His stone face never did convey emotions, not even for a moment. At least not until the end. And in defeat, San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich was smiling. How, I don’t know. He and the Spurs waged war for a full seven games, and nearly upset the Miami Heat to claim the organization’s fifth NBA championship.
Only the 1977-78 Washington Bullets have won a game seven on the road, and that won’t change after the Heat prevailed 95-88 Thursday night in Miami.
In the final game of this NBA season, legacies were at stake, they said. One game would shape the narrative for entire careers, they said.
And I suppose that’s right.
But Greg Popovich’s legacy is firmly intact. So is Tim Duncan’s. Those two walk away from their last chance, at least as coach and player, to win another title. They beat a 22-year-old LeBron in 2007. That version of James, though, didn’t have the 28-year-old’s jump shot, nor his savviness. And he knocked down a 17-footer in the biggest play of the night.
And now fans of LeBron can use Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs as final proof that the King is indeed clutch. His 13-point third quarter was a thing of beauty. He attacked the rim as only a 6-foot-8, 250-pound small forward with elite athleticism can, using both power and speed.
James, finally it seems, showed he can unleash all his gifts to propel his squad past any and all competitors. James went to the post, drained 3-pointers and commanded the floor like the best player in the world is supposed to.
That’s all we really want from LeBron. He can win regular-season MVPs, and he can direct the Heat to 27-game winning steaks. That’s fine, but in the playoffs we’ll take nothing less than a supreme (and winning) effort, sans headband even.
So let’s step back, just for a moment, and soak in what we’ve seen from James. He played 45 minutes, scored 37 points, nabbed 12 rebounds, dished four assists and made 12 of 23 field goal attempts, including five 3-pointers. It’s the best player post-Jordan dominating at the peak of his powers.
If he had instead scored something more like 18 points, managed a mere handful of rebounds and bumbled the ball away for more turnovers than assists in a Heat loss, James would’ve been the lead story today. Instead, he was magnificent. He was Michael Jordan posting 33 points in a close-out game of Phoenix in 1993, or Larry Bird cranking out a triple-double to end the 1986 NBA Finals.
James was the best player on the floor, and the driving reason the Heat managed to beat the Spurs.
Was it everything NBA fans wanted, demanded even, in a Game 7? Games 2, 3, 4 and 5 — all decided by at least 10 points — were as exciting as Grandma’s 80th birthday party. Through the first three contests, James scored 18, 17 and 15 points. With the NHL Stanley Cup battling into the early morning hours, NBA fans were left with duds.
But as it turns out, the Heat and Spurs were saving their best for last. Even Manu Ginóbili seemed to shake out of his malaise — or is it just old age? — for a few moments of brilliance.
Yet, even after seven games, LeBron’s pronounced block on Tiago Splitter’s attempted dunk, Tony Parker’s Cirque du Soleil shot in Game 1 and Tim Duncan’s temporary revival in the first half of Game 6 all dim to Popovich.
Because there he was smiling, shaking hands, telling Heat players congratulations with apparent genuineness afterwards. I’m sure Pop wasn’t smiling as he addressed his team in the locker room. But as he grinned, even laughed a little with Erik Spoelstra and Miami’s coaching staff, I couldn’t help but think that he’s the one who’s figured out the sporting life.
A fifth title would’ve been nice, yes, but would it really have changed his standing in the league? Thursday morning, in a shootaround before the decisive 48 minutes of Game 7, Popovich addressed the media. He was asked about his legacy.
"Food and wine,” he said, “it's just a job."
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