San Antonio Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 104-87 at home in Game 5 to win their fifth championship.
A year ago, the Spurs lost a tragic final series in seven games to the Heat.
San Antonio dominated Miami in the 2014 NBA Finals. They lost in Game 2, 98-96, but all four wins were over 15 points. San Antonio’s “Big 3” proved to them that another great run remained, and Kawhi Leonard showed that he had grown into a star.
In Game 5, Leonard scored 22 points, Manu Ginobili 19 points, Tony Parker 16 points, and Tim Duncan 14 points. The Spurs are also much deeper than the Heat, and there was a big difference in 2014.
San Antonio faced a one-time defeat during the title run. It was Round 7 of the first round series with the Dallas Mavericks. They earned 119-96 at home. Parker scored 32 points and Ginobili added 20 points from the bench. The Spurs led 68-46 in half and never looked back.
San Antonio then defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in five games to win a trip to the Western Conference Finals with Oklahoma City Thunder. They won the series in 6 games.
Head coach Gregg Popovich’s deep benches and unselfish playing style helped prevent veteran Spurs stars from being warned.
Leonard was selected as the Final MVP.
This was the fourth and final championship for Ginobili and Parker. It was the fifth and last one for Duncan.
