The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in last season's NBA Finals 4 games to 1. As they return home to the friendly confines of American Airlines Arena in South Beach after dropping 2 of 3 games in San Antonio, the defending champs have their backs against the wall. Trailing 3-2 in the championship series against a Spurs team looking to win a fifth title in 15 seasons, Miami needs to get back to the dominant play that helped them win 66 regular-season games this year.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade did all they could to send the Heat home with the ever-important 3-2 advantage but with the continued hot shooting of the Spurs - who had all 5 starters finish in double figures in the 114-104 Game 6 win - Miami is now faced with the challenge of winning two-straight to claim back-to-back titles for the first time in franchise history. The good news for the Heat is that the final 2 title matches will be on their home floor.
When and Where to Watch Game 6
The San Antonio Spurs will look to close out the defending champions on Tuesday, June 18th. Tip time for Game 6 is set for 9:00pm, EDT with television coverage available through the ABC network.
For those choosing to watch the game on-line, a live stream will be offered by WatchESPN at 9:00pm, EDT. Pregame coverage starts at 8:30pm.
Game 6 Preview
Heading into Game 6 the San Antonio Spurs continue to dominate the Miami Heat on the offensive end. Shooting 42-of-70 as a team for an even 60% in Game 5, the Spurs looked completely confident, balanced and dominant from start to finish. Shooting above 40% from three point range also aided in the four-time champions' ability to put Miami away last time out but heading into a crucial Game 6, Tony Parker and his teammates know how important it is to close the door on the defending champs now to avoid a decisive Game 7 in South Beach.
"We understand Game 6 is huge," Parker said to NBA reporters. "Obviously, you want to finish in the first opportunity you get. We understand that Miami is going to come out with a lot more energy, and they're going to play better at home. They're going to shoot the ball better. Their crowd is going to be behind them."
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The continued success of their starting 5 will certainly be the key to San Antonio closing out the series since their core group has outplayed the Miami Heat for most of the first 5 contests. Veteran Manu Ginobili was brilliant last game after battling some early-series struggles, finishing with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with 10 assists in 33 minutes. Danny Green continues to impress as he added another 24 points including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc while the superstar Parker had another outstanding game, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 10-of-14 from the field.
While San Antonio continues to thrive offensively, coming up with key defensive stops when needed, the Miami Heat simply don't have an answer defensively to hold down the brilliant shooting of the Spurs. LeBron James did score 25 points in 44 minutes of action Sunday night but only shot 8-of-22 from the floor. Dwyane Wade added another 25 and sharpshooter Ray Allen chipped in with 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench but the Heat still fell behind in the series heading back home. Needing a win to force a decisive Game 7, LeBron is confident that his squad is up to the challenge in trying to repeat as league champions.
"We've been here before," James said to ESPN reporters. "We've been on both sides of the fences. It doesn't matter if you're up 3-2 and you need one more win, or you need one more win otherwise you're out. You can't sleep. Especially at this point. We've got an opportunity to do something special. So we look forward to the challenge."
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Trailing 3-2 as they return home the Miami Heat certainly possess the ability to take the series to a final game and eventually repeat as NBA Champions. Up against a veteran-laden team however, the task of duplicating their 2012 run becomes that much harder despite playing on their home floor because the Heat simply do not have any room for error.
Wrap-Up
Game 6 of the NBA Finals may turn out to be the best game all year across the league. Be sure to catch all the action on Tuesday, June 18th from American Airlines Arena in Miami. Tip time between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs is set for 9:00pm, EDT with television coverage available on the ABC network.
An on-line live stream can also be found by visiting WatchESPN at 9:00pm, EDT. Pregame coverage starts at 8:30pm.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS From San Antonio's 114-104 Game 5 Victory
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