1. LeBron James' block on Tiago Splitter was one of the best I've ever seen. James was suffering through a miserable game for most of last night. Through the 1st 3 quarters, nothing would drop. He missed open shots. He got blocked from behind on a layup attempt. He even, in effect, got the chair pulled on him in transition that resulted in an almost-airball layup. But his pancake of Splitter's dunk attempt was so good it actually made me jump out of my seat, a rarity given how much basketball I've seen over the years. I'm not alone given how it seems to be all anyone talked about from last night's game as well. Despite the poor start, James still finished with a pedestrian 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
2. The Spurs' Big 3 had an abysmal night...no, I mean they were really bad...like maybe one of the worst collective games I've ever seen them play. Tim Duncan seemed nonexistent. Manu Ginobili couldn't seem to either dribble or catch the basketball. And very early on it was clear the refs were not going to give Tony Parker any free throws on plays where he just wildly threw his body into the lane. Combined, they finished only 10 for 33 from the floor, and given the lopsided score Gregg Popovich decided to let them hit the showers early.
3. All of which wasted a great shooting night from Danny Green. Green has quietly developed into one of the league's best sharpshooters, but even he can't be relied on to be a perfect 6 for 6 from the field with 17 points every game.
4. If Miami shoots the ball and plays D like that, there is no answer. In Game 1, San Antonio forced the ball out of LeBron's hands in hopes that their other players would miss shots. At 1st, it looked like a recipe for disaster, but their patience with that plan paid off in the 2nd half. Last night they had no such luck, as Miami shot a blistering 10 for 19 from 3. The Spurs were just as white hot, going 10 for 20 from long range, but Miami turned them over 16 times, which offset that shooting percentage.
5. This appears to have the makings of a long series where homecourt advantage might not matter a whole lot. The Spurs have to feel encouraged getting a split in Miami, but both teams are so good, experienced, and evenly matched that you could envision the road team winning another 2 or 3 times before all is said and done.
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