This was a great team win by the Spurs tonight. They played the exact kind of basketball they needed to in order to win on the road. I was surprised to see they were such an underdog going in and I saw nothing that would change my mind that they will win this series.

Heat always seem to bounce back well from these type of games. I expect them to... but the Spurs are a machine. If the Heat blink at all the Spurs are going to do this again on Sunday. It's something to watch. It's probably a shame so many people don't like watching the Spurs play.

LeBron only averages 22.5 points per game in the Finals, his least of any round.

It was more of a commentary on how well the Spurs front office has functioned for the past 15-20 years. The Spurs have drafted the Admiral and Timmy at 1.1, but the bulk of their players have been late round picks and nobody FAs that have played incredibly well.

Parker was +9
Lebron was -3

I'm starting to think it will take all 7 for the Heat this series.

Yeah, some people get really stupid when discussing LeBron and it isn't just on this board.

Tony Parker is a fantastic player that made some huge clutch shots down the stretch, but he didn't contribute anywhere near as much as LeBron did tonight.

Saying LeBron was the best player on the court tonight is insane. Parker was downright phenomenal and clutch to boot.

Spo tried to squeeze time out of no Lebron or Wade and the heat got out of rhythm offensively and couldn't get it back.

I love watching the Spurs. Glorious basketball.

LOL! Matt Bonner on the Spurs is a Florida Gator. We're everywhere! But since Heat have 2 Gators gotta go for them.

Uhhhmmm people love the Spurs.

Yes, their front office should be proud of the way they tanked for Tim Duncan.

Yes, you attempt to turn every discussion into LeBron-related bash fest (which is not surprising, considering your admitted hatred of him). It gets old, especially on nights like tonight when he played very well and was the only reason the Heat were in the game.

What bad things should I be saying about him? I generally praise great players like LeBron, Duncan, and Parker...I don't criticize them.

18-18-10 w/ 2 TOs.


I get that he needed to impose his will more in the 4th. The pass to Bosh is a good example of that. But given that we're dealing with human beings, one can still make mistakes while performing an activity better than anyone else.

Do you think the Heat would have lost by less than four had Tony Parker played for them and Lebron the Spurs tonight?

What site shows the highlights?

I don't know if NBA has a lockdown on its video or not.

**** MATT BONNER

One guy turned up the heat in the 4th quarter today. One guy shrunk.

The Heat need LeBron to play like LeBron, not like Rajon Rondo.

The Spurs basically put the Peyton Manning strategy on LeBron. Just took away the big play at any cost and forced him to dump it off and he played it safe.

Ummmm espn

People who don't like watching the Spurs can't appreciate good basketball.

I figured the Spurs would win this in 6, but I still thought the Heat would win the first 2 at home within that. This is going to be very difficult for Miami now. Game 2 becomes essentially a must win game with the next three in San Antonio.

I don't have cable and ESPN.com is just showing a Tony Parker interview from after the game. NBA.com had a bunch of 1 play highlights, I want to get the entire game highlight package.

Suck it Lebron.

I have complimented LeBron many times. The idea that I'm on a bash fest is comical. I don't believe he's the greatest player of all time. I've said many times he's the best player in the game right now by a lot.

There is a difference between not criticizing and continually making excuses. The idea that an elite player is better off passing the ball late in the game when the lead is slipping away than taking the game over himself is some kind of a bizarro world. LeBron played one hell of a game today. But I'm sorry, it was clear the game was getting away from the Heat, that the shooters were getting cold, and he didn't take over. When you have a guy who is that good, you have to blame that guy when they don't win. Seems pretty common sense to me.

When Parker starts playing defense, rebounding, and facilitating at the same levels as LeBron did tonight, let me know.

I think the Spurs went to 7 games vs Detroit one year, but other than that have they ever lost a Finals game?

It will pop up on youtube within an hr or two but you have to catch it fast or you'll miss it before it's deleted.

You have xbox live right? Espn on there.

Well...
Late in games, Rajon has a killer instinct. In Dallas, when things went south, you knew that ball was going to Dirk and you almost got ready to hit the floor because you knew that he was going to take an ill-advised shot and he was going to find some weird way to make it.

Like I said, I saw that in Indy with LeBron. I don't want to see a player that good approach the second half against the Spurs the way he did. It doesn't matter how well he's guarded, he needs to take shots and be unapologetic about it.

The rest of the Heat team did their job. Is it so bad to ask the best player in the world to take over in the 4th? Once again, the Heat need LeBron to play like LeBron, not like Rondo.

Bill Simmons: Tony Parker best player on the court in 4th quarter


:D

4th quarter points:

Parker: 10

LeBron: 6

4-point Spurs win.

The Heat scored only 16 pts in the 4th quarter because LeBron's tiny penis shriveled with the game on the line.

Ok, looked it up.

Lost 1 to NY in 1999, 2 to NJ in 2003, 3 to DET in 2005, and 0 to CLE in 2007.

You have to have cable to watch ESPN live on there I think.

Damn, before the game I gave my brother Miami +4 lol.


I had a weird feeling Spurs were gonna win by 5. Crazy how it played out.

You'll criticize him for just about anything even when he plays excellent games. It's bashing and it comes out of your hatred for him.

I'll trust LeBron to make the correct, high percentage basketball play throughout games, whether it is early or late. That's how he won the championship last year and that's how he'll win it again this year if Miami in fact gets it done.

If he was to simply force worse shots at the end of games simply to fit into the prototypical Kobe mold of a "star," he'd be playing right into Pop's hands and San Antonio would be better off for it.

Bonner's great. Can Toronto have him back to shoot threes? Masai is running the show now, not that assclown Colangelo.

Clearly, LeBron owes his lone championship to a shortened season.

You would admit though he passed up opportunities he probably shouldn't have? And 18 pts isn't good enough with Bosh playing the way he is

Uh huh.

LeBron entered the game with 9 minutes to go in the 4th and a 3 point lead. Over the next 6 minutes, he took only one shot (which he missed) and the Heat trailed by 4 (a 7 point swing). He did not make a shot in the 4th until there were 3 minutes left.

You are the only person who believes that is acceptable for an elite player to do that.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S5khAAaaSt4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2nd half highlights should be up shortly I think

I know ONE THING.

DIRK would NOT have done that!!!!

DIRK has BALLS the size of MADAGASCAR!!!!

When HE went TOE TO TOE with THE GREAT LEBRON JAMES...HIS BALLS FLEW MIGHTILY INTO THE BASKET.

IN THE FOURTH QUARTER!

Sounds like something Skip Bayless would say.

Damn. Im a terrible troll.

GoChiefs, on the other hand, is cracking me up. Dirk!

I STILL remember the DAYS AND NIGHTS when LEBRON COWERED in the corner of the gymnasium in FEAR of the GREAT DIRK NOWITZKI.

http://uranus.ckt.net/~gochiefs/dirklebron.gif

I never said he played the best fourth quarter of his career. I said I trusted the all-time great to make the right basketball decisions, the same decisions that have gotten him and his team to this point (and won them a championship in the previous year). LeBron will always take what the defense gives him. He is the best in the league at doing that, but tonight, it just didn't work out. There's no reason to think forcing more low percentage shots himself would have accomplished anything better.

Congrats, though, you managed to turn a great effort by a worthy team in the Spurs into another bash LeBron narrative. It takes a certain skill to do it so often.

FYP

Maybe Clayton can mentor you.

When you're the best player in the game and the 2nd best of all time (as of today), you are the guy to blame when your team loses. The idea that that's some kind of a "bash lebron" narrative is comical.

Way to go Spurs. Old man Duncan still kicking ass.

dang it. Big time Heat fan(and yes I've been one ever since I was a little kid growing up cheering them on during the Mourning/Hardaway days) and this sucks. You gotta protect home court.
This series is going to 7 games for sure. Just hope my Heat can win it all again.

We must have watched different games because I don't call what Wade, Bosh, and Chalmers did tonight doing their jobs. Outside of Wade's first half, those guys were all very bad.

If LeBron has to do as much or more than he even did against the Pacers to win games against the Spurs, that's going to be an issue. In fact, it's the primary reason I picked San Antonio. Should he be putting up 30-20-15 games or something every night?

Miami still won't have LeBron on Parker the rest of the series. They're not going to waste his energy chasing Parker and going through 5 screens a play.

It seems you're certainly the guy to blame by stupid people who don't understand how to watch basketball. That's for sure.

Spurs got dis.

That last shot by Parker was sick.

Still think they have to do it at the end of games. He's the only guy who has a chance at dealing with him. LeBron's defense on Parker very nearly forced a turnover on that final possession.

I imagine come the 4th Quarter they will though

I think it's too soon to call LeBron an all-time great, I think we have to wait a bit longer to say that. And that's a credit to him and his still not reached potential.

Wade, Bosh, Allen, Birdman and Chalmers had 58 points on 44% shooting. That's not very bad. That's good support. Hell, the Heat bench outscored the Spurs bench by 8 points.

I do find the stat that Lebron's Final Numbers are his worst of any playoff series. I would like to compare that to the other greats and see if that is the same for them as well.

Allen made some shots and literally nothing else (which, I suppose, is more than he did in the Pacers series) and Birdman did his usual effort over 13 minutes. The rest of them outside of Wade in the first half were terrible. Not sure how you could have missed this.

Lebron James:
Regular season:
27.6 ppg (48.3 FG percentage), 7.3 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.8 bpg
Playoffs:
28.5 ppg (46.9 FG percentage), 8.7 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.9 bpg
Finals:
22.5 ppg (43.8 FG percentage), 8.1 rpg, 7.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.5 bpg


Michael Jordan
Regular season:
32.4 ppg (51.6 FG percentage), 6.3 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.7 spg, 1.0 bpg
Playoffs:
34.7 ppg (50.1 FG percentage), 6.7 rpg, 6.6 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.0 bpg
Finals:
36.3 ppg (52.6 FG percentage), 6.6 rpg, 7.9 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.8 bpg

So stupid people who don't understand basketball blame me? I don't understand what you're trying to say here. But thank you for the compliment.

Isn't he like 12th or 13th all-time in playoff scoring already? Passed somebody on that list the other day, which is pretty impressive considering all the passing he does as well.

There's not much of a debate that he's an all-time great at this point. It's just where he ends up on the list of the greats.

yep, the modern day Bill Russell

Yes. KC_Connection wants to paint me as some kind of an unreasonable LeBron hater.

I don't even compare LeBron to Kobe. LeBron's better. But KCC has no problem comparing LeBron to Jordan. And I'm sorry, but when you make that comparison, then game 1 was inexcusable for LeBron regardless of his numbers. Going 6 minutes in the 4th quarter with 0 points and 1 shot in a 7-point swing that blew the game open for the Spurs is inexcusable.

LeBron played outstanding all game, then so-so in the 4th quarter. It was not Jordan-esque.

Just for fun

Kobe Bryant
Regular Season:
25.5ppg (45.4 FG percentage), 5.3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.5 bpg
Playoffs:
25.6ppg (44.8 FG percentage), 5.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.7 bpg
Finals:
24.7ppg (41.1 FG percentage), 5.2 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.75 spg, 0.9 bpg

Such utter bullshit. I never make such comparisons. I take and enjoy LeBron for what he is without bothering to bring up a player from a different era 20 years ago. It is others like you that seem particularly obsessed with doing so in the attempt to diminish him.

You're confusing KCC with Hootie. He's the guy saying LeBron is pretty much on par with Jordan already.

LeBron can't and won't touch MJ's jock. That's not a con on LeBron it's just MJ is the GOAT. It's not fair to LeBron or any player.

Someone let me know when LeBron dominates a Finals series averaging 41 points a game like MJ did vs. the Suns back in 93. And that's one example.

Kobe came closer to touchng MJ than LeBron has so far in his career and he's still not close.

The bottomline here is that Miami is going to need much more than a one-man LeBron effort to get this series. Nobody is good enough to carry an entire team against a team as good as San Antonio.

Wade and Bosh absolutely have to show up like they did in the 2012 finals. If they don't, it will simply be another much deserved championship for the SAS. And at the moment, I see little reason to think they will.

Kobe was never anywhere near as good as LeBron has been for the past five years. Not sure why he's being brought up in such a discussion.

True. The thing LeBron still has to do to be mentioned with MJ is start piling up rings. Kobe is/was a winner. I doubt LeBron gets 4 just because of other factors that have been mentioned already.

At the end of his career when LeBron has 3 rings, Kobe will be looked on as the better player.


And Hootie will kill himself.

Hahahahaha

Edit: you're a silly goose

I just have a hard time viewing LeBron as a bad ass, mentally. MJ and Kobe had that killer instinct. MJ was almost too competitive. Hell, he wouldn't talk to Roy Williams at UNC for two weeks just because he beat him at pool. LeBron isn't wired that way. It's not him. If he ever got that way...holy shit.

Since this has once again descended into a MJ/LeBron discussion for whatever reason instead of discussing the actual team that won the game tonight, here are their advanced stats career in the postseason:

MJ: 28.6 PER, .568 TS%, .503 eFG%, 9.3 TRB%, 28.2 AST%, 2.7 STL%, 1.6 BLK%, 9.4 TOV%, 118 ORtg (higher is better), 104 DRtg (lower is better), 39.8 win shares, .255 WS/48

LeBron: 27.3 PER, .569 TS%, .508 eFG%, 12.0 TRB%, 32.9 AST%, 2.1 STL%, 1.8 BLK%, 12.5 TOV%, 115 ORtg, 100 DRtg, 28.3 win shares, .240 WS/48


Both have been fantastic playoff performers in their careers, both among the best in the history of the game. MJ may have been slightly better (his PER, win shares, and WS/48 are all #1 all-time), but LeBron is right there (his PER and WS/48 is #3 all time, his win share total already #7 ahead of Kobe). Not sure why some feel the need to diminish LeBron because he's not exactly Michael Jordan. When his career is over, he'll likely be seen as the one of the top two or three to ever play.