With the threat of falling into a 2-0 hole heading to San Antonio for Game 3, Miami used balance scoring to blowout the Spurs in the second half of Game 2.
The Spurs looked like they were in control early. Hot three-point shooting helped their cause. But it was a ll a mirage. Three-point shooting and turnovers characterized the first quarter for the Spurs, but only the turnovers kept going throughout the rest of the game. The Spurs had only 4 of them in Game 1, but amassed 16 in Game 2.
Danny Green led the team with 17 points, making all 6 of his shots. But no other Spur made an efficient impact. Tony Parker went cold shooting only 5 for 14 and committing 5 turnovers. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined to score 14 points. If the big three all struggle, the Spurs will lose every time. Kawhai Leonard grabbed 14 rebounds, all in the first 3 quarters, but he shot poorly as well.
The Heat used a balance attack, which is contrary to their norm. Mario Chalmers led the team with 19 points. LeBron James had 17. He was absent during the first quarter, but sparked the late third quarter/early fourth quarter run. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored in double figures. Ray Allen and Mike Miller combined to go 8 for 11 from beyond the arc and Chris "Birdman" Andersen added 9 points.
While James added 8 rebounds and 7 steals, one of his three blocks epitomized Miami's defensive expertise int he game. Tiago Splitter glided to the rim uncontested when LeBron left his man, leaped, and denied Splitter's dunk. Had LeBron not been as strong, Splitter might have dunked his fingers, breaking them int he process.
Miami made over 50% of their threes and committed only 6 turnovers on route to 103-84 win that expanded to 20 in the fourth. Before then, Miami's biggest lead had been 10, which happened late in the third. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sat his regulars down with about 7 minutes to go, choosing to rest them for Game 3 at home in two days. The series is even at one.
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