Historic season ends in epic Finals collapse for Warriors

OAKLAND - The Golden State Warriors closed out a record-smashing season with an even more epic playoff collapse on Sunday, falling 93-89 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Seven of the NBA Finals.

After storming through the regular season with a record 73 wins from 82 games, the Warriors penned another unwanted mark in the NBA record books on Sunday when they became the first team to squander a 3-1 Finals lead.

Until the Cavaliers no team in 32 tries had ever come all the way back from 1-3 down to win the NBA Finals.

To make it sting just a little bit more, the Cavs capped the greatest comeback ever in the NBA postseason at Oracle Arena, a virtual fortress where the Warriors had lost just four times all season.

Sharp-shooting Stephen Curry, the NBA's first unanimous most valuable player, struggled all series and in Game Seven again failed to deliver the type of scoring that had become his trademark, when a "Curry flurry" would put so many games out of reach.

"At home in the fourth quarter, I felt like we could go for that dagger punch and didn't really put any pressure on the defense," Curry said after the game. "That's something that is tough to kind of swallow with the opportunity we had in front of us."

Possibly still hobbled by lingering injuries he picked up during the lengthy playoffs, Curry never looked comfortable against the Cavalier defense, which sent multiple defenders at him and chased him off the three point line.

Cleveland also frequently set screens to switch him onto the Cavaliers LeBron James, ensuring Curry would get no rest on the defensive end of the court.

"We're stunned," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "We thought we were going to win. I was extremely confident coming into tonight."

So too did a confident Warriors fan base who had not seen their team drop three consecutive games all season long.

Without starting center Andrew Bogut, who suffered a knee injury in Game Five, Kerr elected to start Festus Ezeli, a surprising move announced just before tipoff.

The stage appeared too big for the untested big man, who failed to score and was ultimately limited to just over 10 minutes of playing time.

Kerr turned to backup center Anderson Varejao, but like Ezeli he was unable to score against the Cavaliers big men. Varejao and Ezeli combined for just one point and one rebound.

The Warriors were nearly saved by the aggressive play of All-Star forward Draymond Green, who made six three pointers, electrifying the crowd and helping push the Warriors to a seven point lead at the half. Green finished with 32 points.

But no one else was to able to match that kind of offensive production, including Curry, who scored 17 points, as Golden State were unable to claim the back-to-back championships that had seemed all but certain after seizing early control of the best-of-seven series.

"So win or lose, you appreciate the stage we were on and just that back and forth that we live for," said Curry. "So, yeah, it stung. It sucked to watch them celebrate, and we wish that would have been us.

"But at the end of the day, you congratulate them for accomplishing what they set out to do, and it will be a good image for us over the summer and all next season to remember so that we can come back stronger.

"That's all you can do."

(Editing by Steve Keating.)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

After Game 7, LeBron takes place among NBA greats

MIAMI - LeBron James realized his dream of winning multiple National Basketball Association (NBA) crowns with the Miami Heat on Thursday with the Finals MVP delivering a magnificent 37-point performance to sink the San Antonio Spurs and defend the title.

James's points tally was the highest in a Finals Game Seven in 44 years since Jerry West's 42 for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics in 1969 and his display was worthy of a player now widely viewed as one of the greatest to have played the game.

"It feels great. This team is amazing and the vision that I had when I decided to come here is all coming true," said James, who joined the Heat in 2010 after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Through adversity, everything we have been through, we have been able to persevere and to win back-to-back championships. It's an unbelievable feeling."

James crowned his performance with a key jump shot down the stretch that put Miami in command at 92-88 with 27.9 seconds left.

The four-time league MVP then grabbed a steal off a Manu Ginobili attempted pass to Tim Duncan to ensure the win. Duncan fouled him and James then sank both his free throws.

Miami had trailed 3-2 in the series before coming back to South Florida for the final two games and James found his scoring form at the perfect moment, making 32 points in the dramatic Game Six overtime win.

James, strangely unpopular with many NBA fans, was heavily criticised in the media for his performance in Miami's 2011 Finals loss to Dallas but came back to win against Oklahoma last year and termed this season's triumph as a greater achievement.

"This was the toughest championship. Everything we have been though this post-season, we were down every odd game ... we were scratching for our lives in Game Six down five with 28 seconds to go," he said.

It didn't all go James's way in the series - he didn't break 20 points in the first three games of the Finals as San Antonio's defense foiled his attempts to drive and get into the paint.

But LeBron's talent and skills are matched by an astute tactical brain and he realised that with a Spurs defense reducing his chances of lay-ups, he needed to trust his shooting from distance.

"I watched film and my mind started to work and I said, OK, this is how they are going to play me for the whole series. I looked at my regular season and postseason stats and I was one of the best mid-range shooters in the game. I shot a career high from the three point line.

"I just told myself - don't abandon what you have done all year. Don't force the paint. If it is there - take it. If not, take the jumper," he said.

Alongside his outstanding mid-range shooting, James also shot five three pointers - a career best for him in an NBA Finals series game.

Work ethic

For Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, LeBron's devastating jump shots in Game Seven were the fruit of the player's conscious decision to improve that element of his shooting game.

"We all know his work ethic. It is probably unique for a guy who has been the best in the game since he was in seventh grade, usually you wouldn't have that type of work ethic that would match that type of talent," he said.

"But as the series went on, he realised that was probably going to be the shot that was going to be open and in the biggest game, the biggest moment, those are the shots that he hit and those were the difference tonight".

James had little time off following last year's championship win - heading to London to help the United States win Olympic gold - and he says he now needs to rest his body fully this off-season.

But it is hard to imagine the 28-year-old doesn't have several more memorable seasons and triumphs ahead of him.

"The story has yet to be seen what he is going to end up with," said team-mate Dwyane Wade.

"He is a special player. What he brings here every night is unbelievable."

As always James, sidestepped questions about his critics, many who had argued he lacked the ability to deliver in the biggest moments.

But for the man who engineered his move to Miami three years ago, Heat president Pat Riley, James has more than answered his doubters.

"They don't understand the game. We live in the world of immediate blame and immediate praise and they're always going to take a shot at the guy at the top of the mountain.

"LeBron is the greatest player in the world, one of the greatest leaders I have been around. He deserves everything that he gets right now," he added. (Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs ponder what might have been after loss

MIAMI - The San Antonio Spurs' worst nightmare became a reality when they lost the decisive game of the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat on Thursday.

The agony of their 95-88 defeat in Game Seven of one of the most exciting NBA Finals in years was made all the worse in the knowledge they could just as easily have won the title themselves.

The Spurs were just seconds away from clinching a fifth NBA championship in Tuesday's Game Six when Miami pulled off a miraculous escape.

San Antonio led by five points with 28 seconds left in regulation but went on to lose in overtime. With momentum on their side and homecourt advantage for Game Seven, Miami made the Spurs pay for their lapse by snatching the title.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was gracious in defeat, saying Miami deserved their win.

"It's no fun to lose, but we lost to a better team," Popovich told a news conference. "And you can live with that as long as you've given your best. And I think we have. We just didn't play well."

Popovich, who led the Spurs to four previous championships, conceded that his team had missed their opportunity in Game Six but said he could not be more proud of his players.

"It was a great series, and we felt that. I don't know if 'enjoy' is the right word, but in all honesty, even in defeat, I'm starting to enjoy what our group accomplished already.

"And you need to do that, to put it in perspective."

Tim Duncan played on each of San Antonio's four championship winning teams and had never lost a Finals series before Thursday.

The 37-year-old led his team with 30 points in Game Six and 24 in Game Seven to keep his team in the hunt but he missed a hook shot and follow-up attempt under the basket in the final minute with his team trailing by two.

The Spurs were unable to score again as Miami pulled away.

"The obvious word is 'disappointing.' It was a tough end to the game. I made some bad decisions, missed some shots," said Duncan.

"I don't know what to say. Just give credit to the Miami Heat. LeBron (James) was unbelievable. Dwyane (Wade) was great. I just think they found a way to get it done.

"We stayed in the game. We gave ourselves opportunities to win the game, we just couldn't turn that corner. They made more plays down the stretch, bottom line."

Tony Parker, who managed only 10 points in the decisive game, said the loss was harder to take because of the circumstances.

"It's tough to come so close. Those last two games are tough, especially Game Six," said the Frenchman.

"Obviously, we're really disappointed. We had a great opportunity in Game Six, and tonight we did a great fight, but just couldn't get over the hump. That's life, sports."

San Antonio's Argentinian shooting guard Manu Ginobili said he struggled to raise himself for the series decider after the disappointment of Game Six.

"I still have Game Six in my head," he confessed. "Today we played an okay game, they just made more shots than us.

"Being so close and feeling that you are about to grab that trophy, and then seeing it vanish is very hard.

"I think that if we would have lost both games like this I would have be a little more up but it's a tough feeling."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Heat and Spurs prepare for ultimate test

MIAMI - One of the most turbulent championships in National Basketball Association (NBA) history will reach its climax on Thursday (Friday in Manila) when the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in the decisive seventh game of the Finals.

Basketball fans in the United States have been whipped into a frenzy of excitement by what has already been a classic series full of wild fluctuations and escalating drama.

The teams have raised their games to new heights, producing an extraordinary standard of play and athleticism which peaked with Miami's exhilarating overtime win on Tuesday that tied the series at 3-3.

With everything on the line for Game Seven, the stakes could not be higher with millions of people around the world expected to tune in for Thursday's grand finale.

"They're the best two words in team sports, 'Game Seven,'" said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

"Our guys aren't looking for games that are less meaningful. We're looking for games that are more meaningful. And there's nothing bigger than a Game Seven."

As defending champions, Miami were overwhelming favorites to win the title. They were almost unstoppable during the regular season, winning a franchise-record 66 games, including a 27-game stretch that is the second longest in NBA history.

With LeBron James, the sport's best player and biggest star, at the peak of his powers alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat's 'Big Three' seemed a sure bet to win back-to-back championships.

When they are on their game, few teams can contain them, and the crowds in South Florida love it, whooping and hollering as they pile on the points against overmatched opponents.

But the Spurs, chasing their fifth championship since 1999, have answered the challenge with their own 'Big Three' of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

As former champions, the three veterans know what it takes to win and have used all their streetwise knowledge to rattle the top-seeded Heat.

Every game, every quarter, every minute, every shot and every rebound has been fought over, with players leaping and diving on the hardwood for any possession.

"That's what this series is about, it's the competition," said Spoelstra. "It's not just statistics. It's not all the other storylines. It's about the competition against an equal opponent."

Seesaw battle

The first six games were a seesawing battle with the teams alternating wins and losses. If that pattern continues in Game Seven, San Antonio will be crowned champions but history favours Miami, who have the homecourt advantage.

Of the 17 previous NBA Finals that have gone seven games, the visiting team has won three times. The most recent was 35 years ago when the Washington Bullets upset the SuperSonics in Seattle.

"I don't really care what it's been like for anybody else at any time," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich growled. "All I know is we have had a hell of a year, and we have an opportunity to win a championship tomorrow night. That's all that matters."

The series was elevated to one of the all-time greats after Tuesday's breathless encounter, which has been described as one of the greatest games in NBA history after Miami pulled off a miracle comeback.

Needing a win the keep the series alive, Miami trailed by 13 points late in the third quarter and by five with 28 seconds to play in regulation after they had already fought back to take the lead.

Ray Allen, the sport's greatest three-point shooter, drained one from behind the arc with five seconds remaining to force overtime, where Miami went on to snatch a 103-100 victory.

James scored a game-high 32 points but no one is under more pressure than him in Game Seven. He is not only playing for a second championship but his place in history.

Despite being awarded the NBA's Most Valuable Player award four times, including this season, the 28-year-old continues to earn unflattering comparisons to Michael Jordan, who won five MVP awards and six championships with the Chicago Bulls.

James is appearing in just his fourth Finals. He lost his first with Cleveland then his second after moving to Miami three years ago.

He broke through for his first win last season but knows only too well he will bear the brunt of the blame should Miami fail to repeat.

"It is what it is. I understand the moment for me," said James.

"I'm going to be excited. I'm going to have some butterflies. I'll be nervous, everything. That's how I should be."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com