The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs may have only fought in two NBA Finals (which doesn't make it quite a rivalry just yet), but those battles were exciting and epic.
Boasting the star power of the Heatles, led by LeBron James alongside Chris Bosh and Heat cornerstone Dwyane Wade, against the balanced roster of the Spurs with an older but still impactful Tim Duncan.
Both teams split the Finals series with the Heat drawing first blood in 2013 by overcoming a three games to two deficit — highlighted by a Ray Allen corner three that orchestrated an unlikely Game 6 win. The Spurs then decimated the Heat the following year, crushing them in five games and treating fans to the potent high scoring offense they're known for.
Speaking with ESPN's Nick DePaula, Ray Allen recalled the aforementioned clutch shot he took and revealed how they actually feared the Spurs because of their crisp ball movement and shooting prowess.
“We had an extreme fear playing against San Antonio. It seemed like every time they came out, we didn’t know who was going to shoot the ball. The way Pop ran his offense, it was so many different things that could happen.”
Their loss against the Spurs signified the end of the Heat trio's dominant four straight Finals trips that produced two NBA championships, as well as the retirement of Allen. All-Star forward James departed immediately during free agency to return to Cleveland, while Bosh has had an up and down career since then after being diagnosed with blood clot in his lungs and has been barred from playing.
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