in the third, surely sensing a chance to grab total control of the series. Over the next 11 minutes, the Heat outscored the Pacers 30-10, with James either scoring or accounting for 25 Miami points. He shot 7 for 10 in the third quarter; the Pacers shot 3 for 14. He had four rebounds in the quarter; the Pacers, as a team, grabbed six. He had four assists in the quarter; the Pacers had one.

"That's LeBron showing his greatness and making it look easy,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "What we talked about was doing whatever it takes and competing for each other without leaving anything out there. His engine in that third quarter was incredible. He was tireless, he was making plays on both ends of the court, rebounding, covering so much ground defensively and then making virtually every play for us offensively. It's really remarkable.''

James added eight rebounds and six assists, and Udonis Haslem made his last eight shots on the way to a 16-point night. Mario Chalmers scored 12 and Dwyane Wade added 10 for the Heat, who ousted the Pacers in six games in a second-round matchup last season and will look to do the same this time around, albeit one round deeper.

Paul George had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 22 points from Roy Hibbert and 17 from David West. The Pacers led by as many as seven at one point, but had no answer for the Heat in the third and now have to win back-to-back games - against a team that hasn't lost consecutive games since early January.

"I don't really know,'' Pacers coach Frank Vogel said, when asked if there's anything a team can do when James gets on a roll like the one he had in the third quarter. "He was pretty special tonight. There's no question about it. This whole team is special. It's one of the best teams that this league's ever seen and we're enjoying competing against them. We know we can beat them, but we've got to play better than we did tonight.''

Haslem said Juwan Howard threw a few things in the locker room and had a few choice words for teammates at halftime - "a lot of bleeps and stuff like that,'' Haslem said - and that James echoed the same remarks just before the start of the third.

"We had 24 minutes to play for our livelihoods,'' Haslem said. "And that's how we played in the second half.''

Haslem's first shot of the night was a complete brick, bouncing off the top of the backboard. He was perfect the rest of the way, including going 5 for 5 in the third.

For the second time in the series, Haslem - who has struggled with his shot for the better part of two years - finished 8 for 9.

"That burned us,'' Vogel said.

Haslem got past Hibbert easily and into the lane for a dunk that put Miami up 47-46, the first Heat lead since 4-2. The Pacers were back on top by a point with 6:58 left in the third when fighting words reappeared, on a play where George Hill was called for an offensive foul after getting caught pushing off on a drive. West angrily approached Chalmers after the play and both of those players, along with Haslem, got technicals when it was all said and done.

It clearly fired up Miami.

James and Haslem combined to score 18 of their team's 21 points in the final 6:04 of the third. Everything came on jump shots, including a 3-pointer from Chalmers, three jumpers averaging 20 feet from Haslem, and five more from James, including a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the quarter that put Miami up 70-56 and had him yelling at no one in particular as the arena roared.

"We didn't have enough fight,'' West said. "We stalled.''

George didn't sound overly impressed even after James' third-quarter numbers.

"He just came out and make some shots,'' George said. "You take away that third, and we're in the ballgame.''

As if this one needed any more buildup, there was plenty of news long before tipoff.

The NBA announced Thursday morning that it fined James, West and Lance Stephenson $5,000 each for flopping in Game 4, plus upgraded a foul that West committed against Wade in the fourth quarter of that game to a flagrant-1. Then Hibbert and West, speaking after Indiana's morning practice, said they have to protect their knees when Shane Battier is in the game for Miami, though neither flatly accused the Heat forward of dirty play.

And all that happened more than eight hours prior to game time.

Things didn't exactly calm down once the ball went into the air.

Indiana was blown out in Game 5 of a tied-up series at Miami last season, never holding the lead and losing by 32 points. This one took a much different tone from the outset, with the Pacers running out to a 15-9 lead that could have been worse for Miami given that West and Hibbert combined to miss three easy layups in the opening minutes.

"There's no question, we blew some opportunities in the first quarter,'' Vogel said.

George and Hibbert combined for all of Indiana's 23 points in the first quarter. Indiana's lead was four after the period, and when the second began, the reminders that these teams simply do not like each other started coming fast and furious.

Chris Andersen and Tyler Hansbrough needed to be separated early in the second, and both got technicals after Andersen appeared to hit Hansbrough twice, first with a shoulder and then with a two-hand shove. Andersen also picked up a flagrant-1 for his efforts, things cooled off a bit for the rest of the half, and Indiana went into the break up 44-40.

The Pacers then scored the first basket of the third.

After that, all Heat. Or more specifically, all James and Haslem, who put together a burst that the defending champions desperately needed.

"It's the playoffs,'' Wade said. "Shane Battier said this is when you feel alive, when your back's against the wall. ... You've got to go out there and play. This is what we prepared for all season.''

A year ago, the Heat lost Game 5 of the East finals to Boston, and needed a 45-point game from James in Game 6 just to extend their season.

Not this time.

The finals are now one win away.

"We were able to respond,'' James said.


NOTES: The last time Haslem had a 10-point third quarter was also against Indiana - but in March 2009. ... David Beckham was courtside near the Heat bench, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was courtside near the Pacers' bench. ... Hansbrough left in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle after falling over Battier, who was down on the court after going for a rebound. ... Both teams seemed a tad nervous in the opening moments. Wade had two airballs in the first quarter, Haslem had a jumper bounce off the top of the backboard, and Hill tossed an alley-oop that missed everybody and bounced off the backboard like a fastball.

 

[fastbreak]

Pacers even up series with 91-77 win over Heat



INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana staggered Miami with one more big punch Saturday night.

Now the Pacers have a fighting chance to pull off a stunning playoff upset.

Roy Hibbert did everything but pull out the boxing gloves in Game 6, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and continually contesting Miami's shots to help Indiana stave off elimination with an emphatic 91-77 victory over the defending champs.

Paul George scored 28 points, had eight rebounds and five assists, and the Pacers held Miami to 36.1 percent shooting as they booked a trip back to Miami for Game 7 on Monday night.

"Myself and David (West), we throw ourselves in the fray, in the paint. We like to muck it up,'' Hibbert said. "Paul and myself, we wanted to make sure we got this for him as well. We didn't want this to be our last game.''

It wasn't.

Instead, after winning their first division crown since 2004, the Pacers are one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history. They lost to the Lakers 4-2 in 2000. They haven't played a decisive seventh game in the conference finals since losing to Chicago in 1998.

And amazingly, they've done it this time against the defending champions who many considered virtually invincible after winning 27 straight during the regular season, finishing with a franchise-record 66 wins and having won 23 of their last 24 road games before losing Games 4 and 6 in Indianapolis.

But the Pacers have pushed four-time MVP LeBron James and his high-scoring, high-profile teammates to the brink of elimination by punching back, and Game 6 followed a familiar story line. The Pacers had a 53-33 rebounding advantage, outscored Miami 44-22 in the paint and limited Miami's shooters to 16 of 54, 29.6 percent, from inside the arc.

James led the Heat with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Nobody else scored more than 10.

How have the Pacers done it? With Hibbert controlling the inside after adding MMA training to his offseason regiment.

"Roy Hibbert is making extraordinary plays in the pocket, poise in the pocket we call it,'' coach Frank Vogel said. "He's getting paint catches and just having great poise, great reads. He's not plowing over guys. He had a charge in Game 5, but has been under control.''

It was everything an elimination game should be. The teams traded baskets and jabs, sometimes literally, and players ignored the bumps and bruises of yet another wrestling match that has made this tough-guy series compelling.

Both teams attacked the basket, sometimes with problematic results. Indiana missed about five dunk attempts in the first half and a series of short jumpers, too, costing them precious points.

The Heat struggled, meanwhile, starting the game just 3 of 22 from inside the 3-point line. Miami's Big Three - James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - went just 14 of 40. Excluding James, Miami managed only 16 baskets - eight 3s and eight 2s.

With Chris "Birdman'' Andersen suspended for the game because of a shoving incident with Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough on Thursday, the Heat couldn't keep up with Indiana's big rebounders inside. Even Lance Stephenson, who was not effective at Miami, finished with four points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

Indiana's loud crowd created a hostile atmosphere, too. Fans chanted "Heat Are Floppers!'' sporadically throughout the second half, urging the Pacers to play harder, to defend better and to make another trip home. The only way to do that is to win Game 7 and avoid a second straight playoff elimination at the hands of the Heat.

For Miami, the stakes were so high that when James was called for an offensive foul midway through the fourth quarter, he lost his cool. James protested by running from one end of the court to the other, drawing a technical foul, and when Miami assistant coach David Fizdale showed his support for the league's four-time MVP, it drew another technical.

George Hill answered by making free throws and Hibbert followed that with a layup, ending any chance of Miami making a late comeback.

James said he was trying to avoid an ejection and would up spending the last 66 seconds sitting a few seats down from the Heat bench cheering on his teammates.

"Explain it? You seen it. It was total domination by the Pacers in the third,'' James said when asked what happened to the league's most dominant team on Saturday. "They made a lot of shots, we didn't get too many stops and we missed some very, very easy shots.''

It was a complete reversal from Game 5, when Miami took control by outscoring the Pacers 30-13 in the third.

This time, against one of the league's top offensive teams, the Pacers gave up only six points in the first eight minutes of the quarter, using a 14-2 run to turn a 40-39 halftime deficit into a 66-49 lead with 1:15 left in the quarter. Hibbert scored nine in the quarter.

Miami did close to within 68-55 after three, but it was too big a deficit to overcome - even with James running the show.

"They just flat-out beat us in every facet of the game. They just outclassed us in that (third) quarter,'' Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The Heat rallied early in the fourth, taking advantage of Indiana's 1 for 6 start from the field. When Mike Miller hit back-to-back 3s, the Pacers' lead was down to 70-64 and when James scored on a layup with 5:54 to play, the Heat were within 72-68.

But the run ended abruptly when George hit a 3, Miami's Joel Anthony was called for a loose ball foul on the offensive end and David West grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a dunk to extend the lead to 77-68. Then came the technical flurry that finished it off.

West scored 11 points and had 14 rebounds despite playing with an upper respiratory infection that prompted Vogel to send him home early from the Pacers' morning shootaround.

He played with a fighter's mentality and gave the Pacers one more shot at the champs.

"We've come too far not to play,'' West said. "I'm not feeling good now although this win helps. I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow and I'll be ready for Monday.''

Notes: Miami matched its season-low point total (77), which also occurred against the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Jan. 8. ... Miami finished the season 1-4 at Indiana, losing twice in the regular season and twice in the playoffs. ... After the game, Hibbert criticized the media for not recognizing the Pacers as a good team - using a foul two-word expletive that will almost certainly draw a fine from the league. ... Former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine performed the National Anthem on a harmonica.

 

[fastbreak]

Heat off to Finals, beat Pacers 99-76 in Game 7



MIAMI (AP) Their season, their legacy, their reign atop the NBA was all at stake, and the Miami Heat responded in a manner befitting defending champions - with a blowout.

LeBron James scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds, ailing Dwyane Wade matched his postseason high with 21 points, and the Heat ran away from the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference series on Monday night.

In the NBA Finals for the third straight year, the Heat will play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 on Thursday in Miami.

"They're just an amazing group of guys,'' Heat managing general partner Micky Arison said after handing the East trophy to Chris Andersen. "They've given us an incredible season so far, but it's a long way from over.''

It could have ended on Monday, of course. The Heat had alternated wins and losses with the Pacers in the first six games of the series, and were coming off their worst offensive outing of the year in Game 6.

They responded with a rout, despite shooting just under 40 percent, well below their norm.

"By any means necessary ... we took care of business,'' James said.

Miami led by as many as 28 points, a shocking amount for a series that had an aggregate score of Heat 569, Pacers 564 entering Monday night. The Heat actually trailed by six in the early going, were still down 21-19 after the first quarter and it was starting to look like it was starting to look like one of those down-to-the-wire nights.

Not even close.

"You never want to take anything for granted,'' Wade said. "Being here three straight years in a row, going back to the finals, is an amazing feat. I'm just glad we were able to do it. Everything that happened in the first six games didn't mean anything to us. It was about tonight. It was about Game 7. It was about finding a way to win here at home.''

James exited with 5:08 left, shaking retired soccer star David Beckham's hand as he made his way to the Heat bench for a relatively subdued celebration. Not long afterward, security personnel started what's become a familiar task in Miami - surrounding the court and stretching out a yellow rope, preparing to hold people at bay for the looming on-court trophy presentation.

More than a few people didn't stick around to see the East title formally presented. After all, it's an all-or-nothing season for the Heat - and this trophy isn't the one that will satisfy them.

Ray Allen added 10 points for Miami, which earned its 78th victory of the season, matching the 11th-best, single-season total in NBA history.

"It's just a privilege to be with this great team, great teammates, and we have another opportunity to go back to where we are,'' Heat forward Chris Bosh said. "You never really want to get it out of the way too much. Game 7's don't happen too often. We enjoyed it and now we have to move on.''

Roy Hibbert scored 18 points for the Pacers, who got 14 from David West, 13 from George Hill and 10 from Lance Stephenson. All-Star Paul George was held to seven points on 2-for-9 shooting and fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

George was the last Indiana player on the floor as Miami prepped for its postgame celebration, shaking any hand he could find before being walked toward the visiting locker room by Pacers coach Frank Vogel, who slung an arm over his star's shoulder.

His time will likely come - someday.

Not yet, though. Not with this Miami team built for titles. It's the fourth trip to the finals for the Heat, who won the title in 2006 and have now been there all three years of the "Big Three'' era, falling to Dallas in 2011 and then topping Oklahoma City in five games last year.

"The great thing is we're a young team and we are past the building stage,'' George said. "This is really our first year tasting success. The rate we are going, we see championships soon.''

They're getting closer. A second-round loss to Miami in six games last year was followed by a seven-game, conference-finals exit this time around.

Still, they'll be watching the title round.

"Everybody in this country knows who the Indiana Pacers are now,'' Vogel said. "And we represent all the right things - class, character, hard work, old-school basketball, playing the game the right way. We represented our franchise, our city and our state extremely, extremely well, and we have a lot to be proud of.''

Miami went 2-0 against San Antonio this season, though neither of those games should be considered harbingers of what's ahead. The Spurs rested four regulars in the first meeting, the Heat were without three injured starters in the second matchup.

"It's crazy that it worked out this way,'' Wade said.

James delivered an inspirational address of sorts to his team Monday morning, publicly revealing no details of what he said afterward other than insisting that the Heat would be ready.

He was right. After 5 minutes, it was 12-6 Indiana. After that, the rest of the half was pretty much all Miami.

Once the Pacers cooled off a bit, the Heat immediately went into pull-away mode. Over the final 19 minutes of the half, Miami's edge was 46-25. Over the final 11 minutes, it was 33-14, as James and Allen outscored the Pacers by themselves.

Allen did less pregame shooting than usual on Monday. He was at the arena several hours before game time - as is his custom - and got in a pregame workout, but once he found a groove, he decided that was enough. And after going 13 for 46 in the first six games of the series, the NBA's career leader in 3-pointers had to believe that he was simply overdue to get going.

His first shot on Monday was a 3-pointer that connected, giving the Heat a 26-23 lead.

The Heat never trailed again.

"We just focused on every possession, trying to get stops, play Miami Heat defense, create havoc,'' James said. "I thought we did that tonight.''

By halftime, it was 52-37, with James scoring 18 points, Bosh and Wade combining for 17 and Allen adding 10 more. And what had to be most troubling to the Pacers at halftime was their 15 turnovers, a number Vogel said earlier Monday would spell trouble if his team committed that many in the entire game.

And in the third, the run the Pacers so desperately needed never arrived.

Indiana was still within 13 with 3:37 left in the period when Hibbert picked up his fourth foul. Ordinarily, that would mean someone goes to the bench, though Game 7 on the road for a trip to the finals hardly could be classified as an ordinary occasion.

So Vogel - who was second-guessed for not having Hibbert on the floor for the final moments in overtime of Game 1, when James got to the rim easily for a game-winning layup - left his center out there with four fouls.

Barely a minute later, it backfired. Hibbert picked up his fifth late in the third, and George got to five fouls by getting whistled twice in the final 46.1 seconds of the quarter.

By then, the outcome was obvious.

It was Miami's night.

"We'll enjoy this,'' Spoelstra said, "for a short period of time.''

NOTES: Miami's Norris Cole and Indiana's Jeff Pendergraph were ejected with 2:17 left after exchanging some heated words. ... The Heat kept struggling Shane Battier on the bench, with Mike Miller getting his minutes. ... .Andersen's streak of 18 straight field goals made (he had been 15 for 15 in the series) was snapped in the first half. ... Beckham, who is deciding whether he wants to bring a Major League Soccer team to Miami, was seated next to the Heat bench for the second straight game. Justin Bieber and Flo Rida were also in the crowd, as was reigning American League MVP Miguel Cabrera. ... The Pacers fell to 2-4 all-time in Game 7s, including 0-4 in road editions of winner-take-all games to decide the Eastern Conference title. ... Hibbert did not elaborate Monday about his comments that drew a $75,000 fine after Game 6, saying he wanted to focus on basketball instead.

 

[fastbreak]

Spurs rally to stun Heat in Game 1 of NBA Finals



MIAMI (AP) The San Antonio Spurs still have that winning NBA Finals formula of good defense and a little luck on offense.

Tim Duncan overcame a slow start to finish with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Tony Parker banked in a desperation jumper on a broken play with 5.2 seconds left and the Spurs withstood LeBron James' triple-double to beat the Miami Heat 92-88 on Thursday night in a thrilling Game 1.

Parker ended up with 21 points after referees reviewed his shot to make sure it just beat the shot clock, giving San Antonio a four-point edge in the game that was close the whole way.

"We got a little bit lucky in Game 1,'' Parker said. "Sometimes that's what it takes to win games.''

Playing for the championship for the first time since sweeping James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 for their fourth title, the Spurs improved to 5-for-5 in Game 1s, hanging around for three quarters and then blowing by the defending champions midway through the fourth.

Manu Ginobili, the third member of San Antonio's Big Three that has combined for 99 postseason victories together, finished with 13 points, and Danny Green had 12.

"It doesn't matter how we're categorized - old, veterans, whatever you call us, we're in the mix,'' the 37-year-old Duncan said.

San Antonio turned up its defense in the fourth quarter, limiting Miami to seven points in the first 8 1/2 minutes in returning to the finals just the way it left - with a victory over James.

James had 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in his second straight NBA Finals triple-double, but he shot only 7 of 16 against some good defense by Kawhi Leonard, and Miami's offense stalled in the fourth quarter.

"The Spurs are the Spurs,'' James said. "They're going to put you in positions where you feel uncomfortable offensively and defensively, and every time you make a mistake, they're going to capitalize on it.''

Game 2 is Sunday night.

James became a champion on this floor last year in Game 5 against Oklahoma City, but he hasn't forgotten his first taste of the finals.

The Spurs overwhelmed his Cavaliers and James spoke Wednesday like someone who had payback in mind. He was 22 then, a fourth-year player headed for greatness but with holes in his game that San Antonio exploited.

Revenge won't come easily - if it comes at all.

Dwyane Wade scored 17 points for the Heat but was shut out in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh had only two of his 13 in the final period.

James shot an airball on a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt, then was soon back to the step-in-front- of-him-at-your-own-risk force that has made him the game's best player.

But San Antonio handled that and everything else Miami did, even while only shooting 42 percent from the field.

"This is a hell of a game to play because both teams are so good offensively and defensively,'' Bosh said. "You can't have any letdowns.''

Forced to seven grueling games by the rugged Indiana Pacers in the East finals, the Heat clearly enjoyed the more wide-open flow of this game, making 18 of their first 30 shots. But the Spurs' defense simply got better as the game went along, forcing Miami into five turnovers in the final quarter.

"I thought we were a little fatigued honestly in the fourth quarter,'' Wade said. "Looking around, we looked like a team that came off a seven-game series.''

Miami outshot and outrebounded San Antonio in the first half, yet led only 52-49. The Heat stayed ahead until Parker's free throws gave San Antonio a 77-76 edge with 7:47 remaining. James set up Bosh for a jumper on the next possession for his 10th assist, but Leonard made a follow shot and Parker turned James' turnover into a spinning layup and an 81-78 lead exactly halfway through the fourth.

"We were just trying to hang,'' Parker said. "In the third quarter, the same thing. In the fourth quarter we finally made some stops and made a couple of big shots.''

The lead grew to seven, but Miami was back within two and appearing ready to get the ball back when Parker lost control of the ball and his balance as the clock was set to expire. He gathered the ball and his footing, turning and tossing it in as the light above the basket turned red.

"Tony's shot is one of those things that happens sometimes,'' Ginobili said. "We got lucky today.''

It was an entertaining start to a matchup that seemed years in the making between perennial contenders, the Spurs making their fifth appearance and the Heat their fourth. Commissioner David Stern called it "probably the most anticipated finals in who knows, 30 years,'' likely more a bit of hyperbole in his final state of the league address than a comment meant to slight fans of the Celtics, Lakers, or Michael Jordan's Bulls.

It came with the promise of beautiful basketball between two fluid offenses who were built differently but share common beliefs and a healthy respect.

The Spurs value system over stardom, never asking for attention - and too often not getting it.

The Heat have been never been out of the spotlight from the moment James and Bosh showed up to join Wade, James vowing multiple titles as lights flashed and music boomed, showing they were going to be loud and impossible to ignore.

The Heat have a assembled a deep supporting cast loaded with 3-point shooters that turned them into a 66-win powerhouse this season, sending the Spurs to the finals in the unfamiliar role of underdog.

They handled it just fine.

The Spurs hadn't played since May 27, when they finished off a sweep of Memphis in the Western Conference finals, and even coach Gregg Popovich said he didn't know what to expect.

San Antonio turned it over on its first possession, leading to Wade's fast-break dunk. Then the Spurs ran off nine straight points, showing the rest helped more than any rust hurt.

Only Duncan, who has remained among the NBA's best, looked out of sync. He missed all five shots in the first quarter before going to the bench late in the period with his second foul.

The Heat had a 38-29 lead by the time he returned, and he quickly got on the board with an inside basket en route to a 12-point second quarter.

Back in the arena where James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in last year's closeout game, fans arrived to white shirts reading "Witness Miami'' draped over their seats.

The Miami fans didn't like what they witnessed, many leaving as referees reviewed Parker's shot.

Notes: Duncan joined Elgin Baylor, A.C. Green and John Salley as the only players in NBA history to make a Finals appearance in three decades. Salley is the only one to win titles in three decades. ... The teams combined for 12 turnovers, tying the record for the fewest in a playoff game. San Antonio had just four. ... Eleven of the Spurs' 15 players were making their finals debuts. Only Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Matt Bonner were on the 2007 team. ... The Spanish national soccer team was at the game, along with former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, whose No. 13 jersey is retired in the arena.

 

[fastbreak]

Heat beat Spurs in Game 2 to tie NBA Finals



MIAMI (AP) 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.

For two days following Game 1, the thought was that James needed to do more for his teammates. Turns out, it was Chalmers and the supporting cast who did something for James.

"Honestly, for me, when I was struggling offensively, my teammates continued to keep it in range,'' James said. " And we even had a lead at one point, especially late in the second quarter when we made that run and I was struggling a little bit.

"So I think Rio more than anybody kept us aggressive, him getting into the paint, him getting those and-ones and making a couple of 3s. It allowed me to sit back and wait for my time.''

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.

"In the second half they just run us over,'' the Spurs' Manu Ginobili said. "We didn't move the ball at all. Their pressure really got us on our heels.''

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

"We didn't play well. We didn't shoot well. I know I played awfully,'' Duncan said. "Whatever it may be, they responded better than us. So hopefully we can look forward to this Game 3 and regain some of our composure.''

James insisted he wouldn't force himself to do more after he had a triple-double in Game 1 but never seized the opportunity to take control of the scoring as the game was slipping away from the Heat.

He didn't need to. Not with Chalmers making big shots, the Heat's defense forcing the Spurs to look shaky all over the floor, and a barrage of second-half 3-pointers.

James finally got some openings late, hanging from the rim an extra second not long after a sensational blocked shot freed him up for a fast break.

The often-maligned Chalmers is frequently found in Heat highlights being yelled at by James or another Miami veteran. But he's as cocky as any of the superstars in Miami, and he has the big-moment plays to back up his bravado, from a tying shot for Kansas in the 2008 NCAA championship game to his 25 points in Game 4 of last year's finals.

"You have to have guts to play with our guys. If you don't, you get swallowed up,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The good thing about it is the other guys were fine with him making plays.''

The point guard sparked the Heat late in the third, after San Antonio had taken a 62-61 lead. He converted two three-point plays, Allen and Mike Miller nailed 3-pointers, and James made only his third field goal of the game during a 14-3 finishing spurt that sent Miami to the fourth with a 75-65 advantage.

They opened the fourth with nine straight points to make it 84-65, and capped the run at 94-67 when James made a 3-pointer, erasing any chance of their first two-game losing streak in five months.

"We were just a little bit more active today,'' Bosh said. "We really just made an emphasis to continue to try to corral them.''

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.

The unrecognizable play continued, Parker firing passes on the pick-and-roll right into a Heat player's leg on multiple occasions and even getting yanked barely three minutes into the third quarter after his struggles continued.

The Spurs responded with seven straight points without him to get back within one. But by the end of the period, it was Chalmers who was the best point guard on the floor.

The Heat dropped Game 1 in last year's finals, and the first two to Dallas in 2006 before going on to win both titles. But those early deficits came on the road, so Dwyane Wade said Sunday's game was a "must-win game'' for the Heat.

They arrived to white shirts hanging on the seats that read "Larry loves Miami'' with a picture of the Larry O'Brien trophy that goes to the NBA champion.

Larry's not leaving, not if the Heat keep playing like this.

They looked as good as ever in the final 15 minutes of their 100th game of the season, pouring it on and leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich often standing with his arms folded on the sideline, with no answers and no way of slowing down the Heat speedsters.

San Antonio had its seven-game postseason winning streak snapped, as well as a six-game NBA Finals win streak that dated to the 2005 finals.

Duncan, who started 0 of 5 in the opener before finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds, began 1 for 5 in this one. But he never got untracked, though part of the problem was the Spurs' inability to get him the ball enough because of their turnovers.

Wade finished with 10 points and six assists. Miami committed just six turnovers.

Notes: The Spurs remained at 131 playoff wins, two back of the Lakers for most in the NBA since 1997, when Duncan was drafted. ... Clippers veteran Chauncey Billups, a former NBA Finals MVP, was chosen Sunday as the first winner of the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. It was named for Maurice Stokes, who was paralyzed in an on-court accident in 1958, and teammate Jack Twyman, who became Stokes' legal guardian and watched over him for 12 years until Stokes died in 1970.

 

[fastbreak]

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



SAN ANTONIO (AP) 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.

Duncan bounced back from his worst game ever in the finals, and the Spurs' combination of fresh faces and old reliables dominated the NBA's winningest team before an eager crowd that hadn't seen the finals here since 2007.

"It shouldn't be a surprise,'' said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "These are the last two teams standing. I don't think either one of them is going to get down if they have a bad night.''

The Spurs were as good as fans remembered in the old days, shutting down James until they had built a huge lead late in the third quarter.

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.

"Honestly, I just have to play better,'' James said. "I can't have a performance like tonight and expect to win.''

Game 4 is Thursday here, where the Heat are 3-22 in the regular season and so far zero wins and one really bad beating in the postseason.

"We got what we deserved,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I didn't even recognize the team that was out there tonight.''

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.

They were fine, but the lesser-knowns were better.

Parker and Ginobili combined for 14 assists, but the bigger story was the guys who had never played on this stage before.

- Neal, who went undrafted after playing for LaSalle and Towson, then playing overseas for three seasons in Italy, Spain and Turkey.

-Green, who had been cut multiple times - including by James' Cavaliers - and now has the shot to stick.

-Leonard, the draft-night trade acquisition from San Diego State who played the NBA's four-time MVP to a stalemate.

"It's a dream come true,'' Neal said. "Me and Danny both went through a lot of stuff together. We were guys that showed up two hours before practice started to get shots up and to prove to the coaching staff that we belong, and we're going to do whatever we need to do to get minutes.

"So me and Danny, we were able to play great tonight.''

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.

The Spurs seized it right back, improving to 18-7 in the finals, the best winning percentage of any team with 20 or more games.

A brief flurry by James had Miami within 15 after three quarters, but Neal, Green and Leonard combined on a 13-0 run to open the fourth, Green's 3-pointer making it 91-63.

"All of my teammates and Pop. They do a great job of encouraging me. They continue to tell me to shoot the ball. They continue to tell me whenever I'm open, to let it fly,'' Green said.

The NBA hadn't made its way along San Antonio's River Walk this late in the season since 2007, and fans couldn't wait to have the Spurs back. They sang and danced and clapped around the concourse and in their seats, as if their favorite rock band had returned for a concert.

And they were thrilled to see the Duncan they recognized from his first 24 finals appearances.

He got right on the board in this one, with a short jumper 20 seconds into the game. The Spurs, who had played from behind most of the series, had a 24-20 lead after making 11 of 18 shots in the first quarter.

Duncan hit a pair of three throws and another basket, and after a jumper by Neal, he threw a long outlet to Leonard for a dunk that made it 40-30.

Neal's 3 made it 43-32, but Miller hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 12-1 run that tied it at 44 with 37 seconds in the half, the Heat appearing set to go into the half with momentum. But Parker drilled a 3 from the corner, and after Green blocked James' shot, the Spurs rushed it up for a 3-pointer by Neal that fell at the buzzer, the reserve guard pointing back toward his defenders before the Spurs headed to the locker room with a 50-44 advantage.

The party played on all right, with a huge roar when Tracy McGrady, a former perennial All-Star now in his first finals appearance as a member of the Spurs' bench, checked in midway through the fourth quarter. He was scoreless with three assists.

James started 2 for 13, then made his final four shots of the third as the Heat got within 13 before Ginobili fired a nifty pass to Tiago Splitter under the basket for a score with 0.1 seconds remaining, making it 78-63 and setting the stage for the big fourth-quarter finish.

"They came out in the third quarter and they kicked our butt pretty good and frustration started to set in,'' the Heat's Dwyane Wade said.

It was a potentially pivotal victory for the Spurs in their quest to go 5 for 5 in the finals. Since the NBA Finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985, the Game 3 winner when the series was tied 1-1 has gone on to win 12 of the 13 titles - though the Heat were the lone one that didn't, in 2011.

Notes: The previous NBA Finals record for a team was 14 3-pointers, held by three teams. ... Miami's first victory in San Antonio came on Dec. 23, 1996, in its 11th try. David Robinson broke his left foot in the second quarter of the Heat's 90-79 victory, missed the rest of the season, and the Spurs fell into the lottery, which they ended up winning so they could take Duncan with the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft.

 

[Blade]

When season over? Never follow..

 

[fastbreak]

Big 3 help Heat even NBA Finals with Spurs



SAN ANTONIO (AP) 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.

"It was on our shoulders,'' James said. "We had to figure out how to win the game for us and play at the highest level. When all three of us are clicking we're very tough to beat.''

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.

And just like they have for the last five months, the Heat bounced back from a loss with a victory. They are 12-0 after defeats since Jan. 10, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 20 points in the previous 11 victories.

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.

James insisted he would be better after shooting 7 of 21 from the field with no free throws in that game, saying he was the star and it was his job to lead his team. He was 15 of 25 on Thursday.

But while James - and millions of critics worldwide - wanted to pile all the pressure on the league's MVP, it was Wade on Wednesday who said it was the Heat's three All-Stars who had to lead them together, or there would be no championship.

He was right. And now those championship hopes are right back on track.

"It was all about myself, Chris and LeBron coming out and leading this team to a victory,'' Wade said.

"The thing we talked about is we all have to make an impact in this game, somehow, some way.''

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.

"They play very aggressive defense,'' Parker said. "They gamble and they take a lot of chances, and tonight it worked.''

The Heat guaranteed they will get at least one more game on their home floor. Game 6 will be Tuesday night, where they could have a chance to celebrate a second straight championship.

The revelry in south Florida was marred Thursday by an accident in which the deck behind a popular sports bar collapsed during the game, spilling patrons into Biscayne Bay. Miami Dade Fire Chief David Downey said 24 people were transported to area hospitals, and that two people were in serious condition.

"We share our concerns for all that was injured at Shuckers restaurant,'' Wade said as he started his postgame news conference.

Wade, battling right knee pain throughout the spring, helped the Heat put it away in the fourth quarter. He followed a basket with a steal and dunk, pushing the lead to 90-81, and after he made another jumper, Bosh scored the next six Heat points, taking the load off of James.

"We're not going to put him on an island,'' Bosh said. "He's never alone. We're out there with him.''

The Heat switched their lineup, inserting Mike Miller, who made 10 of his 11 shots, going 9 of 10 on 3-pointers, in the first three games of the series. They changed uniforms, too, switching from their road reds to their blacks.

The only change they really needed was in the performances of their Big Three.

James called it a "must-win'' and it probably was: No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

And the way their three stars played, they couldn't lose.

The Heat blocked shots, made stops, and occasionally flopped, playing with renewed aggression after what coach Erik Spoelstra called a "miserable'' day of watching and analyzing their passive performance from Tuesday.

They still haven't lost two in a row since Jan. 8 and 10.

Parker played through a strained right hamstring, shooting 7 of 16, but the Spurs couldn't match the Heat's speed.

After the teams traded blowouts in the previous two games, momentum swung wildly in a first half that ended tied at 49. San Antonio raced to a quick 10-point lead, fell behind by 10 with 7 minutes left in the half, then finished with an 11-2 spurt sparked by reserve Boris Diaw. Bosh dove for a dunk that came just after the buzzer, Spurs owner Peter Holt waving it off from his seat along the sideline.

James rocked back and forth during the national anthem, a bundle of energy ready to get going. It took a few minutes after the game started, but he began playing with the speed and power that can make him unguardable, grabbing rebounds on defense and rushing the ball up the floor himself to get the Heat into their offense.

He and Wade combined to make 10 of 11 shots and score 21 points in the first quarter, helping the Heat erase their early 10-point deficit to go ahead 29-26.

Popovich even lit into Duncan during an early second-quarter timeout with Miami on its way to a 41-31 advantage, but the Spurs had it back to even by the time the teams headed to the locker room.

Notes: Sebastien De La Cruz, an 11-year-old mariachi singer, sang the national anthem again after his Game 3 performance set off a barrage of racist tweets by what Popovich called "idiots.'' Popovich and Spoelstra congratulated him at midcourt after his performance, which earned him a rousing ovation. ... James passed Hakeem Olajuwon (3,755 points) and John Havlicek (3,776) to move into ninth place in career playoff scoring. James has 3,777.

 

[fastbreak]

Manu Ginobili sparks Spurs to Game 5 win



SAN ANTONIO (AP) 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.

"He's such a huge part of what we do and how far we've come. You can see it tonight in how we played and the results of the game,'' Duncan said. "We're always confident in him. ... we know he has it in him. We hope he can bring it forward for one more win.''

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.

One more victory and the Spurs' Big Three, not Miami's, will be the one that rules the NBA.

And a big reason was Ginobili, as he's been for so long - just not during what had been a miserable series for the former Sixth Man of the Year.

"I was angry, disappointed,'' Ginobili said. "We are playing in the NBA Finals, we were 2-2, and I felt I still wasn't really helping the team that much,'' Ginobili said. "And that was the frustrating part.''

On Sunday, it was all forgotten.

"He's obviously very popular. He's been here a long time. He's helped us have a lot of success over the years,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

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.

Miami's Big Three formed a few weeks after that game, with predictions of multiple titles to follow. Now they're a loss away from going just 1 for 3 in finals to start their partnership, while the Spurs could run their perfect record to 5 for 5.

"This is the position we're in and the most important game is Game 6,'' James said. "We can't worry about a Game 7, we have to worry about Game 6.''

Duncan won his first title in 1999, and Parker and Ginobili were with him for three championships since. They have been the perfect partnership, keeping the Spurs in the hunt virtually every year while teams like the Lakers, Mavericks and Suns have all risen and fallen in the Western Conference during that time.

They remained unbeaten in Game 5s, including two previous victories when the series was tied at 2-2. Of the 27 times the finals have been tied at 2-2, the Game 5 winner has won 20 of them.

Miami was the most recent loser, falling to Dallas in Game 5 in 2011 before being eliminated at home the next game.

"We're going to see if we're a better ballclub and if we're better prepared for this moment,'' Wade said.

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.

"They just absolutely outplayed us,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "At times they were just picking one guy out at a time and going at us mano-a-mano. That's got to change.''

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.

The Heat were within one with 3:05 left in the third before Green hit yet another 3-pointer and Ginobili followed with the stretch that turned the game into the fourth straight blowout of the finals.

The crafty lefty plays with a flair developed on the courts of Argentina and perfected in Europe before coming to the NBA. He sees angles other players can't and takes risks few others would, but his style has been the perfect fit alongside Duncan and Parker.

He converted a three-point play, tossed in a floater with his left hand as he drifted right, and found Tiago Splitter under the hoop with a pass to make it 85-74. He flipped in another runner with 2.9 seconds to go, sending the Spurs to the fourth with an 87-75 lead as fans chanted "Manu! Manu!'' during the break between the third and fourth quarters.

Ginobili had been averaging just 7.5 points on 34.5 percent shooting in the series, making only three of his 16 3-point attempts. But Popovich made the finals' second lineup change in two games, after the Heat inserted Mike Miller to start Game 4.

Ginobili didn't make a start this season and certainly hadn't been playing like someone who belonged with the first five. But in the Spurs' biggest game of the season, they remained confident he would break out, and they were right.

"I knew that I was not scoring much and I felt it in the air. But I tried not to care about it. I know I'm critical enough of myself to be worrying about what other people say,'' Ginobili said.

It was the first time he scored 24 or more points since having 34 on June 4, 2012, against Oklahoma City, according to STATS.

The AT&T Center crowd roared when Ginobili was the last starter announced, the cheers growing louder when he made a jumper - originally ruled a 3-pointer but later overturned by replay - on the first possession. He assisted on the Spurs' next three baskets, and it was 15-10 when he later hit a 3 that did count.

Parker picked it up from there, dancing his way into the lane repeatedly and scoring seven points in a 12-0 run that made it 29-17. Leonard's 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left, on an assist from Ginobili, made it 32-19 and gave the Spurs 12 makes in 19 attempts (63 percent) in the opening 12 minutes.

Green's third straight 3-pointer made it 45-28 about 5 minutes into the second quarter, and it seemed the trend of blowouts would continue. But James suddenly got rolling during a 14-2 Miami spurt that cut it to five on his third consecutive Heat basket.

San Antonio made 21 of 34 shots (62 percent) in the first half, opening a 61-52 lead on Parker's drive with 0.4 seconds left.

Miami then ran off eight in a row to start the second half and get within one. They cut it to one again later in the period before Ginobili led the flurry that finished the Heat for good.

It was a fitting finish if it was the last home game in the finals for San Antonio's star trio, which has combined for 101 playoff victories together. Ginobili has said he might think about retirement as he turns 36 next month, and Duncan is 37.

Both coaches said it was difficult waiting two days between games - Popovich said it was "like death'' - though he did say it was great for the Spurs because they have some older players.

The break seemed to help his team early, particularly Parker, whose energy sagged in the second of Game 4 as he struggled with a strained hamstring that he said could tear at any time and would've had him sidelined during the regular season.

If things fall right for the Spurs, he'll have plenty of time to heal after Tuesday.

Notes: The last team to lose Game 5 of a 2-2 series and then win the title was the Los Angeles Lakers, when they beat Boston in 2010. ... The Spurs said Sunday that reserve guard Patty Mills had surgery to remove an abscess Friday and would miss the rest of the series. Mills had an infection in his right foot and the abscess developed between his fourth and fifth toes.

 

[fastbreak]

James, Heat beats Spurs 103-100 in OT; Game 7 next



MIAMI (AP) LeBron James saved a championship reign, canceled a celebration.

The toughest part now might be topping this performance in Game 7.

"It's by far the best game I've ever been a part of,'' James said.

He wouldn't let the Miami Heat lose it - or their NBA title.

If the San Antonio Spurs want that, they'll have to fight just a little harder to get it. One last game, winner take all.

James powered Miami to a frantic fourth-quarter rally and overtime escape as the Heat beat the Spurs 103-100 on Tuesday night to extend the NBA Finals as far as they can go and keep Miami's repeat chances alive.

Losing his headband but keeping his cool while playing the entire second half and overtime, James finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, making the go-ahead basket with 1:43 remaining in the extra period.

So close to being eliminated that they noticed officials bringing yellow tape out to block off the court for the Spurs' trophy presentation, the Heat hit a couple of big 3-pointers, got some defensive stops, and did everything else that makes great teams champions.

"We seen the championship board already out there, the yellow tape. And you know, that's why you play the game to the final buzzer,'' James said. "And that's what we did tonight. We gave it everything that we had and more.''

Tim Duncan scored 30 points for the Spurs, his most in an NBA Finals game since Game 1 in 2003, but was shut out after the third quarter. He added 17rebounds.

Game 7 will be here Thursday, the NBA's first do-or-die matchup to determine its champion since the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010.

"They're the best two words in sports: Game 7,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

And two the Spurs were oh-so-close to avoiding.

They looked headed to a fifth title in five chances when they built a 13-point lead with under 4 minutes left in the third quarter, then grabbed a five-point edge with 28 seconds left in regulation after blowing the lead.

But James hit a 3-pointer and Ray Allen tied it with another. Just 5.2 seconds remained in regulation. The Heat were that close to the edge.

"It's a tough moment. We were a few seconds away from winning the championship and we let it go,'' Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili said. "A couple rebounds we didn't catch, a tough 3 by Ray and a couple missed free throws. It's a very tough moment.''

James was just 3 of 12 after three quarters, the Heat trailing by 10 and frustration apparent among the players and panic setting in among the fans.

Nothing to worry about. Not with James playing like this.

He finished 11 of 26, even making a steal after his basket had given Miami a 101-100 edge in the OT.

Somewhere in there, early in the fourth quarter, James lost his familiar headband. He couldn't remember exactly when or how. Nor was it particularly important to him.

Losing the game would have been far worse.

"I guess the headband was the least of my worries at that point,'' James said.

Before that, he had been 12 minutes from hearing the familiar criticisms about not being able to get it done, from having to watch a team celebrate on his home floor again.

Then he changed the game and erased that story.

The Heat, who haven't lost consecutive games since Jan. 8 and 10, had too much defense and way too much James for the Spurs in the final 17 minutes. They are trying to become fourth team to win the final two games at home since the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format for the finals in 1985.

James came in averaging 31.5 points in elimination games, highest in NBA history, according to a stat provided through the NBA by the Elias Sports Bureau.

This wasn't quite the 45-point performance in Game 6 of last year's Eastern Conference finals in Boston, but given the higher stakes may go down as more important - if the Heat follow it with another victory Thursday.

The Heat were in the same place as they were in 2011 at the end of their Big Three's first season together, coming home from Texas facing a 3-2 deficit in the finals.

This is a different team. And oh, what a different James.

"He just plays with great force,'' Allen said.

The Heat said they welcomed this challenge, a chance to show they how much mentally tougher they were than the team the Dallas Mavericks easily handled in Game 6 that night.

James made sure they did, looking nothing like the player who was so bad in the fourth quarters during that series.

He was simply unstoppable down the stretch of this one.

"He just made plays. I don't think there's any two ways to put it,'' Duncan said. "We were in the right position to close it out and he found a way to put his team over the top and we just didn't make enough plays to do that.''

Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs. Tony Parker had 19 points and eight assists, but shot just 6 of 23 from the field.

The Spurs had one final chance down 103-100, but Chris Bosh blocked Danny Green's 3-pointer from the corner as time expired.

Bosh had said Green wouldn't get open the way he has all series - and he didn't.

Green finished 1 of 5 from behind the arc after going 25 of 38 on 3-pointers (65.8 percent) in the first five games.

The Heat, the NBA's 66-win powerhouse during the regular season, will be playing a seventh game for the second straight round, having needed to go the distance to beat the Indiana Pacers in the East finals.

"See you in Game 7!'' the public address announcer hollered as some Heat fans tossed their white T-shirts - the ones that hang on chairs in the arena. These read "First to 16 Wins,'' meaning the number of victories it takes to win the championship.

The race will go down to a final day.

The Heat are 13-0 after losses over the last five months, though this was nothing like the previous 12 that had come by an average of nearly 20 points. Nor was it like the previous four games of this series, which had all been blowouts after the Spurs pulled out a four-point victory in Game 1.

San Antonio had an 11-0 run in the first half, then a 13-3 burst in the third quarter for a 71-58 lead, and a final flurry late in regulation that seemed to have them ready to walk off with another title.

Parker's 3-pointer over James tied it at 89 with 1:27 left. He then came up with a steal, spinning into the lane for a 91-89 lead with 58 seconds to go. Miami coughed it up again and Ginobili made two free throws, and he hit another after a third straight Miami turnover to put the Spurs ahead 94-89.

But James nailed a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left, and the Heat had one more chance after Leonard made just one foul shot to give the Spurs a 95-92 edge. James missed but Bosh got the rebound out to Allen, the league's career leader in 3-pointers, who made another one from the corner to even it up.

The Spurs went ahead by three again in overtime, but James found a cutting Allen for a basket, then scored himself to put the Heat on top. They clinched it when Bosh blocked San Antonio's final two shot attempts.

Bosh finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Mario Chalmers scored 20 points and Dwyane Wade had 14.

After shooting 60 percent in Game 5, the Spurs hadn't cooled off when they traded Texas heat for the South Florida sun, making nine of their first 12 shots to open a 20-16 lead. Duncan made all six shots in the first quarter, but consecutive 3-pointers by Shane Battier and Chalmers late in the period rallied Miami to a 27-25 advantage.

Duncan made his first eight shots, scoring 13 straight San Antonio points over nearly 8 minutes in the second quarter. Boris Diaw finally stopped that stretch with a little scoop shot in the lane and Leonard tipped in a miss with 1.3 seconds left, capping the Spurs' 11-0 run to end the second quarter. It was 50-44 at the break.

With Duncan 37 and Ginobili nearly 36, the Spurs know they may never get another shot like this one.

Duncan knew how tough it would be to get back to the top six years ago, when the Spurs swept James' Cleveland Cavaliers for their most recent title.

San Antonio's leader told James afterward that the league would someday belong to him.

And on Tuesday, James refused to let it go.

Notes: James had his 11th postseason triple-double and second of this series. ... Allen moved two behind Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher (48) for second place in finals 3-pointers. Robert Horry, a former champion with the Spurs, made 56 3-pointers in the finals. Horry held the Spurs' record for 3s in a finals with 15 in 2005 that Green has broken with his finals-record 26. ... Duncan and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich appeared in their 210th playoff game together, moving 30 ahead of Phil Jackson and Bryant for most all-time.

 

[fastbreak]

LeBron leads Heat to second straight title



MIAMI (AP) Victory in Game 7 brought more than another crown for LeBron James and the Miami Heat. It validated the team and its leader, forever cementing their place among the NBA's greats.

For the vanquished San Antonio Spurs, it simply compounded the misery of a championship that got away.

James led the Heat to their second straight title, scoring 37 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 95-88 victory Thursday night in a tense game that was tight until Miami pulled away in the final minute.

Capping their best season in franchise history - and perhaps the three-superstar system they used to build it - the Heat ran off with the second straight thriller in the NBA's first championship series to go the distance since 2010.

Two nights after his Game 6 save when the Heat were almost eliminated, James continued his unparalleled run through the basketball world, with two titles and an Olympic gold medal in the last 12 months.

"I work on my game a lot throughout the offseason,'' said James, who was MVP for the second straight finals. "I put a lot of work into it and to be able to come out here and (have) the results happen out on the floor is the ultimate. The ultimate. I'm at a loss for words.''

He made five 3-pointers, defended Tony Parker when he had to, and did everything else that could ever be expected from the best player in the game.

The Heat became the NBA's first repeat champions since the Lakers in 2009-10, and the first team to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

"It took everything we had as a team,'' Dwyane Wade said. "Credit to the San Antonio Spurs, they're an unbelievable team, an unbelievable franchise. This is the hardest series we ever had to play. But we're a resilient team and we did whatever it took.''

Players and coaches hugged afterward - their respect for each other was obvious from the opening tipoff of Game 1 through the final buzzer.

A whisker away from a fifth title two nights earlier, the Spurs couldn't find a way to win it all in what was perhaps the last shot for Tim Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili to grab another ring together.

"In my case I still have Game 6 in my head,'' Ginobili said. "Today we played an OK game, they just made more shots than us. LeBron got hot. Shane (Battier), too. Those things can happen. But being so close and feeling that you are about to grab that trophy, and seeing it vanish is very hard.''

They were trying to become the first team to win a Game 7 on the road since Washington beat Seattle in 1978, but those old guys ran out of gas just before the finish.

Fans stood, clapped and danced as the clock ticked down, when every score was answered by another score, each stop followed by a better stop. The Heat pushed their lead to six points a few times midway through the fourth but San Antonio kept coming back.

Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but missed a shot and follow attempt right under the basket with about 50 seconds left and the Spurs trailing by two.

James followed with a jumper - the shot the Spurs were daring him to take earlier in the series - to make it 92-88, sending San Antonio to a timeout as Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On'' blared over the arena's sound system.

He then came up with a steal and made two free throws for a six-point lead, and after Ginobili missed, James stalked toward the sideline, knowing it was over and that he was, once again, the last one standing.

Wade had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who overcame a scoreless Chris Bosh by getting six 3-pointers and 18 points from Shane Battier.

"It was a great series and we all felt that,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I don't know if "enjoy' is the right word, but in all honesty, even in defeat, I'm starting to enjoy what our group accomplished already, when you look back. And you need to do that, to put in perspective. So it's no fun to lose, but we lost to a better team. And you can live with that as long as you've given your best, and I think we have.''

Streamers fell from the arena ceiling onto the fans for the second year in a row, but this one meant so much more. A narrow escape in Game 6 was still fresh in everyone's mind.

They were down 10 in the fourth quarter of that one before James led the charge back, finishing with a triple-double in Miami's 103-100 overtime victory. This one was nearly as tight, neither team leading by more than seven and the game tied 11 times.

Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Spurs, who had been 4 for 4 in the championship round. Ginobili had 18 points but Parker managed just 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

"Just give credit to the Miami Heat. LeBron was unbelievable. Dwyane was great. I just think they found a way to get it done,'' Duncan said. "We stayed in the game. We gave ourselves opportunities to win the game, we just couldn't turn that corner.''

The Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra collected the Larry O'Brien trophy again from Commissioner David Stern, presiding over his final NBA Finals before retiring next February.

He couldn't have asked for a better way to go out.

James avenged his first finals loss, when his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the Spurs on 2007. That helped send James on his way to South Florida, realizing it would take more help to win titles that could never come alone.

He said he would appreciate this one more because of how tough it was. The Heat overpowered Oklahoma City in five games last year, a team of 20-something kids who weren't ready to be champions yet.

This came against a respected group of Spurs whose trio has combined for more than 100 playoff victories together and wanted one more in case this was San Antonio's last rodeo.

Duncan is 37 and Ginobili will be a 36-year-old free agent next month, the core of a franchise whose best days may be behind them.

Meanwhile, it's a potential dynasty along Biscayne Bay, but also one with a potentially small window. Wade's latest knee problems are a reminder that though he came into the NBA at the same time as James and Bosh, he's a couple of years older at 31 with wheels that have seen some miles.

James can become a free agent again next summer with another decision - though hopefully not another Decision - to make. He's comfortable in Miami and close with Wade, and the Heat have the leadership and commitment from owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley to keep building a championship core around him.

Why would he want to leave?

San Antonio's most recent title came at James' expense. The Spurs exploited the weaknesses in James' game though knew someday they would be gone, Duncan telling him afterward that the league would someday belong to James.

And James simply isn't giving it back.

He came in averaging 33.8 points in Game 7s, already the best in NBA history, and was even better in this one.

He can't be defended the way he was six years ago, too strong inside and too solid from the outside. He drove Danny Green back like a tackling dummy to convert a three-point play in the second quarter, then knocked down a 3-pointer for the Heat's next score.

Heat fans, criticized over the last two days after many bolted before the finish Tuesday and then tried to force their way back in, weren't going anywhere early in this one. The game was too good.

And there was another celebration to watch.

The Heat had the classic championship hangover through the first few months of this season, too strong to lose at home but not committed enough to win on the road, where they were just 11-11 following a 102-89 loss in Indiana on Feb. 1.

They won in Toronto two nights later on Super Bowl Sunday and didn't lose again until well into March Madness, running off 27 straight victories before falling in Chicago on March 27 and finishing a franchise-best 66-16.

The small-market Spurs have always been a ratings killer, but interest grew throughout this series in their attempt to toppled the champs. Game 6 drew more than 20 million viewers, a total that Game 7 was expected to top.

And the games got better, too. Games 2-5 were all decided by double digits, neither team able to carry its momentum from one game to the next.

This one was back and forth for more than three quarters, with Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer at the buzzer giving Miami a 72-71 lead heading to the final 12 minutes of the season.

Game 6 could have shaken the Spurs, who were so close to holding the trophy that officials were preparing the championship presentation before Miami's rally. The Spurs held a team dinner late that night, figuring the company was better than having to dwell on the defeat alone in their rooms.

The pain of that game or the pressure of this one had little effect on their veterans but brought out a change in their leader, the subject of some rare second-guessing for his rotations near the end of the collapse.

The famously blunt Popovich was in a chatty mood pregame, actually preferring to stay and talk even when there were no more questions, saying the busier he was, the less he'd worry.

"It's torture,'' he said earlier of Game 7s. "It's hard to appreciate or enjoy torture.''

But it sure was beautiful to watch.

The sport's most pressure-packed game had a nervous start, each team making just seven baskets in the first quarter and combining for seven turnovers. The Spurs took an early seven-point lead, but a pair of 3-pointers by Battier during an 8-0 run helped Miami take an 18-16 lead.

The Heat nursed a narrow lead for most of the second quarter, and after San Antonio went ahead in the final minute of the period, James tipped in a miss before Wade knocked down a jumper with 0.8 seconds left to send the Heat to the locker room with a 46-44 edge.

Notes: Home teams are 15-3 in Game 7s of the NBA Finals. ... Miami improved to 5-3 all-time in Game 7s in the postseason and became the fourth team to win the final two games at home since the finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985, joining the Lakers in 1988 and 2010, and Houston Rockets in 1994. ... Green was just 1 for 12, going 1 for 6 behind the arc. He started the series by making 25 3s in the first five games, a finals record for an entire series.

 

[fastbreak]

CNNSI.com
Ian Thomsen>INSIDE THE NBA

Both Clippers and Celtics benefit from long-awaited Doc Rivers trade


Doc Rivers had been telling friends for years that if he ever did choose to leave the Celtics, then he wouldn't coach another franchise the following season. His plan was to sit out for at least one year, out of respect for the Celtics franchise and the large role it has played in the NBA and in his own life.

But this was an unusual case. After expressing doubts that he would want to participate in Boston's plan to rebuild, Rivers told the Celtics that he was committed to returning as their coach next season. Then he was "traded,'' essentially, to the Clippers, in exchange for a future first-round pick, based on an agreement reached in principle between Boston and Los Angeles on Sunday.

Rivers' initial intention to return to the Celtics absolves him of the perception that he was forcing himself out. Instead, he was the property of the Celtics and was moved by them in return for the draft pick.

Regardless of the timing, it does not appear as if ultimatums were issued so much as all sides recognized the common interests that would be fulfilled if Rivers were exchanged for compensation from Los Angeles. The Celtics participated in, and profited from, the departure of their coach.

After many well-publicized starts and stops in recent days, the agreement was finalized Sunday. A more complicated proposal -- by which Kevin Garnett would have also been packaged to the Clippers in exchange for DeAndre Jordan -- was viewed as untenable last week by commissioner David Stern.

A subsequent trade of Garnett to the Clippers appears to be a non-starter according to NBA rules that ban salary-cap trades that are linked to coaching hires. The bottom line for the Celtics is that Rivers has turned out to be their most valuable asset -- not only did he net them a draft pick, but his departure will also save them millions in coaching salary annually.

The Clippers were planning to pay Rivers per the terms he had remaining in Boston -- three years for a total of $21 million.

Rivers, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra and Rick Carlisle are the only active coaches in the NBA with a championship ring. Rivers' presence is expected to keep Chris Paul from leaving the Clippers as a free agent next month.

Rivers had been telling friends that it might be time for him to leave the Celtics after nine years, that he was in danger of growing "too comfortable.'' It was known that Rivers didn't want to go through years of losing and was thinking about taking a year off from coaching in order to work in television.

The Celtics are expected to rebuild around Rajon Rondo, who led Boston to a 20-23 record in his first year as the acknowledged leader of the franchise. The team went 21-17 after Rondo was diagnosed with a torn ACL. Rondo was not seen on the team bench during the Celtics' season-ending playoff loss at home against the Knicks on May 3; he was seen the following night in Las Vegas, however, sitting ringside for the Floyd Mayweather prizefight.

Rivers had been expected to leave the Celtics two years ago when his contract expired. Instead, he negotiated a five-year deal worth $7 million annually. It was a huge investment for the Celtics, but in little time they viewed the commitment as a bargain.

"Can you imagine if Doc were a free-agent coach right now? He'd break the bank,'' Ainge told me 13 months ago, when the Lakers, Knicks, Magic and Heat (who had not yet won a championship with Spoelstra) might have created a bidding war for Rivers. By re-signing with Boston in 2011, Rivers provided an assurance of continuity that kept the core of the team intact, enabling the Celtics to come within one game of returning to the 2012 NBA Finals.

Rivers' move to Los Angeles to lead the Clippers next season is going to be a hard sell to his fans in Boston, whose natural response will be to feel betrayed by their coach. The acrimony should be offset by the understanding that the Celtics have profited from his departure.

One reason why Rivers has been able to rationalize nine years in Boston away from his family is because his daily working environment with the Celtics is rare in the NBA. He has often said that he may never again experience a working relationship as enjoyable and constructive as he has had in Boston with team president Danny Ainge and communications director Jeff Twiss, among many others.

The relationship was good for both parties. The Celtics were able to renew their championship tradition, and Rivers, by devoting himself to their tradition, was able to define himself. Neither the Celtics nor Rivers would have been so successful without each other, and their time together -- the last six years in particular, beginning with the 2007-08 championship -- stands on its own as a time to be cherished.

The ending for NBA coaches is rarely neat and clean. In this case, the Celtics and Rivers will always have their championship and those inspiring years thereafter, and few such partnerships in the NBA can claim to have done so well.

 

[fastbreak]

CNNSI.com
Ian Thomsen>INSIDE THE NBA


For Celtics, trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce is end of era


BOSTON -- Six years ago, the fans here celebrated the Celtics' steal of Kevin Garnett. A half-dozen years later, they were experiencing the other end of the era, and the sad feeling that they were the victim now, instead of the lucky thieves.

Not only was Garnett leaving the Celtics in the trade that was finalized late Thursday night, but Paul Pierce was also going with him. The departure of Pierce is going to be felt most deeply of all here. He was a Celtic for 15 years and 24,021 points, the team captain who sobbed as he raised the 17th banner above the parquet court. Dealing him was the next worst thing to trading away Larry Bird.

Danny Ainge, the president of the Celtics, has often recalled the conversation he had as an All-Star shooting guard in the 1980s when he urged his predecessor, Red Auerbach, to forget sentiment and trade away Bird and Kevin McHale for outstanding offers that were on the table toward the ends of their careers. Auerbach responded a few months later with a stunning trade: He sent Ainge to Sacramento.

Now Ainge finds himself making the hard choice that Auerbach didn't make, and doing it for much less than the offers for Bird and McHale would have earned three decades ago. Fans are going to look at this deal with disappointment: Pierce, Garnett and Jason Terry were sent to Brooklyn for three first-round picks (in 2014, 2016 and 2018) and a bunch of contracts, including a year of Kris Humphries at $12 million, and three years worth $10.1 million annually for Gerald Wallace, who turns 31 next month.

In the new collective bargaining agreement, first-round picks are more valuable and harder to come by than ever. There were few options for trading Garnett, who has two years and $24.4 million remaining on a contract with a no-trade clause that was negotiated when the Celtics hoped to extend the era around the tight relationship of Garnett and coach Doc Rivers. When Rivers left, the plan of employing Garnett as a mentor for young players left with him.

The Celtics realized they were going to endure the pain eventually, and so it was best to have the teeth pulled as soon as possible. Don't let it drag on, as Ainge counseled Auerbach years ago.

It made no sense to keep Pierce on a losing team, especially when he had already said he couldn't muster the inspiration to participate in another rebuilding program, and his inclusion might help convince Garnett to assent to this trade. If the Celtics must be bad for a season, then at least their timing is good, because the draft of 2014 promises to be excellent, beginning with projected No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins.

This isn't going to be the last deal the Celtics make to acquire assets and position themselves for a new era. Ainge insisted Thursday that he was planning to rebuild around 27-year-old Rajon Rondo, an exceptional talent who can do just about everything but lead. The Celtics improved after Rondo suffered a torn ACL in January; they were 18-20 in games he started, and that was when he was surrounded by Garnett, Pierce and Terry. Now he'll be supported by Jeff Green, Gerald Wallace and Avery Bradley, and who knows who the head coach will be.

The Nets have improved a roster that appeared to have no promising future after losing a Game 7 at home in the first round to the undermanned Bulls. They figure to be impressive in the regular season, when healthy. But how, at the end of the long year, are they going to be able to run with the younger legs of Miami, Indiana and Chicago when four of their top half-dozen players will be Garnett (who will be 37), Pierce (36), Terry (36) and Joe Johnson (32)? They have little depth to support a starting five that is going to demand caution in terms of minutes, and their only young contributor is Brook Lopez, who isn't athletic.

Rivers was gone on Sunday, and by the end of the week, the six years of contention had been crated up and packaged off to Brooklyn. Rivers, Pierce and Garnett were links to the championship tradition of the 1980s and beyond. Garnett, in particular, was cited by Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck with elevating the standards of the franchise across the board.

Can they find a coach who believes in the proud traditions and who is capable of developing a new era? Will Rondo participate, or will he be the next to go? There are hard questions left for the Celtics to answer, but the most painful week is behind them. They and their fans now have some sense of what it was like to be on the wrong side of that trade for Garnett in 2007. The celebration in Brooklyn is happening at the expense of the Celtics now.

 

[fastbreak]

Michael Rosenberg>INSIDE THE NBA
CNNSI.com

With move to Houston, all pressure squarely on Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard finally got what he wanted, though he may wake up tomorrow morning and wonder what it is. Then he'll do something goofy and probably tweet about it.

It's all in good fun. Just about everything Howard does seems to be in good fun. But from here on, Howard has to be heavy on the good and light on the fun.

Howard is out of excuses. More importantly, he is out of leverage.

The Rockets don't have to kiss up to him the way Orlando did for a while. They also won't tiptoe around his immaturity, like the Lakers did for one awkward season. The Rockets need him, but they don't need to please him. For the first time since Howard became a superstar, his employer holds the hammer.

Howard chose his team. Now he has to show he was worth the fuss.

The next time his camp leaks a story about Howard being unhappy with his coach, we'll all point at Howard and laugh. He knew Kevin McHale was the Rockets coach when he agreed to this deal. (At least, I think he did.)

If Houston loses, it won't be the coach's fault, the offense's fault, or even James Harden's fault. It will be Howard's fault. You can be sure Rockets fans will turn on Howard before they turn on Harden or general manager Daryl Morey.

Howard is about to discover what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and many others have learned painfully: Free agency seems like the end of a process, but it isn't. Howard can't ride off into the sunset. He has to produce.

His choice was wise. Of all the teams wooing him, the Rockets are the most likely to build a champion around him. The Lakers were selling the past and future, but not the present. The Mavericks and Hawks were promising they would make more promises.

This was a sensible decision by a man who hasn't made many of those in the last two years. Howard has always been part superstar and part cartoon, even before he wore a cape in the NBA slam-dunk contest. He is easy to mock but hard to truly dislike. He is like the Tom Hanks character in "Big" -- giddy that he is larger than he ever imagined, but not quite prepared to act like an adult.

In an era when players try to force trades and act like free agents long before they actually are free agents, Howard seems like the worst of the breed. But he is actually a breed of his own. Other players are too calculating. Howard isn't calculating enough. He could have saved us all a lot of annoying headlines if he had a goal in mind all this time. Instead, he has spent two years on a career hamster wheel.

In 2011-12, while the Magic were paying him an eight-figure salary to play basketball, he demanded a trade. Then he changed his mind and opted into his contract, saying, "I'm very loyal and I've always put loyalty above anything." Then he demanded a trade again. He ended up in Los Angeles. He was extremely happy there until practice started. Then, not so much.

In Orlando, he wanted Stan Van Gundy fired but denied it. In Los Angeles, his people leaked stories about unhappiness with coach Mike D'Antoni. A player can only sound that bell so many times before fans get a headache. Howard has to get along with McHale. He has no choice.

He also has to show he is a true superstar. I think he is, but there are legitimate questions. Howard's ability slipped last season. He used to be the most dominant defensive force in the league, and a man you could build an offense around -- even though his offensive game is unpolished, he was so strong and athletic he forced defenses to adjust to him, creating space for shooters.

Last year, he was not the same force. He was 36th in the league in player efficiency rating -- just behind J.J. Hickson, Marc Gasol and Greg Monroe, and barely ahead of Serge Ibaka, Kevin Garnett and David Lee. Those are not max-contract players. (Garnett was, of course, but no longer is.)

There were two good reason for the decline: Howard was recovering from a back injury and playing for a new team, with an offense and teammates that did not seem to suit him.

He is only 27, and can be a dominant player for several more years. But he has to want to dominate. That means changing his diet so he can stay healthy. It means acting like a champion instead of a clown. And it means refining his offensive game, so he doesn't rely so much on athleticism, which will inevitably fade as he ages. It also means finally growing up.

Some players want to carry a team to a championship. Kobe Bryant is like that. Kevin Durant, too. LeBron James took a while to get there, but he got there.

Other players want to be carried to a championship. They have the mental makeup and personality to help others. They believe in the mission, but they don't want to lead it.

Howard thinks he is the kind who wants to carry a team, but he really wants to be carried. This has been problematic for the two teams that have employed him. The Magic treated him like a cornerstone, but Howard didn't act like one. The Lakers thought they landed a superstar to go with Kobe Bryant, but this particular superstar didn't seem to want to go with Kobe Bryant.

The second half of Dwight Howard's career starts now. The comedy should be over. It's time for a thriller.

 

[Carissa]

would be keen to see how lakers shape up next season.

 

[fastbreak]

By Rob Mahoney
CNNSI.com

Mike D’Antoni: Dwight Howard’s decision to leave Lakers ‘mind-boggling’


Absent of context, Dwight Howard’s decision to leave behind both the Lakers and the Los Angeles area might seem perplexing. Both, after all, are storied and generally desired. Houston and the Rockets, fair or unfair, don’t carry the same cachet.

Count Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni among those baffled that Howard declined the Lakers’ five-year, $118 million offer in favor of the Rockets’ four-year, $88 million deal. In an interview with a Los Angeles-based radio show on Tuesday, D’Antoni expressed some confusion as to why Howard would leave such an apparently optimal situation. Via ESPN Los Angeles:

“It’s hard for me to sit here and criticize or even to understand why he left a place like L.A. That’s kind of mind-boggling a little bit, but that’s in his DNA and what he wants to do.”


I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Howard was genetically predisposed to spurning the Lakers, nor would I find it all that “mind-boggling” that a person would deign to live in any other city and that a player would choose to work for any other team. D’Antoni knows better than to say either. To be fair, though, both the coach and the team he represents are in circle-the-wagons mode after their assumed cornerstone elected to sign elsewhere. And D’Antoni walked back his comments a bit as he continued:

“Everybody has got to make that decision,” D’Antoni said. “You can debate it all you want. Only Dwight knows. Obviously he didn’t think he would be as happy here as he will be in Houston. That might be the case and he had to make that decision. There will be a lot of speculation, we tried it, it didn’t work out and we go forward. So be it. You hate it. Dwight’s one of the better centers in the league and it would have been a long-term thing, but I looked at it like, ‘OK, you don’t have Dwight but you got Pau [Gasol].’ So, we’ll see. In the short run, we’ll see what happens. In the long run, obviously 10 years from now Dwight might still be playing and maybe Pau is retired, but everybody has got to do [what's best for them].”


And there it is: That Howard “didn’t think he would be be as happy [in L.A.] as he will be in Houston” makes for a perfectly justifiable explanation for his departure. He’s moving on from a year of intense criticism, a season under a coach whose system he didn’t prefer, a team built around a difficult personality and a roster with an inescapably aging core. Houston was the better basketball fit and clearly interests Howard in ways that are fairly apparent.

D’Antoni likely understands this on some level. He can feign incredulity as a Lakers representative, but Howard’s decision was not a surprise or some baseless error in judgment.

 

[Carissa]

secretly in me, i hope howard failed big time in houston.

 

[fastbreak]

CNNSI.com

Offseason Grades: Miami Heat
2013 Offseason Grades, Ben Golliver, Miami Heat


Additions: Greg Oden

Losses: Mike Miller (amnesty clause)

Other Moves: Re-signed Chris Andersen, retained Ray Allen (opted in), retained Mario Chalmers (picked up team option), retained James Jones (opted in), retained Rashard Lewis (opted in), drafted James Ennis (No. 50; expected to play overseas this season)


What Went Right: The frantic, furious pace with which Miami came back to close out its 2013 championship against San Antonio gave way to a summer that was practically serene. The two-time defending champions entered the offseason with the knowledge that a vast majority of their rotation would be back for another go. The chaos that could come next summer, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can all become free agents, is still well off in the distance.

This year’s biggest question marks — small by comparison to those coming into July 2014 — were erased in short order, without much fanfare or drama. Allen, Game 6 hero, decided to return for the second year of his deal (worth $3.2 million) rather than test the free-agent market again. Andersen, the zany, crucial X-factor who helped the Heat to a 54-8 record during the regular season and postseason after signing in January, agreed to come back on the cheap (two years, $2.8 million).

Once those two locked back in, there wasn’t much left to halt the three-peat talk from raging on. Toss in Lewis, a 2012 summer addition like Allen who also chose to opt in for a second season (worth $1.4 million), and the Heat will return their top-eight players by minutes played and 12 of the 13 players who logged at least 55 minutes for them during the regular season. This returning group is responsible for playing more than 94 percent of the team’s regular-season minutes. In other words, the 2013-14 Heat should be a well-oiled machine and a familiar beast for opponents.

With continuity reigning supreme, few roster-spot holes to plug and cap flexibility at a minimum, the Heat were free to spend their summer downtime picking up their favorite hobby: big-man reclamation projects. This year’s longshot is Oden, the No. 1 pick in 2007, who hasn’t played an NBA game in 1,347 days because of knee injuries. Like Eddy Curry and Dexter Pittman before him, Oden has struggled with his weight, although reports indicate that he will enter training camp in good shape and that his struggles with alcohol abuse are also behind him.

Miami doesn’t need anything from the 25-year-old Oden, whose return date is unknown after accepting a minimum deal, but the Heat would love for him to mix it up with the likes of Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez, Joakim Noah and Tyson Chandler during the playoffs. Given his extensive injury issues (the former Ohio State star has had five knee surgeries, including three microfracture procedures), the Oden signing qualifies as more of a “Why not?” move rather than a slam dunk, but it adds another undeniable level of intrigue to a team that was already the league’s most fascinating.


What Went Wrong: That whole “competitive balance” concept that the NBA spent months harping on during the 2011 lockout finally reared its ugly head for the Heat. We already noted that 12 of the 13 players who played at least 55 minutes last season will be back. The lone exception is Miller, who was amnestied in an effort to cut down on luxury taxes.

Miller was set to make $6.2 million in 2013-14 and $6.6 million in 2014-15, but the real costs started kicking in thanks to the NBA’s new graduated tax system, which installed much harsher penalties for teams like the Heat whose payroll significantly exceeded the $70.3 million luxury-tax line. While Miami will still pay Miller the money owed to him, The Associated Press estimated that the Heat could save as much as $30 million over the next two seasons by parting with the 33-year-old swingman.

Although injuries limited Miller to 139 of a possible 230 regular season games (60.4 percent) during his three years with the Heat, his greatest asset was his timeliness. The sharpshooter scored 23 points (including seven three-pointers) in Miami’s series-clinching victory against Oklahoma City in the 2012 NBA Finals, and he shot 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) from beyond the arc against San Antonio in last season’s Finals. The Heat will miss his floor-spacing ability and gutsy, determined play, but it would be a stretch to call this a crippling loss, especially when James, Allen, Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers all shot better than 40 percent from deep last season.


Grade: C. After an A++++ summer in 2010 (the Big Three) and an A+ summer in 2012 (inexpensively adding Allen and Lewis to a title team), the Heat, hemmed in by the new collective bargaining agreement, had little choice but to take a slight step back this time around. Their offseason will look much rosier in hindsight if Oden manages to pan out, but “ifs” don’t get much bigger than that in the NBA.