The pivotal pivot has been pivoted and the Finals are dead locked at two games a piece. It was a close one up until the fourth quarter, that’s when Miami’s trio finally showed up all at the same time and place. The fourth game of a series is traditionally the key point of any contest, it presents the unique opportunity to either grip a stranglehold, tie it all up, relinquish a commonly insurmountable lead, or in some cases, finish the opponent. Here they stand, two teams, facing down what is now a three game series, all to decide who is a champion and who will be facing innumerable off season questions.
Tony Parker played a great first half, as for the second half… Tony Parker played a great first half! It was clearly disclosed prior to tip off that Parker was suffering a pulled hamstring, yet he managed to grit through the pain and put up 15 points and 6 assists in just one half. After that he had just 3 more assists and zero points. A pulled hamstring is no small matter, lesser players would have sat from such an injury, but Parker played and played well initially. The problem for Parker is you can’t be fine in the first half and injured in the second. In the second half Tony Parker vanished faster than a “Witness” billboard in Cleveland circa 2010. Parker will play better in game five, he has to.
Tim Duncan showed up and did his job, putting up 20 points but just 5 rebounds, Timmy needs to crash the glass a bit more moving forward. Duncan was San Antonio’s only real contributor last night. After game three where there was such a role player explosion, we saw just how vulnerable either team can be if all things aren’t clicking. Duncan has been solid, but he desperately needs consistant help from his teammates. Despite the crab dribbler’s scoring line, Kawhi Leonard played very good defense, his job in this series is not to score, he is there to rebound and play D, thus far he has done just that. The Spurs are missing one player who has historically been instrumental in swinging momentum and providing that so dearly needed bench scoring punch.
If you see Manu Ginobili could you please return him to the Spurs ASAP. Five points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists isn’t nearly enough from Manu, he’s going to have to show up and show up soon, if not the Spurs are in big trouble. Ginobili doesn’t need to be the Spurs leading scorer, in fact they’re probably best off if he is their third leading scorer, but he has to chip in with at least double digits in points every night.
The largest, pun intended, disappointment for the Spurs has to be “Mr. Big For No Reason” himself… Tiago Splitter. You are seven feet tall Tiago. Do something. Splitter has become a walking turnover, nothing good happens when he has the ball. You can count the seconds until Splitter does something negative with the ball, and much like Kobe chasing MJ’s rings, you won’t get to six. How many times was Splitter blocked in game four? Seriously, I want to know. The NBA doesn’t keep this statistic, so based purely upon my memory I am estimating it was at least 43. It’s tough to blame Tiago though, he has long had an affinity for all things block related.
Enough Spurs talk. Game four game down to one thing, or rather three things.
Lebron James: 33 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists
Dwyane Wade: 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Chris Bosh: 20 points, 13 rebounds
When Miami gets this level of production from their three best players, which they rarely do, any team has little chance of defeating them. Ray Allen chipped in with 14 points, but other than that this was a win placed squarely on the shoulders of Miami’s Medium Three. Wade was in attack mode from the opening tip, makes you wonder where he’s been the past, I don’t know 20 games? Bosh still took his jumpers, but we actually did have a number of interior Boshasaurus sightings. Lebron finally decided to stop trying to be a playmaker and get his teammates involved and simply attacked the basket at will. When Miami get’s this performance from these three players, they are unbeatable.
It’s safe to say at this point this Finals series is going seven, it’s in the air, you can just taste it (It tastes like orange Spaulding.). San Antonio is going to hold court at home in game five, Miami rarely loses back to back games, meaning they will win game six, culminating in an epic game seven in Miami. Can San Antonio win a game seven in Miami? Am I getting ahead of myself? The answer to at least one of these questions is yes. Will I be breaking down game five? The answer is a resounding yes! See you in a few days.
