NBA Finals: Spurs Take Game 1

Jun 6, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) shoots against Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the fourth quarter of game one of the 2013 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. San Antonio Spurs won 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

San Antonio Spurs 92 Miami Heat 88

 How San Antonio Won:  It almost seemed like game 1 of the NBA finals was just a normal day at the office.  Tim Duncan finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Tony Parker added 21 points and 6 assists, while Manu Ginobili scored 13 points off the bench.

The Spurs were outshot and outrebounded in the first half, but the veteran group turned it up in the fourth quarter.  Trailing by three at the end of the third quarter, San Antonio held the defending champions to just seven points in the first 8 minutes of the final period, and outscored the Heat 23-16.

The Spurs finished shooting just 42 percent from the field, but they were able to win with their defense in the fourth quarter.  Danny Green scored 12 points, and did a good job containing Dwyane Wade, while Kawhi Leonard did a great job defending Lebron James in the fourth quarter.

Parker, Ginobili, and the other perimeter players did a tremendous job taking care of the ball.  San Antonio committed just four turnovers for the game, while the Heat committed nine.

 How Miami Lost:  The Heat looked good for three quarters, but it all went downhill in the fourth.  James recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists, but received no help in crunch time.

Wade scored 17 points, but was scoreless in the final period, while Chris Bosh scored just 2 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.  Ray Allen scored 13 points off the bench, but Miami wasn’t able to do what it does best on defense.  The Heat forced just 4 Spurs turnovers, while committing 9, and lost the turnover battle in a game for the first time in a while.

 It Was Over When:  With the Spurs up by two points with the ball, Miami decided not to foul with just over 30 seconds remaining.  Parker got the ball on the right wing, and somehow was able to avoid getting his shot blocked by James, and made a 16-foot bank shot with 5 seconds remaining to stretch the lead to 4.

 Quote of the Night: “The Spurs are the Spurs.  They’re going to put you in positions where you feel uncomfortable offensively and defensively, and every time you make a mistake, they’re going to capitalize on it.”  -Lebron James

Box Score:

San Antonio Spurs

STARTERS

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

37

8-19

0-0

4-4

3

11

14

4

0

3

2

4

+9

20

35

3-9

0-4

4-4

2

8

10

1

1

0

0

2

+6

10

25

3-6

0-0

1-2

1

1

2

0

0

1

1

0

-7

7

40

9-18

0-0

3-4

0

0

0

6

2

0

0

1

+9

21

34

4-9

4-9

0-0

0

5

5

0

1

1

0

3

+2

12

BENCH

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

7

0-1

0-0

0-0

0

3

3

0

0

0

0

0

-2

0

9

1-1

0-0

0-0

0

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

-1

2

22

3-9

1-5

0-0

0

2

2

1

0

0

0

0

+7

7

2

0-1

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-6

0

30

4-11

2-5

3-4

0

0

0

3

2

0

1

2

+3

13

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

Miami Heat

STARTERS

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

17

1-1

0-0

0-0

0

4

4

0

0

0

0

2

-2

2

42

7-16

1-5

3-4

2

16

18

10

0

0

2

0

-3

18

35

6-16

0-4

1-2

1

4

5

1

3

1

1

4

-9

13

27

3-10

2-6

0-0

0

1

1

2

0

0

1

0

-4

8

36

7-15

0-0

3-4

2

0

2

2

1

0

1

0

-11

17

BENCH

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

13

3-5

0-0

1-2

1

2

3

0

0

0

1

3

+6

7

6

0-3

0-3

0-0

0

1

1

1

0

1

0

1

-2

0

3

0-1

0-0

0-0

2

1

3

0

0

0

0

0

-5

0

17

2-4

1-1

0-0

0

2

2

4

0

0

0

1

-2

5

24

3-4

3-4

4-5

1

2

3

0

0

0

1

1

+5

13

20

2-3

1-2

0-0

0

4

4

0

0

0

1

0

+7

5

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS