Spurs have redemption within reach, up 3-1

The San Antonio Spurs have taken a huge leap towards their goal of winning the 2013-14 NBA championship. They now have a 3-1 advantage in their finals series against the Miami Heat after their dominant 107-86 win. Only one more win stands between them and an opportunity to redeem themselves from a heartbreaking loss to Miami in 2012-13.

Items of interest in Game 4:

• Tim Duncan has now surpassed Kareem Abul-Jabar with the most minutes played in NBA Playoff history.
• The Heat now need a miracle (or to make history). No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.

“They smashed us,” James said. “Two straight home games got off to awful starts. They came in and were much better than us in these last two games. It’s just that simple.”

• This is the second straight game that Kawhi Leonard has come up with a stellar performance. He filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks! The “Future of the Spurs” is looking very good right now.
• Boris Diaw has been somewhat of an unsung hero for the Spurs. His presence in the starting lineup has worked wonders for the team and has translated into their recent success. The quintessential role-player, Diaw has shown how basketball truly is a team sport and that a well-rounded team that executes sound plays will be tough to beat; even by an opposing team loaded with young talent.

Once again, just like Game 3, the Spurs got off to a good start and just ran with it. A 55-36 advantage told that story quite well. LeBron James fought hard to help his team catch up, finishing with a game-high 28 points. Unfortunately for the King, his teammates could not deliver ample support to mount any rallies big enough to overtake the Spurs. Chris Bosh managed to score 12 points, but Dwyane Wade had an off shooting night and was limited to just 10.

The Spurs rallied around Leonard’s hot hand and contributed to the cause whenever and wherever they could. Tony Parker scored 19 points and Tim Duncan had a double-double outing with 10 points and 11 boards. Boris Diaw was an great facilitator with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.