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LeBron's clutch Game 7 gives birth to potential Heat dynasty

Absentee Parker. Whether it was fatigue or a sore hamstring, Parker finished the series a shell of the player that started it. The burst in his legs was gone.
Chris Mannix|
LeBron's clutch Game 7 gives birth to potential Heat dynasty
LeBron's clutch Game 7 gives birth to potential Heat dynasty

Absentee Parker. Whether it was fatigue or a sore hamstring, Parker finished the series a shell of the player that started it. The burst in his legs was gone. He scored 19 points in Game 6, but needed 23 shots to do it. In Game 7 he was worse, unable to get into the paint as freely as he is used to, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. When he was right, when he was rested, Parker was the best player in this series. Unfortunately for San Antonio, he couldn't be that player in the end.

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Chris Mannix
CHRIS MANNIX

Chris Mannix is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA and boxing beats. He joined the SI staff in 2003 following his graduation from Boston College. Mannix is the host of SI's "Open Floor" podcast and serves as a ringside analyst and reporter for DAZN Boxing. He is also a frequent contributor to NBC Sports Boston as an NBA analyst. A nominee for National Sportswriter of the Year in 2022, Mannix has won writing awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and is a longtime member of both organizations.

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