Tony Parker banked in a driving, 12-foot jumper, just barely beating the shot clock, and with just 5.2 seconds left in the game to seal a 92 – 88 Game 1 win for the San Antonio Spurs on May 6. Parker finished with a team-high 21 points and 6 assists as the Spurs stole a crucial road win.
Tim Duncan was right behind Parker, finishing with 20 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
For the Miami Heat, LeBron James registered his second playoff triple-double this postseason with an 18-point, 18-rebound, 10-assist effort.
Chris Bosh added 13 points and 5 rebounds for the Heat, but was not quite the offensive factor most thought he would be after finally getting away from the Indiana Pacer’s massive center Roy Hibbert. Dwayne Wade had 17 points, but none came in the decisive fourth quarter when things unraveled quickly for the defending champion Heat.
The Spurs, which hadn’t played in 10 days, erased any doubts of being rusty right off the bat with an early first quarter 9-0 run. Duncan though gave the Spurs an early worry by picking up two first quarter fouls—and had zero points for the period. He quickly got on track in the second quarter though, with 12 points—including a buzzer-beater just before the end of the half to pull the Spurs within 52 – 49 at the break.
But Miami kept San Antonio at arm’s length for the duration of the third quarter. LeBron James assisted on a pair of threes to Mario Chalmers and Ray Allen at the end of the quarter to keep the Heat in the driver’s seat, while leaving James one assist shy of a triple-double heading into the final period.
Danny Green hit four threes for the game for the Spurs—including a trio in the first half to keep San Antonio close. Green finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
Miami, which grabbed the early 21 – 19 lead when Ray Allen hit one of his three 3-pointers of the day, were on top until midway through the fourth quarter, when a pair of Tony Parker free throws put the Spurs up 77 – 76. By that time, San Antonio was rolling on defense, frustrating the Heat in the process.
Green’s crucial final 3-pointer with 2:13 left then capped a 15 – 5 run, over nearly seven minutes of game time, that turned a 76 – 73 deficit into an 88 – 81 advantage—silencing the Miami crowd.
A quick layup by James followed by Ray Allen getting fouled on a three-pointer—and hitting all three free throws—cut the Spurs’ lead to two at 88 – 86 with 1:28 left.
After Duncan and James traded free throw it was 90 – 88 Spurs with 31 seconds left when Parker delivered the magic. With time winding down on the shot clock, the lightning-quick point guard ran through and around the Heat defense trying to lose LeBron James, then fell down (while still maintaining his dribble) got up, pivoted towards the basket, and banked in (with 0.1 seconds left on the shot clock) the game-sealing shot.
Game 2 will be Sunday night in Miami.
