Score: Heat 103, Spurs 100
Date: June 18, 2013
We'll let the 2013 oral history of this game take it from here:
Spurs 95, Heat 92 | 9.0 seconds
Chris Bosh, not blocked out, is perfectly positioned to grab LeBron James' miss and wrests the rebound away from the shorter Manu Ginobili. As he does, his body twists toward the right corner of the court, and his line of sight lands directly on Ray Allen, the most prolific 3-point shooter in the history of the NBA.
Allen: When I saw Bosh get the ball, I just backpedaled right to the 3-point line. I was hoping I was where I needed to be. Whether CB threw me the ball or not, I had to get myself in a position where I was ready. We needed a 3. Two points wasn't going to cut it. My mental checklist was to have my legs ready and underneath me so when the ball came, if it came, I was ready to go in the air.
Erik Spoelstra: In practice, Ray does this routine. He lies on his back in the middle of the paint with a coach at the top of the key. He pops up and backpedals without looking down at the 3-point line or the out-of-bounds line. And hits the 3. And does it over and over and over again. Just instinctually does it.
Shane Battier: The devil is in the details, and it's in his routine. If you know Ray, he lives very military-like, discipline-like. Everything has a purpose, and everything is succinct. Anyone who's had success in the corners understands the footwork, understands the spacing of the box that is the corner 3 shot. Ray's maybe the best corner 3-point shooter of all time.
Allen: I try to put my body in precarious situations coming from different parts of the floor, different angles to try to get my momentum going moving forward. I honestly can say I gave myself a great opportunity, a great chance to make that shot. And it wasn't unfamiliar to me, positionally.
James: I've been on the other end of seeing him get them feet down, putting them stupid two fingers up after he makes the shot.
Bosh: You can't put it into words. He's the best 3-point shooter of all time. And the fact that he was open is just unbelievable. In my head, I told myself to wait for Ray to get back, but I know it still happened pretty fast.
Allen: Once I got my legs there, I just let the ball go.
James: I saw it in the air and I was like, "It's going in. It's got a chance."
Dwyane Wade: When he shot it, I was looking at the ball and I said, "Oh my god ... that's going in." It was kind of like I couldn't believe it in a sense. But also, "Oh my god ... it's going in."
Spoelstra: Ray did what he's done for so many years.
Ginobili: Bad, very bad.
Tony Parker: We all have scars in our careers. That one is pretty deep.
Tim Duncan: It was painful.
Gregg Popovich: I've thought about it every day. I'm anxious for it to go away. It hasn't happened yet.
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