Spurs & Heat Have An Opposite View Of The Importance Of Game 1

Thursday night, the San Antonio Spurs took Game 1 of the 2013 NBA Finals, defeating the Miami Heat 92-88. Tony Parker finished with 21 points, none of which were bigger than this spectacular shot, with 5.2 seconds left, sealing the game for San Antonio. Tim Duncan had 20 points, while LeBron James recorded his third Finals triple-double (18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists), in a losing effort.

The Spurs victory moves them to 5-0 all-time in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Coming into this series, San Antonio is a remarkable 4-0, in NBA Finals play.

Interestingly enough, the Heat won both of their recent titles, after losing Game 1 of the championship round. Miami's only Finals defeat took place after they easily won the opening contest over the Dallas Mavericks, during 2011 NBA Finals.

The Heat have lost a Game 1 three times in the Big Three era, but have gone on to win each of those series.

Historically, teams that win the first game of the NBA Finals go on to win the series 71.2 percent of the time. However, during the last two years, the Heat and Mavericks did win the championship, after dropping the first game. Going by recent history, the winner of Game 2 could very well determine who wins these Finals.