Spurs rout Heat again, take 3-1 lead in NBA Finals
It was another dominant performance for the San Antonio Spurs in the Sunshine State on Thursday night. They took down the Miami Heat in a rout for the second consecutive game, claiming a 107-86 victory and a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
The Spurs didn't shoot 75.8 percent from the field in the first half as they did in Game 3, but they did take a 19-point lead into the break, and would extend their lead to 24 by the end of the third quarter.
Prior to Thursday, the Heat went 48 playoff games without consecutive losses. With the win, the Spurs have a chance to clinch the series on their home court in Game 5 on Sunday. Per ESPN Stats & Info, teams with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won the series a convincing 100 percent of the time. The Spurs are 10-for-10 in the Gregg Popovich era when holding a 3-1 series lead.
It was an historic evening for Tim Duncan, who passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to move into the top spot on the all-time playoff minutes list, and broke Earvin "Magic" Johnson's playoff double-doubles record with the No. 158 for his career.
"I can assure you he doesn't care." - Gregg Popovich on Tim Duncan setting the career playoff minutes and double-double records.
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 13, 2014
Star Performer
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard's sub-par Games 1 and 2 are but a distant memory, as the San Diego State product stepped up in a big way in Miami.
Leonard recorded his fifth double-double in 11 career Finals games on Thursday, recording 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and filling out his line with 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocks.
Last player to reach Kawhi Leonard's numbers in a Finals game (20 Pts, 14 Reb, 3 Stl, 3 Blk) - Tim Duncan in 2003
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 13, 2014
Turning Point
As with Game 3, the Spurs came out with guns blazing and jumped out to a big first-half lead, taking a 19-point advantage into the break.
Spurs head coach and defending NBA Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich made great use of his timeouts in the second half. With the Heat starting the third quarter on a 12-4 run, Pop called a timeout, the Spurs answered right back with a 7-0 run, and the game was never in doubt again.
Highlight Reel
Stomach issues for LeBron? Here he is pregame:
Boris Diaw goes behind-the-back because he can.
Ray Allen calmly lets Danny Green fly by before knocking down a triple.
Kawhi Leonard skies for the putback - no trampoline required
Tim Duncan's fateful two-pointer to break Magic Johnson's playoff double-double record.
Quote of the Night
Sometimes, there just aren't any answers.
Erik Spoelstra on the Spurs, shaking his head: "They ... they ... they just ... they played great."
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 13, 2014
Series at a Glance
Game 1: SA 110, MIA 95 (Spurs lead series 1-0)
Game 2: MIA 98, SA 96 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: SA 111, MIA 92 (Spurs lead series 2-1)
Game 4: SA 107, MIA 86 (Spurs lead series 3-1)
Game 5: @ SAS, Sunday, June 15, 8 p.m. ET
Game 6*: @ MIA, Tuesday, June 17, 9 p.m. ET
Game 7*: @ SAS, Friday, June 20, 9 p.m. ET