The Heat fans have waited for

The Miami Heat their fans have been waiting for finally showed up, playing like the defending champions, tying the NBA Finals at two games apiece with an emphatic 109-93 win on the San Antonio Spurs home floor. What made the victory sweet, aside from being a crucial point in the series, was the synchronized emergence of the Big Three and the resilience shown by the champions on the road.

Prior to Game 4, PBA legend Francis Arnaiz sent this writer a message on Facebook regarding how he saw the series. The former Toyota guard, selected one of the PBA’s 25 greatest players, believes it all boils down to attitude.

“It’s not that complicated,” said Arnaiz, now residing in Sacramento. “After all the dissecting is done, what lays underneath is good old-fashioned work ethic and respect for the game. A young talented team is more prone to think and play with a mindset that the game is lucky to have them and that they can turn it on at any time. An older team’s mindset is not to take anything for granted thus play with a lot of respect for the moment and the fans who come watch them. As far as I am concerned the Spurs are a class act. They have a blue-collar demeanor about them on the court and when responding to the media. Whether the Spurs win the championship or not is not important at this point. They have already shown who the true winners are.”

But in the pivotal middle game of San Antonio’s home stand, Dwyane Wade set the tone for the rest of the Heat. The 2006 Finals MVP averaged double figures in the first half of each of the first three games, but under three points in the second halves. Whether it was fatigue or recurring pain from his leg injury was uncertain. What was clear was that Wade kept the pressure up, constantly attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line for 32 points. Chris Bosh also started playing closer to the basket, canning 20 while pulling down 13 boards. MVP LeBron James finished ahead of the pack with 33 points.

In the previous day’s practice Wade, James and Bosh all worked extra hard in their midrange jump shots. Bosh had been missing crucial open jumpers in their losses, while James had not been shooting as much in the second half in the series. This time, their guns were loaded, and their shooting percentage went up. 

The Heat also played a more intense defense, flying out at outside shooters for the Spurs, who set a record for most three-point shots made in a Finals game with 16 in Game 3. This time around, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Gary Neal were getting looks and making shots, but they were being challenged and not making as many. Miami also played the passing lanes very well, forcing uncharacteristic turnovers from the Spurs and getting out on transition.

“We knew that this game was going to be won from the defensive end,” Wade said after the game.

Entry passes to the bigs of San Antonio were deflected and contested, and the Spurs missed lay-ups in the second half. And unlike in previous games where the Spurs kept Miami from running, the Heat were able to increase the tempo in the second half, as well. All in all, the Heat showed more patience and executed better. They relied on their athletic ability on both ends of the floor, and head coach Erik Spoelstra used more of his own ‘’blue-collar workers’, with Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem playing heavier minutes.

The series has also been marked by the psychological warfare between the two coaches. The Spurs’ Gregg Popovich started things off when he didn’t even bring Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to their regular season game in Miami. The Heat’s Spoelstra replied in kind when they visited San Antonio. That started some escalating gamesmanship between the two. In Game 3 with his team leading 105-74 with little time remaining, Popovich called a timeout, as if to rub salt in the wound.

But it may have worked to the Heat’s advantage. In that same blowout loss, Spoelstra kept his starters on the floor much longer, letting them stew in their own defeat. He clearly wanted James, Wade and Bosh to remember that feeling of helplessness as they were being blown out. And in Game 4, he repaid their effort, rewarding them by keeping them on the floor so they could enjoy the win longer, even after Popovich had thrown in the towel by pulling his starters out. The Heat also realized that they had a two-day break before the next game, so they were able to push a bit more.

Neither team has been beaten back-to-back thus far, but that may not be a firm indicator of any trends. The Heat have clearly been able to re-focus, and have found their aggressiveness. The Spurs only have to look at one stat: turnovers. They normally take care of the ball much better, and this starved the Miami fastbreak. The winner of Game 5 will most likely win it all. And both teams know it.