The 2014 NBA Finals was the championship series of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

's (NBA) 2013–14 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

defeated the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in five games (4–1) for the Spurs' fifth

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

in franchise history. The Spurs outscored the Heat in the series by an average of 14.0 points per game, a then-record for average point differential in Finals history. San Antonio's

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...

was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Leonard received 10 of the 11 Finals MVP votes. This was a Finals rematch from the previous NBA season, which Miami had won in seven games, handing the Spurs the franchise's first-ever Finals defeat. This marked the 12th Finals rematch, but only the fifth since the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The Spurs had home-court advantage, since the team finished the regular season with a better record (62–20) than the Heat (54–28). For the first time since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, the Finals were played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (Games 1 and 2 at home for the higher seeded team, Games 3 and 4 at home for the lower seeded team, Game 5 at the higher, Game 6 at the lower, and Game 7 at the higher). The series began on June 5 and ended on June 15.

Background

Miami Heat

Led by their Big Three of LeBron James,

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA cham ...

, and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat made their fourth straight appearance in the NBA Finals, following two back-to-back wins in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs. They were the first team since the 1987 Boston Celtics to make it to four straight NBA Finals, and only the fourth team in NBA history to achieve that goal, besides the 1966 Boston Celtics (as a matter of fact, ten straight appearances), 1985 Los Angeles Lakers and the 1986-87 Boston Celtics. From 2015 to 2018 the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

led by LeBron James also achieved the same feat. They were seeking to become the first NBA team to three-peat since the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers. Heading into the postseason, the Heat had an 11–14 record in the last 25 games. In the first round, they eliminated the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

and won 4–0. In the Conference Semifinals, they eliminated the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

and won 4–1, despite being swept by Brooklyn in the regular season. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they again played the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

in a rematch of the previous year's Conference Finals. Miami won the series 4–2, eliminating the Indiana Pacers from the playoffs for the third straight year.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs had a deep roster, with no player averaging 30 minutes during the regular season. Their offense relied on ball movement, being called "one of the most beautiful-to-watch teams in the NBA" by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''. This was the

's sixth appearance in the NBA Finals, and they headed to the postseason with the best record in the NBA and a franchise record 19-game winning streak, ending with a 22–4 run in their last 26 games. In the first round, they faced their Texas rivals, the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

, who surprised the Spurs by taking the series to seven games despite the Spurs sweeping the Mavericks in the regular season for 2 consecutive years. San Antonio won 4–3. In the Conference Semifinals, they eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers and won 4–1. In their third consecutive Conference Finals, they eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder and won the series 4–2, despite being swept by Oklahoma City in the regular season, and for the first time, they qualified for back-to-back Finals appearances.

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

The regular season series was split 1–1, with each team winning at home:

Series summary

Game summaries

:''All times are in

Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a sma ...

( UTC−4)'' The Spurs rebounded from their seven-game loss to the Heat in the 2013 Finals to win the series, 4–1, for the franchise's fifth NBA championship. After winning their first four over nine seasons, this was their first since

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

. They defeated Miami by margins of at least 15 points in each of their four wins and also outscored them by an average of 14.0 points per game in the series, which was the largest differential in Finals history at the time. The Spurs finished the playoffs with 12 wins by 15 points or more, the most ever in the postseason. Miami had won 11 straight playoffs series, which was the fifth longest in league history. The Spurs'

was named the Finals MVP after leading the team in scoring in each of the final three games, averaging 23.7 points and shooting 68.5 percent, after scoring just nine in each of the first two games Overall, he averaged 17.8 points on 61.2 percent shooting in the series, the highest field goal percentage of any Finals MVP, and shot 65 percent when guarded by LeBron James in the series. Leonard also led the team with a 57.9

three-point field goal percentage A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

. Leonard was the third-youngest recipient of the award (22 years and 351 days old) since its inception in 1969, and the youngest since

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

. Tim Duncan of the Spurs led all players in the series with 50 rebounds. He was followed by teammate Boris Diaw (43), who was inserted into the starting lineup beginning in Game 3. Diaw led all players in the series in assists (29).

Game 1

Tim Duncan scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Spurs to a 110–95 win in Game 1. The game featured the

AT&T Center AT&T Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. The arena seats 18,418 for basketball, and 19,000 for concerts or ...

's malfunctioning air-conditioning system, which caused temperatures in the arena to exceed in the second half. The conditions caused Miami's LeBron James to dehydrate and experience cramps, limiting him to just five minutes of playing time in the fourth quarter. With James on the bench, San Antonio went on a 16–3 run in the game's final four minutes, and outscored the Heat 36–17 in the fourth quarter. James, who also had cramps in the finals two years earlier, finished the game with 25 points while playing only 33 minutes. Manu Ginóbili had 16 points and 11 assists and Tony Parker contributed 19 points and eight assists for the Spurs, who shot 59 percent for the game despite committing 23 turnovers. The Spurs shot 14/16 in the 4th quarter. The Spurs' 87.5% conversion rating in the 4th quarter was the most efficient field goal conversion rating for any team in any quarter in NBA Finals history.

Game 2

James rebounded from cramps in Game 1 with 35 points and 10 rebounds to lead Miami to a 98–96 win to tie the series. Bosh made the go-ahead three-point field goal on a pass from James with 1:18 remaining in the game, as the Heat won their 13th straight following a postseason loss. Temperatures in the AT&T Center were comfortable for the game after a broken circuit breaker was repaired following Game 1. After enduring criticism for not finishing the previous game, James started slowly in the first quarter, shooting 1-for-4 with three turnovers. Meanwhile, the Spurs began the game making 10 of their first 15 shots. James then made 11 of his next 13, and finished 14-for-22 while played a game-high 37 minutes. He had 11 points in the second quarter, when the Heat overcome an early 11-point deficit. The score remained close through the remainder of the game. The Spurs held a two-point lead with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Miami's

Mario Chalmers Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Minnesota ...

elbowed Parker in the midsection for a

flagrant foul In basketball, a flagrant foul is a personal foul that involves excessive or violent contact that could injure the fouled player. A flagrant foul may be unintentional or purposeful; the latter type is also called an "intentional foul" in the Nati ...

. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan then combined to miss four straight

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

s. James scored 33 in the final three quarters; he had 22 in the second half, when every shot he made was from or further. He also made a key strip of Parker late in the game. Bosh finished with 18 points, and Wade and

Rashard Lewis Rashard Quovon Lewis (born August 8, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Lewis entered the NBA directly from Alief Elsik High School. He rose to prominence in the NBA as a scorer with the Seattle SuperSonics, and was later ...

added 14 for Miami. Parker had 21 points and Duncan scored 18 points with 15 rebounds for the Spurs, who had won eight consecutive home games by at least 15 points. Parker passed

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

for eighth place on the NBA's all-time playoff assist list.

Game 3

The Spurs took a 2–1 lead in the series after a career-high 29 points from Leonard and a Finals-record 75.8% shooting effort from the team during the first half. Leonard, limited to only 18 points in the first two games, made his first six shots and was 10-of-13 for the game. San Antonio led by as many as 25 and were comfortably ahead most of the game, including 71–50 at the half. The 21-point margin was the largest halftime lead in the Finals by a road team since Game 3 in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

against the Seattle SuperSonics. The Heat scored 10-straight points in the third quarter to bring the score to 81–74, the closest they would get to the Spurs the rest of the game. San Antonio's insertion of Boris Diaw into the starting lineup created more ball movement, as the Spurs achieved the first 70-point first half in the Finals since the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

' 75 from Game 2 in 1987 against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. The Heat, who had been 8–0 at home in the playoffs, were led by James and Wade with 22 points apiece. Miami's 20 turnovers were their playoff-high, with James committing his Finals career-high of 7.

Game 4

Leonard had 20 points and 14 rebounds in another rout of the Heat, as the Spurs won 107–86 to take a 3–1 lead in the series; no team had ever come back from a 3–1 deficit in the Finals until two years later. San Antonio again built a large lead on the road before halftime, taking a 55–33 lead in the second quarter after scoring seven consecutive points, culminated by a soaring dunk by Leonard. The Spurs defense held Miami to just 35 percent shooting in the first half after allowing the Heat to shoot 50 percent overall in the prior game. The Heat had followed their prior 13 playoff losses with a win. The Heat struggled to defend the Spurs' crisp ball movement, orchestrated by Diaw and his game-high nine assists. San Antonio made 57 percent of its

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

s, with Parker scoring 19 points, and Duncan adding 10 points and 11 rebounds to surpass

for the most

double-doubles In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term r ...

in NBA Playoffs history (158). Duncan also eclipsed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's previous mark (8,851) for most postseason minutes played. Miami was led by James, who had 28 points and eight rebounds, but their other starters combined for only 28 points on 32 percent shooting. Wade made only 1 of 10 from the field through three quarters, finishing with 10 points.

Game 5

The Spurs won 104–87 to win the championship in five games and avenge last season's loss to the Heat in seven games. Leonard had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, and was named the Finals MVP. James had 17 first-quarter points for the Heat, who got off to a fast start in building an early 22–6 lead. San Antonio bounced back to outscore Miami 37–13 from the beginning of the second quarter through the middle of the third. Ginóbili had 19 points and four assists, and Patty Mills scored 17 points off the bench for the Spurs. James finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Bosh had 13 points and Wade added 13 but shot only 4-for-12 from the field.

Rosters

San Antonio Spurs

Miami Heat

Player statistics

;San Antonio Spurs , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 2.2 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .750 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.7 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 2.1 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .471 , , .444 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .750 , , 0.8 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 3 , , 35.2 , , .364 , , .333 , , .500 , , 8.6 , , 5.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 33.1 , , .569 , , .000 , , .679 , , 10.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 15.4 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 28.7 , , .500 , , .417 , , .875 , , 3.0 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 21.1 , , .531 , , .450 , , .750 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 9.2 , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 33.4 , , .612 , , .579 , , .783 , , 6.4 , , 2.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , 17.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 15.2 , , .543 , , .565 , , .000 , , 1.4 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 35.2 , , .479 , , .417 , , .750 , , 0.4 , , 4.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 2 , , 16.8 , , .706 , , .000 , , .778 , , 3.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 6.2 ;Miami Heat , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 1 , , 31.0 , , .415 , , .409 , , .857 , , 3.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 17.9 , , .250 , , .000 , , .700 , , 5.6 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 17.0 , , .571 , , .000 , , .333 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 36.3 , , .549 , , .385 , , .818 , , 5.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 4 , , 23.1 , , .333 , , .143 , , .778 , , 1.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .316 , , .143 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .250 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .400 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 37.8 , , .571 , , .519 , , .793 , , 7.8 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 28.2 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .571 , , .500 , , .000 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 22.9 , , .500 , , .455 , , .500 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 1.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 5 , , 34.5 , , .438 , , .333 , , .692 , , 3.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.6 , , 0.0 , , 15.2

Broadcast

ABC- Mike Breen ESPN Radio- Kevin Calabro and Hubie Brown

Notes

References

External links

* {{NBA on ESPN Radio National Basketball Association Finals Finals

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

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