by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni
This should surprise no one: the Miami Heat were the heavy favorites before a single shot was taken in the NBA Finals, and with Game 7 set for tonight in South Beach, little has changed.
The San Antonio Spurs will try to become just the fifth road team to win a Game 7 in NBA Finals history.
Both teams are appreciative of the moment, and anxiously awaiting the chance to seize it.
Per Yahoo! Sports and the AP:
“I understand the moment for me,” LeBron James said. “I’ve been pretty relaxed, though. I’ve been pretty relaxed throughout the playoffs. I’m going to be antsy, I’m going to be excited. I’m going to have some butterflies. I’ll be nervous – everything. That’s how I should be. The moment is going to be grand. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
“I want to go down as one of the greatest. I want our team to go down as one of the greatest teams. And we have an opportunity to do that,” James said. “Hasn’t been many teams to win back-to-back championships. It’s so hard. It’s the hardest thing. I said last year it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, winning my first. Last year don’t even come close to what we’ve gone through in this postseason and in these Finals.”
While the Heat are grateful for another chance after nearly blowing their title hopes in Game 6, the San Antonio Spurs are doing all they can to forget about their collapse. They said all the right things, but it remains to be seen if they can get over that mental hurdle once the ball goes up tonight.
Game 7s are the ultimate moments of truth in sports, and it’s fitting that this wild final series between the Heat and Spurs will come down to one final showdown.
