The San Antonio Spurs have won the 2014 NBA Finals with a 104-87 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5.

Kawhi Leonard received the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award with his excellent two-way performance.

The Spurs have now won five championships during the era of Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan, while winning for the first time since 2007.

The Miami Heat have outscored the San Antonio Spurs by 11 points with LeBron James on the court during the first two games of the 2014 NBA Finals, compared to -24 with him on the bench.

James had 35 points and 10 rebounds in Miami's 98-96 win over the Spurs in Game 2.

With James on the floor, the Heat shoot 60.4 percent and an averaged field goal attempt of 11.5 feet. With James on the bench, the Heat shoot just 29.4 percent and from 16. 2 feet.

LeBron James had to leave Game 1 late in the fourth quarter with severe cramping, needing to be carried off the floor to the bench.

James attempted to reenter the game, but Erik Spoelstra didn't allow him with the game slipping away.

"I was going to try to give it a go and Spo said no. It sucks at this point in time in the season. You know, after I made that layup we was down two and, you know, as well as they played we still had a chance. You know, after I came out of the game, they kinda took off. And it was frustrating sitting out and not be able to help our team."

James' whole left leg was cramping.

"The best option for me to do was not to move.  I tried and any little step or nudge, it would get worse. It would lock up worse and my muscles spasmed 10 out of 10. Best thing for me to do was just not to move, and, you know, it was frustrating."

In this two-part podcast, host Daniel Leroux talks to five guests about what they expect to see in the rematch of last year's thrilling NBA Finals.

Part 1 features conversations with Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh) of Hickory High, FiveThirtyEight and Hardwood Paroxysm, Jack Winter (@ArmstrongWinter) of Hardwood Paroxysm, and Beckley Mason (@BeckleyMason)of Hoopspeak and the New York Times.

Part 2 includes interviews with Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) of Basketball Insiders and Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) of RealGM. 

You can listen to the podcasts by clicking on the following links: Part 1 and Part 2.

You can also click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Tony Parker told a French radio station that he will play in Game 1 for the San Antonio Spurs against the Miami Heat despite an ankle sprain.

“I twisted my ankle in Game 4 of the first round against Dallas. I continued to play with the pain and I again twisted the ankle in Game 4 of the conference finals against Oklahoma City. I gritted my teeth; I did not mean to abandon my teammates. But the pain was too strong in the sixth game. I could not really play anymore.

“Today, I spend my days in treatment. But the good news is that I will play the first game of the Finals on Thursday against the Heat. I may not be 100% but I’ll be there. In 13 years, I played seven conference finals and I have the chance to play my fifth Finals with Spurs. This is really great. I continue my dream, this is really something great.”

Tony Parker is hopeful to play in Game 1 of The NBA Finals despite a sprained ankle.

Parker "should be ready" to play in Game 1, two sources with direct knowledge said.

Parker will work to rehab the ankle over the next few days.

The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Finals for the second straight season and get to face the Miami Heat in a rematch of last year's Finals.

“It’s unbelievable to gain that focus after that devastating loss last year,” said Tim Duncan, referring to last year’s 4-3 loss to the Heat. “But we’re back, and we’re excited. We have four more (games) to win, and we’ll do it this time. We’re happy it’s the Heat again. We’ve got that bad taste in our mouths still.”

Duncan scored seven of his 19 points consecutively in overtime in the Spurs' Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.