![]() ![]() There were plenty of times during the playoffs and even the Finals in which questioning the validity of Wade's superstardom was fair game. James earned every bit of that 2013 NBA Finals MVP and Larry O'Brien Trophy.ĭwyane Wade. Only Jerry West (42 in 1969), Elgin Baylor (41 in 1962) and Bob Pettit (39 in 1957) have scored more. His 37 points were tied with Tommy Heinsohn (1957) for the fourth-most points in a Game 7 in the Finals. And he regularly knocked them down, especially in Game 7. With the Spurs daring him to shoot and clogging the middle, he started taking what they gave him. He noted that he was one of the best mid-range shooters in the league this season and broke the 40.0-percent seal on his 3-point shooting. James said he looked at the stats and the tape of the first few games and then went over his numbers from the regular season. Through the first three games, James made just 38.9 percent of his shots. Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs made him work for every single statistic that he put up there and forced him into making just 44.7 percent of his shots. While those numbers are ridiculous, they didn't come easy by any means. ![]() James put up averages of 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.3 steals, 2.6 turnovers and 0.9 blocks over the course of the Finals. Well, considering LeBron James won the 2013 NBA Finals MVP, it's probably him. And it came down to the final minute before it was decided. The Heat outlasted the Spurs on this journey, but there was no doubt we had the two best teams in the NBA playing for the title. But Tony Parker's insane shot to put away Game 1, the monster Heat run including a destructive block by LeBron James on a Tiago Splitter dunk attempt in Game 2, Danny Green and Gary Neal taking turns in a 3-point contest in Game 3, James and Dwyane Wade combining for 65 points in Game 4, Manu Ginobili's brief revival in Game 5, Ray Allen's season-saving 3-pointer in Game 6 and then an incredible Game 7. Was it the greatest? We don't really know. What transpired can only be described as one of the greatest NBA Finals series that we've ever seen. They marched through the first round, survived an early scare against the Chicago Bulls, gutted through an intense and physical Eastern Conference finals in seven games over the Indiana Pacers and then met up with the Spurs in the Finals.įor the Spurs, they rested their players even when it flew in the face of national-television ratings, they moved the ball better than any team in the league, they slapped the cane out of Father Time's grasp, swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, quieted the roar of Oracle Arena and the shooting of the Golden State Warriors in the second round, swept a tough Memphis Grizzlies team in the Western Conference finals and squared off against the Heat in the Finals. They always left us wanting more from them if they were truly going to persevere and begin to form a dynasty. They were historic in many ways but never quite the best. It was the march through the regular season for the Heat, the 27-game winning streak and winning 66 games for only the 13th time in NBA history that showed us just how truly special this team was capable of being. ![]() I hope we respect everything both franchises did to give us this memorable NBA Finals. I hope we look at the 103 games from the Spurs this season and the 105 games that the Heat played this season and appreciate the journey for both teams. For both the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, I hope we don't cut it down to just the recency of it all. A team is only as good as its most recent game, series or playoff run. A player is only as good as his last jumper or defensive rotation or drive to the basket. Recency is how we generally judge just about anything these days, especially when it comes to sports. The Heat-Spurs 2013 NBA Finals was one for the ages. ![]()
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