NBA: Miami runs over San Antonio in Game 2
The Spurs’ Tim Duncan goes to the hoop against Udonis Haslem (40).
Game 2 of the NBA Finals was close for the first three quarters, with San Antonio up by a point with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter, then Miami went on a 33:5 run to turn the contest into a blowout, 103:84. Mario Chalmers led the Heat with 19 points, while Danny Green was high-man for the Spurs with 17, including shooting 6 for 6 from the floor, 5 for 5 from behind the arc.
The Heat outshot San Antonio 41 of 83 (49.4%) to 32 of 78 (41.0%), on the floor, but the clubs were virtually even from the behind the arc and at the line. The big difference in the game was turnovers, where the Spurs committed 16, while the Heat only gave up the rock six times in the 48 minutes of play. San Antonio did win the battle of the boards 44-36, with Kawhi Leonard hauled in 14 boards and Tim Duncan grabbed 11 for the Spurs, Chris Bosh nabbed 10 to complete a 12P/10R double-double, and LeBron James snagged 8 for the Heat.
Q1 was very evenly matched from the start, with neither team getting up by more than five, but ending the frame with a 22-all deadlock. Green got the first six of the game for the Spurs, knocking down a pair of three-balls in the first three minutes. Bosh was the high scorer after the first 12 with six as well, off a jumper a dunk a tip in of an errant James jumper.
LeBron couldn’t get into a rhythm early and other guys stepped up … Mario was able to make some plays. Ray and Mike both found open gaps for the shooting. Dwyane and [Chris Bosh] were able to make some plays in the first half and LeBron was fine with that.
–Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
Miami opened the second with the first five, off a triple from Mike Miller and a lay-up from Norris Cole. The Spurs went on a 1:12 after that, to build a 29:34 lead. Miami tied it up at 36, then the Spurs did the same at 45. The Heat got the last five of the half with a three-pointer by Chalmers and a Dwayne Wade lay-up, both the 10th points for each, which gave Miami a 50:45 advantage as the teams headed to the locker rooms for the break. Green picked up another six in the second to give him 12 for the first half and Tony Parker tallied 10 for the first 24 minutes.
As the second half opened Bosh (jumper) and James (pair of freebies) tallied two each to extend the Miami advantage to eight, 54:46. The Spurs countered with a Leonard lay-up, a Tiago Splitter hook, and another Green triple, to cut the lead to a point, 54:53. The clubs traded the lead over the next few minutes and with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, San Antonio got the lead, 61:62, on a Green’s 17th point, a finger-roll on a drive to the hoop on the baseline around James. That would be when the lid fell on the Spurs basket and Miami took their name to heart and gave the Spurs some serious heat, to the tune of a 33:5 run that gave Miami as much as a 27-point lead late in the fourth quarter (4:41 remaining). Three minutes earlier San Antonio skipper Gregg Popovich had cleared his bench, and with five minutes to play Miami coach Erik Spoelstra did the same. In the battle of the benches, the Spurs were able to cut the margin to 19 with a 13:5 final four minutes. The end result was still an evened up series at one game each, with the contest shifting now to San Antonio for Games 3 (Tues.) and 4 (Thurs.).
You know what, credit to Miami, honestly. First start there. They outplayed us. They ended quarters better than us. We turned the ball over more than we should have. Credit to them. We didn’t play well. We didn’t shoot well. I know I played awfully.
–Spurs center Tim Duncan
Chalmers was game-high for Miami with 19. James added 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Ray Allen scored 13, Bosh had a 12P/10R double-double, and Wade added 10 points and 6 assists.
The Spurs got 17 from Green, 13 from Parker, and 10 from Gary Neal.