Poor basketball decisions, not the Heat, beat the Spurs in NBA Finals

The only team in the NBA  that I watch is the San Antonio Spurs.

However, after watching them melt down in the last 15 seconds of Game 6, letting their fifth NBA championship slip away, I think I may be all done with the NBA.

Poor basketball decisions, not two missed foul shots, cost the Spurs the win and the championship.

Several decisions need to be questioned..

1. Why were Tim Duncan and Tony Parker on the bench at the start of the fourth period with a 10-point lead? The Heat made their run and got back into the game.

2. Why was Duncan not on the floor in the last 10 seconds of the game?

Without him on the floor and the Spurs up six points, LeBron James shot a “Buffalo” 3-pointer — wide right — and with no Duncan, the Heat got the rebound and it was passed out to James who then nailed a 3-pointer.

3. Why didn’t the Spurs foul the rebounder immediately or James as soon as he caught the ball?

4. Why wasn’t there a foul call when Manu Ginobili drove to the hoop on the next Spurs possession?

5. Why wasn’t Duncan back on the floor after the Spurs gave up an offensive board which led to James’ 3?

Miami gets the ball after the ball is turned over on a no-foul call. James misses another 3-pointer only to have Miami’s Chris Bosh, with Duncan still not on the floor, get an offensive board and find Ray Allen in the corner for the game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left. Parker drives the length of the court and forces up a bad shot that misses.

6. Why didn’t the Spurs foul Bosh as he held the ball in the paint before he passed to Allen in the corner?

In the post-game interview, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked why the Spurs didn’t foul on those two plays and he said “we don’t do that.”

Well not doing it twice in less than 15 seconds cost the Spurs their fifth championship.

In the overtime with the Heat up three and 5.2 seconds to go in the game, the Spurs managed to get a right-corner 3-point attempt by Danny Green. He certainly was fouled by Bosh on the shot after he blocked the shot as several replays showed. The contact was after the ball was out of Green’s hands, but before he had returned to the floor. If the foul was called, then Green receives three shots to tie the game.

The foul should have been called.

I feel sorry for the Spurs and their fans.  It wasn’t their age, the Heat’s youth and athleticism. Instead, the Spurs poor basketball decision cost them Game 6.

Well as the old saying goes, “everything happens for a reason.” Maybe the reason it happened is to show most coaches at any level the importance of fouling with a 3-point lead and less than 10 seconds to go in the game.

Hopefully with time and patience I will get over these  poor basketball  decisions and return to watching the Spurs next year.

On a more positive note. I wish to thank all the readers of this column for the past three seasons and those who have followed my blog posts on bangordailynews.com.

Have a safe and great summer.