NBA looking ahead: Spurs at Heat

By Ben Bolch

Jan. 25, 2014 4:51 PM PT

SAN ANTONIO AT MIAMI: Sunday, 10 a.m. PST. TV: Channel 7.

The Spurs return to the scene of their self-inflicted crime, an indelible implosion in the final 28 seconds of Game 6 of the Finals that cost them a championship. Deflated, they returned two days later and lost Game 7. San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich has conceded that he remains haunted by that collapse. His team won’t be anywhere close to full strength in the rematch, with Kawhi Leonard (finger), Danny Green (finger) and Tiago Splitter (shoulder) all sidelined. Miami’s Dwyane Wade practiced Saturday after sitting out the previous four games because of recurring knee issues and is considered probable to play.

—Ben Bolch

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Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

NBA looking ahead: Spurs at Heat

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