No one wanted it more. No one deserved it more.  

Throughout the season, we spoke endlessly about the Indiana Pacers wanting an Eastern Conference Finals rematch against Miami, and how their whole season revolved around that presupposed mission and goal. Truth is, after coming so incredibly close and losing to Miami in heartbreaking fashion last year, it was the Spurs who were on such a mission. They knew they had been the better team and wanted nothing more than to prove that claim. 

Duncan becomes a five-time NBA champion, with at least one in each of the last three decades. (@NBATV/Twitter)

From the moment Game 7 ended last year, San Antonio wanted this rematch. They wanted a chance at redemption, an opportunity for retribution. They got their wish. And tonight, they completed their mission.

Barring LeBron’s outburst in Game 2, the Spurs executed a flawless ending to their determined mission. Winning all four games by 15 points or more, the Spurs achieved redemption through incredible domination and remarkable execution.

"They played exquisite basketball," said Erik Spoelstra afterwards.

"We just ran up against a better team," admitted LeBron James.

Truer words have never been said.

A quick, five game series failed to give us any true drama. But instead, we got treated to pure basketball excellency.

Throughout the season, the Spurs are often overlooked. They're not talked about because they aren’t “exciting” or “compelling." Time and time again they’ve been branded as “finished," declared as “done." But they’ve responded with confidence and defiance, and disregarded both age and a supposed lack of talent en route to once again reaching the top. 

It’s a shame that it takes another championship for most of the sports world to take a closer look and notice this historic franchise. But this time around, that closer look yields an obvious conclusion: The Spurs were the best team in basketball all year long. 

It was clear they were on a mission. One driven by the relentless desire for revenge, redemption and, above all, greatness.

Yet, as we should know by now, their greatness is not founded on talent alone, but rather cohesively built alongside teamwork and an innate ability to simply show up when it counts.

Game 5 was no exception. 

When Miami began the game with a 22-8 lead, Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobli helped them regain the lead by not missing a shot in the second quarter. Tony Parker missed his first 10 shots; yet, when Miami started a final push for a comeback in the second half, he made the next seven shots he took. Patty Mills spent most of the first half on the bench scoring only three points, but in the second half, when they needed him the most, he proceeded to score 17 alongside four threes that all but extinguished the Heat’s slim hopes. 

The always constant, always brilliant, now five-time champion Tim Duncan is somehow just another piece of this deep roster. Despite winning a title in each of the past three decades, and being one of the greatest power forwards ever, he gladly settles into his role knowing full well his team’s ability to come up big. Everyone shows up when they need to. Perfectly coached by one of the greatest coaches of all-time in Gregg Popovich, they have made it a requirement to depend on each other and play for each other, always striving to pick one another up in the most opportune moments. The Miami Heat may want to take some notes. At least all but one of them surely do. 

“Follow my lead.” 

That was the imperative statement LeBron directed at his desperate team prior to going out the tunnel and into the slaughterhouse that soon became the AT&T Center in San Antonio. 

LeBron led his team with 31 points and 10 rebounds. But instead of following their leader, what all the rest of his teammates really did was watch him. 

And afterwards, all any of them could do was watch the Spurs play their immaculate game. All they could do was watch as their initial lead vanished in the blink of an eye, and their hopes of any sort of comeback ceased to exist. 

All they could do was watch the Spurs once again go on a dominating 59-22 run. All they could do was watch, as they were not getting primarily beat by Hall-of-Famers Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, but rather by role-players Boris Diaw and Patty Mills. All they could do was watch in amazement and admiration as Kawhi Leonard claimed his stardom with his third straight Finals game of 20 points or more and an eventual unlikely Finals MVP. All they could do was watch Manu Ginobli, invisible in last year’s Finals, fearlessly drive to the basket, and then fearlessly pull up for three, becoming an unstoppable force as if to personify the whole team itself. 

A team that would not be stopped. A team that would not be denied. 

At the end of the night, all the incumbent champions could do was watch the San Antonio Spurs usurp their throne. The Heat had an amazing run, and simply having a chance at a three-peat is a tall order. But even they must be wondering how they ever beat this team last year, while the rest of the league wonders how they’re ever going to beat them next year. 

Only time will tell, but for now, the team everyone thought was done years ago has done it yet again. They propped their championship window open one more time and have gone all the way through it to claim their fifth NBA title.

Mission accomplished.

(@HoopsonFox/Twitter)

You can reach Staff Writer Paolo Uggetti here, or follow him on Twitter here.