The Spurs were six seconds from the NBA title until Chris Bosh grabbed an offensive rebound and got the ball to Ray Allen for a three-pointer to force overtime at 95-95. The Heat preserved the win with two unbelievable defensive plays in the final two seconds of the game to preserve a 103-100 win that sets up a decisive Game 7 Thursday.
The Spurs used incredible physical defense to build a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter, but it was the Heat who sealed the game with two plays in two seconds.
Manu Ginobili drove to the hoop for a potential game-winning shot at the end of overtime when Ray Allen grabbed the ball out of his hands and was fouled with two seconds left. Allen hit two free throws to make it 103-100, but a timeout let the Spurs inbound.
Tim Duncan threw a cross court pass to Danny Green, who had already shattered the record for three-pointers in a Finals. However, Chris Bosh ran him down in the corner and put his hand squarely on the top of the ball for a rejection that left Green one of seven for the game as the horn sounded.
Players from both teams complained about physical defensive plays throughout, but in the NBA if contact is initiated with a hand on the ball secondary contact is not called a foul. This was the case on Spurs’ steals and rejections that drew complaints from Wade and James as well as on the two great plays by the Heat in the final two seconds.
The Spurs took a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter with physical, contesting defense at the rim (Kawhi Leonard and Green deny James in photo).
Bosh did almost nothing for the Heat … until he saved the season. With the Spurs seven seconds from celebrating their fifth title, Bosh grabbed an offensive rebound off a miss from James that seemed to seal defeat. Bosh quickly shuffled the ball to Ray Allen, who got both feet down behind the arc and drained a three-pointer to force overtime.
In overtime, Bosh also blocked the same fadeaway that Tony Parker had hit over James earlier.
In a series in which both teams have blown out the other team twice, they have now both won a thriller. This one came in a game in which the Heat looked dead when they fell behind double digits going into the fourth quarter, then the Spurs looked dead in the final minutes until Parker proved once again that great offense can overcome great defense with a fade away three-pointer over James to tie the score 89-89.
Tim Duncan hit his first eight shots to score 25 in the first half, but with 6:43 he was quickly reminded why James is the best player on the planet. Duncan was on his way to an easy basket off a perfect pass, when James jumped around him to reject his shot, then took the ball at him on the other end to tie the score 82-82.
The home team has won over 80 percent of Game 7s in NBA history, but the Spurs are 14-3 in road games in which they have had a chance to clinch a series.
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