San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat: NBA Finals Game

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Though the San Antonio Spurs would beg to differ, there's nothing better than a Game 7.
Trailing the Spurs 3-2 and facing elimination, the Miami Heat came storming back from behind in Game 6 to force a series-deciding Game 7.

Leveling the playing field has changed things for both teams.

It's still championship or bust for the Heat, but they're at home, clad with the knowledge that they didn't put their best foot forward by any means in Game 6 and still won. Momentum has shifted.

Could the NBA season really end like this, with the Miami Heat, who looked absolutely invincible for most of the regular season, vanquished at home by the ancient San Antonio Spurs? In Game Five, San Antonio's Manu Ginobili returned from the dead and Danny Green broke Ray Allen's NBA Finals record for made three-pointers while Allen was right there on the opposing bench. The Spurs took a 3-2 series lead and now have two games at Miami's American Airlines Arena to close out the series, clinching their 5th title in franchise history and improving their perfect record in NBA Finals to 5-0.

Well, if the Spurs are going to win a title tonight that means they will have to defeat the Miami Heat two games in a row, something which hasn't happened in a long long time. Not at all during the postseason (granted, the Heat have been having a problem winning two games in a row for the last month).

 Being back at home should also give Miami an advantage tonight. The scary thing about Sunday night's loss for Miami is that it didn't seem like an effort/attention/psychological issue, which is how the Heat's losses during this series have mostly been explained away. The Heat were in the game right up until the final minute, the Spurs' lead was down to one point in the game's third quarter. The Spurs just totally and utterly outplayed the Heat, there's no "we outplayed ourselves" excuse available for Miami's Game Five performance. The San Antonio Spurs were a better team, in fact they looked like the exact kind of team capable of handing the Heat their first back-to-back loss in months.

For the first time all postseason, they are facing a win-or-go-home situation. And for the second time in the last eight years, they've been pushed to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Will the Spurs be able to steal another win on the road and lay claim to their fourth title in the last decade, or will the Heat hand San Antonio's Big Three their first ever Finals loss en route to a second straight title?

There really isn't anything better than a Game 7.


Time: Thursday, June 20, 9 p.m. ET

Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami

Series: Tied 3-3

San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat June 9, 2013

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Game 1 of the NBA Finals was as close as can be, setting the stage for what is poised to be a long, hotly contested series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat.

San Antonio didn't put the Heat away until the waning seconds of the opener, relying on a Tony Parker circus shot to finish off the 92-88 victory.

That's what happens when two very strong teams play 48 solid minutes of soundly executed, highly entertaining basketball.

In an interesting twist that happens in such contests, both teams' strengths and weaknesses were limited in Game 1. San Antonio's defensive fundamentals and fastidiousness with the ball kept LeBron James and company from capitalizing on their athletic advantage, while Miami outshot and out-rebounded the Spurs to counter their efficiency with volume.

James registered a triple-double in Game 1 with 18 points (a postseason low), 18 rebounds and 10 assists (both postseason highs). Parker led the Spurs with 21 points and six assists, while Tim Duncan had 20 points and 14 boards while leading San Antonio's exemplary interior defense.

That's the kind of high-caliber play fans can get used to in this series. Even more is coming your way in Game 2.


Time: Sunday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET

Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, Fla.

Series: Spurs 1-0

San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat June 6, 2013

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We’ve waited for over two months for this time to come and the NBA Finals are finally upon us. The Miami Heat suffered a scare against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals but they appear to possibly be coming into the Finals red hot off their Game 7 win. As for the San Antonio Spurs, this may be the final chance they have to win a title with their legendary core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

This is Miami’s third straight chance to win a title with their own legendary core of players but this one will perhaps be the hardest to achieve as the Spurs present a challenge they haven’t faced before. The Mavericks caught them still trying to adjust to the talent on the roster and Oklahoma City was still on the rise when they were beaten.

San Antonio’s been here before and they’ve been here against LeBron before. But it’s not 2007 anymore and LeBron has a taste for championship blood.

So what time do the Heat and Spurs tip off? We’ve got all of the information you will need to know to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the NBA Finals action.

Season Series: Heat 2-0

Playoff Seeds: Spurs No. 2; Heat No. 1

Playoff Records: Spurs 12-2; Heat 12-4

NBA Finals Schedule:

Game 1 Thursday, June 6, 9 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 2 Sunday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 3 Tuesday, June 11, 9 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 4 Thursday, June 13, 9 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5 Sunday, June 16, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)*
Game 6 Tuesday, June 18, 9 p.m. ET (ABC)*
Game 7 Thursday, June 20, 9 p.m. ET (ABC)*