2014 NBA Finals

• 1. Format And Rematch Context

  ›

  The 2014 NBA Finals began on June 5 and concluded on June 15, marking the end of a season that had seen two teams meet for the second time in consecutive years. Miami Heat faced San Antonio Spurs in a series that broke with tradition regarding how games were scheduled. The league changed its format from 2-3-2 to 2-2-1-1-1 after decades of using the older system. This shift meant home court advantage would not force a team to play three straight road games during the middle of the series. Board of Governors approved this change due to competitive disadvantages and increased reliance on chartered flights over commercial travel. The matchup itself was a rematch of the previous year's championship where Miami had defeated San Antonio in seven games. This contest marked only the fifth Finals since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. It served as the twelfth meeting between these franchises in the title series.

• 2. Miami Championship Run

  ›

  LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh led the Heat into their fourth consecutive Finals appearance. They became the first team since the 1987 Boston Celtics to reach four straight championships. Only three other teams in history have achieved this feat including the 1966 Celtics and 1985 Lakers. The Heat entered the postseason with an 11-14 record in their last 25 regular season games. In the first round they eliminated Charlotte Bobcats by winning four straight games. Conference semifinals saw them defeat Brooklyn Nets 4-1 despite being swept earlier that season. Eastern Conference finals required another victory against Indiana Pacers who had beaten Miami in the prior year's conference finals. Miami won that series 4-2 eliminating the Pacers for the third straight year. Their goal was becoming the first NBA team to win three consecutive titles since the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers.

• 3. Spurs Dominance Strategy

  ›

  San Antonio Spurs held the best record in the league heading into the playoffs. No player averaged thirty minutes per game during the regular season which highlighted their deep roster approach. USA Today called them one of the most beautiful-to-watch teams in the NBA due to ball movement. The franchise enjoyed a nineteen-game winning streak before finishing with a twenty-two-four run in their final twenty-six games. First round action pitted them against Dallas Mavericks who surprised San Antonio by taking seven games. They had swept the Mavericks twice previously but lost two games in this series. Conference semifinals ended with Portland Trail Blazers defeated 4-1. Oklahoma City Thunder fell 4-2 in the Conference finals after being swept earlier in the season. This marked their first back-to-back Finals appearances ever. The Spurs finished the postseason with twelve wins by fifteen points or more setting a new record.

• 4. Game One Air Crisis

  ›

  Tim Duncan scored twenty-one points and grabbed ten rebounds leading San Antonio to an 110-95 victory on June 5. The AT&T Center experienced malfunctioning air conditioning systems that caused temperatures to exceed normal levels during the second half. LeBron James suffered dehydration and cramps limiting him to just five minutes playing time in the fourth quarter. With James sitting out, San Antonio went on a sixteen-three run in the final four minutes. They outscored Miami thirty-six-seventeen in the closing period. James played only thirty-three minutes total while scoring twenty-five points. Manu Ginóbili added sixteen points and eleven assists for the Spurs. Tony Parker contributed nineteen points and eight assists. The team shot fifty-nine percent overall despite committing twenty-three turnovers. Their conversion rating in the fourth quarter reached eighty-seven point five percent making it the most efficient field goal conversion rating recorded in any quarter of NBA Finals history.

• 5. Kawhi Leonard MVP Rise

  ›

  Kawhi Leonard received ten out of eleven votes when named Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging twenty-three point seven points in the final three games. He had scored only nine points in each of the first two contests before exploding offensively. His shooting percentage throughout the series reached sixty-one point two percent which was the highest ever for a Finals MVP. When guarded by LeBron James he maintained a sixty-five percent success rate. Leonard also led his team with a fifty-seven point nine three-point field goal percentage. At twenty-two years and three hundred fifty-one days old he became the third-youngest recipient since 1969. Magic Johnson held the record as youngest until this moment in 1982. Tim Duncan led all players with fifty rebounds while teammate Boris Diaw collected forty-three. Diaw started beginning Game Three and led everyone with twenty-nine assists. San Antonio won four straight games after losing Game Two to take the championship.