Spurs Beat Heat, Take 3-2 Lead, But Miami Still Wins the Series ... Right?
By Jason McIntyre
Manu Ginobili, much-maligned during the NBA Finals for being a massive non-factor offensively, exploded for 24 points in Game 5 after being inserted into the starting lineup, and his spark led the Spurs to a 114-104 win over the Heat.
Weird series. Game 1 was a thriller that came down to the final seconds; the next four games were all decided by double digits. I’m not terribly shocked by Sunday night’s result, given Miami’s penchant for not showing up this postseason after a signature win.
San Antonio controlled tempo, and abused Miami’s porous defense, shooting 60 percent from the field. Tony Parker added 26. Danny Green scored 24 points, including six 3-pointers. More on record-setting Green tomorrow.
LeBron logged 43 minutes and looked gassed in the 2nd half. Wade played 40 minutes. The two each had 25 points. The game would have been much uglier if Ray Allen hadn’t caught fire in the 4th quarter to tighten things up. Allen scored 21.