The San Antonio Spurs stole home court advantage back from the Miami Heat on Tuesday night with a dominating 111-92 victory in Game 3. Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Spurs with 29 points on 10-for-13 shooting, while the usual suspects like Tim Duncan and Tony Parker had more modest stat lines. That didn’t stop Gregg Popovich from taking the time to praise his veteran point guard.
Pop put a sub in for Parker with a few minutes remaining and grabbed him as he was heading to the bench.
“Great leadership,” Pop told Parker. “You didn’t get 30 (sic) … great leadership and solid, solid play with the ball.”
Parker only turned the ball over once, which is probably the stat Popovich is most impressed with. Protecting the ball against a fast time like Miami is incredibly important, and it is one of the reasons the Spurs dominated from start to finish.
Also, Pop’s chat with Parker shows you that Game 3 of the NBA Finals is just a little more important than some other playoff games. Remember when he completely stonewalled Parker and Duncan with San Antonio leading by 30 toward the end of a Game 7 earlier this postseason? The stakes are a bit higher now.
