Hot NBA Finals game 1 takes toll on coaches, players
LeBron James of the Miami Heat walks toward the locker room near the end of the fourth quarter after a leg cramp during Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, June 5, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Heat 110-95, taking to lead the series 1-0. AFP
MANILA, Philippines – When the first game of the National Basketball Association Finals commenced Friday at the AT&T Center, neither the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat thought that they would go up against the heat.
During the game, the air-conditioning system of the Spurs home arena malfunctioned causing temperatures to rise to 32o Celsius.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said that the malfunctioned air conditioning system was “tough” on the players, who play inside an arena with cool air blowing from the rafters.
“It was tough on both teams,” Popovich said. “They were pretty dead. We tried to get guys in and out…It was really hot out there.”
LeBron James, who suffered cramps in the Finals of 2012, was one of the casualties of the hot temperature and asked to get replaced with under four minutes remaining for which the Spurs took advantage of with a 16-3 run to close the game.
Spurs shooter Danny Green benefitted from the rising temperatures, getting hot on his own with back-to-back three-pointers and a poster dunk on a fastbreak.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra prevented any damage to James as the two-time Final Most Valuable Player tried to get back into the game.
“James on one point, stood up, and tried to go [to the game],” Spoelstra said during the post-game press conference. “I told him ‘don’t ever think about it, you can’t move.’”
Spoelstra said that they were not making the heat as an excuse for the loss of the game saying that both teams suffered from the temperatures.
“We’re not making excuses, it’s unfortunate, both teams tried to manage through it,” Spoelstra said. “It felt like a punch in the gut when you see your leader limping to the bench like that. But we still had a chance after that.”
Spurs management said that an electrical failure was the cause of the aircondition malfunction, for which they immediately apologized, but at the same time poked fun at by playing songs with “hot” in the lyrics.
Right after Game 1, the malfunctioned air-conditioning system generated an unofficial Twitter account with the handle @ACspurs__which, as of posting time, has a total of 355 followers.
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