The San Antonio Spurs left no doubt Thursday night during Game 1 of the NBA Finals whether they had a shot at beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat. As the game drew to a close, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra switched James onto Tony Parker, the Spurs point guard and top scorer.
As the seconds dwindled, Parker scooted around and around, unable to break free from James' freakish wingspan. Finally, Parker stumbled to the floor, scrambled up and launched a Hail Mary shot that left his fingertips with about one-tenth of a second left on the shot clock. The desperate heave hit off the backboard, then the front of the rim, then finally came down through the net, providing San Antonio with the necessary margin of victory.
"We got a little bit lucky in Game 1," Parker said. "Sometimes that's what it takes to win games."
Parker was magnificent in leading his team to victory, scoring 21 points to go with six assists, two steals, and zero turnovers. The turnover bit may be the most important part, allowing the older, slower Spurs to limit Miami's tremendous transition game.
The Spurs have clearly heard their detractors use the team's collective age as a reason they can't compete with the Heat. "It doesn't matter how we're categorized -- old, veterans, whatever you call us, we're in the mix," Tim Duncan said. Duncan finished the night with 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Danny Green, far from old, helped the winning effort too, giving the Spurs 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting; every shot attempt was from behind the 3-point line. Kawhi Leonard, another youthful wing, struggled with his shot but gave the Spurs a great effort nonetheless, racking up 10 points and 10 rebounds.
James, who has experience with Finals losses to the Spurs, said, "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."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
