In the end, it was the Miami Heat, as most would have predicted, who celebrated a second successive championship after edging out the San Antonio Spurs 4-3 with a 95-88 victory in Game 7 of one of the most exciting finals in NBA history.
The sad fact, however, is that the Heat still have some way to go before they can become a truly great team.
No one would have dared bet against them at the start of the NBA playoffs. This was a team that boasted the triple threat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This was a team that compiled a magnificent 27-game winning streak during the regular season. This was a team that hated to lose.
But all that changed during the playoffs. After sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1, the Heat struggled against an injury-ravaged Chicago Bulls side, one missing key players Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. Erik Spoelstra’s men won the series 4-1, but the air of invincibility surrounding them had somewhat diminished.
Then came the bruising encounter with the Indiana Pacers. James and Co were pushed to the limit by the underdogs and only a flawless Game 7 performance allowed the Heat to progress to their third straight Finals.
But that battle drained the Heat both physically and mentally. Worse, their opponents in the Finals, the Spurs, were one of the most complete, cohesive and consistent teams entering the playoffs.
Coached by the eccentric Gregg Popovich, the Spurs may not sell as many jerseys or generate as many Twitter followers as their more glamorous opponents, but they do win a lot of games. And it was nothing short of a team effort that got them to the Finals.
Point guard Tony Parker was his usual brilliant self leading up to the playoffs. His ability to score insane shots when it mattered gave his team vital points and the Memphis Grizzles, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers all had no idea how to contain him.
But he met his match in James. Shackled by the best player in the world, Parker finished 3-of-12 from the field in Game 7 and 6-of-23 in Game 6.
And just when we thought the 37-year-old Tim Duncan was done, he finds the fountain of youth, one moment charging up court to support the attack, the next making crucial blocks at the opposite end. But his failure to convert a basket in the dying seconds of Game 7 cost his team.
Then there were the lesser-known players such as Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Green set a new record for the number of three pointers scored during the Finals, claiming the honour from Ray Allen, whose only notable contribution was denying the Spurs the championship with a massive game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation time in Game 6.
But he fizzled out and shot 1-for-5 on three-pointers and 1-for-7 overall in Game 6 and was nowhere to be seen in Game 7, costing his team valuable points.
Leonard was by far James’ toughest opponent in the playoffs and his rebounding abilities had many comparing him to the great Dennis Rodman, but without the craziness.
But his failure to convert crucial free throws in Game 6 gave the Miami Heat hope, a very dangerous weapon to have in the sporting world, and that was all they needed to force Game 7 and take the championships.
It didn’t help the Spurs’ cause that they had to contend with James who was at his brilliant best in every single game of the Finals, eventually joining Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as the only players in league history to win back-to-back Finals and regular-season MVP awards.
And he did this without receiving much help from his team-mates — except in Game 7.
Wade and Bosh had their moments, but were inconsistent throughout the series, which is not the return the Heat were expecting on their big-money investments. Even the bench did not perform to expectations. Shane Battier only came alive in Game 7 with pin-point accuracy from beyond the arc and Chris Andersen started the series well, but faded out after his mysterious omission from Games 4 and 5. Matt Miller was virtually non-existent.
While no one can doubt the Spurs’ hard work and determination, their failure to convert the big points when it mattered gifted the Heat the championship. And with age catching up on their big three, it looks like the boys from Texas may have to wait another few years before getting another chance to challenge for basketball’s biggest prize.
As for the Heat, they proved that with James on your side, anything is possible. But they have a long way to go before they can be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan’s Bulls or Russell’s Celtics.
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