The San Antonio Spurs Takes Game One in the NBA Finals
The San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat were forced to deal with some unfamiliar conditions on Thursday as the air conditioning in the AT&T Center in San Antonio went out early in the game. Both players and fans were seen visibly feeling the heat that was created in the arena and it would eventually take its toll on the basketball game itself. "It was tough on both teams," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They were pretty dead. We tried to get guys in and out. ... It was really hot out there."
At the 3:59 mark in the fourth quarter Lebron James (pictured on the left) went up for a layup and on the way down he immediately stopped and signaled the need for a substitution. Once attempting to get to the bench, a few teammates were needed to assist him as he was experiencing a cramp in his calf. He would not return and from the time he left, San Antonio finished the game on a 16-3 run that would put the game out of reach.
"After I came out of the game, they kind of took off," James said. "And it was frustrating sitting out and not be able to help our team." He finished the game with 25 points and six rebounds but his absence late in the game was clearly evident. Miami struggled to get quality shots once James left and point guard Mario Chalmers had two costly turnovers with under two minutes left that doomed the Heat. "Obviously, tonight we would've loved to have him [James] in there to finish the game, but we've got to finish the game better," Heat guard Dwayne Wade said.
Tim Duncan led the way for the Spurs as he scored 21 points and added 10 rebound while Manu Ginobili added 16 points and 11 assists in the win. Danny Green was a deciding factor in the fourth quarter though as he scored 11 or his 13 points on 4-4 shooting which help put the game away for San Antonio.
These two teams will stay in San Antonio for game two of the NBA Finals which is set for Sunday at 7pm from the AT&T Center and can be seen on ABC.