MISSISSAUGA – Austin Spurs head coach Blake Ahearn has some new carry on luggage to worry about getting across the border as his squad defeated the Raptors 905 by a final score of 98-76.
Five Spurs scored in double led by Finals MVP Nick Johnson, who had 17 points.
Jeff Ledbetter nearly burned the arena down with his shooting going 6-for-8 from the field for 16 points.
Jaron Blossomgame bounced back after a subpar Game 1 performance with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Olivier Hanlan went for 14 points, four rebounds and seven assists. And finally, Darrun Hilliard finished with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
There’s only so much that can be said about this game.
Austin played poorly for the first six minutes of the opening quarter as the 905 rushed out to a 12-5 lead.
But as Coach Ahearn said before the game, he wanted to return to Texas without having to play another basketball game.
That’s exactly what the Spurs accomplished.
Over the following three minutes of action the Spurs went on a 14-2 that gave Austin a 19-14 lead which they never relinquished.
Austin’s eight point halftime lead was cut down to one to start the third quarter, but a Coach Ahearn timeout allowed the Spurs to regroup and come out firing.
Hilliard started a 15-4 run for the Spurs with a 3-pointer, followed by a huge dunk and seven straight points from Blossomgame.
The Spurs then built on their 73-62 lead to end the third quarter by raining 3-pointers and clamping down defensively, eventually leading to this:
Austin becomes the first team to win a championship since the league rebranded itself with Gatorade as its main sponsor and converted to the G League.
Austin also is the first team to sweep in the finals since the 2015 Santa Cruz Warriors team that defeated the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in two games.
The championship is Austin’s second in franchise history, first since rebranding itself under the Spurs moniker.
Spurs on Sixth will have more Finals coverage from our team in Mississauga, so keep checking back with us throughout the coming hours, days and weeks.
