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June 19th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
The San Antonio Spurs were so close to winning the championship after they staved off a late Miami run to take over the game in the final minute. Tony Parker had hit two big shots to give them a lead that seemed like it would hold up through the final whistle. However, Ray Allen would find the ball thanks to a key rebound from Chris Bosh which allowed him to hit a big three pointer to send this game into overtime and provide the Heat with another opportunity to win.
From the start of the game it seemed as if the Spurs were going to play sound basketball from start to finish to lock up their fifth team title. Tim Duncan could not be stopped as his 25 points were half of the Spurs 50 after the first two quarters. The Spurs would shoot above 60 percent for the first two quarters and made a late push to take the lead into the break by six points.
San Antonio would also go on their biggest run during the third quarter to take a 13 point lead with less than four minutes remaining. However, the Heat would cut the lead down to 10 by the end of the quarter and start off the fourth getting the lead down to one within the first few possessions. The Heat would take the lead late in the game just to see the Spurs go on an 8-0 run before the last sequence which lead to the extra period of play and the victory.
Coming into the fourth quarter LeBron James was shooting a lowly 3-12 on the night and looked very frustrated with how the Spurs were handling him defensively. Yet, in true MVP fashion he would take over and end the night with 32 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. Mario Chalmers also played very well for the Heat as he hit 4-5 from beyond the arc which contributed to his 30 points. Chris Bosh ended the night with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds but his big rebound and blocking the last two Spurs shots were his biggest plays of the game.
Duncan nearly willed the Spurs to victory in the first half, but faded late in the game. After scoring 25 before the half he ended up with 30 points and 17 rebounds for the game. Kawhi Leonard earned 22 points and 11 rebounds of his own. Tony Parker was the only other Spur to hit double figures as he had 19 points and 8 assists on the evening. Manu Ginobili was a true sore spot to watch as he had 9 points and 8 turnovers including three very late in the game. The Spurs hot shooters, Danny Green and Gary Neal, combined for 8 points and were 3-14 on the night.
The NBA Championship has now come down to one game which will be played on Thursday in Miami. Both teams are one victory away and the stage has been set for what should be an exciting way to finish out the year.
Source Article from http://www.examiner.com/article/miami-heat-need-overtime-to-defeat-san-antonio-spurs-and-force-a-game-7?cid=rss
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