Going into the game, we wondered how the Heat would respond after a demoralizing Game 5 loss in San Antonio. With their backs against the wall, now facing elimination, would we see the LeBron James of old (the Cleveland and Year One Miami one who faltered when he needed to step up most)? Or would we see the LeBron James of new (the one who looked to finally have made "The Leap", who knew how to balance getting his teammates involved with taking over the scoring load when need be, who closed out the Bostons, the Indianas, and the Oklahoma Citys)? LeBron took a bit of a backseat from the limelight in the first half and other storylines emerged. Mario Chalmers came out of the gates strong and attacked the basket and hit some timely 3s (sidenote: this is a kid that isn't afraid of the biggest moments, a kid who comes alive when it matters the most. We saw it way back when he was still in Kansas when he hit the clutch 3 over Memphis's own Derrick Rose to tie the national championship game. We saw it in Game 2 of the 2010 Finals where he hit a cold-blooded 3 to tie the game. We saw it last year against the Thunder in the LeBron cramps/"Mario Motherf***ing Chalmers!!!!" game. We saw it in Game 2 this year when the Heat went on a 33-5 second half run to step on the Spurs' throats. And we were seeing it again last night.)
Also contributing for the Heat were Chris "The Birdman" Andersen who had fallen out of Erik Spoelstra's rotation completely in Games 4 and 5 but spread his wings last night (much to the delight of the Miami crowd) and provided some much needed energy with passionate defense, keeping the ball alive on the offensive end, and one memorable "Everybody get out of my way" dive into the crowd to save a loose ball. Even Shane Battier, another forgotten man, hit some much-needed 3s and stepped in to draw some momentum-swinging charges (Battier being one of the best at that in the NBA). On a more concerning note, we all had to hold our breaths midway through the first quarter when Dwyane Wade came up limp after banging knees with Manu Ginobili (plus he was called for an offensive foul on the play, literally adding insult to injury). This was not his "3 bone bruises in one knee"" right knee, but rather his left knee that gave him so much trouble in last year's playoffs. He did hit a couple of nice shots in the first half, including a nifty side-step of Gary Neal and a Kemba Walker-like stepback over Boris Diaw but at other times, he was clearly hobbled and didn't even start the second half because the knee began to swell up. Wade's health/effectiveness was another key storyline for this game.
On the Spurs side of things, Kawhi Leonard looked strong to start (putting Mike Miller on a poster early) but Tony Parker was unimpressive, Ginobili struggled after a time machine performance in Game 5, and Danny Green, sans 1 three, (HOW IS HE STILL OPEN?!?!?!?) couldn't get it going. However, all of these subpar 1st half performances were offset by one man: Timothy Theodore Duncan. He absolutely took over in the first 24 minutes. He manhandled Chris Bosh on the low block, hitting his first 8 shots. He showcased an endless array of post moves and got some tough rebounds in traffic. When the smoke cleared, Duncan went into the locker room already with 25 points and 8 boards. This was vintage Tim Duncan and he looked poised to capture that 5th ring. (Sidenote: what really sets Tim Duncan apart, what makes him the best power forward to ever play the game and the best player of his generation, is his ability to take his game to another level when it matters the most. Just ask J-Kidd's Nets when Duncan posted a near quadruple-double to clinch the championship. Or maybe you could ask Ewing's Knicks when Duncan and Robinson destroyed them in 99. Or ask the Kobe and Shaq Lakers how they felt about Duncan ending any hopes of a possible 4-peat. This guy's really something else.)
At the end of 3, the Heat were staring at a 10 point deficit with the possibility of the end of their season being a mere 12 minutes away. The Spurs were ready to put the chokehold on them and clinch their 5th championship in 14 years. "But wait a minute..." thought LeBron James. "This seems all too familiar." And he was right. Tim Duncan coming up big when it mattered most and him, LeBron James, the consensus best basketball player in the world, choking away a championship at the hands of Popovich's gang? Getting ready to have to watch the Spurs celebrate on his home floor? Then it hit him. The 2007 NBA Finals when LeBron's Cleveland team was swept by Duncan's Spurs and had to suffer through the agony of watching them celebrate in his house. "No..." thought LeBron. "Not again."
Then the 4th started. Boom an assist to Chalmers in the corner for 3. Boom an easy layup. Boom an assist to Mike Miller on the wing for 3 (the famous one-shoed 3 that will go down in NBA lore forever). Then an errant Mario Chalmers airball at the tail end of the shot clock that LeBron happened to be in the right place at the right time to dunk home to bring the Heat within 4. But in the process of the putback dunk, a Spurs defender knocked off LeBron's signature headband to the floor. With no time to retrieve it because he had to get back on defense, he resumed play without it. And that's when all hell broke loose.
Like Superman shedding Kryptonite, as soon as that headband left LeBron's head, it was time. Time for LeBron Raymone James to evolve into a terrifying cross between Rambo, Michael Jordan, and a cobra. It was time to take over this game. First a thunderous dunk off a good read by Mario Chalmers to see a cutting James. Then, a wrap around Boris Diaw for an easy layup (seriously how long did you think Boris Diaw would be able to stop LeBron for?). A pinpoint pass to a wide-open Birdman that led to a foul, and then a vicious block of Tim Duncan at the rim that must have activated Tiago Splitter's PTSD. That led to a Ray Allen layup and just like that, Miami was back on top. A few more fearless drives to the hoop resulting in layups and free throws and a bit of help from his partner, Dwyane Wade, and Miami held a 89-86 lead with under 2 minutes remaining. It seemed like the ultimate case of role reversal. LeBron was the one coming up clutch while Tim Duncan (held scoreless in the 4th quarter) was the one choking. And at that point in time, it felt damn good to be LeBron James.
But then, it started to all come unraveled. An improbable, clutch stepback 3 for Tony Parker (never known as a 3 point shooter by any stretch of the imagination) over none other than James tied the game. A bad Chalmers pass led to another Parker score and put the Spurs back up by 2. Timeout Miami. "Don't panic" thought LeBron. "Just be yourself and we'll bring this one home." And that was the beginning of an almost fatal mistake. Old LeBron started to rear his ugly head again. This was the same LeBron that got swept by Duncan in 2007. The same LeBron that allegedly quit on his team against the Celtics in 2010. The same LeBron that disappeared against the Mavericks in 2011. And he was back for more at the worst possible time. On another drive to the hoop, James lost control of the ball and turned it over. After the Heat now had to foul, Ginobili canned two at the line to increase the lead to 4. James got the ball again. This time, he chucked up an ungodly mix between an airball and a wild lob and turned it over again. Another foul, another Ginobili trip to the line and he hit 1 of 2. And it looked liked that was it. Down by 5 with less than 30 ticks left, the writing looked to be on the wall for the Miami Heat's season. That was it. They started to bring out the championship trophy. Security guards came out and yellow tape was placed courtside to prevent fans from rushing the court. Heat "fans" starting heading for the exits, prematurely abandoning the seats they paid thousands of dollars for (more on this in a minute). King James had choked yet again. But in the words of the great Yogi Berra, "it ain't over till it's over."
Heading into the final couple of defensive possessions, Gregg Popovich, in a fateful decision, decided to leave Tim Duncan on the bench. And then, the final 28 seconds. LeBron caught the ball off the inbounds and his 3 was way off . Old LeBron had almost completed his epic collapse. But with Duncan sitting on the bench, the rebound was up for grabs and a mad scramble had Mike Miller emerge with the ball who quickly shoveled it to James and in a final attempt to slay the demons of Old LeBron launched another 3. Nothing but net. After a Spurs timeout, the Heat immediately fouled Kawhi Leonard sending the 21 year old to the line for the biggest freebies of his life. And wouldn't you know it, he only hit 1 of 2, leaving the door open for the Heat just a bit. No timeouts left, the Heat took the ball out and ran a double screen for LeBron to get a 3 which he put up. Clang. And the Heat's season looked to be flatlined again. But remember, Popovich left Duncan on the bench in this crucial possession. And the forgotten member of the Big 3, Chris Bosh, took full advantage and grabbed the biggest offensive rebound of his life and tossed it back out to the greatest 3 point shooter of all-time, Ray Allen, backpedaling to the right corner and lining up for 3, ignoring a wide-open LeBron James and Mario Chalmers in the process. Nothing. But. Net. And with one shot, Ray Allen had saved not only the Heat's season, but also possibly LeBron James' legacy.
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| He. Got. |
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| Game. |
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I thought Popovich actually got outcoached by Erik Spoelstra in this one. Pop stupidly elected to sit Duncan taking a page out of Frank Vogel's book. He could have called for a better play on the game's final play and he should have called timeout after Wade's brick near the end of OT. He didn't even realize that tonight wasn't Ginobili's night and decided to stick with him to the tune of 8 TOs. Plus, the refs missed his illegal substitution of Duncan late in the game. Meanwhile, Coach Spo masterminded the Heat's defensive clampdown in the 4th and sitting Wade for most of the second half turned out to be a good decision. Finally, re-inserting Birdman and Battier into the rotation paid huge dividends down the stretch.
It's a shame that Miami "fans" had to feed to the bandwagon stereotype and leave early. It's unfortunate but true that most Heat fans are bandwagon fans who weren't there before LeBron. I for one am glad to say I'm not one of those fans (I hopped on the bandwagon when Shaq got traded to South Beach LOL). They definitely should have given more respect to their team that has done so much for them this year. And it was pretty funny to see them in a mad rush to enter American Airlines Arena once they got word that the game went into overtime and security slammed the door right in their faces. Serves em' right!
Mike Miller's shoe now definitely has to go down into the lore of famous sports articles of clothing along with Curt Schilling's sock and Thurman Thomas' helmet.
I found it fitting how Bosh said before the game that prospective Finals MVP Danny Green "won't be open tonight" and wound up rejecting him at the end. Well done Bosh.
I also really enjoyed watching the post-game interviews where LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Ray Allen, and Battier talked about how seeing the championship trophy toward the end really pissed them off and caused them to go into "eff you" mode at the end. It's the little things like this that are the reason why I love sports.
Be interesting to see if LeBron wears his headband in Game 7. I say that he will but if he's not pleased with his play with it on, he's losing it.
The Heat seem to be a lot worse with D-Wade on the court unfortunately. With Wade even more hurt now, I wonder if Spoelstra makes any tweaks to his rotations for Game 7.
Seeing LeBron rotate through various cycles of choke and clutch I think sums up the enigmatic superstar that is LeBron James. He has so many demons to slay and sometimes, when it looks like he has them beat, they rear their ugly heads again. Ladies and gentlemen, the man, the myth, the legend, LeBron James. Nice triple double by the way. We'll need more of that (as well as a timely appearance from New LeBron) next game.
Respect to Ray Allen. That's years of hard work, practice, dedication, blood, sweat, tears, stuff, thaaannggs, that went into that final shot. The man's clutch level is off the chart. Hats off to you Ray Ray. Mama Allen must be proud.
If you haven't already, clear out your schedule for 6 PM PST for Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I'm gonna let that sink it for a bit.............but seriously you don't want to miss it. If you thought that Game 6 was the most exciting this series could get, in the words of Judas Priest "you've got another thing coming."
And the last thing that I'll leave you with is that this game resulted in one of my favorite tweets of all-time courtesy of fellow Filipino, sportswriter Pablo Torre.
Peace.
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