Miami Heat Moments: ‘Rebound Bosh, Back Out To Allen, His Three-Pointer… BANG!’
LeBron evened the score and shook off Leonard’s pesky defense to score 18 points in the second half to help the Miami Heat even the game at 89-89 with just one minute to go. Time to slow the game down there.
The Final Moments Of Game 6
At the 58-second mark, Parker rises to sink a 12-foot jumper, snagging the lead. Out of a timeout, Leonard picks the pocket of James, resulting in a pair of Ginobili free-throws.
It would seem like the Heat have clawed back into the game, just to fumble it away in the final stanza. The Heat take another timeout with 28 ticks left on the clock.
In this timeout, I can only imagine LeBron received the greenest light to shoot that has ever been given (this is also when the Duncan substitutions started, which will never make sense, especially with how well he was playing in this game).
James pulls the trigger, once, then twice (thanks Mike Miller) to finally get some points for the Heat. With 19 seconds left and a two-point game, the Spurs take a timeout and bring back Duncan.
Leonard is quickly sent to the line and out goes Duncan again. For the rest of my life, I will remember sitting on the couch with my dad, laughing at this move.
Why take out Duncan? This was his best game of the series, he was not in foul trouble and he had already snagged 17 boards.
Even if he was playing his worst basketball, it is bleeping Tim Duncan. You put him on the floor when you have a chance to win the title.
But the Spurs pull him and what happens next from Ray Allen will live in NBA legend and lore forever. It is poetry in motion for Heat fans and traumatic PTSD for Spurs faithful.
Here goes nothing.
It is a play that so deflated San Antonio; the officials could have called the game right then and there. We knew what was in store.
The result was no surprise. As they say, and the rest is history.
This was that Miami Heat Moment and one of the greatest ever. Period.