SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs shook off some early-game jitters to run away with a 104-87 victory over the Heat in Game 5 of the Finals at the AT&T Center on Sunday, clinching their fifth title in franchise history.
The back-to-back defending champion Heat saved their best for first, racing out to a 22-6 lead in the opening period. San Antonio looked discombobulated and unsure of itself in the game’s opening moments, committing a number of turnovers and failing to hit a field goal until more than four minutes into the game.Fifteen years later, coach Gregg Popovich and his band of old men did it again on Sunday night inside a raucous AT&T Center — with a whole lot of help from 22-year-old Kawhi Leonard. Their 104-87 Game 5 closeout win in the NBA Finals — one in which Leonard had 22 points and 10 rebounds — not only ended the Miami Heat's three-peat bid but polished the already-shiny legacy of the big man whose arrival from Wake Forest in 1997 started this whole special run, Tim Duncan.Duncan remembers all of the titles. But called this one the most special. In part, because of how last year's run ended with the Spurs blowing a lead late in Game 6 and then losing Game 7. He had gone as far as to say after winning this year's Western Conference Finals that he was confident the Spurs would win it this time.San Antonio erased an early 16-point deficit and routed Miami for the fourth time in the series, denying the Heat's quest for a third straight championship. A year after the Spurs suffered their only loss in six finals appearances — a heartbreaking seven-game defeat — they turned the rematch into no match at all.
"We wanted to redeem ourselves. I'm just glad we were able to do that," Parker said.Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who added this title to the ones they won in 1999, 2003, '05 and '07. They nearly had another last year, but couldn't hold off the Heat.
"I've said many times, a day didn't go by where I didn't think about Game 6," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the turning point in last year's finals. "So I think, just in general, for the group to have the fortitude that they showed to get back to this spot, I think speaks volumes about how they're constituted and what kind of fiber they have."
Not to mention tons of talent, and perhaps the best coaching in the game.
"They played exquisite basketball this series and in particular these last three games and they are the better team. There's no other way to say it," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Spurs won four titles in nine years, but hadn't been back on top since 2007, making Foreigner's "Feels Like the First Time" an appropriate song choice after the final buzzer.With the Heat facing a 3-1 deficit coming into Game 5, James had asked "Why not us?" during a press conference on Saturday when talking about a historic comeback. When Game 5 tipped off on Sunday, the four-time NBA MVP did his best to inspire his teammates. James scored 17 points in the first quarter as the Heat jumped out to a 29-22 lead. He would finish with a game-high 31 points but the Heat could not hold off the Spurs for long. San Antonio outscored Miami 82-58 over the final three quarters to clinch the title.
While James struggled to find consistent support during the Finals, the Spurs' veteran trio -- Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli -- was backed by a roster full of contributors. As the Spurs grabbed control of the series with an emphatic Game 3 win, Kawhi Leonard emerged as the team's most impactful player. The 22-year-old dynamo excelled at both ends of the floor as San Antonio reeled off three straight wins, defending James and scoring inside and out, en route to being named the MVP of the series.
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