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Spurs 110, Heat 95
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
SAN ANTONIO — Last year, Danny Green set an NBA record for 3-pointers made in the Finals.
On Thursday night, Green started a push that suggested he might try to challenge that mark.
The San Antonio Spurs shooting guard, who made 27 3-pointers last year in a seven-game loss to Miami, scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Spurs defeated the Heat 110-95 in the first game of the NBA Finals.
The Spurs finished with a 31-9 run.
The game was played under horrible conditions. The air conditioning at AT&T Center malfunctioned because of an electrical failure and temperatures on the court reached about 90 degrees.
Miami forward LeBron James clearly suffered under the conditions. He scored 25 points but was forced to leave the game a few times because of cramps.
When James departed with 7:30 remaining, the Heat led by two points. He returned briefly but then left for good.
Forward Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 21 points. Guard Tony Parker produced 19 points and eight assists. Guard Manu Ginobili contributed 16 points and 11 assists.
The Spurs trailed by seven early in the fourth quarter but rallied behind Green. After missing all five of his shots from the field in the first three quarters, Green made four in a row midway through the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers.
San Antonio committed nine turnovers during the third quarter and Miami turned them into eight points. James and forward Rashard Lewis made two 3-pointers apiece in the quarter.
Heat reserve guard Ray Allen looked like a man much younger than his age. The 38-year-old made three driving shots in a span of less than a minute in the third quarter, including a soaring dunk.
Allen finished with 16 points and Heat center Chris Bosh scored 18.
Duncan scored 15 points as the Spurs took a 54-49 lead at halftime. He converted 6 of 7 shots from the field.
Ginobili had a hand in 16 of the Spurs’ 26 points in the first quarter. Ginobili hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts and had three assists. One led to a 3-point basket by guard Patty Mills.
The Spurs made 7 of 14 3-pointers in the half.
James led the Heat with 13 first-half points. Allen hit three 3-pointers and scored all 10 of his first-half points in the second quarter.
The Heat were 5 of 13 from 3-point range in the first half.
NOTES: The Heat are in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season, a feat last accomplished in the league by the Boston Celtics from 1984 to 1987. … The San Antonio Spurs have reached the Finals for the sixth time since F Tim Duncan joined the team for the 1997-1998 season. But until this season, the Spurs had never been to the Finals two years in a row. … Miami, the two-time defending NBA champion, is trying to become the first team to win three titles in a row since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000-2002. … The Spurs’ reserves outscored the Oklahoma City subs 51-5 in the decisive Game 6 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday. The 46-point advantage is the largest for the Spurs during a season in which they led the league in bench scoring. … Longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday.
