Patty Mills helps himself by helping Spurs defeat Heat in NBA Finals

Patty Mills couldn’t have picked a better time to go absolutely nuts (in a good way) for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Not only did his 14 points in seven minutes during the third quarter Sunday night help the Spurs seal the series victory over the Miami Heat, they also created a lasting impression of the fifth-year reserve guard as he heads into free agency this summer.

Mills finished with 17 points in as many minutes, just days after notching 14 points in 16 minutes.

The native Australian scored 10 or more points six times during an eight-game stretch earlier in the playoffs, including a postseason-high 18 in a series clincher against Portland.

In between those two periods of high productivity, however, Mills had gone nine games without breaking into double digits. He was even blanked twice by Oklahoma City during the Western Conference finals, despite playing more than 15 minutes in each game.

But Mills had a solid regular season, averaging 10.2 points and nearly four three-pointers in just under 19 minutes a game.

And in the postseason, he saved the most spectacular for last, going five for five from the field, including four for four from three-point range, during his third-quarter outburst Sunday night.

Chances are, that’s the Patty Mills suitors are going to remember this off-season.

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