NBA Finals: 3 things you need to know about Game 3
With the series tied at 1-1, the NBA Finals will take its talents to South Beach for Games 3 and 4.
Game 1 was marred by the broken air conditioning and cramps, which unfairly tagged a giant asterisk on San Antonio's victory. Miami was without LeBron James for much of the fourth quarter due to cramping in his leg, but it was their defense that was left paralyzed as the Spurs shot 12-of-14 in the final frame to capture the 110-95 victory.
With the air conditioning fixed and James in full strength, the Heat struck back in Game 2, led by James' 35 points. He started slow, shooting just 1-for-4 at one point, but he went off over the final three quarters, scoring 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting while collecting nine rebounds. Heat forward Chris Bosh sealed the victory for the Heat in the final moments sinking a key triple.
So how will Game 3 play out? No one has a clue, but here are three things you need to know.
Ka-whi is he struggling?
Many thought coming into the Finals that the spotlight would allow Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard to break out and become a household name. Yet, he's largely struggled, averaging just nine points and two rebounds per game while scoring almost exclusively in spot-up situations.
The obvious reason for his poor play has been the frustrating task of checking LeBron, who forced Leonard to foul out in Game 2. However, if Leonard isn't able to defend LeBron, no one on the Spurs can. He needs to stay out of foul trouble, keep James contained and provide some scoring punch on offense. The 22-year-old has quite a bit on his plate.
Tim Duncan is inhuman
There's no definitive way to determine if Duncan is human or a highly non-lifelike android of some kind. Judging by his performance in the Finals thus far (19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 66.7 percent shooting), smart money is favoring android.
Duncan has been simply unstoppable, both in the post and the pick-and-roll. It helps that Miami doesn't have any credible rim-defenders (price to pay for small-ball), but the 38-year-old Duncan has made the most of his chances, as evidenced by his unthinkable field-goal percentage. He will need to continue his dominance in order for his Spurs to capture the pivotal Game 3 victory.
Rashard Lewis, this year's Mike Miller
Lewis didn't contribute very much the Heat's championship run last season. He scored just 17 points in 11 playoff games, mostly during blowouts, and missed all four of his three-point attempts.
Flip the script to this season. The newly-minted starter is flourishing in his role as stretch-four for the Heat. He has already managed to top last year's scoring output in two games, as he is averaging 12 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting. His ability to space the floor and guard the pick-and-roll has made him an incredibly valuable piece to the Heat's three-peat puzzle.
Schedule
Game 1: SAS 110, MIA 95 (Spurs lead series 1-0)
Game 2: MIA 98, SAS 96 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: @ MIA, Tuesday, 9 p.m., ABC
Game 4: @ MIA, Thursday, 9 p.m., ABC
Game 5: @ SAS, Sunday, 8 p.m., ABC
Game 6*: @ MIA, Tuesday, June 17, 9 p.m., ABC
Game 7*: @ SAS, Friday, June 20, 9 p.m., ABC