[soliloquy id=”715″]
Ok Miami Heat fans, its not time to hit the panic button but it sure is getting close. The San Antonio Spurs walked into Miami with vengeance on their minds. They destroyed our precious Heat in the first half of game 3 by averaging above 75.6% from the field. They then held on to a commanding lead to finish off the game 111-92. The Spurs now lead the series 2-1. If they win tomorrow’s game in Miami, the series will be over. No team in the last 10 years has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series. Miami’s back is against the wall and it doesn’t matter how many celebs fill the building, Miami will have to rely on the Star-Power within their bench to pull out the a “W” tomorrow to keep the series alive.
The main factors that put the Spurs in such a colossal lead in the first half were Kawhi Leonard, who was 5/5 for 16 points in the first quarter. He would go on to finish the game with 29 points. On top of that, Danny Green was all over the place; he finished the game with 5 steals, tying an NBA Finals record. Just a small sidebar, LeBron James had 5 that night as well. Both Leonard and Green played above their normal level Tuesday evening. When Green is actually driving to the hoop consistently and playing solid defense, you have to stop and check the number to ensure it’s him. I’ve never see Leonard play with such confidence, putting up 29 points on the night. His defense on James was remarkable as he held James to 22 points. LeBron had seven turnovers on the evening as well; one could say Leonard had something to do with that. When you can hold the best player on the planet to only 22 points, pat yourself on the back. This disruptive behavior caused by such uncharacteristic play by both Green and Leonard will return to earth come Thursday night, as they are not consistent enough to keep up that type of performance. Miami now needs to look to two of their own to get hot and I mean White-Hot!
Ray Allen and Norris Cole need to step up when called upon. Allen, who is normally a timeless-ageless money veteran, was cold as ice last night, as he only put up 11 points. Of that 11 points, he only hit two “3s”. Cole in my opinion is a better G than Mario Chalmers and is a more aggressive to the hoop. I believe if the defending champs want to tie the series up, they will need to get Cole and “Jesus Shuttlesworth” (Allen) more involved. If not, we might see a repeat of last night’s performance and an unfortunate step closer to San Antonio’s “drive for five”.
Jermaine Lockett is a writer for CouchRiderReport.net. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.