Back to Back Championships: How the Spurs Loss, Why the Heat Won

In a 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat won the 2013 NBA Finals on Thursday night, resulting in back to back championships.

My prediction from the beginning of this series was the Heat would pull through in Game 7, and that’s exactly what happened. Give me my props.

But it wasn’t exactly a well executed game. Both teams were exhausted and it looked that way.

How The Spurs Loss

The San Antonio Spurs are just an all around great team. They were able to put the pressure on the Heat all series long.

In Thursday’s game, four out of the five starters were in double digits scoring wise, which usually good indication that this team is playing well.

Although he wasn’t as explosive as he was in Game 6, Tim Duncan lead the Spurs in scoring with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

He was getting the job done but in a key hook shot that he’s has made a numerous amount of times, he failed late in the fourth quarter to tie the game.

Kawhi Leonard also helped with keeping the Spurs in the game came out with 19 points and 16 rebounds. This kid is twenty-one years old… you haven’t seen the last of him. Stars are born in the playoffs.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili weren’t necessarily playing as well as you may have expected them to be going into Game 7. The both of them combined for 28 points.

And then there’s Danny Green . The Heat defense showed us all that he isn’t as good as everyone made him out to be. Even the thought of naming him the Finals MVP if the Spurs were to win was completely preposterous.

In Game 7, as soon as he put the ball on the floor it turned into a disaster. The Miami Heat defense did that.

Why The Heat Won

First of all lets give credit to the well deserved Coach Erik Spoelstra . He went up against the legendary Spurs’ Coach Gregg Popovich and won. Under the President, Pat Riley, the great young coach is destined to do great things.

As for the players, LeBron James was absolutely superb scoring 37 points and 12 rebounds. All series long San Antonio was begging him to take his jumper and in Game 7 the made them pay.

Unsurprisingly, James was also titled the 2013 Finals MVP. They don’t call him King for nothing.

James goes on to be the only other player besides Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon to win back to back regular season MVP, Finals MVP, and Championships.

Dwyane Wade was great as well, though struggling with his knee injury. He vowed to give it everything he had and scored 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Shane Battier ‘s inconsistency earlier in the series had him taken out of the starting lineup. But he came out in Game 7 and hit six big three pointers.

Mario Chalmers also had a role in the game’s victory scoring 14 points.

Strangely, Chris Bosh was scoreless only attempting five shots. Picking up three fouls early took him out of the game but that didn’t stop him from having an impact.

He had seven rebounds and a few big defensive plays, one being when he forced Ginóbili to turnover the ball late in the fourth quarter.

After Game 6, I mentioned that this was no longer about how talented a team is and that it will all come down to the will to win.

The 2013 NBA Finals will forever be known as a classic series. Two well respected teams fighting for a championship.

Going into this series it was the two best teams from the east and west, and in the end there is only room for one.

Congratulations to the Miami Heat and a job well done.

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