Heat, Spurs rise to series occasion

Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 20, 2013

The purpose of a Black Lantern Power Ring is to bring the dead back to life.

Facing a series loss to the San Antonio, Miami yielded its own version of a black ring, coming back to life late in game six Tuesday night to beat the Spurs 103-100 in overtime, forcing the NBA Finals to stretch to an all-out game seven tonight at American Airlines Arena in South Beach.

The Spurs had the game in hand in the final ticks of regulation, but the Heat never quit. NBA superstar LeBron James said as much after the game, crediting his team’s resiliency until the final buzzer of both regulation and overtime.

Ray Allen, who is arguably the best 3-point shooter of all time, came in the clutch with a game-tying trey with 5.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game into OT.

Miami, like San Antonio, faces a tall task tonight in the series-clinching game for the world championship.

It’s going to be interesting, I think, to see what sort of adjustments both teams will make on the court. As I wrote that previous sentence, I remembered that the Heat and Spurs know each other. They know what each will do on the hardwood.

That’s what makes this series exciting, and why I’m looking forward to tonight’s concluding act between two great characters.

Let’s hope one team will rise to the occasion.