SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Heat was the story in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Not the Miami Heat, so much, as literal heat, as San Antonio Spurs won 110-95.
With temperatures measured in the mid-80s inside the arena, Game 1 of the title series between Miami and the San Antonio Spurs was a sweltering struggle. Players tried to cool by placing icebags on their necks while resting on the bench, and just about everyone in the sell-out crowd was using something to fan themselves.
“It’s just a bad situation,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told ABC’s Doris Burke during an interview before the fourth quarter. Moments earlier, Burke reported that a hand-held thermometer placed near the playing surface measured the air temperature at 88 degrees.
It’s not the first time electricity has had a significant impact on a championship event in recent years. The Super Bowl in 2013 between Baltimore and San Francisco was marred by a power outage at the Superdome in New Orleans, interrupting play for 34 minutes.
Power was the culprit in Game 1 of the finals as well, arena officials said.
“An electrical failure for the power that runs the AC system in the AT&T Centre has occurred,” Spurs Sports and Entertainment said in a statement distributed in the second half. “We are continuing to work on resolving the problem. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Many fans removed the giveaway black T-shirts handed out before the game, obviously wanting to wear as few layers inside the steamy building as possible. Heat star LeBron James was clearly labouring in the second half and was eventually taken off with cramps.
“They’re trying to smoke us out of here,” he told teammates during one stoppage in play.
Neither team was scheduled to practice at the arena on tomorrow or Saturday because of a previously scheduled concert. Game 2 is Sunday night in San Antonio.
