Spurs rout the Heat to win revenge NBA title

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

The San Antonio Spurs crushed the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA finals, winning the championship with a 104-87 rout at San Antonio's AT&T Center. The lopsided 4-1 series was the Spurs revenge for the 2013 NBA championship series, which they lost to the Heat after blowing a lead in the closing seconds of a potentially series-winning game six. The Spurs' victory also put an end to the Heat's quest for three consecutive NBA titles, and might be the last gasp for Miami's Big Three — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, all of whom can become free agents this summer.

Miami built up a 16-point lead in the first quarter, but then James (with 31 points) was no match for the Spurs, as a team, aging players and all. Manu Ginobili scored 19 points, MVP Kawhi Leonard had 22, and Tim Duncan — who started with the Spurs in 1997 — scored 14 points. "It makes last year OK," Duncan said after the game. This is the Spurs' fifth NBA title. This dunk from Giniobili in the first half was welcomed by a very vocal San Antonio crowd. --Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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