Pounding The Rock - All Posts

Finals Game 6 Rehash: Slipped Away

2013-06-19T19:08:15Z

Opening Hash

Well, that sucked. As I was watching the game and taking notes, I giddily typed for three quarters, whooping after every Tim Duncan make or a Kawhi Leonard steal and transition dunk. Then in the 4th quarter, those sounds were replaced by groans and sighs. I can still feel my heart beating in my throat. It's going at a fast rate, refusing to slow down after a great, but ultimately, sad Game 6.

In a chance to close the casket on the Miami Heat's season, San Antonio was unable to put the game away, as they turned the ball over late, missed too many free throw attempts and forgot about Ray Allen in the corner. Spurs fans can point the finger at many people in order to blame for the late collapse, but the truth is that the Spurs wouldn't have even been in the game without those crucial and clutch 5 points (a step back 3 and a tough layup) from Tony Parker. LeBron James and Ray Allen hit insane three pointers and forced overtime. Even in the extra period, the Spurs kept their heads up and were leading until the very end, but their inability to grab rebounds doomed them in the final seconds.

The Spurs starters put in heavy minutes, as Pop realized that this could be their final game and went all out to win. Duncan played 44 minutes, Leonard 46, Parker 43, Green 41 and Ginobili 35. There is one day in between Game 6 and 7, which may or may not be enough for the older Spurs to recover. Duncan looked like he may have tweaked his knee when Bosh landed on it, but on the other hand, Wade also has a balky knee which he re-injured, so that's a wash on the older statesmen of the respective Big Three. I do not doubt that the Spurs will come back with a ferocity unseen during these playoffs, as they let an opportunity to grab that championship trophy slip through their fingers.

Everyone says basketball is a game of runs. Our fearless leader, J.R. Wilco, detailed this in the previous Rehash, and it was true once again on Tuesday night. The Spurs put up a ton of points at the end of the second quarter as they rode Tim Duncan for the first half, but the Heat responded right out of the gate in the 3rd. Once again, the Spurs put some distance between themselves and Miami, then LeBron took off his sweatband and his team played their hearts out, cutting a 10 point deficit coming into the 4th and eventually taking the lead. The Spurs were being outscored by James at one point, as they had only 9 points to his double digits with a few more than 3 minutes to go. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker hit timely shots, but it was not enough to vanquish the Heat.

Onto Game 7, and the right to be named the 2012-2013 NBA Champions. So far, each team has traded blows, alternating wins and losses. With the Spurs having lost a heartbreaking game (a la Miami losing Game 1 in this series), how will they respond?

Standard Pop Quote

"We're going to be here all night. Don't be in a rush."

-I don't think that even Pop knew how long this game was going to go.

KAWHI GIF

The Essential Hash: Another Close Game

Be sure to check out J. Gomez's recap of last night's game.

As I write this paragraph, I just came to realize that the only two games I've covered (Game 1 and Game 6) have been decided at the very end, unlike the four games in between, which were pretty much blowouts. I'm also going to cover Game 7, so don't blame me if it's a close one. Knowing how good both of these two teams are, it will likely come down to the wire once again.

Tim Duncan came out strong in the first half. Actually, that's an understatement. He came out looking like he wanted that the Bill Russell Finals MVP award, as he scored 25 (half of the team's output) in the first half. The Heat were still in the game, even though LeBron James wasn't scoring well, as they were held up by Mario Chalmers double digit output in the half. At this point, Manu still had zero points, and on top of that, he had 4 turnovers, a bad trend that would continue in the second. Nonetheless, the Spurs were in good position, up 6 points at the half, with the Heat displaying a tired and defeated body language.

In the third quarter, there was more good news for the Spurs, as they ended that period with a 10 point lead, as Tony Parker got to the line and buried some free throws and a couple of field goals. Tim Duncan's output slowed down, as he scored only 5 points in the period (and would not do so in the 4th). Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and points from role players like Diaw and Neal allowed the Spurs to withstand runs from the Heat.

With only 12 minutes to salvage their season, the Heat played like a team possessed. They doubled or tripled team every ballhandler on nearly, if not, every Spurs' possession, causing bad shots to go up, at least one shot clock violation and many turnovers. Meanwhile, the Heat became unstoppable on the offensive end, as LeBron James bulldozed into the heart of the Spurs' defense and either made tough shots in traffic or passed to the wide open man on the perimeter, who made tough plays by either hitting a falling shot in the corner or one without a shoe. At one point, James had outscored the entire Spurs' team, showing just how dominant the Heat were in the quarter. The Spurs were able to rally late in the game, off a beautiful step back 3 (which tied the game at 89), and a steal plus a layup from Tony Parker. Down two possessions in the waning seconds of the quarter, the Heat hit two three pointers on three attempts and grabbed two more rebounds than the Spurs (all while Tim Duncan was on the bench in order to play small and guard the perimeter). Ray Allen forced overtime off a rebound/pass by Chris Bosh.

In overtime, the Spurs were outscored 8-5, only scoring on three possessions (two Leonard field goals and a free throw split by Tony Parker. LeBron James had a hand in 6 points on the Heat's end, putting up the Heat 101-100 with less than 2 minutes to go. The Spurs would miss their remaining four shots and lost the ball a couple of times in the process. The Heat would hold on and force Game 7, which will be this Thursday.

Bird is the Word

Spurs shooting 61.6% through one quarter but a Miami 4-6 performance from deep has San Antonio down 27-25.
— Aaron (@DukeOfBexar) June 19, 2013

Mario Chalmers with more points in the first half tonight (14) than his entire three-game trip to San Antonio.
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) June 19, 2013

Tim Duncan scored 25 points in the first half. The Spurs scored 50. Yes, it's 2013.
— ESPN (@espn) June 19, 2013

KAWHI LEONARD, DESTROYER OF WORLDS, EATER OF SOULS
— Pounding the Rock (@poundingtherock) June 19, 2013

Twelve minutes to go. Spurs lead 75-65. Still very much a ballgame.
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) June 19, 2013

no no no no no no no no
— Aaron McGuire (@docrostov) June 19, 2013

Miami Heat winning the 4th 22-9. Spurs are 4-17 FG so far.
— Aaron (@DukeOfBexar) June 19, 2013

TONYMUTHAFUCKKYNPARKER Y'ALL!!!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 19, 2013

NO. NO. NO. WHAT. WHY. HOW.
— Pounding the Rock (@poundingtherock) June 19, 2013

MUGGED!! Uncut BULLSHIT!!!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 19, 2013

They had it. THEY HAD IT. IT WAS DONE. And then it wasn’t.
— Pounding the Rock (@poundingtherock) June 19, 2013

currently uploading what will serve as tonight's postgame show. it's an 18 minute video of me in despair as i watched the overtime period.
— Aaron McGuire (@docrostov) June 19, 2013

Manu Ginobili was wrecked emotionally. Tony Parker: "We can't forget that we have another opportunity on Thursday."
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 19, 2013

Manu's been phenomenal for 11yrs…now (at 36) he has a bad playoff game & ppl rag on him…whatever, dude caught a bat with his bare hand
— Tim (@TheWagofMutombo) June 19, 2013

... oh, before i go to bed, the single positive stat from tonight for san antonio? the spurs shot 27% from three. miami shot 58%. huh.

— Aaron McGuire (@docrostov) June 19, 2013

... one more positive stat. the spurs have, inexplicably, won the last seven games they've played after tim played 40+ minutes.
— Aaron McGuire (@docrostov) June 19, 2013

By the Numbers

5-18 - Spurs three point field goals out of attempts, good for 27.8%. No Spur made more than one.
11-19 - Heat three point field goals out of attempts, good for 58%. Chalmer was 4-5, Battier was 3-4, and Mike Miller was 2-2. Ray Allen and LeBron James missed all of their attempts other than the makes in the final twenty seconds in the fourth quarter.
43.5%/46.9% - Spurs/Heat Field Goal percentage. The Spurs were hitting at nearly a 60% clip in the first half, but that rate plummeted once the Heat went into desperation mode in the 4th.
30-17 - Tim Duncan's Points-Rebounds total. He slowed down in the second half, but if his teammates had been able to match his intensity and focus, the Spurs would've been celebrating right about now.
22-11-3 - Kawhi Leonard's Points-Rebounds-Steals total. Again, not many plays were run for Kawhi, but he had hustle plays and second chance points galore. His steals and transition points were crucial for the Spurs, who aside from Leonard and Duncan, were shooting terribly.
13 - Turnovers? Wait no, Assists. Actually, it's both. The Spurs somehow almost won this game by having a 1:1 Assist:Turnover ratio. The Heat had 23 assists and 15 turnovers, a ratio closer to 1.5:1.
2 - Triple doubles that LeBron James has in the 2012-13 Finals. His latest is magnificent, a 32 point, 11 assist and 10 rebound performance in an elimination game. He added 3 steals to that as well.
3 - Spurs with assists in this game. Tony (8), Manu (3) and Boris (2) were the only San Antonio players to notch an assist. Miami had 6 such players, all with at least 2.
100 - The point total pace achieved during the first three quarters by the Spurs, as they scored 25 in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter. Their ending total was 100, but that accounted for the overtime period, as they only scored 20 in the 4th quarter and 5 in the final frame.

Going into the Next Game, the Spurs Need to...

...keep their heads high. They almost had this game. Silver lining: lots of box score stats are going the Heat's way, yet the Spurs were in control for nearly the entire game. They let the game slip away, needed choking performances and miracle shots in order to lose, but they will regroup and will hopefully come back strong in Game 7. Let's hope the W-L-W-L-W-L alternation stays true.

Never give in. Never, never, never, never --

2013-06-19T15:10:15Z

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

-Winston Churchill's commencement speech at Harrow School, 1941

There are so many things I could say at this point, but I thought I'd yield the floor to you folks who have written so powerfully and eloquently in the comments after Tuesday night's Game 6 loss. You've done a much better job of handling this situation than I could have.

Manu does, what Manu does. For years we have loved him for that and now he's the enemy? I think not! Question is: Who do you replace him with? Gary Neal? With the Heat defense playing even tighter, would a shorter player make sense? You gotta go with the 5 you think match up and can produce. Should Pop do what he thinks the fans want or trust his proven Soldiers? Did Parker catch fire in the last 2 minutes? Did Duncan? How about OT? Sometimes, you just have to tip the hat to the other guys and say, ‘get you next time'. If I'm the coach, I lose on my terms, with my guys, my Big 3, my vets! I wouldn't second guess in the middle of chaos. You get low and push forward...you keep Pounding The Rock!! Has Manu looked like Manu of old? Nope, but I would rather lose with him than some other bench guy. This new found hate for Pop decisions and Manu is sickening. I get the frustration the game can give you, but Spurs fans are better than this non-stop whining. This organizations is blessed from top to bottom.

All of a sudden, we are some spoiled divas? Hell no, we are not. Spurs and their fans should take losses like a champ, because we have been dishing out losses to others without prejudice! The thing to remember is that there is still one game on the schedule. With one game left in the season, I feel comfortable knowing that my team is the Spurs. Pounding the Rock is what they do. Go Spurs!

-TrooperJoe73

Stop saying bad things about Kawhi. He has been utterly amazing this entire season, this entire Playoffs, this entire Finals. Offensively, and defensively. He has performed greater than most people could have imagined, and sad to say, you seem to have missed all that. He’s also still just a kid. And human. And he went 1/2 from the line there. That happens about 50% of the time a decent FT shooter goes to the line. They make both once, they make 1/2 the next time, that’s 75%. Happens constantly.

You want to talk about bad missed FT’s, you’d have an argument in Manu. No idea what’s going on with him at the line. He’s been there so many times, no excuse. But Kawhi missing one free throw? After everything he’s given us? Please just be quiet.
- M3D1T8R

No. No excuses. We didn't rebound when we should've, missed timely FTs, and they hit some incredible shots. We had the game. We were in control. We should've won, but didn't. On to Game 7.

- Dark Black

Yes, there were some tough calls. Bad ones, even.

Yes, we missed some FTs. Part of the game.

Yes, Ray Allen hit a dagger.

SO THE WHAT?!?

Champions are stronger than any circumstance that comes their way. They're going to come back harder. And sharper. And even better.

We took a backdoor sweep last year and bounced back from it. We got beat by the Grizzlies two years ago and repaid them with interest.

These men are basketball legends, forged in fire - and if age and injury and playoff heartbreak couldn't stop them from returning to the Finals, if The Greatest Team EVAR needed a home win just to force a game seven, I'll be damned to think that one tough loss is going to stop them now.

You can wallow in the loss if you choose; just know that your team will not.

- SRJ34

- verde

2005.
2-2 split.
Spurs win game 5
Spurs lose game 6
Spurs win in 7.

I'm over this one. We WILL win game 7. There are too many champion hearts on our side. They saw it slip away, and they won't let it happen again. Expect great things from our boys for the last 48. Manu and Tony will bounce back, and Timmy will not be denied his 5th. Bank it. Get up! No sulking from any of you. This was a tough one to swallow, but get it down and never think of it again. You think Tim is down? I'm sure he was, but now he is just pissed and determined. Those boys don't lose game 7's. We still have the best coach and the greatest big 3 to ever run the court. The rock will be pounded. The boys will be victorious. Bring the mojo, don't stop believing, and count on the boys.

- MG20TD21

IDK if anyone will see this but I am really needing some fan support. I watch the Spurs all by my lonesome here in Dallas cause none of my friends here are interested (crazy I know right?!) but last night my heart was broken. We were like 40 odd seconds away from putting this thing away and we couldn't do it. My heart tells me that our boys have the pure definition of "A heart of a Champion" and can put it away in Game 7 but my brain is scared and saying we can't win in Miami. I didn't get no sleep last night!! I can't believe how invested I have become in a sports team. I can honestly say I love these guys and I'll shed a year whether we win or lose and be thankful I got to see this historic playoff run.

- christopher.powers.39

Finally, while I prefer to define myself and this website by the support we show for the Spurs and not a dislike for anything, I thought the following comment was pretty well put together. And if you're tempted to judge this member, this website or Spurs fans in general as haters, please finish the entire comment before doing so.

Man, I hate the Heat. I hate their extra-large bandwagon and their 24/7 ESPN coverage. I hate that 3/4 of their fans don't show up until the first TV timeout. I hate Justin Bieber. I hate Ray Allen. I've hated him since he played for the Sonics, and then with the Celtics, and now that he's a blatant title-chaser and his face looks like he's permanently smelling someone's shit, I hate him even more. I hate how Wade's knee is on the verge of amputation in 18 playoff games, then magically reattaches itself with Hulk strength. I hate how excited announcers get when LeBron blindside blocks someone who has no idea he's even there. I hate the Miami P.A. guy. I hate Chris Andersen and his stupid mohawk. I hate how Mario Chalmers thinks he's a top-10 all-time point guard. I hate how the Heat can take every other game off and still make it to the Finals because the East sucks. I hate how they get to play 16 games against Charlotte, Cleveland, Orlando, and Washington and people still make a big deal about them getting 66 wins. I hate how they got the freaking BUCKS in the first round. I hate LeBron's headband. I hate LeBron's lack of headband. I hate Wade's whining. I hate Dove Men's Care products. I hate how Miami bought their 2012 championship. I hate how Nike already made shoes calling LeBron a "two-time champion." I hate how Erik Spoelstra just stands around with a blank face like he has no idea what's going on half the time, and then somehow the team goes on a huge run anyway. I hate Pat Riley's slicked-back mobster hair. I hate that LeBron actually has an outside shot now. I hate how Mike Miller walks like he has a peg-leg, then runs and jumps like nothing's the matter when the ball is in play. I hate that the Heat front office got rid of Eddy Curry, so now there's nobody on the roster than I don't hate. I hate that Miami makes me hate them, because I don't particularly like hating people.

- lemonparade4

I'll have more of my own words for you some time before Game 7 tomorrow.

Add your thoughts, or your own favorite comments of others', below.

Spurs fail to close it out, will have another chance on Thursday

2013-06-19T06:09:11Z

That one hurt. Badly. The Spurs wasted so many chances to put the Heat away, not to mention a vintage Duncan performance. I'm still processing what happened so don't be shocked if you see me veer into gloominess from optimism, and back again in the course of a single paragraph. I won't tell you to put this one behind us since we don't need to. We are not players so how we deal with this loss won't affect how they do in game seven. But I'm personally going to try and forget this one as soon as I finish this recap.

The Game

The Spurs tried to establish Duncan early on, like they do most games. But it was clear from the start that this was not just another game for Duncan. Timmy scored 12 first quarter points and was the Spurs' first option, with Four Downs called early and often, just like the old days. With Ginobili reverting back to less than stellar form and Parker focusing on distributing, Leonard provided the secondary scoring with eight points on only four shots. But with a surprising scoring outburst by Mario Chalmers and some balanced scoring from the starting lineup, the Heat finished the first up two, 27-25.

The Spurs' offense started the second quarter sloppy, with Manu Ginobili rushing shots and passes. That played right into the Heat's strengths. Fortunately, Manu's four turnovers only resulted in three points for the Heat. Miami took a small lead and held it for most of the quarter despite Boris Diaw doing a phenomenal job on Lebron James for the second game in a row. After that slow start by the Spurs, things returned to the way they were in the first quarter. Duncan kept providing steady scoring and the Heat's offense relied on contributions by the role players. But San Antonio‘s defense kept tightening up and the Spurs went on a 11-0 run to finish the half. Going into the break the lead was 50-44, Spurs.

Dwyane Wade didn't start the second half but he checked in soon into the third quarter. Once again, the Heat had balanced scoring while the Spurs seemed to depend on one of their stars to put points on the board. Parker did score nine points but it took him nine shots to get there. Slowly but surely, however, the Spurs built their lead until it reached 12 after a Neal floater with a minute to go in the third.

The Heat quickly cut the deficit down to five in the fourth quarter. Splitter scored two buckets to stop the bleeding but the Heat were not conceding. With Duncan exhausted, James took over with 16 fourth quarter points. That was enough for Miami to score 30 for the quarter and erase the Spurs' lead. The Spurs' offense ran out of gas and the good guys simply hoped the effort from earlier would be enough to win. But the Heat took the lead with 6:03 to go and kept it until Parker tied it with a wild three pointer with the clock running out.

The Spurs regained the momentum and with another Parker jumper seemed well on their way to the title. Ginobili hit a couple of free throws with 37,2 to go after a Heat turnover but missed one of two the next time around. James took a three, missed but then hit one after Miller secured the offensive board. The Spurs were still leading by two and had the ball. The inbound went to Leonard and he was fouled. Kawhi missed one of his two free throws, opening the door for the Heat. After a missed James three, Chris Bosh pulled down the board and found Allen in the corner. The Spurs closed out well but the best three point shooter in NBA history let it fly and tied it to force overtime.

It seemed unlikely for the Spurs to pull this one out in overtime after their stars had spent so much time on the court and the exhaustion was readily apparent. A completely gassed Parker couldn't get going at all, missing all four of his shots and one out of two free throws. But the Spurs have one budding star that is 21 and it was Kawhi Leonardwho kept them alive with four points. Unfortunately, the Heat just had answers on this one and with game hero Ray Allen scoring four on his own, doubled the Spurs' output in the frame. Game seven it is.

Observations

The Spurs could not overcome their terrible guard play. Tim Duncan went off, Boris Diaw played great defense and Kawhi Leonard had a fantastic game on both ends. But when Green, Ginobili, Neal and Parker shoot a combined 11-42 from the field and 4-11 from beyond the arc, the Spurs simply can't win. We knew Green wasn't going to stay historically hot forever, but it sucks he had to miss on this game. Neal was out there for way too long, considering he just doesn't seem to bring anything when his shot is not falling. Parker was the best of the bunch and compensated for his inefficient scoring with great playmaking (eight assists and zero turnovers) and some very clutch shots. I'm confident the Spurs won't get such a bad output from these guys in game seven so that's a reason for optimism.
If you are wondering why I didn't discuss Manu Ginobili there, it's because his suckitude deserves its own paragraph. Manu reverted back to the worst version of himself. Forget the eight turnovers; those obviously hurt, but the Heat only scored 12 points off Spurs mistakes. Manu simply made questionable decision after questionable decision on both sides of the ball. This is one of the least-Manu games I've seen Manu play and I'll stop talking about it now since it kills me to do it and I'm sure most people will talk about it endlessly until tip off on Thursday.
Tim Duncan ran out of steam after a fantastic start and it was hard to watch. Duncan destroyed the Heat single-handedly in the first half but only scored five of his 30 in the second. Part of that was the Heat focusing on him more and Bosh doing a good job and part of it was the officials not calling it tight down low. But Duncan at this point can't be expected to play over 40 minutes and still contribute steadily. Again, the good news is Duncan showed he can punish the Heat inside and I'm looking forward to the Spurs involving him early in game seven.
One of the reasons Duncan had to play so much was because Splitter wasn't particularly effective in his limited minutes. This is not a good match-up for Splitter at all but Pop will have to find a way to use him better, so that Duncan can rest. Or maybe even give DeJuan Blair a try for a couple of minutes since Diaw is too busy guarding James to play center.
Leonard might not be a star yet but he is probably the best role player in the league right now. That doesn't seem like high praise but I mean it to be. He seldom makes mistakes, plays all-out every time, doesn't need plays called for him to score and is a fantastic and versatile defender. He showed every one of those qualities in this game, scoring 22 points, getting eleven boards and logging three steals. Whenever you start to feel bad about anything Spurs, remember we have this guy and he is only 21.
The Heat should not have won this game, plain and simple. They had Mario Chalmers leading them in scoring for most of the game, they couldn't run or score off the Spurs' turnovers and their stars had solid but unspectacular games at best. They had a ridiculous outside shooting night, hitting 11 three pointers and a bunch of long jumpers. It's an irregularity, but it can happen. I don't expect them to repeat it in game seven, though.

Alright guys, let's get ready for game seven. We should all remember that fans of every other team would kill to be in our position. The Spurs can absolutely beat the Heat in Miami, even after having their older players on the court for extended minutes. So let's keep the faith and hope for a better performance and some lucky bounces.

For the opponent's perspective, visit Hot hot Hoops

Heat edge Spurs in OT, 103-100

2013-06-19T04:24:29Z

Tim Duncan's incredible start carried the team as he scored as many point in the first half, 25 as the rest of the team combined. After a tight first quarter, the Heat pulled ahead in the 2nd only for the Spurs to go on an excellent run to end the half and go into intermission up by 6.

The Spurs held on to the lead until halfway through the 3rd quarter when the Heat cut it to a single point, and it seemed that they had all the momentum in the world on their side, but Kawhi Leonard grabbed a loose ball, got it to Boris Diaw who found Tony Parker for a drive as he was fouled by Chris Bosh for a bucket and one to put the Spurs up by 4, 60-56. With that play as the spark plug, San Antonio went on a run that put them up a dozen points, and they went into the fourth quarter with a 10 point lead.

That's when the Heat's defense really started to exert itself, and LeBron James started making plays on both ends of the court after what had been a lackluster game to that point. He had a block on a Tim Duncan point blank layup. James had several drives for layups, the Spurs had difficulty getting open looks, and couldn't hit the ones they got. Danny Green, who had been unconscious for the entire series, had so few opportunities, and couldn't find the range for most of the night, finishing 1-5 from behind the arc, and 1-7 from the field.

The Heat grabbed the lead halfway through the fourth quarter and it looked like they were going to hold on to it as San Antonio just couldn't get anything going on offense. Then Tony Parker happened. With sparkling plays on both offense (a LONG three pointer with LeBron in his face) and defense (a key steal in the lane) and again on offense (a beautiful transition post up that ended with an over-the-shoulder turnaround layup) to put the Spurs up again. Buoyed by his play, the Spurs built a 5 point lead that looked like it would be enough as the game entered the final minute and the Heat started sending the Spurs to the line.

But Leonard made only one of two free throws, and the Heat got a three from Lebron. Then Ginobili could only sink one of two from the stripe and Ray Allen hit a three pointer from the right corner with just 5 seconds to go. The Spurs had no timeouts left and Parker made it all the way down the court, but couldn't manage anything better than a desperation falling out of bounds shot as time expired with the score tied at 95. The game would be decided in overtime.

And decided it was, but not the way San Antonio fans would have wanted. Chris Bosh came up with two key blocks in the final minute of the extra session, one on Tony Parker and one on Danny Green at the buzzer, as the Heat outscored the Spurs 8-5 in OT. It was the first time in the series that the team that reached 100 first did not win the game.

On to Game 7 we go.

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Kawhi Leonard throws it down on the break

2013-06-19T02:37:15Z

Early on in a potential season ending/'chip winning game, The Hand throws it down over Mike Miller with seemingly malicious intent. This kid is such a great player with (massively agreed upon) unlimited upside, I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to see this type of play on this stage.

via assets.sbnation.com

Game 6 Thread Part II: San Antonio at Miami

2013-06-19T02:16:07Z

FOR TIMMEH!

LeBron's chagrin is Spurs fans' delight

2013-06-18T21:59:25Z

It's Game 5 of the Finals. LeBron James shoots a free throw, misses, slaps his hands against each other in consternation and steps back up to the line, ready to shoot his second. Then the buzzer sounds, announcing a player's entering the game. LeBron quickly swings his head around to see who it is and his expression immediately changes to one of disgust and disappointment. He shakes his head and drops an F-bomb while popping out his mouthpiece and stepping away from the free throw line. Mike Breen says the words "Leonard comes in and Green will sit."

It has to be seen to be believed, and yet the more I watch it, the more the impossible seems to be as obvious as the grimace on LeBron's face: The league's best basketball player didn't want to see the Spurs' 21 year old small forward enter the game. There's not other explanation that I find plausible for his reaction. See for yourself.

And now ... lotsa GIFs

Danny Green's presence of mind -- and lights out shooting

This just happens to be the three-pointer that put Danny Green ahead of Ray Allen as the sole possessor of the NBA record holder for the most threes ever made in a single Finals series. But that's not why I've included it.

The big deal here is the fact that Green knew he was being trailed by Dwayne Wade on this play because both of them fell underneath the Heat basket as the ball was rebounded. Danny didn't want to get blocked, and had the presence of mind, even as he was receiving the ball and planting for his jumper, to take a look over his left shoulder to see whether he had enough room to get his shot off.

I remember thinking as he did so that it would increase the difficulty on the shot. It obviously didn't make a bit of difference.

I wasn't the only one to notice Danny's peek:

Green looked behind him as he was gathering for that 3-point attempt. Doesn't even need to see the basket right now.
— Matthew R Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) June 17, 2013

Here's a nice shot by Manu

And here's another

Here's a pass from Manu to Danny for a three

And a pass from Boris to Danny for a three

And finally: these were specially requested by tgojh of KL from G4

Ginobili's Return: How Game 5 of the NBA Finals was won in two short minutes

2013-06-18T18:32:15Z

Manu Ginobili, future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, has rarely been the best player on the San Antonio Spurs over his 11-year NBA career save for a playoffs here, a two-month hot-streak there, maybe a half-season at the absolute height of his powers in 2008, when the arcs of his athleticism and his three-point stroke converged at their apex. What he's always been though, in stark contrast to the stoic and steady excellence of Tim Duncan and the Mercury-in-high-tops fleet-footed brilliance of Tony Parker, was the one that inspired the masses, the guy who made the game-saving or game-winning play, the one who twisted the dagger into the opponent, the one who received the loudest boos on the road and left the other team's stars screaming curses at one another on their way to the losing locker room.

If Gregg Popovich is the team's pulsating brain, Duncan its champion's heart and Parker its tireless legs, then Ginobili is the balls. He's the guy who gives the team the swagger, the belief that it can overcome any odds, no matter how much younger, faster and springier their foes are. When he's at his absolute best Ginobili the passer makes a 5-on-5 game on a 94-foot court look like a 3-on-3 on a soccer pitch, the way he keeps finding teammates in acres of space, while simultaneously Ginobili the scorer repeatedly converts shots that you wouldn't even try in a game of H.O.R.S.E., only he does them over the outstretched arms of dumbstruck defenders.

While it's been far more common for Duncan or Parker to have big games in the last couple of seasons, rare has the occasion come up for us Spurs fans to lament a tough loss with a "Well Ginobili was awesome, but..." refrain, with perhaps Game 5 of last season's Western Conference Finals being the best exception that proves the rule. So yes, while it's true that many of us at PtR are unabashed Manu homers, there is a sensible, even pragmatic logic to wanting to see him play well, because historically speaking, when he does the Spurs so rarely lose.

I think it's perfectly objective to state that this postseason hasn't been nearly the trainwreck it's being made out to be. He was actually terrific against the Lakers despite the long injury layoff. Against the Warriors he had a game-winning shot in the series opener and 11 assists in the closeout win, with a 21-point performance in a Game 4 loss in between. Finally, against the Grizzlies, his numbers were modest, but he made plays here and there and generally brought more to the table than he took off.

Against the Heat in the Finals though, Ginobili's play through four games was impossible to rationalize or defend on any level, particularly in Games 2 and 4. It's not that he was just bad, but more damning was that he wasn't even a part of the narrative. It was like he was some spot player, a ninth man, entirely insignificant to the outcome. Even worse, Ginobili had no excuse to explain away any of it. He insisted he was as healthy and fit as he's been all season. He just had no rhythm or coordination with the ball, he couldn't get his body to do what his brain wanted and couldn't get into the flow of the games. He couldn't shoot it straight, couldn't stay out of foul trouble and even dribbling the ball was proving to be a challenge. Frankly, this is the guy we were expecting to see against the Lakers. It's like he was having a Benjamin Button playoffs.

No matter how bad the numbers have looked throughout the playoffs, we Manu fanboys (and fangirls) had faith. Surely he would snap out of his slump and have a good series sometime in these playoffs. Not so much against the Dubs though and definitely not against the Grizzles. The first two games against Miami weren't promising either, despite the nine day layoff the team got to rest ahead of them. The hope went from Manu having a great playoffs to one great series, to just one more great game... only we were running out of games.

I mean, he had to have just one more in him, right?

Well it turns out he did, and ironically it was the first time in 155 career playoff games where he had as many as 24 points to go with as many as 10 assists. In fact, he hadn't had even a regular season game like that since 2008. That Ginobili was given a start by Pop wasn't too hard to predict (I know because I predicted it), and yeah, I thought he would be aggressive and put up a couple of early shots, just to try and get himself going, but even I couldn't have imagined how well he started, scoring or assisting on 13 of the team's first 15 points.

I know this sounds stupid and arrogant to say, but really about two minutes into the game, I figured the Spurs would win and go to Miami up 3-2. All I needed to see was Manu hit his first shot, a contested three (later correctly changed to a long two) over Chris Bosh, then a bullet pass to a back-cutting Danny Green for a layup, followed by a pick-and-roll to Duncan for a huge slam. That was it, that's all I needed. The other 22 points and eight assists (as well as the hundred other plays various Spurs made in the thrilling win) were cake.

One of Manu's pet expressions for why the team wins or loses games is "juice," as in "we had that extra juice tonight" or "we just didn't have any juice." I'm almost certain he isn't talking about performance enhancers or Capri-sun, though with Manu you never know with the latter. Well, Ginobili sure had his juice on Sunday, the entire team was overflowing with juice throughout the game and the AT&T center threatened to break The Titanic's record for biggest full-scale drowning (note: I have no idea if this is true but for the sake of my joke I won't count any Biblical floods), so awash the arena was with this sweet, intoxicating juice.

The best part, for me, was watching him, at long last, abandon the mostly fruitless pick-and-rolls and just attack people Manu-a-Mano, especially Mike Miller, Norris Cole and Bosh on a switch, though he did have a sweet step-back jumper on LeBron James too. Hopefully we'll see more of that as this series shifts to Miami. When Manu is feeling confident and on his game, he still has enough game to take on anybody one-on-one and get off a quality look. On Sunday a great number of those looks went in, chants of "Manu! Manu!" filled the rafters and we got to see a legend in winter have one more moment in the sun, in front of fans who've been behind him through thick and thin. I'm just overjoyed that no matter what happens, he gave us at least one more great game to remember him by, and it was a night I won't ever, ever forget.

But man, it sure would be great if he remembered to bring his juice on the team's last road trip of the season.