The Spurs may have taken Game 1 with a 110-95 win, but the main storyline of the Finals opener was stolen by the air conditioning failure in AT&T Center caused by an electrical malfunction. The temperature on the court climbed above 90 degrees at the later stages of Game 1, causing the players to deal with dehydration and fatigue in the already intense environment of an opening Finals game.
The muggy conditions got the best of LeBron James in the fourth quarter, causing him to leave the game early with severe muscle cramps. When James exited the game, the deficit as a bucket, but San Antonio was able to take advantage of LeBron’s absence on the court. Miami’s shook offense combined with Danny Green‘s shooting late in the game to give the Spurs the win.
In his postgame press conference, Gregg Popovich was asked how the air conditioning failure affected his players. Popovich explained how everyone was tired and dehydrated, and then quipped:
“I’m sure that both teams are going to be happy that we have a couple days before the next game, and, hopefully we can pay our bills.”
Coach Pop also chimed in on LeBron leaving the game early with cramps and how it may have impacted the result:
"It certainly could have been a different story. There's no doubt about that." Gregg Popovich on LeBron James exiting early
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 6, 2014
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I am sure the folks at AT&T Center will have a handle on the air conditioning for Game 2 on Sunday. In the meantime, San Antonio gained 1-0 series lead on Thursday night and will be looking to hold onto home-court advantage later this weekend.
(video via YouTube user Frank Den)
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