The Miami Heat and LeBron James were down, but they were not out, as the team rallied from a deficit with seconds left against the Spurs in Game 6 to win in overtime and set up what every fan loves in professional sports: a Game 7 for the championship.
James turned in a triple double in the game and the Heat were able to rally after an amazing first half from Tim Duncan that saw the star score 25 points. James was clutch during the fourth quarter and scored 16 points after starting just 3 of 12 and he guarded Tony Parker for mostly the whole game, keeping him down until the end when he hit a big three pointer. James handled Parker and kept him out of his rhythm and in overtime he was shut down as well.
Chris Bosh is the MVP of Game 6, as he came up with the huge rebound to kick out to Ray Allen for the game tying three pointer and he later had two huge blocks, including one of Tony Parker and one on Danny Green to end the game. Now Miami has the momentum and the favor in Game 7, as the matchup is at home and will give each team a chance to see if one can break the trend of not being able to win two in a row.
Miami trailed by 13 points in the third quarter but LeBron James, ditching his trademark headband, turned on the afterburners to spark a Heat fightback. Ray Allen then took center stage, finding the basket with his first successful three-point attempt of the night with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
James cut the deficit with a vital three-pointer and San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard could only sink one of his two free throws to give Miami a glimmer of hope as they trailed by just three points in the closing seconds. The contest had been nip-and-tuck throughout the first two quarters with 37-year-old Tim Duncan showing the consistency and accuracy that has helped carry the Spurs to four titles since 1999 as he shot 11-of-13 from the floor to tally 25 points by halftime.
The game started to drift away from Miami in the third and the Spurs ended the quarter with a 10-point lead as they closed in on a potential fifth NBA title. With their season and some might say legacy on the line, Miami battled back in the fourth, with a brilliant block from James on Duncan, which the MVP immediately followed up with a basket to bring the game level at 82-82.
But James was so nearly the villain with two costly turnovers in the final stages of the fourth quarter, allowing the Spurs to get back in front as some fans began to leave the arena, convinced Miami's season was over.
Those fans were soon rushing back to their seats though ,as James and Allen forced overtime and Miami kept alive their hope of winning back-to-back titles.
"It was by far the best game I've ever been a part of," said four-time MVP James. "I'm blessed to be a part of this."
(Reuters Quotes)
