The San Antonio Spurs had the championship in the palm of their hands before losing to the Miami Heat in Game 6 and now they must face the daunting task of winning Game 7 on the road, something that hasn't been done in decades.
The Spurs were inconsolable after the NBA championship was ripped from their grasp in Tuesday's stunning overtime loss to the Miami Heat. Tim Duncan, who scored 30 points and pulled in 17 rebounds but ran out of gas in the final quarter, was at a loss to explain his team's failure to close out the game. Miami's Ray Allen sunk a three-pointer with five seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime then drained two free throws in overtime to keep the defending champions in the hunt.
It was a game of unrelenting tension and escalating drama but one San Antonio seemed destined to win. The lone comfort for the Spurs was that they will at least get another chance with Game Seven scheduled for Thursday in Miami, although history favors the home team in winner-takes-all clashes.
The Spurs led by 13 points late in the third quarter and by five with 28 seconds to go when the wheels suddenly fell off. Duncan, who has already won four championships with the Spurs dating back to 1999, said there was no need for panic or major overhauls.
The Spurs were just seconds away from clinching their fifth title when Miami produced a miraculous turnaround to win 103-100 and send the series into a seventh and deciding game. The stakes could not be higher with everything on the line and Tony Parker said the Spurs would have to find a way to quickly get over their disappointment if they wanted to win.
"I don't know what happened in the fourth and in overtime," he said. "Whatever you want to call it. It's just a disappointing loss."
"I have no clue how we're going to be reenergized. I'm devastated," he said.
"But we have to. There's no Game Eight afterwards. We're going to have to play our best game, even better than today.
"Shoot better, better defense, less turnovers in my case, but there's no secret recipe for bouncing back."
(Reuters Quotes)