San Antonio Spurs finished off a dominant run to their fifth NBA championship Sunday night, ending Miami Heat's two-year title reign with a 104-87 victory that wrapped up the series in five games.
Balance was on full display Sunday night when Manu Ginobili checked into Game 5, made his impact felt immediately, and jumpstarted a Spurs attack that simply overwhelmed the Miami Heat. When Ginobili scored his first bucket of the game, it cut the deficit to 22-6. He was responsible for nine straight points in the first quarter (six off his scoring and an assist for a 3-pointer) and eight straight in the second quarter. Those scoring runs were backbreaking and he fired up the crowd with step-back 3s and a memorable dunk, which seemed to suck the energy out of the Heat.
It's the kind of scoring runs Ginobili has done for the Spurs nearly his entire career. He's been the change of pace who can't be contained. It's what makes the Spurs so difficult to defend. You have to stay regimented in how you approach their passing and cutting, and then here comes Ginobili with a move you never expected to throw everybody into a scramble.
This is the Spurs fourth title during Ginobili's career. Drafted with the No. 57 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, the shooting guard became one of the biggest draft steals of all time. He joined the Spurs in 2002, quickly becoming a key player on the team's three NBA championship teams. Ginobili was also named to the NBA All Star game in 2005 and 2011. In the 2007-08 season he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Ginobili has also represented his home nation several times, including leading the Argentina national team to a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.