By Jeff McDonald
MIAMI — For the better part of a month, Gregg Popovich’s instincts have been to comfort.
As his young team, playing without its best player, continued to falter on the road, he spared the rod in favor of an encouraging pat on the backside.
Tuesday night at American?Airlines Arena, in the moments after the Miami Heat turned on an all-out second-half blitz to send the Spurs tumbling to a 120-98 defeat, Popovich made one thing evident to his players.
There would be no more Mr. Nice Pop.
“I thought in the second half they got real physical, and I thought we folded,” Popovich said. “The physicality killed us. We had nobody that stepped up. We let the physicality beat us in a lot of different ways — whether it was cuts, or passing or boards. It didn’t matter what it was. Their physicality put us in a ditch.
“They beat our ass in the second half. We should be embarrassed by that, playing that soft.”
With Dwyane Wade celebrating his 30th birthday in street clothes, sidelined with a sprained right ankle, the other two-thirds of Miami’s Big Three did the Heat’s heavy lifting.
LeBron James scored 17 of his 33 points in a stunning third quarter that saw Miami flip a 14-point halftime deficit into an 88-75 lead entering the fourth. Chris Bosh added 30 points to help smash a three-game losing streak.
Miami (9-4) outscored the Spurs 39-12 in the third quarter and 71-35 after intermission.
“LeBron started hitting some shots, and the intensity went up because of it,” said Tim Duncan, whose team played its ninth game without injured guard Manu Ginobili. “One thing turned into another. Their intensity in the second half changed the whole game.”
The Spurs are now 0-5 away from the ATT Center, matching their worst road start since 1983-84.
Four of those losses have come by double dig?its. Tuesday’s 22-point defeat was the most lopsided and most disheartening of the bunch, given how it began.
For one half, it appeared as if the Spurs (9-5) would end their road skid against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
They shared the ball. They defended. They were patient in finding easy shots. And behind 16 points from Tony Parker and 12 from DeJuan Blair, the Spurs took a 63-49 lead into the half.
Miami certainly played a role in the Spurs’ first-half success, appearing unfocused and disinterested.
“We stunk it up in the first half,” said Bosh, sounding a little like Popovich.
James, who was 1 for 5 in the first quarter while being guarded by rookie Kawhi Leonard, agreed.
“The way we started off the game is not the way we play basketball,” James said.
For the Heat, it all seemed as simple as flipping a switch.
In the third quarter, Miami put on a clinic, hitting 15 of 20 shots, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Mike Miller, playing in his first game of the season after battling a thumb injury, tied a career high with six 3-pointers on six tries.
He finished with 18 points, all in the second half.
James, meanwhile, dropped in 4 of 6 from long range, staring down the Spurs’ bench after the last of them. He also posted 10 assists.
“There’s not much you can do,” said Parker, who had 18 points, second to Danny Green (20) for the Spurs. “He was on fire in the third quarter. He’s coming on fast breaks, and he’s shooting 3s. There’s no defense against that.”
Sparked by James’ scoring binge, Miami ended the night shooting 58.2 percent, including 16 of 26 from beyond the arc.
“Every once in a while, somebody’s going to get in a zone where they can make those shots and change a game,” Duncan said.
As the Spurs boarded their charter plane for tonight’s game at Orlando, in search of their first road win of the season in a place they’ve lost three seasons in a row, this much was clear:
Mr. Nice Pop wouldn’t be coming with them.
jmcdonald@express-news.net
– Associated Press photos
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Heat 120, Spurs 98: Jan. 17, 2012
San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) looks to pass as Miami Heat’s Mike Miller (13) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) passes the ball as Miami Heat’s LeBron James, left, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) wipes his face during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) shoots over San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (2) and DeJuan Blair (45) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra puts his hand to his head during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) looks to pass as San Antonio Spurs’ Daniel Green (4) and Matt Bonner (15) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s Norris Cole (30) looks to pass the ball as San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) and Richard Jefferson (24) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh (1) shoots as San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair (45) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade cheers from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat defeated the Spurs 120-98. Wade did not play due to a sprained right ankle. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
Miami Heat’s Mike Miller (13) reacts after shooting a 3-pointer as San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green (4) looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. Miller contributed 18 points as the Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’, from left, DeJuan Blair, Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Danny Green watch from the bench in the closing seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green (4) drives to the basket as Miami Heat’s James Jones (22) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich watches his team during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)
