NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat - Game 5 Talking Points

Danny Green #4 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after making a three-pointer in the third quarter against the Miami Heat during Game Five of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 16, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images)

Out of the 27 times that a NBA Finals series has stood at 2-2 after 4 games, the team that has won Game 5 has gone onto win the series 20 times.

The writing was on the wall. The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs both knew and understood the importance of Game 5. It was the last time the Spurs were going to play before their home fans, and they were in no mood to part on a sorry note. The Heat on the other hand knew that the next two games were at Miami and a win today, could have closed the deal. The stakes couldn’t get higher and the stipulation couldn’t be bettered.

The Heat seemed revitalised with the resurgence of Dwyane Wade in Game 4, and the manner in which they blew-out the Spurs on their own home-court. LeBron James finally got the help from his supporting cast as the ‘Big Three’ combined for 85 points.

The Spurs were looking to bounce back from the disappointing Game 4, and were hoping that their own veteran Big Three would come to the party. Danny Green was shooting the lights out and Kwahi Leonard was doing an impressive job keeping LeBron quiet and off his comfort zone, but the Spurs were still worried about Manu Ginobili’s inconsistent form, Tony Parker’s health and Tim Duncan’s minutes.

The game however turned out to be a far greater tactical surprise and a strategic master-class by Gregg Popovich. Ginobili started the game, to help out with the playmaking duties as Parker still seemed to be struggling with his knee. This put more pressure on Wade, who had to contend with the all-round game of Ginobili rather than chasing around the spot-up shooter in Green.

Popovich knew that Wade was coming off a game-winning performance and he needed to ensure that Wade had to do more on the defensive end, and get him bouncing off as many pick-and-roll screens as possible and test his knee more.

The talking points:

Danny Green had another MVP game:

Danny Green’s development in this year’s NBA Finals has been nothing short of a fairytale. Cut by teams in his juvenile years in the league, the time spent in the D-league and his reduced minutes as a Spurs player seemed to have fuelled him into a steely, cold-hearted clutch shooter.

And today was his time to write his way into the history-books and establish his status as one of the greatest clutch-shooters in the game. Yes, he didn’t get into any All-Star weekend three-point contests, his percentages aren’t over the roof, but whenever the Spurs have needed a momentum changing shot, he has stepped up.

He ended the night with 24 points, on 8-15 shooting and 6-10 from beyond the arc. His last three-pointer in the last minute of the fourth quarter, was his 26^th of the Finals, the highest number of three-pointers that anybody has ever made in a NBA Finals series.

Popovich may have trolled him by comparing him to Bruce Bowen, because Green seems to have nothing other than the spot-up jumper in his repertoire. Almost on cue, Green also had a Bowen defensive moment, when he contested and blocked a transition James lay-up; a very special and rare feat.

Manu Ginobili #20 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after making a basket in the third quarter against the Miami Heat during Game Five of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 16, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images)

Manu Ginobili finally came to the party:

I remember writing a piece about how Manu held the key to the Spurs fortune in the play-offs and I may have been defied slightly by the belligerence of Leonard, Green and the excellence of Parker. Ginobili seemed to struggle in almost every series after his demolition of the Lakers, but the Spurs managed to scrape through.

However, Ginobili is too big a competitor and too good a player, to go this long without making an impact and his return to form couldn’t have come at a better time. The characteristic off-balanced floaters dropped for him; he even found the perfect pocket passes off the pick-and-roll. He was suddenly the Manu that was recognised as amongst the best foreign players to ever play the game; the player who was the soul of the Spurs team for the better half of the last decade, and the player who was loved and revered by everyone in San Antonio.

He controlled the game, making key plays, dancing his way around screens and getting to the rim as he led the Spurs to a 19-1 run in the second half. The arena was echoing with chants of “Manu, Manu”, and it was just as if somebody had turned back the clock by 5-6 years. He finished the game with 24 points and 10 assists, his season-high numbers and quite possible a series-defining return to form.

Miami’s Big Three delivered or did they?

The Heat’s big three had very good games in their own right, filling up the stat sheet. LeBron finished with his second consecutive 20+ game, scoring 25 points, while dishing out 8 assists and also raking in 6 rebounds.

Wade continued his brilliant return to form as he finished with 25 points, on 10-22 shooting, while also dishing out 10 assists and also managing to get 2 blocks and 1 steal. Chris Bosh seemed to get his stroke working, scoring 16 points on 7-11 shooting.

It may seem that the Heat’s big three tortured the Spurs, but if ever there was an instance of numbers not telling the whole story, this is it. The Spurs have continued their strategy of allowing LeBron and Wade enough space to raise up and shoot the perimeter and mid-range jumpers, but were in no mood to give them a free run at the rim.

Whenever Wade and LeBron managed to beat their man on the perimeter, the whole Spurs defence would converge and force them to take a highly-contested shot at the rim, or kick the ball out to the perimeter. In today’s game the story wasn’t much different, as LeBron went 2-8 on lay-up attempts as almost everything at the rim was contested by at least two Spurs help defenders.

Bosh spent most of his time off the paint, and despite the Big Three getting their points, the Spurs made it exceedingly uncomfortable for them. The Spurs dared them to make the perimeter and mid-range shots, and were prepared to live with it. The Heat’s supporting cast of Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller all failed to step up, and despite Ray Allen making his presence felt with 21 points off the bench, it wasn’t good enough.

The Heat need more from Chalmers, Battier and Miller to have a chance in Game 6; much like what the trio managed in last year’s Finals.

Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs reacts in the fourth quarter while taking on the Miami Heat during Game Five of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 16, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images)

Parker came up big:

Tony Parker had maybe the best game of the series yet, as he was relieved of the major play-making duties by Ginobili and could concentrate on scoring more. The result: he played more like a shooting guard, scoring 26 points on 10-14 shooting. He played for 35 minutes, and despite his calf still bothering him, he kept on attacking the rim and came up with vital clutch plays in the fourth quarter to snuff out any chances of a possible Miami Heat comeback.

Popovich’s tactical brilliance:

This year’s NBA Finals has been imperious in terms of the strategies, tactical brilliance and polarizing basketball mentalities on display. It has been like a chess game, with each Coach trying to better the other and despite many savants still questioning Eric Spoelstra’s status as an elite basketball coach, his tactical duel with Popovich has been absorbingly intriguing.

While, he may get the stick for being bettered in most occasions, he has certainly showed enough basketball acumen to bother Popovich; quite possibly the best tactical coach in the game. Today was however not his day as Popovich pulled off another masterstroke, by starting Ginobili and going small with two spot-up shooters in Green and Leonard as the starting Forwards.

Ginobili handled the ball for major parts and that allowed Parker to be aggressive and concentrate on his natural scoring instincts. The Heat were reluctant to give Green and Leonard any space as both had been shooting the ball exceedingly well, and with Ginobili also demanding a lot of attention, it opened up the paint for Parker and Duncan to exploit.

On the defensive front, Popovich knew that if Wade had another 30-point game then it would be difficult for the Spurs to stay in the game, and he put Leonard, his best defensive player, on him. The issue was about who was to guard LeBron now, as despite everything Green wasn’t strong enough to defend LeBron.

Popovich then would surprise many by bringing in his dark horse in Boris Diaw, to guard LeBron. Now, not many remember that Diaw had started his career as a guard, before Mike D’Antoni forced him into playing as a forward and a stretch four at Phoenix. Called 3D by his teammates because of his all-round game, it was time to put it to the test against the game’s best player. Diaw certainly didn’t have the foot speed to keep up with LeBron, but Popovich had that covered with his defensive rotations.

LeBron despite everything couldn’t look to post up on the beefy Diaw, and when he did beat him off the dribble, he ran into a barrage of bodies in the paint. He had a mismatch, but the only way he could exploit it was by walking into the Spurs trap. Not surprisingly he had to finish the game shooting 11 jumpers and missing 6 lay-ups. He did get to the free-throw line, but he was by no means the same menace and Popovich had truly out-smarted the Heat and co. by turning their biggest strength into a trap.

Popovich may have stamped his authority over Game 5, but he was never somebody to rest on his laurels. He is already looking forward to Game 6, and in his signature dismissive mode summed it up as, “There is no magic to it. It is basketball. It is not that complicated. “