MIAMI — The passes kept flying, from one Spur to the next, one zone to the next, inside, then outside and inside again, chipping away at the Miami Heat's defense, chipping away at their sanity.
The ball kept moving Thursday night—a beautiful, brilliant display of selflessness and discipline. You could practically see the Heat's resolve crumbling under the pressure of all of those pretty passes: from Boris Diaw to Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard to Patty Mills, and Mills to Tiago Splitter.The more San Antonio passed, the more Miami wilted, and soon the Spurs were cruising to another unfathomable rout, a 107-86 blowout that put them on the verge of a fifth championship.
The Spurs are heading home with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, after taking two games by a combined 40 points on the Heat's home court.This was the Spurs at their absolute best: precise, purposeful, fluid and, dare we say, dominant, although that last adjective admittedly isn't one we usually associate with this team of humble stars.Perhaps we should.
The Spurs shredded the Heat despite getting modest production from Tim Duncan (10 points) and Manu Ginobili (seven). But they rode Tony Parker's hot hand for 19 points, got another big game from Leonard (20) and a fantastic shooting display from Mills (14), who went 4-of-6 from behind the arc.Leonard and Mills outscored Miami's Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh 34 to 22. The statistics were an emphatic testament to the Spurs' superior depth and balance, as well as the frailty of the Heat's Big Three.
The Spurs passed the ball 380 times in Game 4, an average of 4.6 times per possession, whipping it past, around and through whatever seam they found.
It was a sight to behold, the game in its purest form. Even Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, who has seen so many great moments from this team, left the arena sounding a bit awestruck—and a bit hoarse—late Thursday night.
"To know how these guys care for each other, and to see them enjoy the success of the group and play together like that, that's incredibly fun to be part of," Buford told Bleacher Report.
The SportVU box score also showed a massive discrepancy in ball movement, with the Heat making 267 passes, more than 100 fewer than the Spurs.
There was a simple artistry to the Spurs' offensive onslaught, and Diaw was the master painter. He passed the ball 78 times (second only to Parker's 83) and sliced up the Heat with nine assists, finding just the right player in the right spot, time and again.
Early in the second quarter, Diaw drew a double-team and then casually snapped a no-look, behind-the-back bounce pass to Splitter for an easy layup. The fancy passing set Twitter ablaze and caught the attention of at least one notable NBA playmaker."That Boris Diaw pass..." tweeted Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio, who might be the NBA's most creative passer.
My Cart
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Compare Products
You have no items to compare.
Community Poll
No comments:
Post a Comment