The Miami Heat will try to stave off elimination on Sunday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
Tip-off at the AT&T Center in San Antonio is scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT.
The game will be broadcast on ABC.
A live stream will be available via ABC and Watch ESPN.
Despite losing badly in game 4, the Heat are confident that they can win this one, with Chris Bosh predicting at shootaround that “we’re going to win this game tonight,” according to Sports Illustrated.
LeBron James likewise has prepared his speech to his teammates that he will deliver right before the game.
James never rehearses the speech, but already knows what the gist will be.
“It would be in the range of, ‘Why not us?’” James said Saturday. “Why not us? History is broken all the time. And obviously we know we’re against the greatest of odds.”
Against the greatest of odds, against maybe the greatest of San Antonio Spurs teams, too. Both are very much against the Heat now, and both are winning. The Spurs are a victory away from their fifth championship, and will go for it at home Sunday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Spurs are the 32nd team in NBA history to hold a 3-1 lead in the finals. All 31 of the previous teams have won the title.
“History is made to be broken, and why not me be a part of it? That would be great,” James said. “That would be a great story line, right? But we'll see what happens. I’ve got to live in the moment, though, before we even get to that point.”
The Spurs have the same way of thinking.
They took command of the finals in stunning fashion by not just winning in Miami, but winning twice — and winning big. San Antonio won Games 3 and 4 on the road by a combined 40 points, never trailing by more than two in either contest and running out to 25-point leads in each.
“We’ve got to act like we’re coming into it like it’s a road game,” Spurs guard Danny Green said. “It’s a mentality thing. We have to come up with the same mentality we do on the road and try to protect home court and play with desperation.”
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There was no talk from the Spurs on Saturday about closing in on a title, or anything remotely close to that topic. They thought they had it wrapped up with 28 seconds left in Game 6 last season against Miami and saw it slip away — so even with a 3-1 lead and being at home instead the road for this potential clinching situation, it’s pretty clear that San Antonio isn’t willing to leave anything to chance.
“They’re going to come out and give us their best punch possible,” Spurs star Tim Duncan said. “We know that they’re back-to-back champs and they’ve been in this situation before and they have all the confidence in the world that they can win these games. So we have to do just the same. Come out there and say, hey, we’re going to take it little by little, quarter by quarter, and see what happens.”
That all sounds good, and he meant every word.
Thing is, the Heat — these Heat, anyway — haven’t been in this situation before. Since James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh teamed up, the Heat have never trailed 3-1 in a series.
Until now.
“We’re not so entitled or jaded that we’re above having to fight for it, and that’s what it is right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s competition. So we’ve got to find a way to fight and get this next game, and that’s what it’s all about.”
If the Heat do manage to win, game 6 would be on their home court on Thursday, tip-off at 9 p.m. EDT.
If a game 7 happens, it would be in San Antonio on Friday, June 20, also at 9 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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