MIAMI: The visiting San Antonio Spurs again torched two-time defending champions Miami Heat in their own backyard, moving to within one victory of clinching the NBA championship after a 107-86 win in game four on Thursday.
The one-sided win gave the Spurs, who clinched Game Three by 19 points in Miami, a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and put them in position to claim a fifth championship in 15 years when the series shifts to San Antonio for Game Five tomorrow.
No team has ever prevailed in the NBA finals after falling behind 3-1.
Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio’s balanced, ball-sharing attack with 20 points along with 14 rebounds and Tony Parker added 19 points as all 13 players on the roster joined in the scoring spree for the Spurs.
“I just think we’re playing Spurs basketball. We’re just moving the ball, and we’re just playing the way we’ve been playing all season,” said Parker.
“We just have to stay focused, and we’ll be ready. We just have to think about last year. We don’t need more motivation than that,” the Frenchman added in reference to last year’s Finals defeat by Miami in an epic series decider.
LeBron James, a shadow of himself during the first half, came alive in the third quarter in scoring 19 of Miami’s 21 points but it was not enough to slow the dazzling Spurs. Four-time NBA most valuable player James led the Heat with 28 points, with Chris Bosh next highest with 12.
Looking ahead to Game Five and possibly beyond, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said “every closeout game is very difficult”.
“I’m pleased that they performed as well as they did while we’ve been in Miami, and that’s about as far as it goes,” he said.
“Now we’ve got to go back home and play as well or better.”
San Antonio put on a sensational offensive show in Game Three by shooting an NBA Finals record of 76 percent in the first half of that runaway road win.
REUTERS
