2014 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs Defeat Miami Heat To Win Championship
The San Antonio Spurs are the 2014 NBA champions after dispatching the Miami Heat in five games.
The Spurs won Game 5 104-87 to take the series four games to one, making it the fifth title for the Spurs since 1999.
The Spurs were led by Kawhi Leonard, the surprise star of the series, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the deciding game on Sunday.
The Spurs were in control of the series from the opening tip, outshooting, outrebounding, and all in all outmuscling the favored Heat. Other than a blip in Game 2 where the Heat squeaked out a 98-96 win, the Spurs dominated on all aspects of the court.
In Sunday’s close-out Game 5, it looked as if Miami might make it an interesting series. The Heat jumped out to an early lead that reach 16 points in the first quarter, but the Spurs pulled it back with a second quarter run and took a 47-40 lead at halftime.
The odds were against the Miami Heat in Game 5. No team had ever overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, though the head had won their last five games when facing elimination.
They entered the game with confidence, including a boast from Chris Bosh earlier in the day that the Heat would win the game. The confidence was evident early in the game, when they scored both in the paint and behind the arc in taking an early lead.
The confidence seemed to fade as their lead fizzled beneath a withering San Antonio defense. The Heat looked frustrated at times and struggled to find ways to stop Leonard and Tim Duncan.
Late in the game the Spurs lead stretched to 19 points, and every time Miami tried to start a run the Spurs answered with timely drives and three pointers.
The Spurs will now look to defend their 2014 NBA championship, and will have some key players remaining. Both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili said they plan to return, as did coach Gregg Popovich.
“I don’t feel tired. I mean, I’m tired today, but I mean in general. I’d like to continue to coach,” Popovich said before the deciding Game 5.
