Derick E. Hingle – USA Today Sports Images
Leading up to Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, if you had been told that LeBron James would finish the night with just 17 points, seven assists and eight rebounds on only 7-of-17 shooting, you would probably expect the Spurs to walk out with a 2-0 lead in the series.
That was the night that LeBron had on Sunday, but the outcome was vastly different.
The Heat dominated the Spurs, particularly in the second half, on their way to a 103-84 victory that ties the Finals at 1-1. The team’s offense looked more in sync, shooting 49.4 percent from the field, mostly due to the fact that they were able to get into the lane off the dribble to create shots at the rim and kick-outs for open threes on the wings.
However, it was the defense of the Heat that really swung Game 2 in their favor.
One of the things that the Heat have done all season is capitalize off turnovers and perform well in transition. In Game 1 of the series, they were really limited in that regard as the Spurs were able to hold onto the ball, committing just four turnovers for the entire game. That was a vastly different story on Sunday night.
San Antonio committed 17 turnovers as a team on Sunday night, which resulted in 19 points for the Heat. Moreover, the Heat were able to get out in transition more in Game 2 because of their defense, putting up 13 fast-break points. The Heat were able to pressure Tony Parker off the screen in the pick-and-roll, and their on-ball pressure was fantastic. It seemed like the hands of Heat defenders were always quick and poking at the ball whenever it was in the hands of the Spurs.
Not only were the Heat able to force turnovers, but they also limited everything the Spurs were trying to do. If they got the ball to Duncan down low, the pressure was almost always there on him. Other than a hot start from Danny Green on open threes, the Heat also did a solid job of closing out on shooters when the Spurs kicked it out. Miami noticeably and masterfully made defensive adjustments after Game 1 and it reaped tremendous benefits for them.
In the coaching chess match between Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Popovich, there’s no doubt that Pop will make adjustments to his offense for Game 3 to try and defeat the pressure of the Heat. However, Miami can’t overreact to those adjustments. Their defense is designed to swarm and create turnovers. If they are taken out of playing that type of defense, it renders their entire scheme and game plan ineffective.
It’s hard to believe that the Heat will play as perfectly defensively as they did in Game 2 going forward. However, if they bring the same energy and activity on the defensive end that they did on Sunday for the rest of the series, there’s no doubt that they can continue to create turnovers and cause problems for San Antonio.
Cody Williams is an NBA Blogger with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.
