After a close loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1, the Miami Heat rebounded for a convincing win on Sunday night. LeBron James nearly had a triple double as the Heat rallied to tie the series 1-1.
Miami cruises over San Antonio, 103-84
After a surprising collapse in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Miami Heat took command of Game 2’s final period on their way to an important 103-84 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Buoyed by a near triple double from LeBron James, the Miami Heat avoided a perilous 0-2 start. James finished with only 17 points, but added eight rebounds and seven assists. The forward also had three steals and three blocks, leading the Heat yet again.
For a half, the Spurs matched the Heat on the court. But the second half was a different story.
After Danny Green gave the Spurs a 62-61 lead, Miami turned up the heat. The Heat went on a 14-3 run to close out the third quarter and also wiped out any aspirations the Spurs had of a comeback in the fourth. Miami raced out to a 19-2 start in the final period that essentially ended the game.
While the Heat dominated, San Antonio faltered. Not only could they not stop Miami on offense, but they couldn’t score themselves. The Spurs went only 3-10 to start the quarter and could never recover.
The Heat didn’t win the rebounding effort again, but did get ten huge boards from center Chris Bosh in only 31 minutes of action. Bosh added 12 points, four assists, and three steals, and had one of his better all-around postseason games. Miami can live with 12 points out of Bosh as long as he contributes on the glass like he did in Game 2. And while James and Dwyane Wade both had subpar offensive games, the Heat’s Mario Chalmers stepped up in a big way, leading the team in scoring with 19.
Meanwhile, it was a lackluster game from future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan as well as a slew of turnovers that helped doomed the Spurs. Ironically, in the series opener, Duncan and a lack of turnovers were primary reasons for San Antonio’s big victory. But on Sunday, Duncan had a modest nine points and 11 rebounds, and was harassed all night on his way to a 3-13 shooting performance. And unlike Thursday, the Spurs also had trouble taking care of the ball. After a perfect Game 1 with no turnovers, Tony Parker committed five of them. Backup guards Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal combined for six more and as a team, San Antonio committed 16 total.
Miami was far more aggressive on the defensive end. The most impressive thing is the number of hands and even legs they got into the passing lanes to disrupt the Spurs on offense. I expect San Antonio to be more careful in Game 3, but on Sunday, the Heat did an excellent job in keeping their opponent off balance all night.
One bright spot for San Antonio was the play of Green. He led the team with 17 points and was a perfect 6-6 from the field. That’s an encouraging sign for the Spurs – even if it came in defeat. San Antonio will need other players like Green to step up when Duncan and Parker have off nights. His performance didn’t matter tonight since the Heat played so well, but in a close game, his production could make all the difference.
San Antonio will host Game 3 on Tuesday.
