Maybe teammates had been so used to LeBron James needing his headband, whether it’s for comfort or appearance. Fighting for his life in these NBA Finals, fighting for his basketball stature, this accessory was the last thing James had on his mind in Game 6. Read More. Written by Shams Charania on Jun 19, 2013
Many fans left American Airlines Arena during the final minute of Game 6 when the Miami Heat were trailing the San Antonio Spurs by five points.
After Ray Allen tied the game to force an overtime, many of the fans tried to reenter the arena but were denied by security.
"For all those guys who left, don't come back for Game 7," said Chris Bosh.
Bosh, who heard boos from the Miami crowd earlier in Game 6, was responsible for the assist to Allen on the game-tying basket and also blocked Danny Green's last second attempt in overtime.
ABC had an overnight rating of 14.7 for Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
The rating makes it the fourth highest for the Finals since ABC began its coverage, trailing Game 7 in 2010 between the Lakers and Celtics, Game 5 in 2004 between the Pistons and Lakers, and Game 6 in 2011 between the Mavericks and Heat.
The rating peaked at 19.8 from 11:45 PM until midnight EST.
Tim Duncan entered the game illegally for the final possession of regulation after the referees reviewed Ray Allen's game-tying three-pointer in Game 6.
Reviews aren't technically a dead ball situation, meaning substitutions cannot be made without a timeout. The San Antonio Spurs were out of timeouts, meaning they couldn't make a substitution or advance the ball.
Tony Parker drove to the left baseline and missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Danny Green has set the record for most three-pointers made in an NBA Finals series, but Chris Bosh was adamant the Miami Heat will limit the San Antonio Spurs guard's open looks in Game 6 on Tuesday.
"[Green] won't be open tonight," Bosh said.
Tony Parker said after Game 5 that he could not believe the Heat continued to give Green open shots.
In Green's mind, if the Heat crowd him more in Game 6, it will lead to additional driving lanes for Parker and Manu Ginobili.
"You have to give up something," Green said, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.
With 12 of the 30 NBA teams changing coaches since the end of the regular season, Erik Spoelstra ripped the coaching turnover that has gone on, calling it a "terrible state for the profession right now."
"[For] true success in the NBA, you must have consistency of culture," he said. "When you see that type of turnover over and over and over, it's impossible to create any kind of sustainable consistent culture. And we don't see it as a coincidence."
Spoelstra compared the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs as two organizations that have stability starting at the coaching spot.
"San Antonio has been the same way for 15 years with Pop in charge," Spoelstra said. "We don't see it as coincidence.
"I think it's really a shame for the profession of coaching that it's been so volatile. But I'm also very grateful that our organization doesn't behave in that manner."
Dwyane Wade scored 32 points in a resurgent performance for him and the Miami Heat's big three on Thursday, and he believes Game 5 will be the best game of this NBA Finals series.
"I think Game 5 should be the best game of the series," Dwyane Wade said. "Both teams should come out knowing each other, knowing what each other want to do, and it should be a very good game."
The Heat and San Antonio Spurs are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5.
"Game 5 is going to be a big game," Chris Bosh said. "I think we just have to stay in the place that we're in."
Chris Bosh admitted he sometimes struggles to accept his supporting role with the Miami Heat.
But he said there is no desire to be the leading man in a lesser situation.
"To be honest with you, I don't want to be the man, like in Milwaukee, no disrespect to Milwaukee," Bosh said. "But I like Miami. There's certain things that you have to go through and give up, and I'm in the process of trying to master my role."
Bosh tends to be the name most often mentioned when it comes to the Heat's position against the luxury tax.
"It's something that you can't ever overcome," Bosh said of being the third wheel in the Heat's hierarchy but the team's leading man on the rumor mill. "So why should you even try to prove people wrong? I just play the game."
When LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh became free agents in 2010, it was the latter that may have had the most impactful role in their decision to all sign with the Heat.
The union of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat has coincided with an increase in television viewership and the general popularity of the NBA