Ginobili describes Spurs' 2014 revenge on Heat

The San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili, who just returned to action from a very painful-sounding injury, says the pain of losing to the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals drove him and his teammates all the way back to the championship the following season.

"We were so hurt from the year before," Ginobili told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski of the Spurs' 2013-14 season, which culminated in a five-game Finals victory over the Heat. "You know when a beast is bleeding and hurt and going with the last thing they have?"

The previous June, after taking a 3-2 series lead from San Antonio to Miami, the Spurs dropped Games 6 and 7 - the former thanks in part to a dramatic trey by Ray Allen that sent the contest to overtime - and surrendered to LeBron James what remains his last NBA title.

In the 2014 rematch, the Spurs destroyed the Heat, winning four games by an average margin of 18 points on the strength of almost 121 points per 100 possessions in the series.

"I remember every timeout, every halftime," Ginobili recalled. "We were up 20, (but) we were talking, 'Take them to 25, take them to 30.'"

The Argentine veteran shot 10-of-24 from 3-point territory in the title round.

Ginobili said that without experiencing the heartbreak of the previous year, he's not sure the Spurs would have won in 2014.

"We all knew we lost it in Game 6 (in 2013). We had it," he said. "If that Ray Allen shot doesn't fall, maybe it's a completely different story the year after."