No AC? No problem for some NBA Finals stars
“The Spurs beat the Heat.”
“The heat too much for the Heat.”
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You get the drill. I’m sure you saw all of the corny headlines as it pertained to Thursday night’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which saw an electrical failure cause a malfunction of the AT&T Center’s air conditioning. The Spurs staged a fourth quarter comeback to defeat the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, on their way to taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
After the game, Spurs veteran Tim Duncan noted that the impact was “significant.” LeBron James fell victim to the temperatures in the building, leaving the game in the fourth quarter due to cramps.
However, not everyone saw it as a big deal, including many of the game’s stars.
“I’ve played more years in situations like this than with AC on the court. Not a big deal in that case,” Manu Ginobili told CBS Sports.
“It felt like I was playing in the European Championship. We never have AC in Europe so it didn’t bother me at all,” Tony Parker said to reporters following the game.
Coach Gregg Popovich said on Friday that none of his players complained about any issues the following morning, and that the team followed their normal regimen of shakes, fluids, and other things he didn’t understand.
Many members of the Miami Heat said that the lack of AC wasn’t an issue, including Ray Allen, Shane Battier, and Chris Bosh, who noted his high school couldn’t even afford air conditioning.
The AT&T Center’s air has since been repaired, and should be under control for Game 2 on Sunday, according to the Spurs.