2013 NBA Finals

2013 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra 4 San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich 3
Dates	June 6–20
MVP	LeBron James (Miami Heat)
Television	USA: ABC (English) ESPN Deportes (Spanish) Canada: TSN Philippines: ABS-CBN, Studio 23 (English, Tagalog)
Announcers	ABC: Mike Breen (play-by-play) Jeff Van Gundy (analyst) ESPN Deportes: Álvaro Martín (play-by-play) Carlos Morales and Alejandro Montecchia (analysts)
Radio network	ESPN Radio
Announcers	Mike Tirico (Games 1–3 and 5–7), Kevin Calabro (Game 4) and Hubie Brown
Referees
Game 1: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brothers, Jason Phillips Game 2: Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Ken Mauer Game 3: Dan Crawford, James Capers, Marc Davis Game 4: Scott Foster, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy Game 5: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brothers, Ed Malloy Game 6: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer Game 7: Dan Crawford, Scott Foster, Monty McCutchen
Eastern Finals	Heat defeated Pacers, 4–3
Western Finals	Spurs defeated Grizzlies, 4–0

The 2013 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2012–13 NBA season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs to win their second straight title. The Finals began with Game 1 on June 6, and ended with Game 7 on June 20.^[1][2][3]

Miami became the 6th team to win consecutive NBA Championships, joining the Boston Celtics (1959–1966, 1968–1969), the Los Angeles Lakers (1949–1950, 1952–1954, 1987–1988, 2000–2002, 2009–2010), the Detroit Pistons (1989–1990), the Chicago Bulls (1991–1993, 1996–1998), and the Houston Rockets (1994–1995) in doing so. This series marked the fifth time the Spurs have made the NBA Finals since 1999, second-most for any franchise in that span behind the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs had won all of their previous four finals appearances, putting them only behind the six-time champion Chicago Bulls for most titles without ever losing a Finals, making this series the first Finals loss in Spurs history. This series was also the first time San Antonio had played in the NBA Finals without home court advantage, as Miami had home-court advantage based on their league-best regular season record.^[4] It was the Heat's third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, the first Eastern Conference team to achieve that since the Chicago Bulls (1996–1998).

Four former NBA Finals MVPs played in the series (the Spurs' Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, and the Heat's Dwyane Wade and LeBron James), the most since 1987.^[5] The 2013 Finals also set a record for most international players on either Finals roster (10).^[6] Tim Duncan became the fourth player in NBA history to make a Finals appearance in three different decades.^[7][8]

This marked the last NBA Finals played during the tenure of NBA commissioner David Stern. In addition, it also marked the last time the Finals used the 2-3-2 format, after which it reverted to the 2-2-1-1-1 format.

Background

LeBron James and Tim Duncan previously faced off in the 2007 NBA Finals, when James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which saw the Spurs sweep the Cavaliers in four games, giving San Antonio their fourth NBA title. After the deciding game, Duncan sought out James in the locker room to praise him for a great series and told James that the league would be his someday.^[9][10]

In 2010, Spurs president of basketball and head coach Gregg Popovich made a congratulatory phone call to Heat president Pat Riley for signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Dwyane Wade.^[11][12][13]

San Antonio Spurs

This was the San Antonio Spurs' fifth appearance in the NBA Finals, attempting to win their fifth NBA championship in team history. The Spurs finished the regular season with 58 wins, finishing in first place in the Southwest Division and the second overall regular season record among Western Conference teams. They recorded only two losses in the first three rounds of the playoffs: they swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round in four games, eliminated the Golden State Warriors in six games in the second round, then swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals in four games.

Miami Heat

This was the Miami Heat's fourth appearance in the NBA Finals and the third appearance for three straight years, attempting to win their third NBA championship. The Heat finished with the best regular season record, recording a league leading 66 wins, and first place in the Southeast Division. They swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in four games before eliminating the Chicago Bulls in five games in the second round, winning four straight games in the series. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games.

Road to the Finals

San Antonio Spurs (Western Conference Champion)		Miami Heat (Eastern Conference Champion)
# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB GP 1 c-Oklahoma City Thunder 60 22 .732 – 82 2 y-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 2 82 3 x-Denver Nuggets 57 25 .695 3 82 4 y-Los Angeles Clippers 56 26 .683 4 82 5 x-Memphis Grizzlies 56 26 .683 4 82 6 x-Golden State Warriors 47 35 .573 13 82 7 x-Los Angeles Lakers 45 37 .549 15 82 8 x-Houston Rockets 45 37 .549 15 82 9 Utah Jazz 43 39 .524 17 82 10 Dallas Mavericks 41 41 .500 19 82 11 Portland Trail Blazers 33 49 .402 27 82 12 Minnesota Timberwolves 31 51 .378 29 82 13 Sacramento Kings 28 54 .341 32 82 14 New Orleans Hornets 27 55 .329 33 82 15 Phoenix Suns 25 57 .305 35 82 2nd seed in the West, 3rd best league record	Regular season		# Eastern Conference Team W L PCT GB GP 1 z-Miami Heat 66 16 .805 - 82 2 y-New York Knicks 54 28 .659 12 82 3 y-Indiana Pacers 49 32 .605 16.5 81 4 x-Brooklyn Nets 49 33 .598 17 82 5 x-Chicago Bulls 45 37 .549 21 82 6 x-Atlanta Hawks 44 38 .537 22 82 7 x-Boston Celtics 41 40 .506 24.5 81 8 x-Milwaukee Bucks 38 44 .463 28 82 9 Philadelphia 76ers 34 48 .415 32 82 10 Toronto Raptors 34 48 .415 32 82 11 Detroit Pistons 29 53 .354 37 82 12 Washington Wizards 29 53 .354 37 82 13 Cleveland Cavaliers 24 58 .293 42 82 14 Charlotte Bobcats 21 61 .256 45 82 15 Orlando Magic 20 62 .244 46 82 1st seed in the East, best league record
Defeated the 7th seeded Los Angeles Lakers, 4–0	First round		Defeated the 8th seeded Milwaukee Bucks, 4–0
Defeated the 6th seeded Golden State Warriors, 4–2	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the 5th seeded Chicago Bulls, 4–1
Defeated the 5th seeded Memphis Grizzlies, 4–0	Conference Finals		Defeated the 3rd seeded Indiana Pacers, 4–3

Regular season series

The Heat won both games they played against the Spurs during the regular season: 105–100 on November 29, 2012, and 88–86 on March 31, 2013. For the November 29 game at Miami which was nationally televised, Popovich sat out starters Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Danny Green, at the end of a long road trip in order to ensure they had enough rest for the playoffs, as the Spurs had some of the oldest players in the league. NBA commissioner David Stern was outraged when he learned of this and fined the Spurs $250,000 for not informing the Heat, the league or the media in a suitable timeframe that the four players were not making the trip to Miami. Despite the absence of their four starters, the Spurs led the game until the final minute when the Heat came back to win 105–100.^[11][14] The Heat responded somewhat in kind for their trip to San Antonio, as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Mario Chalmers sat out with minor injuries, though those moves were understandable in light of Miami's dominant position for clinching the home-court advantage for the playoffs as well as the end two games earlier of the Heat's epic 27-game winning streak. Miami ended up winning anyway thanks to a last-second 3-pointer from the top player they left active for the game, Chris Bosh.

Series

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)

Game 1

San Antonio won the opener as Parker scored on a bank shot with 5.2 seconds in regulation with the shot clock about to expire. San Antonio scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, while limiting Miami to just 16. Parker led the Spurs with 21 points and 6 assists. The Heat held a 52–49 halftime lead, and James recorded a triple-double in the game. However, Miami's Dwyane Wade, who scored 17 points, was shut out in the final period. Chris Bosh, who recorded 13 points, only scored 2 in the fourth quarter.^[15]

Game 2

Miami evened the series, using a 33–5 run in the final two quarters after the two teams were neck-and-neck late in the third. During that run, James made a highlight-reel block on a dunk attempt by Tiago Splitter early in the fourth quarter. The Heat also made 10 out of 19 three-point shots, and five players had double-digit scoring games: James (17), Chalmers (19), Ray Allen (13), Chris Bosh (12) and Dwyane Wade (10).^[16]

Game 3

San Antonio bounced back in Game 3, setting the Finals record for most three-pointers in a game (16), and giving the Heat their worst loss in franchise playoff history. The Spurs ensured the game was a blowout by outscoring Miami 35-14 in the fourth quarter after leading 78-63 at the end of the third. Gary Neal had one of the best games of his career, making 6 three-point shots and finishing with 24 points, and Green led all Spurs players with 27 points. The Spurs shined despite a lackluster game from Tony Parker who scored only 6 points before he had to leave the game due to a hamstring injury. For the Heat, Mike Miller made all five of his three-point shots and finished with 15 points on the night, while Wade led the Heat with 16 points. However, James was held to just 7 of 21 shooting from the field, finished with only 15 points, and did not shoot a free throw for the first time in his Miami playoff career. After a strong showing in Game 2, Mario Chalmers was held to 0 points and 1 assist.^[17]

Game 4

The Heat evened the series again, pulling away from San Antonio in the second half after an even contest at halftime, 49–49. The Heat continued their streak of not losing consecutive games that the team started in January. The Big Three (the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) for Miami finally came together in a big way.^[18] James led the Heat with 33 points, while Dwyane Wade had 32 and Bosh had 20. Duncan led the Spurs with 20 points.^[19] Parker started strong with 15 points in the first half, but could not provide the Spurs with any offensive production in the second half.^[20]

Game 5

San Antonio used a marquee shooting performance to down the Heat and take a 3–2 series lead. The Heat trailed the Spurs by double digits for most of the game. Although they finally closed to within one point, 75–74, with 3:05 left in the third quarter, they could not overtake and San Antonio started to pull away after that. Making 42 of 70 shots, San Antonio became the first team to shoot at least 60 percent in an NBA Finals game since the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of the 2009 Finals. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 26 points, while Danny Green scored 24 points, with 6 three-pointers, breaking the all-time record for three-pointers in a Finals series, set by Ray Allen in 2008. Manu Ginóbili, making his first start of the season, had a strong performance with 24 points and 10 assists. Tim Duncan also contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds, and provided strong defensive support. At one point in the game, Spurs went on a 19–1 run, with Green and Ginóbili scoring most of those points. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade turned in strong performances, leading the Heat with 25 points each, while Ray Allen had 5 three-pointers and scored 21 points total.^[21]

Game 6

The Heat rode a triple-double performance from James (32 points along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds)—becoming the first player since Magic Johnson in 1991 to have two triple doubles in the same NBA Finals series—and 20 points from Mario Chalmers, while Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 30 points and 17 rebounds;^[22] however, Duncan was held scoreless after the third quarter.^[23] Fans and media outlets alike have begun dubbing it "The Headband Game" in reference to the signature accessory LeBron James lost on a dunk with just under nine minutes left in the 4th quarter and did not wear the rest of the way.^[24] The game is considered by players and commentators to be one of the greatest games in NBA history. LeBron James regards it as one of the best games in which he has ever taken part. Dwyane Wade predicted it will go down as "one of the best finals games that's been seen", while NBA legend Magic Johnson called it "one of the best two or three games" he had ever seen.^[25][26] On July 17, 2013, Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals received the 2013 ESPY award for Best Game.

The Spurs were leading 75-65 at the end of the third quarter, but LeBron James sparked a 20–7 run for the Heat to start the fourth quarter, personally scoring 11 of those points.^[23] With 10:30 remaining, the Spurs still up 77–70, Mike Miller's shoe came loose but he did not have time to put it back on so he tossed it off court; with one sock and one shoe he received a pass from LeBron James and sunk a three-pointer to pull the Heat within four.

With 2:09 remaining, the Heat pulled ahead 89–86 but the Spurs went on a run of their own spearheaded by Tony Parker, who shot a stepback three and a reverse layup in consecutive possessions to put his team ahead 91–89. On the next possession, James lost the ball in the post; this eventually led to a pair of Manu Ginóbili free throws after an intentional foul (by Ray Allen) on the other end, pushing the score to 93–89. James committed a second crucial turnover forcing it into the hands of Ginóbili. Manu Ginóbili who was fouled by Allen, would miss one of two free throws, setting the stage for the comeback.

With 0:28 remaining, the Spurs were up 94–89, and league officials began bringing out the yellow tape to cordon off the floor for the Larry O'Brien Trophy presentation.^[27] LeBron James missed a three-pointer, but the ball was kept in Heat possession by Wade and Allen both tipping the ball until Mike Miller got the rebound and passed to James, who made the three-pointer to pull within two points with 20 seconds left.^[28] After failing to steal the inbound pass, the Heat immediately fouled Kawhi Leonard, who missed one of two free throws, keeping it a one possession game at 95–92. James was entrusted with the final shot but missed a 26-foot jumper from beyond the arc. Chris Bosh was able to collect a key offensive rebound before passing to Ray Allen, who stepped backward and made a three-point basket from the right corner with 5.2 left to send the game into overtime.^[29] Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich opted with a small lineup to defend the perimeter in the closing moments of the fourth quarter, resulting in the Spurs' Tim Duncan being on the bench as both Heat's three-pointers came off of rebounds.^[30] The Spurs had no timeouts left after Allen's shot, but received a de facto extra timeout due to the video review that confirmed that Allen had both feet behind the 3-point line when he released the ball. Tony Parker was able to drive the length of the court and launch a short off-balance jumper over LeBron James, but it became an airball as the buzzer sounded to end the 4th quarter.

In OT, LeBron James hit a floater with 1:43 remaining to give Miami a 101-100 lead. That score would hold all the way down to final moments, where Dwyane Wade would miss a jumper trying to extend the lead, and San Antonio getting the rebound with 12 seconds left. The Spurs opted not to call timeout and let Manu Ginobili get a full head of steam heading towards the basket. However, Ray Allen would strip the ball away from Ginobili on his way up for a shot and Allen would recover the ball, forcing the Spurs to foul him with 1.9 left. Allen made both free throws to put Miami up 103-100. San Antonio still had a chance but Bosh (who had a key block earlier in OT), came through with another key block in the final seconds to prevent a three-point game-tying shot from Danny Green.^[30]

Game 7

James scored 37 points, including five 3-pointers, and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Miami to a 95–88 victory in Game 7. With the win, the Heat captured their second consecutive NBA championship.^[31] After a 3-point shot by Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs trailed by just two with 50 seconds remaining in the game. They had a chance to tie the game, but Duncan, guarded by Shane Battier, missed a shot under the basket and a follow-up tip-in attempt. James went on to hit a 17-foot jumper that secured the victory.^[32] Wade scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds, and Battier scored 18 points on six 3-pointers to offset scoreless nights by Bosh and Allen. James tied Tommy Heinsohn's record set in 1957 for most points in an NBA Finals Game 7 win, and won his second straight NBA Finals MVP.^[33][34][35] The Heat became the fourth team to win the NBA title by coming back from a 3–2 series deficit and win the final two games at home (twice by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988 and 2010, and Houston in 1994).

Rosters

Player statistics

Miami Heat

San Antonio Spurs

Broadcast

In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC and Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy served as commentators. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown as commentators.^[36] For the first time, ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of Álvaro Martín, Carlos Morales, and Alejandro Montecchia.^[37]

Aftermath

The Heat finished second in the Eastern Conference the next season behind the Indiana Pacers with a 54-28 record. The Heat swept the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round and defeated the Brooklyn Nets in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, setting up a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference Finals match-up with the Pacers. The Heat won that series in six games and advanced to the NBA finals for the fourth consecutive year.

The Spurs finished with the NBA's best record at 62-20 the next season. The Spurs outlasted their Southwest Division rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round in seven games, finished off the Portland Trail Blazers in five games in the Western Conference semifinals, and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference finals in six games to return to the NBA finals.

The teams set up their Finals rematch in 2014, but it was the Spurs who came away victorious, ending the Heat's hopes of a three-peat in the series in five games and claiming their fifth NBA championship. During the next offseason, the Heat lost a key member of their "Big Three", when LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made it to the Finals in 2015 where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. The Heat did not make the 2015 NBA playoffs, while the Spurs defense of their title ended in the 1st round when they lost a 7-game series to the Los Angeles Clippers.

See also

• National Basketball Association portal

References

External links

• 2013 NBA Finals Official Site
• 2013 NBA Finals at ESPN

NBA Finals Champions O'Brien Trophy Most Valuable Player Award Brown Trophy Championship ring Broadcasters Game sevens Droughts Streaks 1940s 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015