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| Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2014/06/15/championship-title-san-antonio-spurs-vs-miami-heat-game-5-finals-score/10564421/ |
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.
Lebron James had 17 first-quarter points to help the Heat get off to a strong start. But it wasn't enough. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Heat, who lost their spot atop the NBA to the team that had it so long.
Bosh finished with 13 points and Wade just 11 on 4-of-12 shooting for the Heat, providing James nowhere near the help he needed.
“They were the better team", said Lebron . That’s how team basketball should be played. It’s selfless. Guys move, cut, pass. You get a shot, you take it, but it’s all for the team and it’s never about the individual. That’s (their) brand of basketball, and that’s how team basketball should be played.”
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, 2005 and 2007. Still two weeks away from his 23rd birthday, he is the second-youngest player to win the award in history behind Magic Johnson, who was named Finals MVP in 1980 at 20.
Tim Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich have been here for all of them, and it was the fourth for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who with Duncan are once again the reigning the Big Three in the NBA.
“To be so close last year, it was very cruel,” Tony Parker said. "But it just makes the journey even more worth it. It was worth all the pain. It’s so sweet to win a championship the way we did. I would change nothing. It makes it even better, the fact that we had to go through that, to go through a tough loss, and to be able to come back, it just makes the journey even more worth it".
The painful conclusion to last year's NBA Finals served as the fuel for this one, powering the Spurs to a league-best 62-win season and a rematch with Miami — the first in the finals since Chicago beat Utah in 1997-98.
“It is sweeter than any other,” said Duncan, who became the first player to start for three different championship teams in three decades. “Whether it be because of the time frame, because I’m coming towards the end of my career, because I can have these two (his children) here and really remember it and enjoy the experience, all of those things make it that much more special.”
“To be so close last year, it was very cruel,” Tony Parker said. "But it just makes the journey even more worth it. It was worth all the pain. It’s so sweet to win a championship the way we did. I would change nothing. It makes it even better, the fact that we had to go through that, to go through a tough loss, and to be able to come back, it just makes the journey even more worth it".
The painful conclusion to last year's NBA Finals served as the fuel for this one, powering the Spurs to a league-best 62-win season and a rematch with Miami — the first in the finals since Chicago beat Utah in 1997-98.
“It is sweeter than any other,” said Duncan, who became the first player to start for three different championship teams in three decades. “Whether it be because of the time frame, because I’m coming towards the end of my career, because I can have these two (his children) here and really remember it and enjoy the experience, all of those things make it that much more special.”
"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.
In the end, the Spurs made winning their fifth title look stunningly easy, much to the delight of the home crowd. After the slow start, they had their fans standing, chanting and dancing much of the second half and it was the Spurs' 12th win by 15 or more points-- most ever in a postseason.