How can the Miami Heat stop Tony Parker?

There were less than 10 seconds on the clock at Miami. The Spurs were up by two and the ball belonged to Tony Parker. He could not waste time as the shot clock was running out as well. Miami would have the final shot but the Spurs needed assurance. Parker loses balance, trips to the ground and the Heat looked to have salvaged the play. LeBron James did not blow the coverage either and played almost perfect defense. His hands were steadily covering Parker’s sight.

Suddenly, Danny Green of San Antonio went open but Ray Allen caught up with him. The Miami Heat was taking its defense quite too seriously. Why wouldn’t they? It is the NBA Finals – the biggest game series in World Basketball.

As the clock winded down to less than 5 seconds, Parker would be forced to take the shot. He had no choice, no player to pass the ball to. Least expected then from Miami’s point of view, Tony Parker broke the perfect man to man coverage to make the shot. The ball made the bucket. And the game was over even though the Heat would make the final play.

Just when Miami thought they did everything perfectly, Tony Parker proved why he is the most on-streak player in the game today. On any other day, Parker may not have taken the shot but the day belonged to him. He is on course to becoming the Playoffs most valuable player and he did not want to surrender his perch either. The game ended 92-88 to the San Antonio Spurs. Miami Heat just blew part 1 of their home court advantage. Heading into Game 2 at the American Airlines Arena, Spurs would not be evaluated as underdogs in Miami anymore.

The Miami Heat now know who their biggest threat is. Till Game 1, it was the Heat’s title to lose. Now, they need to halt the Tony Parker express – well on course to winning San Antonio’s fourth NBA title under the Greg Popovich tenure. If the Heat thought outplaying Kevin Durant in 2012 and Dirk Nowitzki in 2011 were its biggest challenges, they now need to reset their eyes straight on another man. Someone who could quantify to be rated as the league’s best point guard.