Spurs in NBA Finals

Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw have been exactly what San Antonio needed in this matchup against the Miami Heat, and might be the two biggest reasons why the Spurs are one win away from their fifth NBA championship.

The Spurs lead these finals 3-1, and will look to end Miami’s reign in Game 5 at home on Sunday night.

And every time we won championships in the past, the ‘Big 3,’ we played great, but we had great role players.

Parker is leading the Spurs in scoring, Tim Duncan is leading in rebounding and the Western Conference champions are outscoring Miami by 62 points so far with Manu Ginobili on the floor so yes, the ‘Big 3’ is doing its part.

But when the Spurs took control of the series by winning Games 3 and 4 in Miami, Leonard led the charge by averaging 24.5 points on 68 percent shooting.

And Diaw has 23 assists so far in the series, more than anyone else and none probably better than his behind-the-back offering out of the post that set Tiago Splitter up for a dunk in Game 4.

It’s hard to remember now that Diaw couldn’t get minutes with the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats a team that finished with the worst record in NBA history in part because then-coach Paul Silas was frustrated with Diaw’s penchant for passing the ball instead of taking shots at times.

The Spurs picked him up and in Game 4 of these finals, Diaw had more assists (nine) than shots (six).