Well-rested Spurs steal Game 1 in Miami

MIAMI -- Tony Parker seemed out of control, falling to the ground, keeping his dribble and getting back on his feet as Miami Heat defenders converged on him.

Parker eventually made a short bank shot a split-second before the shot clock expired. The play stood up after a video review.

The pivotal shot with 5.2 seconds left helped the San Antonio Spurs hold off the Miami Heat 92-88 Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in Miami.

"That seemed like a 26-second possession," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But they played it all the way through, and that is what this series is all about. These are the Finals. This is elite basketball."

The Spurs overcame a triple-double by LeBron James, who had 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.

James defended Parker down the stretch as the Heat went without a point guard.

San Antonio led 88-81 with 2:03 left and had just enough to hold off Miami, which closed to within 90-88 on two James free throws with 31 seconds remaining.

That's when Parker came to the rescue.

"We were fortunate," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It looked like Tony lost the ball two or three times on that play, but he stuck with it."

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who scored 13 points, echoed his coach's statement.

"Tony's shot is one of those things," Ginobili said. "We got lucky."

Parker had 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

The veteran Spurs, who had not played since completing a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on May 27, received 20 points and 14 rebounds from Tim Duncan.

Perhaps the biggest thing the Spurs did well was take care of the ball, as they committed just four turnovers. They had a turnover on their very first play as a Duncan pass was tipped, leading to a Dwyane Wade dunk.

"That was a bit of a nightmare," Duncan said. "That is when they are at their best."

The Heat led after the first, second and third quarters and built an advantage as big as nine points. They led 72-69 after three quarters.

"We just tried to hang and hang and hang," Popovich said.

Popovich didn't try to take credit for the lack of turnovers.

"I have no clue," Popovich said when asked to explain the lack of miscues. "Sometimes you have turnovers, and sometimes you don't. We don't have 'no-turnover' drills."

Popovich was a bit more effusive in his praise for his small forward Kawhi Leonard, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds and did a solid job defending James.

"Kawhi made him work," Popovich said. "No one is going to stop LeBron, but if you can deny a catch here and there, it's important. Kawhi did the best job he could."

James made seven of 16 shots.

Besides James, the Heat was led by Wade, who made seven of 15 shots for 17 points. However, he had just four points in the second half.

Heat forward Chris Bosh, who entered Thursday in an 8-for-34 shooting slump, added 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

Guard Ray Allen also had 13 points for Miami, making three of four 3-point attempts.

The Heat held San Antonio to 41.7 percent shooting and outrebounded the Spurs 37-31. Miami hit 43.6 percent of its shots.

"They didn't shoot it very, very well, but they got a hard win -- a tough win," Wade said. "I thought we were a little fatigued. We looked like a team coming off a seven-game series."

Wade was referencing the fact that Miami beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals, wrapping that series up Monday while the Spurs were in the midst of a nine-day break.

James, asked about Parker's key play, was still bothered by how that happened.

"Tony did everything wrong and everything right in the same possession," he said. "He stumbled two or three times.

"When he stumbled, I said, 'I'm about to tie this thing up.' He got up, double-pumped. I thought I had a great contest (of the shot).

"That was the longest 24 seconds I've ever been a part of."

NOTES: Here's an oddity: James' first shot, a 3-point attempt, resulted in an air ball. Wade also had a first-quarter air ball. ... Heat F Shane Battier, who did not play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals and saw a total of just 12 minutes in Games 5 and 6 due to size mismatches against Indiana, was called upon with 7:02 left in Thursday's second quarter. He missed all three of his attempts in the quarter, however, and they were all from 3-point range. Battier didn't attempt another shot in the game and wound up scoreless. ... The Heat and Spurs -- in that order -- had the NBA's top two offenses in shooting percentages this season.