MIAMI – The look on Erik Spoelstra’s face was somewhere between shell-shocked and mystified as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

His Miami Heat had been destroyed again by the San Antonio Spurs, dismantled 107-86 in a beating even more thorough and impressive than one they had suffered two evenings previous and he could not quite describe it.

“They, they, they just … they played great,” he finally got out.

The story could end right now.

What the Spurs have done in consecutive games against the two-time defending NBA champions has been stunning and complete and in many ways unexpected.

The Spurs have played beautiful, effective, dominating offence, they defended last night as well as they have at any point in the series, San Antonio’s role players have been better than Miami’s stars and they are within one win of a fifth NBA title in the Gregg Popovich-Tim Duncan era, leading the best-of-seven series 3-1.

“Right now, they’re playing better than us, no question about it,” said Dwyane Wade.

And history would suggest the Spurs will get that championship.

No team in NBA Finals history has come back from 3-1 down to win; the Spurs are 10-0 up 3-1 in the years Popovich has coached the team and nothing Miami has done in the last two games would engender any kind of optimism that will be reversed.

It would also give the Spurs redemption for a bitter loss a year ago when they were within 30 seconds of closing out the series in six games only to eventually lose in seven.

“I just think the loss was tough,” Parker said. “Every time you go to the NBA Finals and you don't win, it's tough.

“It was a great motivation, but at the same time, each year it's different. That's why since the beginning of those Finals I've said it's a rematch, because you know we have a lot of respect for Miami. They're the two‑time champs, they're a great team, and there is still one more game. We have to win one more game.”

The Spurs are beating Heat in every facet of the game. They shot 57 per cent from the floor in Game 5, they jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead and were never threatened. They held the Heat to just 36 first-half points and took everyone not named LeBron James out of the game.

They got 20 points from Kawhi Leonard, a near triple-double (eight points, nine assists, nine rebounds) from Boris Diaw, a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds from Tim Duncan and 14 points off the bench from Patty Mills.

The game was absolutely as one-sided as the score would indicate.

“I think we’re just playing Spurs basketball,” said Tony Parker, who finished with 19 points. “We’re just moving the ball and we’re just playing the way we’ve been playing all season. We’d like to do ‘good-to-great’, the extra pass and we preach that.

“Right now, we’re clicking.”

Parker’s assessment rings through the Heat locker room as well.

“They always make the right pass,” said Chris Bosh. “That’s what they do, they’re such an unselfish team. It’s beautiful basketball.”

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The Heat seem bamboozled by what the Spurs are doing. Dwyane Wade was a total non-factor – 3-for-13 from the field – while the bench was entirely ineffective.

Only James, on the strength of a 19-point third quarter, was close to himself, finishing with 28 points but even that 19-point third quarter meant nothing. Miami began the second half trailing by 19 points, they entered the fourth quarter down 24.

“It's not a focus on building a wall in the paint, but making their shots as tough as possible,” Duncan said of limiting James and Wade. “They're both unbelievable players. They're both very good at getting to the rim, very good at finishing around the rim, and we just wanted to stay in front of them and make their shots tough. Whatever that turned into, that's what we needed it to be.