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Marco Belinelli and the Spurs in San Antonio

Antonio Masiero By Antonio Masiero | June 16, 2014 | United States

San Antonio Spurs won their fifth NBA title and for the first time an Italian professional basketball player, Marco Belinelli, is champion in the maximum basketball tournament in the world.

San Antonio back to the summit and   it did overcoming the Miami Heat to 104 to 87 in the fifth challenge of the final.

The series is so closed to 4-1 with the Spurs who have finally collected the sensational double victory outside Florida (race 3 and race 4) with which they did forget the slip in race 2: finding themselves in the hands  three match balls, two of which are exploitable on the friend field, the Spurs have seen fit not to take risks and to terminate at the first opportunity.

As in 2007, LeBron James had to see the Texans triumph again at his own expense: seven years ago, in fact, the player was in Cleveland and just last year, when he was with the Heat managed to overturn a final that  San Antonio in Game 6 had pretty much already won, had taken revenge on the black-silver.

This time, however, he and the Heat, chasing after their third title in a row, they had to capitulate: Miami found many talents but all too individualistic, while San Antonio has built the triumph on  the power of the collective, including the contribution of Green, Australian Mills, Bonner, Brazilian Splitter and Italian Belinelli, pieces of great use to complete the mosaic.

In this context, it was really difficult to choose the Most Valuable Player of the finale series, but in the end the choice fell on Leonard.

For Gregg Popovich is the final coronation among the greatest coachs in the history of the NBA: the five titles of  San Antonio are all his.

Probably this triumph, while it accelerates the desire for change in Miami (both James, and Bosh is Wade are out of contract and has not said that the three continue together in Florida), the other might dictate important news also on front of new samples:  Tony Parker will not stop and Manu Ginobili perhaps even, but Tim Duncan, the other great veteran, should seize the opportunity of this great success, centered 15 years after the first, to end a wonderful career.

But Popovich seems to be the best guarantee to lay the basis of a new cycle.

It could be that at his side, as an assistant, there is his friend Ettore Messina, who has just left CSKA Moscow with the ambition to compete again in the experience in the NBA after the 2011-2012 season spent as a consultant to Mike Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the champion club,  and it could happen, Italian basketball is poised to double its presence.


  • Tags:   Spurs San Antonio NBA title Italian professional basketball player_Marco Belinelli Miami Heat Florida LeBron James Texans Cleveland Green Australian Mills Bonner Brazilian Splitter Italian Belinelli Leonard Gregg Popovich James Bosh Wade Tony Parker Manu Ginobili Tim Duncan Ettore Messina CSKA Moscow Mike Brown Los Angeles Lakers
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