VIDEO Miami Heat - San Antonio Spurs Game 3: Highlights Of The 3-Point Barrage [2013 NBA Finals]
The San Antonio Spurs used a three-point scoring barrage at AT&T Center to bounce back from a lackluster Game Two of the NBA Finals to thump the Miami Heat in Game Three on Tuesday, 113-77, and take a 2-1 best-of-seven series lead.
Swingman Danny Green, who has been an unsung hero in the postseason, continued his hot streak in the Finals. After converting all six of his field-goal attempts in Game Two, Green followed up that effort with seven of the Spurs' Finals-record 16 three-point shots.
"All of my teammates and [head coach Gregg Popovich] -- they do a great job of encouraging me to continue to shoot the ball," said Green, who lead all scorers with 27 points.
Reserve point guard Gary Neal also did his part with six-of-10 shooting from beyond the three-point arc, and finished with 24 points. San Antonio's bench scored 46 points, and only turned the ball over five times. The Spurs didn't receive much offensive production from stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. The duo combined to score just 18 points on 16 attempts.
The Spurs, who lost Game Two by 19 points, were able to stifle the Heat with swarming defense and outrebounded Miami, 52-36. The Heat turned the ball over 16 times and shot just 40.8 percent from the field. Miami scored just 33 points in the second half.
It was a particularly difficult game for LeBron James. The regular-season MVP got hot late in the third quarter, but by then the Spurs had already jumped out to a 21-point lead. James had missed 11 of his first 13 shots, and did not attempt a free throw in the game.
James cited how he had good looks on his outside shots, but simply failed to convert. He finished with 15 points on seven-of-21 shooting.
"I just got to play better," said James. "I got to shoot the ball better, and make better decisions."
When asked about what his teammates need to do to improve the team's chances of defending their title, James focused on himself and his performance.
"I need to be better," said James. "I will be better."
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