With some of the greatest basketball players in today’s game facing off against each other with two fantastic coaches, this year’s NBA Finals between Miami and San Antonio looked like a great matchup on paper.
2013 NBA Playoffs highlights: Spurs take Game 1 in Miami
So far the NBA Finals are one-for-one on great games of basketball. Here’s Game 1’s best moments in GIFs.
And after one game, it looks like it in real life, too.
As they often did against Indiana, Miami started off slowly with a 9-2 deficit before charging back to a lead that would last until the fourth quarter.
For the most part, the game was a heated exchange of blows: close scoring with good passing and few turnovers. Yet Miami held on to a slight lead for much of the night.
For a while, the Spurs came just within reach of taking the lead but couldn't hit the shot to put them over the threshold. Kawhi Leonard played pretty well, but he missed a few corner threes around this time that could have given them the lead.
However, I can't say things went much better for Mike Miller's head.
Or Norris Cole, for that matter.
That spin move practically foreshadowed how the rest of the night would go for Miami. San Antonio took the lead midway through the fourth quarter and Miami then had to face another opponent in the clock.
With the game in reach, the Heat's fortune took a turn for the worse as Tim Duncan pump-faked and drew a foul with LeBron James and Chris Bosh defending. They weren't too happy about the call.
Ultimately it would be this broken play that ended the night for the Heat. Tony Parker avoided LeBron's near-block and beat the shot clock for the clincher that put the Spurs up 1-0 on the road.
Finally, here’s NBA.com’s top five plays of the night.
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