When the NBA Finals matchup was set, everyone was focused on the battle of the “Big Threes.” How would LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh fare against Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili? But in the Spurs’ 113-77 blowout versus the Heat Tuesday night it was the sharpshooting three pointers of the forgotten two that led the Spurs to victory.
Unheralded shooting guard Danny Green and backup point guard Gary Neal lit the nets in San Antonio on fire after the two combined for 51 points on 13-19 shooting behind the arc. The dangerous duo punished Miami defenders by drilling the deep ball all night and helped the team break the record for most three pointers in the NBA finals with 16 total.
Neal and Green weren’t the only heroes of the night, Kawhi Leonard once again helped to keep James in check throughout most of the game, limited the superstar to just 15 points on 7-21 shooting.
Meanwhile Duncan bounced back from his worst game ever in the Finals, and the Spurs’ combination of fresh faces and old reliables dominated the NBA’s winningest team before an eager crowd that hadn’t seen the Finals here since 2007.
The Spurs’ win didn’t come without concern though. Parker was taken to the locker room due to hamstring issues. He returned briefly but with a comfortable lead Gregg Popovich chose to sit his star player down the stretch. Parker is expected to get further examination by team doctors today.
With the victory, the Spurs take a 2-1 lead in the Finals. The Heat, who had their own blowout victory in Game 2, will look to bounce back Thursday night in San Antonio, where the Heat are 3-22 in the regular season.
