The NBA has been blessed with many dynasties. Bill Russell’s Celtics, the “Showtime” Lakers, Jordan’s Bulls and many more over the years.
But recently there have been two teams that have caught everybody’s eyes and for different reasons. Reasons aside their philosophies, type of play and their overall dominance have captivated us culminating in two amazing volumes of the NBA Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. Teams of complete opposites.
Whenever they played, especially in the 2013 NBA Finals, they always came out as instant classics. You could call it the modern version Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 60’s and 70’s. Think about it. One team from the East, one team from the West. Differing playing styles. Jam packed with legends of the game. Seeing the resemblance?
Obviously San Antonio have been consistent enough to be a legitimate dynasty. 5 championships from 99 to now. Consistent 60 win seasons. Their specialty in getting international players has been second to none. Players such as French captain Tony Parker, Argentina’s Manu Ginobili and Brazilian Tiago Splitter are just some of the many players they have picked up overseas. Even Tim Duncan was born in the US Virgin Islands! Just this past season their squad had players from 7 different countries. That’s unheard of in the NBA. From 99 with Duncan and “The Admiral” David Robinson winning the 98-99 lockout season. To Duncan taking lead. It has been probably the most quiet domination in sports history. They are the epitome of a small market team that gets the job done. The only team that have been close to them in the past 15 years have been the Los Angeles Lakers. Look at where they are right now.
I get it, I’ve swallowed the pill. The only time I’ll ever see the picture above happening again is if I type it up on YouTube or if NBA TV replays one of the games from the first time the Spurs and Heat butted heads in 2013. There was no better entertainment on a game by game basis than the Miami Heat. When they joined up in 2010. Every talking head wanted in on the action. You couldn’t go onto a national sports network without hearing about the Miami Heat. Good thing, bad thing that’s not important. It was a fun ride while it lasted.
You know the teams, you know what transpired the past 2 seasons. But exactly how will those two Finals and their two roads leading up to said Finals stand in NBA History and Folklore?
It’s a tough question to answer since the saga has just finished. But just on the 2013 Finals alone it’s definitely one of the greatest stories in NBA History. Not convinced? Let me tell you why.
There are many things that makes a great NBA story. For example the reason why the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is so good is because they have history. Sure San Antonio and Miami don’t have that kind of rivalry. There’s no rivalry like the C’s and the Lakers. But a great back story of the Spurs-Heat story was how San Antonio thwarted LeBron James 5 years before they met again in 2013.
That was a great backdrop for the meeting in 2013.
Another great case for the Spurs-Heat story was how great, how gripping the 2013 NBA Finals were. Every game there was somebody taking the limelight. Game 1, Tony Parker’s game winning bank shot. Game 2, the three point barrage that nobody saw coming, 10-19 from beyond the arc for Miami. Game 3, San Antonio smash the Finals record for 3’s in a game with 16, 6 of them from unlikely source Gary Neal. Game 4, Miami’s Big 3 score a combined 85 points. Game 5, Danny Green breaks the record for threes in a game with 6. Breaking Ray Allen’s previous record in ’08. Game 6. Well we can safely say that this play WAS Game 6.
I don’t know about you but that still gives me chills.
And lastly Game 7 where LeBron James took control with 37 points and 12 rebounds and achieved the back to back.
To me there will never be a Finals that entertaining for the neutral fan. The fact that the most boring yet consistent team in the San Antonio Spurs and the most entertaining team in the Miami Heat. They both tactically pushed each other to the limit. Even the coaches were playing chess against each other. Basketball was never so precise!
No matter what LeBron does in Cleveland for the rest of his career. His stint in Miami will forever be linked with the San Antonio Spurs and their consistent dominance that have spanned over 15 years. What will happen next for these two teams? That I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this. No matter who you support. The Spurs-Heat story will be high up in NBA folklore. Alongside Bird vs Magic. Reggie vs Spike, MJ vs the “Bad Boy” Pistons. And I can say I was in the generation where LeBron and the Heat took on Duncan and the good old Spurs. Now that’s an NBA story.
Statistics provided by Basketball-Reference & NBA.com
