San Antone: The Gait Toward Eight

The rally of all rallies. Boston won the opening tip and Jaylen Brown thundered the ball down past Joakim Noah's outstretched arm, wowing even the Texan crowd. Sharpshooter Kyrie Irving hit two three-pointers next, but got blocked on a jumper by Avery Bradley, tasked with defending him in this thriller. Another exciting matchup would be Gordon Hayward & Kawhi Leonard, as the Claw swiped the ball free and then dropped in his fadeaway shot over the ex-Jazz wing. Leonard would continue to show off his skills, crossing-up Hayward off the dribble and throwing down a tomahawk jam. Meanwhile, Al Horford went to war with Joakim Noah down low, snagging a block as the Celtics capitalized on the fast break. The Spurs offense stayed strong early in response, with Rudy Gay setting a screen for a nice three by Leonard. Irving would find himself double-teamed, try to pass out to Horford in the corner, but Noah would return the favor with his own block, the ball flying out of bounds. N

Fresh out the half, Miami's 8-0 kept things close, until Kawhi Leonard crashed into Bam Adebayo landing on his shoulder but making the free throws after the fierce collision, propelling San Antonio's lead back up to ten with hustle plays and showing off his range, even shooting over Justice Winslow. Pau Gasol stole a pass, dished it to Bradley who buried the three-pointer, the lead now fifteen. Miami fired back, with Whiteside banging down low, then a spin-move got Leonard a good look, the ball tickling the twine, only to splash in softly yet again on the fast break, the lead a solid eighteen (70-88) to end the quarter. The Spurs dominated the third, 37-24 after a close first half. The Spurs would control Miami in the final period, winning 98-111. Leonard finished with 26 points, missing only one shot (9-10, 3-4 3PT). Avery Bradley had a strong 19 points with 7 assists, showing off promises of versatility with 2 steals, Rudy Gay with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Patty Mill