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15.05.2019 07:58
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MIAMI -- Erik Spoelstra said he mentioned how daunting the task would be only once. Back in September, when the Miami Heat assembled to begin training camp, Spoelstra addressed his team about furthering its championship legacy and how rare it is for a team to find its way to the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons. "Weve never brought it up since then," Spoelstra said. Itll get brought up now. The seed the Heat coach planted in the Bahamas at that training camp took root. The Heat are finals-bound -- for the fourth straight time. The sputtering stretches of play in March and April, surrendering the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs to Indiana, winning 12 fewer games in this regular season than a year ago, they all seem moot and meaningless now. The Heat have a chance at a third consecutive NBA title, with the finals starting Thursday night against San Antonio in a title-series rematch. "Its amazing to make it to one finals," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "To do it four times in a row for some of these guys, its a tremendous, tremendous accomplishment and it speaks volumes to the dedication, luck, and perseverance that you need to do it." Spoelstra spoke of that luck factor when he gathered his team for a locker-room huddle moments after the celebration started Friday night, after Miami wrapped up its fourth straight East crown with a 117-92 win over Indiana to win the series in six games. His words were interrupted twice by LeBron James, which nobody minded. "We dont take this for granted," Spoelstra said. "No, sir," James added, nodding. "We do not take it for granted," Spoelstra repeated. "No way," James interjected. "How tough it actually is and how many things have to go our way," Spoelstra continued. "Four times, you guys who havent been here with us the whole time, you guys inherit everything that weve experienced." Only six current Heat players appeared in the 2011 post-season, Miamis first of the "Big 3" era and the last in which it actually lost a series. James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, James Jones and Udonis Haslem are the last holdovers. Battier and Norris Cole arrived after the 2011 finals loss. Ray Allen, Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis -- all playing huge roles these days for Miami -- came after the first title run of this Heat era in 2012. The core of last seasons title squad, with the exception of amnestied Mike Miller, was back to try it again this time around. Even with all that talent, with that championship experience, Spoelstra knew a tone had to be immediately set when the season began. "What I was really encouraged about was our attendance and commitment in training camp in the Bahamas," Spoelstra said. "Right from there, and we communicated during the summer that, if were real about this, about how difficult that journey is, that you cannot shortcut, that we would show it immediately in training camp." Theyre still showing it now. Miami is 12-3 in these playoffs, 8-0 at home, and has won a road game in 15 straight post-season series. The Heat will need to extend that streak to win the NBA Finals; the Spurs will hold home-court advantage. "Obviously, going through the weeks and weeks and weeks and grinding months of a regular season, it was a toll on all of us," James said. "But I felt like down the stretch, if we could get healthy, we could get everyone in uniform and have our full strength, it didnt matter what seed we were. I felt like we can represent the Eastern Conference again in the finals if we had the health, and we were able to accomplish that." At times, like Friday night, they make winning look easy. Collectively, they insist its much harder than it appears. "You still have to go out and do it every single night," Allen said. "Its the toughest thing Ive ever done and I guarantee the guys in this locker room would say the same thing." Only the Lakers and Celtics have appeared in four straight finals, with Boston (1984-87) the last to do so. Wade was 5 when that run ended, James was 2, and Cole, Michael Beasley and Greg Oden hadnt even been born. Now the Heat are in that club. And regarding what Spoelstra said in that first-day conversation, the point of his words then has become perfectly clear to his team now. "Having a chance to win is always a special thing," Bosh said. "We always talk about not taking it for granted from Day One. We know its a very long season. It has its rewards in the end if we stick together and do what were supposed to do. But it hasnt really hit us yet. I would rather it hit me in two weeks." Kenny Stabler Jersey . 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But he failed to take advantage of eight set points after leading the first-set tiebreaker 6-2, and Stepanek survived to convert with his second set point.OKLAHOMA CITY - Even without injured stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City made the latest chapter of its rivalry with Memphis look like many of the previous ones.Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Memphis held on for a 91-89 win Friday night to remain unbeaten.The Thunder won last seasons first-round playoff series 4-3, and four of the games went to overtime. The Grizzlies expected the same kind of game, even with the Thunder short-handed.Its just the OKC-Memphis rivalry, said Mike Conley, who led the Grizzlies with 20 points. Its always going to be close, no matter whos out there.Conleys 3-pointer with 38.3 seconds left gave Memphis the lead for good.It was a good look, he said. We moved the ball well that possession. It seemed like me and Courtney (Lee) were playing buddy ball there, trying to figure out whos going to take the shot. We got a good look, and we just happened to stick to it and make it.Oklahoma City had a chance to take the lead with 5.9 seconds remaining, but the Thunder were called for a five-second violation. Oklahoma City then fouled Lee, who made one of two free throws. That gave the Thunder the ball, down two, with 2.4 seconds to go.Ibakas shot from beyond the top of the key just missed.Serge put it up, teammate Reggie Jackson said. From where I was it looked like it had a good chance. Unfortunately, it didnt go in.Lee scored 17 points and Zach Randolph added 16 for the Grizzlies (6-0).Jackson had 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Jeremy Lamb scored 17 points, Ibaka scored 16 and Steven Adams added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder (1-5).Memphis led 49-40 at halftime, then scored the first four points of the second half before the Thunder called a timeout.Oklahoma City charged back when Ibaka and Jackson hit back-to-back 3s to cut Memphis lead to two and get the crowd back into the game. Memphis took a 66-62 lead into the fourth quarter.ddddddddddddThe Grizzlies began the final period on an 8-3 run to pull ahead 74-65, but a two-handed jam by Ibaka cut it to 78-76 with just more than 5 minutes to play. Lamb hit a 3-pointer that tied it with just over 4 minutes remaining.Thats when Memphis experience kicked in.Fortunately, were a team that doesnt win by a lot of points, Conley said. Big wins are 10, 11 points for us. So were used to playing in late-game situations — being down two, being down one, going down to the last minute.__TIP-INSGrizzlies: Memphis committed only three turnovers in the first half. ... Leading scorer Marc Gasol was held to two points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first half. He finished with eight. ... Memphis made 14 of 17 free throws, while Oklahoma City hit just 3 of 11.Thunder: Lamb played for the first time this season after missing the first five games with a lower back strain. ... The Thunder announced earlier in the day that they signed G Ish Smith. He entered with 4:14 left in the second quarter and played 5 minutes. ... Lance Thomas, a training camp invitee, got his second start.___INJURY BUGDurant, Westbrook, Grant Jerrett (left ankle surgery), Mitch McGary (broken left foot), Anthony Morrow (left MCL sprain), Andre Roberson (left foot sprain) and Perry Jones (bruised right knee) all sat out for the Thunder.___UNFAMILIAR TERRITORYThe Thunder started just one player, Ibaka, who was a starter during last seasons first-round series, eliminating much of the familiarity that came from three playoff matchups in four years.___QUOTE OF THE NIGHTWe expected them to come out and play with nothing to lose, Conley said of the Thunder. Those guys are NBA players. A lot of those guys have played on a lot of other teams. We expected them to come out and show what theyve got.___UP NEXTMemphis visits Milwaukee on Saturday.Oklahoma City hosts Sacramento on Sunday.___Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP. 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