SAN ANTONIO -- The Miami Heat have made a habit of bouncing back after a poor performance this season, and they hope that Thursday night’s Game 4 will be no different.
Following a 36-point loss in which the Spurs shot historically well from three-point distance, and managed to hold LeBron James without a free throw on the way to just 15 points on 7-of-21 shooting, the Heat were focused on making sure that they bring the required effort to what James characterized as a must-win game for them in the series.
“It’s just something we’ve grown into over the years, being able to bounce back in adverse situations,” James said on Wednesday. “And no matter the circumstances, this is going to be probably one of the toughest, because we’re going against a team with championship DNA and a championship pedigree on their floor in a must‑win.”
Despite the struggles James had on the offensive end of the floor, Game 3 turned on the lack of effort from the Miami defense, particularly in the second half. The Spurs made nine of their 16 three-pointers over the final two periods, and those shots, especially at home, can swing momentum fast.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knows that his team needs to do a better job in limiting those opportunities -- and mainly, closing out on the shooters -- to avoid seeing a similar result.
“We have to do it better,” Spoelstra said. “We have a system that we believe in, that guys have built habits in. They need each other to be able to do it. Is it easy at this level? No. It never is. And it’s not easy for them to guard us, either. You have to be able to do multiple things against a very good team, and you have to have multiple efforts with concentration and discipline to be able to win in the Finals at this level.”
There was a possibility the Spurs may have been without Tony Parker on Thursday, who was officially listed as day-to-day after suffering a Grade 1 hamstring strain that forced him out of action in the third quarter of Game 3. Parker did not practice on Wednesday, and while he wouldn’t speculate on his availability for Game 4, he hinted that with this being the Finals, he would be likely to give it a shot.
Parker’s clues became fact on Thursday, when he confirmed to reporters that he is “ready to go” and will play in Game 4. But the outcome is likely to hinge on what version of LeBron shows up.
James was dismal in Game 3, and guaranteed he’d be better the next time he got the chance. What that should translate to is more drives to the basket to make the Spurs defend him on the move, which will put pressure on the officials to blow the whistle if he’s receiving contact while trying to score inside.
“I have to try to put more pressure on the defense,” James said. “Not saying the whistle is going to be blown, but putting pressure on their defensive interior and for myself to kick it out for my guys, I have to do that. That’s what I was brought here to do. And it can’t be anything less than that.”
The reality is that anything less than maximum aggression from LeBron will see the Spurs move one game closer to an NBA title.