What the Spurs Blowout Win Over Heat Means

First of all, I am going to start this article by telling you exactly what the San Antonio Spurs 77-113 blowout victory over the Miami Heat means.  It means that the Spurs now lead the series and that is pretty much it.  Who the NBA Champion is going to be is still far from decided.

Don’t get me wrong, it was an impressive win for the Spurs.  Danny Green and Gary Neal were explosive, Green scoring 27 points in 30 minuets of play and Neal putting up 24 in just 25 minutes.  The Spurs also set an NBA Finals record with a barrage of 3 pointers, 16 in total, to give themselves a 2-1 lead in this series.

The Spurs also had success on the defensive end of the ball.  Kawhi Leonard was able to stop the unstoppable LeBron James holding him to just 7 for 21 on shooting and 15 points.  Another bragging right given to the Spurs in this game was they handed the Heat their franchise-worst playoff game with this 36 point win.

However, the Spurs should not be buying any trophy polish just yet.  If there is one thing that Miami loves to do it is coming back from behind.  Also keep in mind that it was only one game ago that the Heat beat the Spurs by a near 20 point margin 84-103.

What the Spurs did to win by this huge margin will not be duplicated.  They simply packed the paint and forced James to take bad outside shots that appeared to be good shots.  As good as Gregg Popovich is, Erik Spoelstra will come out in the next game and make the adjustments necessary to put James back in the game leaving Popovich to scramble for another trick to pull out of his sleeve.

Then there is the issue of Tony Parker.  Parker, the Spurs leading scorer, says that he injured his hamstring in the third quarter of Game 3.  While Parker was not a huge factor in the Spurs victory over the Heat in Game 3, his contribution to his team is undeniable.  Parker averages 20.3 points and 7.6 assists on 52.2 percent shooting a game.  If Parker is out or even plays through an injury the dynamic of this series will quickly change.

The sports books have switched positions in favor of the Spurs.  When the Heat return to San Antonio for Game 4 on Thursday, the Spurs opening odds have them  favored with a -2 point spread and a -125 money line compared to the Heat +105 line.  Game 4 is on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.