Depth charge: Bench support critical to Finals
It wasn't so much LeBron James as it was the second-tier supporting cast of the Miami Heat that did in the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
"That's why they're a great team," Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. "That's why they are the defending champs. They have great role players and they played great tonight. We're going to have to make some adjustments on a couple the stuff defensively."
Parker, who made the critical shot for San Antonio with 5.2 seconds remaining in Game 1, scored 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting Sunday and the Heat deflated San Antonio with a barrage of contributions from an unheralded bench. Danny Green, who was 6-of-6 from 3-point range and led the Spurs with 17 points in the 103-84 shellacking, was the lone bright spot for Gregg Popovich's Spurs.
Outside of the "Big Three" of Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs flatlined and trailed 94-67 late in the game.
While the Heat had reserves and role players such as point guard Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller rise to the occassion, the Spurs' stars and complementary parts crumbled. Popovich wouldn't pin the loss on his role players not stepping up when needed.
"No, not so much," he said. "I think that Tony, Manu and Timmy were the ones that were 10-for-33. Not going to put that on the bench."
James was held to eight points entering the fourth quarter and said he didn't have much rhythm until late in the game. San Antonio stayed firm with its approach of allowing James all the long-range looks he cares to take, but as the defense converged to stop penetration, James' unselfish play sparked a 33-5 run that salted away Game 2. At one point in the third quarter, coach Erik Spoelstra repeated called for James to be the screener on a high pick-and-roll with Chalmers. With the world expecting James to deliver the big play -- primarily the big shot -- he was masterful accomplishing all of the little things.
"It's such a competitive series, one of the things we talked about is contributing in whatever way you can, and even if it's small minutes, big minutes," Spoelstra said. "This series probably is defined by all the little things. LeBron couldn't get into a rhythm early on, and other guys stepped up. He showed great poise and trust in not getting caught up in feeling like he had to make the play or score, but rather either facilitate or let other guys make plays. And that's what they did."
