NBA Finals: Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, & San Antonio Spurs Win Fourth Title, Sweeping LeBron James & Cleveland Cavaliers

What Happened: Close, but not close enough. On Thursday evening, the Cleveland Cavaliers came close, but couldn’t prevent the San Antonio Spurs from winning game four of the NBA Finals and taking their fourth championship in nine seasons.

The Spurs, who became just the fourth franchise to win four NBA Titles, are now being called a dynasty.

Once again, they were led by The Big Three: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan.

Parker scored 24 points, connecting on 10-of-14 shots from the floor. He was the Spurs’ best player and became the first European to be named MVP of the Finals.

When the final buzzer sounded, Parker flashed his famous smile before getting a hug from fiancé Eva Longoria.

Ginobili paced the Spurs with 27 points. But numbers don’t tell the real story. He had a spectacular fourth quarter, scoring 13 points-including a pair of tough drives and an impressive three-pointer.

At the post-game press conference, Ginobili sat at the podium table with a champagne-stained T-shirt. He smiled and patiently answered reporters’ questions.

Duncan had an off-night, making only 4-of-15 shots from the floor and connecting on just 4-of-10 attempts from the line.

But The Big Fundamental did the little things. He collected 12 rebounds and had a pair of blocked shots. In the fourth quarter, he saved a ball from going out of bounds, giving the Spurs an extra possession. When the game was over, Duncan graciously deflected credit to teammates and coaches.

Cleveland opened the fourth quarter by going on an 11-0 run, taking their first lead in any second-half of the series. However, the Spurs countered with a 12-2 run of their own, wrestling back back control of the game.

LeBron James scored a game-high 30 points for the Cavaliers. He also added six rebounds and 10 assists. However, the King had an up-and-down night, sinking just 10-of-30 shots and turning the ball over six times.

Drew Gooden had a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while rookie Daniel Gibson hit for 10 points.

The Spurs have now won NBA Titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Following the game, the talk centered on San Antonio being a dynasty and the best organization in professional sports.

Some Spurs, Michael Finley, Jacque Vaughn, and Matt Bonner, won their first NBA Title. However, winning a championship is business as usual for Robert Horry. The veteran forward collected his seventh NBA Title on Thursday evening.

The entire San Antonio team should feel great- they stand an excellent chance of repeating in 2008.

Reaction of San Antonio forward Tim Duncan on winning another NBA Title:
"It never gets old, it never gets old. Such a great run, a great journey, a great bunch of guys. The road that we took to get here was as tough as we ever had it. Guys persevered; we had great performances from one to 12."

Reaction of San Antonio forward Tim Duncan on why he enjoys winning:
"Guys like Mike Fin is what it’s all about, to win a championship, to see how much he appreciates it, to see Jacque Vaughn and even Robert Horry. To see the looks on their faces and the understanding of how special and how tough it is to get here. It makes it all worth it."

Reaction of San Antonio forward Manu Ginobili on redeeming himself after last year’s costly foul on Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki:
"Every time you don’t finish with a win, you’re going to feel upset. There’s only one team that’s going to finish with a smile. It wasn’t our turn last year."

My Quick Take: Let’s be straight-the San Antonio Spurs are closing in on being a dynasty. They may even be one already. The numbers don’t lie: four NBA Titles in nine years.

You may not enjoy their efficiency. You may not find them inspiring or exciting. And you may not like them.

But you know what? These Spurs are a fantastic team. I love their execution on both ends of the floor. I marvel at Tim Duncan’s post moves and Tony Parker’s ability to change speeds. And I love their professionalism.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And there’s a lot of beauty in the methodical Spurs.

What’s missing is the instant gratification one gets from watching the Suns, Warriors, and Mavericks. There’s no Steve Nash throwing vicious dimes to Amare Stoudemire. There’s no Baron Davis dropping poster jams on Andrei Kirilenko. And there’s no Mark Cuban protesting every call and cursing out referees.

NBA fans better get used to watching the all-business Spurs play in June. Their core players, Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili, are peaking and there’s no under-the-surface issue to break them up.

Parker, the MVP of the NBA Finals, has taken his game to another level. This year, he started knocking down his ‘J’ and defenses could no longer sag off him or go underneath the pick-and-roll. He can’t be guarded.

Tim Duncan does a great job on both ends of the floor. He’s the NBA’s most complete superstar. Last night, his shot wasn’t falling, so Duncan did the little things like hustling for loose balls and grabbing rebounds.

Ginobili is a terrific third star. Consider his performance in game four. In the fourth quarter, he nailed a pair of difficult drives and sank a clutch three-pointer.

Face it. The Spurs are a superb team and they aren’t going anywhere.

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Source: Hoopsvibe.com