NBA Finals report

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Heat need Chalmers to step up

SAN ANTONIO --It was the second game of the second round of the 2013 playoffs that Mario Chalmers scored 10 or more points. It wasn't nearly that far to find the last time the Miami Heat's starting point guard played in the type of foul trouble that limited him in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Coming off Thursday's 110-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs when he closed with 3 points, 5 fouls and 5 turnovers, Chalmers said Friday that more out of him is needed.

"I'm still the same guy. I'm that anxious guy, that energy guy that wants to do what he can for his team, help make everything right," he said. "And I just got to figure out a way to stay on the court longer."

Sensing a loss of confidence from a player who rarely loses confidence, teammates like Chris Bosh tried to rally Chalmers.

"They weren't yelling at me. They were just trying to encourage me," he said of Thursday's on-court interactions. "Everybody knew I was frustrated with the foul trouble I got into early, and when I got back into the game, I was trying to press as much as I could."

The last time Chalmers scored 10 or more points was May 8 when he had 11 against the New Jersey Nets. Since then, he's had three games with four or more fouls.

Coach Erik Spoelstra stressed greater caution is required.

"He needs to be more attentive to technique and earlier in his thought process," he said. "Things are happening very quickly obviously at this level of competition and your preparation before the play happens is paramount."

Other options

After Spoelstra went nine deep in Game 1, guard Dwyane Wade suggested Friday that more might be needed from the Heat bench. Among those not to play Thursday was power forward Udonis Haslem. In addition, forward Michael Beasley, who might have been able to step in for LeBron James amid the Heat star's cramping, was inactive.

"I look forward to us using more guys next game, keep guys fresher," Wade said of Sunday's Game 2. "I feel part of our downfall in that game was mental and physical fatigue down the stretch.

"You know, rotations and things that we normally do weren't being done [Thursday] night. It wasn't from not having the will or the want to do it. So we've got to be a little smarter, we've got to go a little deeper into our depth so we are fresher and have the guys out on the floor at the end that we want and need out there."

Foul issue

The Heat attempted only 11 free throws in Game 1 compared to 22 by the Spurs, with James having six of the team's attempts.

"I felt we were aggressive enough, going to the basket," Chris Bosh said. "Some were turnovers, but I felt we were aggressive enough to get to the line and we didn't get to it as much as they did. We're going to continue to be aggressive. You just have to keep attacking.

"It's nothing really you can do about it. It's out of your hands. You take it to the hole. We've got to take it to finish. We can't rely on anybody making calls for us, you got to go to finish. If you get fouled you get fouled, but if you make it, that takes care of everything."

Not once

The legend of Ray Allen grows, based on this Friday from the Heat guard:

"I've never had a cramp," he said of his playing career. "I had a cramp one time when I was in college and I was sitting on a couch at home. So I don't know what it feels like during a game to experience that, so I couldn't speak on it."

Keep on keeping on

The motto has always been the same for San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green when it comes to shooting the basketball.

Just keep doing it until the shots start to fall.

"You can't think about the last shot," Green said. "You just think about the next one."

That thinking proved effective for Green against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After missing his first five shots, he recovered to score 11 points in a two-minute stretch that helped the Spurs capture a 110-95 victory.

"The first half, I struggled," Green said. "I think I kind of rushed it a little bit. I got a little excited, a little antsy. ... I knew I had to take my time. If I'm not open, don't force it. Just get back to the basics."

Green finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, but it was his fourth-quarter play that was most important. He made 3 three-pointers and had a breakaway dunk that allowed the Spurs to take control.

"That's what he does, you know," San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said of Green's shooting. "That's his major skill. If he's not going to do that, then we might as well play somebody else."

The fourth quarter was reminiscent of what the Heat saw from Green about 12 months ago. During last year's Finals, he made a record 25 three-pointers in the series.

"Every timeout, I was screaming at him and encouraging him," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. "I'm very proud of him because you never know when he's going to (start making shots)."

Duncan sympathy

Spurs forward Tim Duncan could relate to LeBron James' pain.

He said he experienced a similar cramping situation against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the 2006 Western Conference finals. Duncan had 41 points and 15 rebounds in the Spurs' 119-111 overtime loss.

"I was cramping up the entire fourth [quarter] and overtime," Duncan said. "Ever since then I've just stayed more hydrated than usually, just tried to attack it before it gets to that point. And luckily I've had a couple of times where I've cramped up since then, but for the most part I've been able to stay away from it."

For the most part, the Spurs were sympathetic to James. Many outsiders believed he could have continued instead of sitting the final 3:59.

"There is no shaking it off," Duncan said. "Your body is shutting down and you're unable to move. Whatever is cramping, you're unable to get away from that. It's easy to say to shake it off, but once it's gotten to that point it's hard to reverse in a short period of time."

James was the subject of media and fan criticism. The Internet was especially unkind to James, with social media sites buzzing with critics.

"It's going to happen," Green said. "It comes with the territory. It comes with the business because he's the best in the world. I'm sure he'll use it as a motivation and come back even stronger mentally and tougher physically in Game 2."

Sports on 06/07/2014