Sweltering heat, a three-point barrage and a lost superstar—Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals sadly concluded with an unfortunate series of events.
Yet the San Antonio Spurs drew first blood in this epic postseason rematch, beating the Miami Heat 110-95 in an air-conditioning-less AT&T Center on Thursday night.
LeBron James, with a well-documented history of cramping, suffered the worst and missed 6:57 of the final 7:31. After making a driving layup and cutting the deficit to 94-92 with 3:59 left, he needed the assistance of teammates and trainers just to get off the court.
And without the best player in the world on the floor, the Heat were dead in the water—and the Spurs took full advantage. Danny Green and Co. closed out Miami on a 16-3 run, hitting all four shots from distance.
But despite the suffocating 90-plus-degree temperatures that will invariably taint the outcome, this game was a closely fought battle for the overwhelming majority.
The Big Three wasted no time establishing a rhythm in the first quarter.
Chris Bosh and James combined for Miami’s first nine points and early 9-8 lead. Dwyane Wade made his presence felt soon afterward, hitting three straight shots and adding six points.
But after James’ layup put the Heat up 19-18, Miami went snake eyes from the field over the final 3:49.
Manu Ginobili then drilled one of his three shots from downtown and assisted on Tiago Splitter’s layup and Patty Mills’ three. Eight points from the ageless Tim Duncan further aided San Antonio’s 26-20 edge after one.
Both teams came out firing in the second.
The ever-smooth Ray Allen drained a trio from distance and compiled 10 points in the quarter. James, Wade and Bosh combined for another 17.
No matter for the home squad—the Spurs went mano y mano with the Heat every step of the way.
Duncan and Tony Parker were magicians inside and totaled 15 points. Outside specialist Marco Belinelli held his own by answering Allen twice from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately, the remaining 2:12 of the first half were rather anticlimactic. Both squads went scoreless outside of Duncan’s lone free throw and San Antonio led 54-49.
The defending champs owned the third quarter, but scoring droughts felt inclined toward equal opportunity once again.
Miami went without a single point for periods lasting one and three minutes. San Antonio did the same, even missing all of its shot attempts between the 3:53 and the 0:32 marks.
Luckily for the viewing audience, there were plenty of newsworthy moments outside of those ugly stretches.
The Heat roared back from a nine-point hole behind threes from James, Wade and Rashard Lewis. And James’ 26-footer following Allen’s mini six-point showcase inside the paint put the road squad up by four after three.
Five points from Ginobili and two Parker-to-Splitter connections over the final 0:27 helped keep San Antonio well within reach entering the fourth quarter.
But as history would dictate, that’s when the heat really took effect—and not the basketball kind.
A back-and-forth shooting exchange between Bosh and Splitter resulted in an 86-80 lead for Miami early on. Advantage road team, right?
Then, as James’ body—and jump shot—slowly failed him, the Spurs kept pace and found themselves down just 88-84 with 6:31 left.
Perhaps fueled from last year’s collapse, Green quickly erased three quarters of scoring misery with three straight from distance and 11 total points. Duncan and Boris Diaw added layups, while Parker and Kawhi Leonard iced it with three more from downtown.
James and the Heat, of course, both met their hardwood demise during this three-point onslaught.
The blowout-like final margin did not do justice to this otherwise historical playoff matchup.
Four of Miami’s five starters scored in double digits. James led the way with 25 PTS, Wade added 19 and Bosh finished with 18 PTS and 9 REB. Allen totaled 16 PTS and 5 STL off the bench.
The Heat shot a respectable 47.4 percent, including 41.4 from three-point range. But they also surrendered a crippling 27 points off turnovers, despite logging five fewer giveaways.
Duncan powered San Antonio with 21 PTS and 10 REB on 9-of-10 shooting. Parker accrued 19 PTS and 8 AST, Ginobili went for 16 PTS and 11 AST and Splitter quietly netted 14.
The Spurs drilled an unconscionable 58.8 percent of their shots, not to mention 52.0 from beyond the arc. They also amassed nine more free throws, 10 more rebounds, 12 more points in the paint and 14 more assists.
They needed every bit of those statistical advantages to overcome their unsightly 23 turnovers and secure the opening contest of these 2014 Finals.
The reigning title-holders will hope for more favorable conditions, a healthy James and a 1-1 series tie come Game 2 Sunday night at 8:00 PM ET.
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