Spurs head to Miami a win away from sealing another NBA champioship.
The San Antonio Spurs will look to secure a road win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals 2013 at the AA Arena on Tuesday night, with the Miami Heat facing a must-win game.
The defending champions were defeated 114-104 on Sunday as the Spurs made key adjustments and benefited from a much anticipated break-out game from Manu Ginobili, who was a surprise starter from coach Gregg Popovich.
In addition, Danny Green continued his hot streak from three-point range, surpassing the previous record set by Ray Allen for the most 3s made in an NBA Finals series, while Tony Parker and Tim Duncan remain effective as the heartbeat of this Spurs team.
A victory on Tuesday would make it 5-0 for San Antonio in the NBA Finals, and they will be keen to finish the series off at the first time of asking knowing that they have two opportunities to do so on Miami’s court.
The Heat will undoubtedly shoot better this time round, and backed by a raucous home crowd they will hope to inflict early pressure on the Spurs to test their title credentials.
Neither side have won consecutive games in this series thus far, and should Miami go on to level matters with Game 7 to come on Thursday, it would be a test in itself for the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to demonstrate the same type of consistency they displayed during the regular season which took them on a 27-game winning streak.
This may well be the last opportunity at another title for the likes of Duncan and Ginobili, but as the former stated after their win in Game 5, what they have achieved to this point won’t matter unless they can take care of business on Tuesday and complete the job.
Their collective defensive unit has been effective in restricting James for the large part, but that has perhaps catered for Wade’s recent resurgence while Chris Bosh is also looking more consistent.
Key to the Spurs chances will be their ability to look after their ball, as despite committing 18 turnovers in Game 5, it is unthinkable that Miami will not take advantage of those kind of statistics on home court.
By reducing the number of turnovers, the Spurs effectively kill Miami’s transitional game which is a huge factor of their offensive play. By forcing the “Big Three” to take contested outside shots, it has seen them struggle for consistency over the course of the series despite some blow-out wins, but with the pressure of having to win on their shoulders, it could again prove to be a difficult night.
It promises to be an intriguing clash with both teams desperate to win, but if the Spurs can continue their impressive shooting then they may well be celebrating a fifth title come Wednesday morning. Having found form at just the right time, Ginobili’s aggressiveness and confidence could prove to be a determining factor once again.
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