During the NBA’s indefinite hiatus, I will be rewatching every game of LeBron’s NBA Finals career. Every Finals game from the last 20 years is available to NBA League Pass subscribers on the NBA app or through apps like YouTube TV. We will be going chronologically through LeBron’s Finals career.
Previous Finals Game Diaries
Game 1, 2007 NBA Finals: LeBron’s first Finals game.
Game 2, 2007 NBA Finals: LeBron bounces back but falls down 0-2.
Game 3, 2007 NBA Finals: LeBron gets the last shot but it doesn’t go.
Game 4, 2007 NBA Finals: Staying home.
Game 1, 2011 NBA Finals: LeBron’s first Finals victory.
Game 2, 2011 NBA Finals: Heat blow 15-point 4th quarter lead.
Game 3, 2011 NBA Finals: Bosh game-winner helps put Heat up 2-1.
Game 4, 2011 NBA Finals: LeBron has 8 points in Finals loss.
Game 5, 2011 NBA Finals: LeBron bounces back, but Mavs shoot the lights out.
Game 6, 2011 NBA Finals: Jason Terry and the Mavs burn down the Heat in Miami.
Game 1, 2012 NBA Finals: Westbrook and Durant lead comeback to take 1-0 lead over Heat.
Game 2, 2012 NBA Finals: LeBron applies lessons he learned from the Spurs in 2007 in a road win against the Thunder.
Game 3, 2012 NBA Finals: Miami escapes a late Durant rally to go up 2-1.
Game 4, 2012 NBA Finals: LeBron fights through cramps and an epic Westbrook performance to take 3-1 lead.
Game 5, 2012 NBA Finals:’ It’s about damn time’
Game 1, 2013 NBA Finals: Tony Parker hits a clutch shot as Heat crumble with turnovers
The Heat are back home for Game 2 as they now look at an 0-1 deficit for the first time in three NBA Finals together. The ABC cameras cut to Dwyane Wade in the team huddle hyping the squad up to get the San Antonio Spurs back tonight, after they absolutely locked up the Heat in the 4th quarter and had an answer for everything on the offensive end. Although LeBron had a triple-double, none of the Big 3 eclipsed the 20-point mark in Game 1 and still, they had a chance to win. And as far as the starting lineups are concerned, neither team has made a change in Game 2. The Heat have not lost two games in a row all season long, having accumulated the best record in the NBA at 66-16.
However, the hottest in the room right now is Danny Green. Green has started the game 3-for-3 from the 3-point line, pacing the Spurs to another early 1st quarter lead like they had in Game 1. Green’s hot hand continues as he single-handedly disrupts a 2-on-1 break by Wade and LeBron James, something that nobody ever does. He played that better than a defensive end on a read-option. The Heat, however, are much more locked in defensively and they aren’t letting Parker slice them up quite as much as he did in Game 1.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have shown their cards more on the pick and roll against LeBron James in this one. They are backing way off of him anytime someone sets a screen. San Antonio did not shy away from double-teaming LeBron in 2007 and they are going to force him to A) make the pull-up jumper or B) make Udonis Haslem beat them. Haslem obliges with an And-1 as the Mayor of Miami gets the crowd going.
As an aside from the game action, the 2013 Finals was also the first series that ESPN made Steve Javie a major part of the broadcast. They’re REALLY selling it hard. Meanwhile, Chalmers puts the Heat ahead at 16-15. But of course, nothing can go perfectly right. This game may be one of Chalmers best in a Heat uniform, as he ends with a team-high 19 points. As so often would happen during the Heat playoff runs, Wade comes up gimpy and will again have to play through the pain. Looking back on it, I really don’t understand how Wade ended up playing until 2019 with how often he played hurt during these years.
With about two minutes to go in the 1st quarter, LeBron comes over with another incredible rotation block on Duncan, his second in as many games. LeBron doesn’t block shots like quite as much anymore as a rim-protector unless he’s executing a chase-down block, and it’s one of the subtle and only ways we can tangibly tell he’s aging. That and him taking more 30-footers than anybody this side of Dame Lillard and Steph Curry. It’s 22-22 after 1.
Both teams remain deadlocked as the 2nd quarter stars, with Gary Neal replacing Danny Green as the Spurs 3-point shooter of the moment. Then Ginobili, who has had a tough start to the series, gets one to go and the Spurs go up 6. But the lead doesn’t last for long as the Heat tied things up with two minutes to go in the 1st half at 45-45. Then Chalmers, who was benched in the 4th quarter of Game 1, hits another 3-pointer to give him a Heat-high 10 points in the first half. Then a Wade layup makes it 50-45, giving him 10 points as well. Then Chalmers does as good of a job on Parker as anybody has done, forcing an airball. Then on the final possession of the first half, the Heat get another turnover, this time from LeBron, to close the half as the Heat defense has been suffocating.
At the halftime interview, Dwayne Wade says that he’s tired due to the pace in this game. Wade, Bosh and Chalmers are supplying the scoring for Miami right now, while LeBron’s best plays have all been on defense and in the service of his teammates. Again, I’m moved to say that I really can’t believe Wade played until 2019. The Spurs have stayed in this game with seven 3-pointers, because they’ve had eight turnovers. As the second half returns, Van Gundy and Mike Breen are focusing on the play of Wade, who had a strong first half in Game 1 but tailed off in the second half, along with the rest of the Heat offense in the 4th quarter.
Early in the 2nd half we are treated once again to the greatest transition defense ever played against the Miami Heat from Danny Green. LeBron tries to create contact and Green expertly avoids it, causing James to miscalculate his shot. Then LeBron takes the time-honored tactic of going straight to the rim and being a superstar to get a foul call. While LeBron’s aggression is notable, so is that of Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs are going to Leonard more in the post to start their half court offense. Even when he is blocked by James, his aggression creates a loose ball and an easy bucket for Splitter. And now Leonard leads the break in transition, kicking it to Green for his 5th 3-pointer of the game, cutting the lead to 54-53. Another thing that I really love about this series is how neither team is fouling very much. These games go by quickly, but they’re played with high quality on both ends. Leonard is doing more, getting a 3-point play, but he misses the free-throw, something that would come up again later in the series. Nevertheless, San Antonio now leads 58-56.
Then LeBron sets a blind pick on Tony Parker, sending Parker to the ground. The call goes against LeBron, who has followed up his 18-18-10 game with just 2 rebounds so far and he’s yet to be in double-figures. To his credit, the Spurs are forcing him into low-quality midrange shots and he’s trying to set up his teammates rather than take them. But at some point, LeBron has got to take the challenge. Luckily, Chris Bosh is an All-Star and has carried the load for the Heat offensively in this 3rd quarter. Meanwhile, Danny Green just blocked LeBron on one end and leading the game in scoring on the other. LeBron is still reluctant to oblige on the midrange pull-up, but he sets a screen for Chalmers and he crashes the board like a guy trying to find his own way offensively. It’s unclear if LeBron is all the way healthy, but he looks a step slow in Game 2 compared to what he had in Game 1. Or perhaps, he’s simply biding his time after running out of gas in the 4th quarter of Game 1, remembering how the Heat suffocated under a cascade of turnovers, before Tony Parker’s incredible runner.
The Heat bench is better this season though. Rather than leaking points when the Big 3 are on the bench, LeBron and the reserves are running up the lead. Honestly, the way LeBron is playing with this unit, Chalmers, a bunch of shooters and Chris Andersen, reminds me a little bit of watching contemporary Giannis Antetokounmpo play. Nothing sets things up quite like a screen from Giannis these days but LeBron in 2013 was delivering similar results, while also being maybe the greatest passer in NBA history to go with it. Almost on cue, LeBron hits Mike Miller for a 3. LeBron may only have 8 points, but he’s making everything happen for Miami to push them to a 10-point lead.
And then FINALLY, LeBron obliges the Spurs coverage of him and he steps into a midrange jumper. Unsurprisingly, this is when the Heat blow the game open. Then they post LeBron, a double-team comes, then he hits Mike Miller again for a 3-pointer. The Heat are now on a 19-3 run and have a 15-point lead, the largest lead of the series so far. The Heat have also made strong adjustments to how the Spurs have been guarding LeBron. The Heat are waiting to set the screens on the ball later and later, making it harder to go under the screen without giving up a quality shot at the rim. LeBron then goes coast-to-coast in transition, with the Spurs committing their 15th turnover of the night and it looks like this game is just about over, with Miami up by 19.
Now, the Heat are no strangers to seeing leads disappear, but reasonable people believe this one is over. Even Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy are already talking about the series being 1-1. And then LeBron has what will be the iconic play of the series, absolutely stoning 7-foot Tiago Splitter at the rim, which leads to a Ray Allen 3-pointer on the other end. Then LeBron gets rowdy with a dunk as he swings from the rim. He now has 8 points in the 4th quarter, perhaps lending more credence to the theory that he was saving the scoring punch until the final period.
Then a 3-pointer from James and the Heat are up 27. This one is over. Tracy McGrady is in the game for the Spurs. That’s about the only thing of importance left to say, with the Spurs Big 3 now chilling on the bench.
But now we have three games set for San Antonio starting in Game 3, where LeBron will now look for his first Finals win in the city of San Antonio. However, LeBron now finally has a win against the Spurs on his resume after losing his first five.
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