The Best and Worst of the 2013 NBA Finals
The Miami Heat were the odds on favorite to win the 2013 NBA Finals but for a moment it seems like the defending champs could have been knocked from their title. The San Antonio Spurs took them to all seven games before the Heat won a thrilling Game 7 victory Thursday night. A lot happened in this series but let’s take a look at the top five and bottom five moments.
Top Five
1) With just five seconds to go in Game 6, the Heat faced a three-point deficit. Ray Allen, who led the Celtics in three-pointers for years, got the ball and he did not disappoint. Allen shot the game-tying three that took the game into overtime, leading to a dramatic 103-100 win for the Heat. Love or hate the Heat, that had to be one of the most memorable sports moments of the century.
“It’s going to be the shot that I’m going to remember for a long time,” Allen said. “There are a lot of shots I’ve made in my career, but this will go high up in the ranks because of the situation. That right there was luck shining on our side.”
2) LeBron James has been known for many things, one of them his iconic headband which he wears every single game. At the beginning of Game 6, he seemed sluggish on the court, but with a little over nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the headband was knocked off his head and Lebron started to heat up. James played some of the best basketball of his career once the headband was torn off as he went on to score 14 points along with four rebounds and four assists.
3) As we’ve seen, a great deal went down in Miami’s dramatic Game 6 victory. Third on our list is another moment from that game when Mike Miller lost his shoe on the court during the fourth quarter and then shot a crucial three-pointer to bring Miami within four points. Miller had lost his shoe on the court and threw it toward the bench before he jogged down towards the basket as the Heat fought on for the come-from-behind win.
4) Game 3 was a big one for the Spurs. After being completely blown out in Game 2 (Miami won 103-84), the Spurs came back the next game, winning 113-77 to prove that they would not go down easily. The Spurs domination in that game gave fans hope that they could knock the Miami Heat off their throne despite the doubts that persisted.
5) Danny Green of the Spurs set a record in Game 5 when he made his 23rd three-pointer of the series to make NBA history. Green had been electric for the Spurs the whole series, carrying them through their three wins as he made shot after shot. Green eventually finished the series with 27 three-pointers, a record that may stand for some time. Despite his run of success, Green showed a great deal of humility by only focusing on the team win after the game.
“I’m not worried about catching any records.” Green said. “I’m worried about helping my team and playing well and helping us win a game. The numbers are things I don’t like to reflect on or look back on. I don’t want to jinx it, but at this point numbers really don’t matter.”
Bottom Five
1) First on our list of the bottom five moments has to be Chris Bosh’s flop in Game 4. Perhaps Bosh forgot about the NBA cracking down on flopping or maybe he just didn’t care as he tried to ensure his team a win. Either way, Bosh was slapped with a $5,000 fine and much ire from the Spurs fans.
2) Tim Duncan had a decent game in Game 7, but when it really mattered, he couldn’t come through. Duncan made his way handily to the basket at the end of the game despite being guarded by the much smaller Shane Battier and took an easy layup shot but missed twice as Lebron grabbed the rebound, sealing the fate of the Spurs.
3) For Heat fans, it was pretty shocking to watch how Game 1 ended. Though Miami was the heavy favorite to win the series, the Spurs snuck away with a Game 1 victory buoyed by Tony Parker’s ridiculous shot in which he lost control of the ball twice and fell to one knee before making the shot with 12 seconds to go.
4) For Lebron haters, James winning the NBA Finals MVP award has to rank pretty high on the list of the five worst moments. While the Heat are a powerhouse and pretty easy to dislike, it may have been easier seeing Allen or Bosh with the trophy over James.
5) This isn’t necessarily bad and doesn’t have anything to do with the action on the court, but during practice after an ugly Game ,3 Lebron showed up with his jersey tied around his neck like a cape, and kept it there during an interview with the media. Whatever works I guess.
