MIAMI — Just think about this statistic.
The San Antonio Spurs played nearly an entire quarter without missing a shot. That’s right, the Spurs didn’t hear a “clank” for 11 minutes.
It was the most telling number in the Spurs regaining control with a 111-92 victory against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs lead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, heading into Thursday’s Game 4 at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“They came out at a different gear than what we were playing at,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It just seems we were on our heels most of the first half. … You have to give them credit for coming out with an aggressive mindset on both ends.”
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 22 points to lead the Heat, which shot a respectable 51 percent from the field. It’s just the Spurs, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 29 points, were that much better.
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The awesome display of offensive efficiency was highlighted by a first half for the ages. The Spurs shot an absurd 86 percent in the first quarter and opened by making 19 of 21 shots. They finished 38 of 64 (59 percent) from the field.
“I don’t think we’ll shoot 76 percent in a half ever again,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s crazy.”
And the Heat thought things were hot when the air-conditioning malfunctioned in the series-opener at AT&T Center? No, their defenders were sweating even more trying to find a way to slow the Spurs’ offense.
The Heat trailed 41-25, with the Spurs becoming the first Finals team to score at least 40 points in one quarter since the 2008 Boston Celtics. The defining moment of the game began after Spurs forward Tim Duncan missed a shot with 5 minutes 5 seconds left in the first quarter.
The next miss didn’t occur until guard Tony Parker’s three-point attempt was off with 6:45 left … in the first half.
In between, the Spurs made 11 consecutive field goals.
By then, the outcome was already decided.
“You can’t win a championship with that kind of effort, home or away,” Heat center Chris Bosh said.
“We did nothing right, and we deserve what we have.”
The Spurs in the process made their path to a fifth championship less difficult. Had they lost, they would have been faced with the task of needing to defeat the Heat in consecutive games at some point to win the series.
The Heat has not lost back-to-back postseason games since the 2012 Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics, a string of 47 games.
It was evident the Spurs would eliminate that challenge when they led by many as 25, forcing the Heat to play from behind most of the way.
The Heat kept the fans from headed for the exits early by outscoring the Spurs 25-15 in the third quarter. A Norris Cole layup with 1:54 left made it a seven-point game. Most of the run occurred with James on the bench.
Knicks hire Fisher as coach
The Knicks hired Derek Fisher as their head coach Tuesday, with Phil Jackson turning to one of his most trustworthy former players.
Just days after finishing his 18th season, Fisher was tabbed to replace Mike Woodson, whom Jackson fired after the season in his first major move as New York’s team president.
Fisher won five championships playing for Jackson with the Lakers and was known for his knack for hitting clutch postseason shots while playing an NBA-record 259 playoff games.
