The Miami Heat had their backs to the wall in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. But after a game-tying three-pointer by Ray Allen near the end of regulation, the Heat and Spurs are headed to a Game 7.
Miami defeats San Antonio, 103-100 behind late game heroics
After a series full of games not all that close, Game 6 finally provided some memories for the ages. LeBron James called it “the best game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Things looked pretty bleak for the Miami Heat late in Game 6, but in the end, the home team eeked out a 103-100 overtime victory over the Spurs to force a final Game 7. James had another big game under the spotlight with a triple double (32 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds) in the win.
Down by four points with under 30 seconds left, the Heat turned the ball over as Spurs’ guard Manu Ginobili was fouled and headed to the free throw line. Officials started bringing out the infamous yellow tape to keep fans off the court and more than a few misguided Heat fans started to leave early. But instead of the end of the season for Miami, we witnessed another late collapse by the Spurs in the fourth quarter and a few big plays by the home team.
First, Ginobili missed the first free throw before hitting the second for a 94-89 lead with 28 seconds remaining. After a missed three-pointer by LeBron James, Mike Miller collected a rebound and got the ball to James who made a second chance from beyond the arc. Up only two, the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard was fouled and also missed his first free throw attempt going 1-2 from the line. The two errant free throws by Ginobili and Leonard set up the late game theatrics.
After another miss by James from three-point range, Chris Bosh retrieved the ball before finding Ray Allen. Allen made one of the biggest shots of his life and tied the game with only a few seconds in regulation, sending the game to overtime.
Neither team took control in the extra session. The Spurs missed their last five shots from the field and turned the ball over three times in the last three minutes of overtime. Meanwhile, Miami made only three of their seven shots, not faring much better. Holding a slim 101-100 lead with the clock winding down, the Heat stripped Manu Ginobili on his way to the basket with only two seconds left. After a foul on Ray Allen and two made free throws later, a Danny Green three-point attempt was blocked at the buzzer. Ironically, it was Bosh that said prior to the game that Green wouldn’t be left open by the Heat’s defenders in Game 6 as he was earlier in the series.
Go figure.
There are lots of reasons the Spurs aren’t celebrating a fifth NBA Championship today, but the biggest may be free throws. The two big misses near the end of regulation by Ginobili and Leonard were catastrophic for the team. If either of those go in, a Heat comeback likely isn’t possible. But it wasn’t just that sequence that hurt the Spurs. In overtime with San Antonio up by two, Tony Parker missed one as well. Some games come down to a handful of points and the Spurs’ free throw shooting late in the game cost the team dearly.
San Antonio had several guys that could have played better … but Tim Duncan isn’t one of them. While Parker shot only 6-23 and Ginobili had nearly as many turnovers (eight) as he did points (nine), Duncan played an outstanding game with 30 points and 17 rebounds.
It will be interesting to see what the Spurs do with Ginobili. After that monster Game 6 when he dropped 24 on the Heat, he was largely ineffective and was a turnover machine. Ginobili believed he was fouled near the end of overtime when he was stripped of the ball with a chance to put the Spurs ahead late, but it was too close to call. My guess is that head coach Gregg Popovich rides it out and again and inserts him into the starting lineup, but he also played the fewest minutes (35) of any starter on Tuesday. Those minutes could again shrink if he starts off Game 7 slowly.
But part of the problem for San Antonio is that few viable options exist at guard. The Spurs are starting him ahead of center Tiago Splitter and going with a smaller lineup. But the only other guard really capable of providing significant minutes is Gary Neal – and he’s already playing more than 20 a game while struggling over the past two games in the series. The point is that even if Ginobili doesn’t start, he’s still got to play quite a bit if the Spurs want to stick to a smaller lineup.
Game 7 will be on Thursday night in Miami.
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