The San Antonio Spurs returned to the NBA Finals just the way they left — with a victory over LeBron James.
Tim Duncan overcame a slow start to finish with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Tony Parker banked in a desperation jumper with 5.2 seconds left and the Spurs withstood James' triple-double to beat the Miami Heat 92-88 on Thursday night in a thrilling Game 1.
Parker ended up with 21 points after referees reviewed his shot to make sure it just beat the shot clock, giving San Antonio a four-point edge in a game that was close the whole way.
James had 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in his second straight NBA Finals triple-double, but he shot only 7 of 16 against some good defense by Kawhi Leonard, and Miami's offense stalled in the fourth quarter.
Playing for the championship for the first time since sweeping James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007, the Spurs improved to 5-for-5 in Game 1s, hanging around for three quarters and then blowing by the defending champions midway through the fourth.
Manu Ginobili, the third member of San Antonio's Big Three that has combined for 99 postseason victories together, finished with 13 points, and Danny Green had 12.
Game 2 is Sunday night.
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James became a champion on this floor last year in Game 5 against Oklahoma City, but he hasn't forgotten his first taste of the finals.
The Spurs swept his Cavaliers in 2007 and James spoke Wednesday like someone who had payback in mind. He was 22 then, a fourth-year player headed for greatness but with holes in his game that San Antonio exploited in a four-game sweep.
Revenge won't come easily — if it comes at all.
Dwyane Wade scored 17 points for the Heat but was shut out in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh had only two of his 13 in the final period.
James shot an airball on a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt, then was soon back to the step-in-front- of-him-at-your-own-risk force that has made him the game's best player.
But San Antonio handled that and everything else Miami did, even while only shooting 42 percent from the field.
Forced to seven grueling games by the rugged Indiana Pacers in the East finals, the Heat clearly enjoyed the more wide-open flow of this game, making 18 of their first 30 shots. But the Spurs' defense got better as the game went along, and San Antonio held the Heat to seven points in the first 8 1/2 minutes of the final quarter.
Miami outshot and outrebounded San Antonio in the first half, yet led only 52-49 after coach Gregg Popovich hurried Duncan back onto the floor for an inbounds pass with 0.8 seconds left, which the three-time finals MVP caught and lofted for a jumper that fell in at the buzzer.
The Heat stayed ahead, realizing this would be a nailbiter after 10 of their 12 wins coming into the finals were by double digits, until Parker's free throws gave San Antonio a 77-76 edge with 7:47 remaining. James set up Bosh for a jumper on the next possession for his 10th assist, but Leonard made a follow shot and Parker turned James' turnover into a spinning layup and an 81-78 lead exactly halfway through the fourth.
Green's 3-pointer right after James missed one pushed the Spurs' lead to seven at 88-81 with 2:12 to go, before a drive by James and three free throws by Ray Allen pulled Miami back within two, setting up Parker's basket that put it away.
It was an entertaining start to a matchup that seemed years in the making between perennial contenders, the Spurs making their fifth appearance and the Heat their fourth. Commissioner David Stern called it "probably the most anticipated finals in who knows, 30 years," likely more a bit of hyperbole in his final state of the league address than a comment meant to slight fans of the Celtics, Lakers, or Michael Jordan's Bulls.
It came with the promise of beautiful basketball between two fluid offenses who were built differently but share common beliefs and a healthy respect.
The Spurs, a quiet dynasty who value system over stardom, never ask for attention and too often haven't been given it.
The Heat have been never been out of the spotlight from the moment James and Bosh showed up to join Wade, James vowing multiple titles as lights flashed and music boomed, showing they were going to be loud and impossible to ignore.
Little beyond their Big Three back then and unable to win a title in their first year, the Heat have a assembled a deep supporting cast loaded with 3-point shooters that turned them into a 66-win powerhouse this season, sending the Spurs to the finals in the unfamiliar role of underdog.
They handled it just fine.
The Spurs hadn't played since May 27, when they finished off a sweep of Memphis in the Western Conference finals, and even Popovich said he didn't know what to expect.
San Antonio turned it over on its first possession, leading to Wade's fast-break dunk. Then the Spurs ran off nine straight points, showing the rest helped more than any rust hurt.
Only Duncan, who has remained among the NBA's best at 37, looked out of sync. He missed all five shots in the first quarter before going to the bench late in the period with his second foul.
The Heat had a 38-29 lead by the time he returned, and he quickly got on the board with an inside basket en route to a 12-point second quarter.
It was a disappointing return to the finals for the Heat, where they celebrated last year after closing out Oklahoma City in five games behind James' 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Fans arrived to white shirts reading "Witness Miami" draped over their seats.
The Miami fans didn't like what they witnessed, many leaving as referees reviewed Parker's shot.
