Pick your San Antonio Spurs storyline, there were a bunch. No matter the lede, the result is the same. The Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 114-104 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The home win puts them ahead in the series 3-2.

The two teams return to Miami to play Game 6 on Tuesday, and perhaps Game 7 on Thursday. San Antonio had a host of great stories emerge from its performance Sunday night. Gregg Popovich opted to give Manu Ginobili his first start of the season, and his veteran responded with 24 points and 10 assists. He shot 8-of-14 from the field, and took over the game at the end of the third quarter.

Danny Green presented another great story. The shooting guard who played in the D-League this season broke Ray Allen's NBA record for most three pointers ever in a Finals series. He was 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in Game 5, going for 24 points, six rebounds and three blocks.


Yet neither Ginobili nor Green led the Spurs in scoring. It was a supposedly injured Tony Parker who poured in 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting. The Heat threw numerous defenders his way, but no one could match up with the quickness and efficiency of Parker.


The Heat kept pace offensively late, but it was simply too easy for the Spurs to get buckets in the second half. They were running unobstructed lanes to the rim and shooting open mid-range jumpers throughout the fourth quarter. After slumping through four games, Ginobili responded to his new role with 11 points and six assists in the first half. He helped the Spurs build a large initial lead and maintain it through a Heat charge that made the score 61-52 at halftime.