NBA Finals: San Antonio stand on brink of fifth NBA title ahead of clash with Miami Heat
The San Antonio Spurs can claim the NBA title for a fifth time by defeating the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Last Updated: 18/06/13 11:10am
San Antonio lead the seven-game series 3-2 but must win on Miami's home court at AmericanAirlines Arena if they are to capture the crown.
Defending champions Miami, who finished with the NBA's best regular-season record and were big favourites at the start of the post-season, find themselves needing to win two straight games to keep their hopes alive.
The Heat's 'Big Three' of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have struggled to assert their usual dominance when confronted with the high-energy game and devastating three-point shooting of the Spurs.
The Spurs' veteran trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have all contributed as expected, but shooting guard Danny Green has had the most spectacular impact by setting a new NBA Finals record of 25 three-pointers.
"I hope he doesn't wake up and keeps playing this way," Duncan said of Green.
"We are asking him to defend LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and all these guys. He has got a lot on his shoulders and he has stepped up and answered the bell."
While San Antonio have been able to spread the burden around, Miami have had to rely on league MVP LeBron James, who leads his team in points, rebounds and assists so far during the series.
James made just eight of his 22 attempts from the floor during the 114-104 defeat in Game Five in San Antonio and knows he must improve as the series heads back to Miami for the sixth and, if necessary, seventh games.
"I have to come up big, for sure, in Game Six," James said.
"But I believe we all have to play at a high level in order to keep the series going. So me being one of the leaders of this team, I do put a lot of pressure on myself to force a Game Seven and I look forward to the challenge."
NBA Finals live: Game Six, San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat, 2am Wednesday morning, Sky Sports 1 HD.