Report Card: Spurs Vs. Heat – 2013 NBA Finals, Game 5

Jun 16, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green (4) celebrates a 3-point shot against the Miami Heat during the third quarter of game five in the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT

A belated Happy Father’s Day to all the dads at there, specifically those who are Spurs fans. We hope you all had an excellent day, and that the Spurs victory was just an added bonus.

After taking care of business on Sunday night, the San Antonio Spurs are just 48 minutes away from capturing their fifth Larry O’Brien trophy. If you missed last night’s wild game, you can check out our full game recap here. But without further adieu, it’s time for our Spurs Report Card. Happy game grades are back once again!

Who’s Hot: Attempting to pick a player for “Who’s Hot” is like trying to decide who your favorite child is. But once again, the honor goes to Daniel Richard Green. Not only did Green continue his hot three point shooting in the Finals, going 6-for-10 on Sunday, but he also broke Ray Allen’s record for most three pointers in a Finals series. Think about that. He broke Ray Allen’s record, the man who has the most threes in NBA history, and still has one more game to put that record far out of reach.

Tough season for Allen. First Steph Curry breaks his record for most three pointers in a season, then Danny Green breaks the record for most threes in the Finals. Let me pretend to feel sorry for him. Aaaaand done.

Who’s Not: Despite the shooting numbers, LeBron James actually had a tremendous second half with nine points, seven assists and six rebounds. But it was more than just the 2-for-11 shooting that was concerning for the four-time MVP. It was the shots he was missing, which included air balling a four foot layup over Boris Diaw. Everyone knows LeBron is great when attacking the basket, but he struggled mightily around the rim last night.

Turning Point: The Spurs collapse felt imminent, as Miami cut San Antonio’s lead to one point with 3:04 left in the third quarter. 10 seconds later, Danny Green swished a three from the top of the key, which sparked a flurry that extended into the fourth quarter. It took Ray Allen’s second four-point play of the game with 8:37 left in the game to end a Spurs 21-2 run.

Up Next: Neither team has loss consecutive games in the 2013 playoffs. For San Antonio to win it’s fifth championship, they’re going to have to do something to the Heat, that hasn’t happened since January. Does Manu Ginobili have another vintage performance in him? Which Miami Heat team shows up on Tuesday? We’ll find out in about 24 hours at the American Airlines Arena.

REPORT CARD

C Tim Duncan | 17 points (7-10), 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assistDuncan continues to be aggressive and perform at a high level against Chris Bosh. One of the key adjustments Spoelstra made was inserting Miller into the starting lineup for Haslem, which Popovich matched in Game 5 by starting Ginobili over Splitter. Going small has allowed for more one-on-one between Bosh and Duncan. And Timothy Theodore Duncan has not disappointed.

GRADE: A-

PF Kawhi Leonard | 16 points (6-8), 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assistLeonard has been quiet these last couple games, but it’s not his fault. Danny Green has just been that “out of this world” good. The second year forward out of San Diego State continues to be efficient on offense, while giving Miller, Wade and James a fair share of hell on defense.

GRADE: B

Watch LeBron’s reaction to Green’s three at the 38 second mark. He. Is. Pissed.

I’m deducting a partial letter grade for Danny’s missed dunk early in the first quarter. Can’t blame him for being confident, but he still needs to work on finishing at the rim. He’s not Vince Carter.

GRADE: A

SG Manu Ginobili | 24 points (8-14), 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 stealDear Emanuel “Manu” David Ginobili,I am so sorry I ever doubted your abilities. You are a god, I am worthless. I would walk barefoot over ten miles of broken glass, just to hear you acknowledge my apology. I love you, you bald, magnificent genius.

GRADE: A+

PG Tony Parker | 26 points (10-14), 5 assists, 1 reboundHis hamstring sure looks okay. He had everything around the basket going in on Sunday, with a perfect 9-for-9 shooting inside the paint. But he was 1-for-5 everywhere else. His performance was enough to get by tonight, but to beat Miami one more time, and on the road, he’ll need to be nearly perfect.

GRADE: B+

BENCH

PF Boris Diaw | 1 point (0-1), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blockBobo the Land Walrus didn’t need to do anything offensively. He was there for one reason and one reason only: To stop LeBron James. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Boris freaking Diaw was guarding the four-time MVP. And he wasn’t just adequate, he excelled, forcing King James to go 1-for-8 when facing Land Walrus. So for that alone:

GRADE: A

SG Gary Neal | 2 points (1-4), 1 rebound, 1 assistNeal only played 21 minutes and couldn’t even breathe without LeBron James knowing about it. The Heat continue to play pick your poison on the Spurs shooters. They seem alright with Green getting wide open, but they definitely won’t allow both of them to go full flamethrower.

GRADE: C+

C Tiago Splitter | 4 points (2-4), 2 rebounds, 1 blockSplitter’s two baskets came around the rim, as usual, but his impact was more defensively. Even though he just played 10 minutes, he was a force in the paint, something that he’s proved all year long. But with this series switching to small ball, his presence isn’t a necessity. The three turnovers in just 10 minutes do hurt his final grade though.

GRADE: C

Tweet of the NightWe had to share this tweet from last night. Via Dan McCarney’s Twitter, if my dad had a big game in the NBA Finals on Father’s Day, I’d be rolling all over the floor too.

The ginobili twins are raising hell pic.twitter.com/OmFy7NVEou

— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) June 17, 2013