Basketball

Well, that was incredible. In a roller coaster of a game, the Miami Heat somehow outlasted the San Antonio Spurs, winning an overtime classic by a score of 103-100. In the (massive) gallery above, check out how a bunch of NBAers reacted to all of the action—use the right arrow to follow the game in player-reaction form from beginning-to-end, or head left and watch players dissect the action in reverse order from end-to-beginning. Related: NBA Players React to Game 5 NBA Players React to Game 4 NBA Players React to Game 3 NBA Players React to Game 2 NBA Players React to Game 1

For years, Ray Allen's routine has not changed. Show up for work hours earlier than just about everyone else, go onto the court and take hundreds of jump shots.

LeBron James shrugged off a poor start to get 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to play to force overtime and the Miami Heat staved off elimination with a 103-100 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

Tony Parker's BIG step-back three pointer in Game 6! Check out tonight's International Play of the Day from the NBA Finals Game 6 overtime thriller that comes to us from Tony Parker who hits the clutch step-bac... From: NBA Views: 301 81 ratings Time: 00:39 More in Sports

LeBron James looked like a different man down the stretch of Miami’s dramatic 103-100 overtime defeat of the Spurs in Game 6, and it started with his bare forehead. After being unable to buy a bucket all night, James had his trademark headband knocked off early in the fourth quarter. Rather than locate it and put it back on, the 2013 MVP continued playing without it. Wouldn’t you know it? James just so happened to kick his game into another gear without the headwear, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a key three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. “I guess the headband was the least of my worries at that point,”  James said. James finished with his second triple-double of the 2013 Finals, tallying 32 points (on 11-for-26 shooting), 11 assists and 10 rebounds. “An absolute desperation and will,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of James’ fourth-quarter push. Game 7 is set for Thursday night in Miami’s American Airlines Arena.

LeBron's BIG plays after losing his headband! Check out some of the BIG highlights from LeBron James in the 4th quarter of Game 6 as he gets his headband knocked off and proceeds to make some MONSTER pla... From: NBA Views: 55 9 ratings Time: 01:09 More in Sports

In a series full of surprises, the San Antonio Spurs shocked NBA fans across the country in Tuesday’s Game 6 by failing to do what they've done so well since the Clinton Administration — execute fundamentals down the stretch.San Antonio gave up two crucial offensive rebounds in the final moments of the fourth quarter of the Miami Heat’s eventual 103-100 win, leading to two dagger three-pointers from LeBron James and Ray Allen. The Spurs also aided Miami’s cause by missing two big free throws in the final minute of regulation and not calling a timeout down one point with a minute to go in overtime. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich also curiously sat Tim Duncan late in regulation defensively in order to match up with Miami’s small lineup, and Tony Parker (who had hit a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter) offensively for the final play of overtime.It was enough for Miami — a team that was down double-digits in the fourth and seemed to have no answer for San Antonio’s long-armed, paint-packing defense — to pull out the win. In a night full of shrugged shoulders and clueless offense, the Heat had all the answers in the fourth quarter and overtime when it came to opportunistic play. And while Miami doesn’t have much to build on Xs and Os-wise heading into a decisive Game 7 on Thursday, it has a Large Hadron Collider’s-worth of momentum as it suits up for the final game of the 2012-13 NBA season.Despite the missteps on either end, it was a classic game, and perhaps the best NBA Finals contest in years. The Spurs rocked out to an early advantage in the first half based around Tim Duncan’s efficient and decisive work in the paint. The Spurs center made his first eight shots and dove into halftime with 25 points, dominating a Miami defense that seemed hell-bent on stopping sharpshooter Danny Green from getting open looks on the outside.The roll kept on in the third quarter, except by then Duncan (who finished with 32 points and 17 rebounds) had stepped aside to let Tony Parker (19 points) and Kawhi Leonard (22 points) take over some of the scoring load. The real breakthrough came on defense, though, as San Antonio continually went under screens and clogged the middle so as to bait Heat scorers into turning into Heat shooters. The result was a combined 38 points for Miami in the middle two quarters — hardly the sort of output needed to pull even in an elimination, NBA Finals game.By the end of the third, though, the Spurs were absolutely gassed. Popovich had no choice but to sit Tony Parker and Tim Duncan for extended minutes to start the fourth period, and as a result the Heat clawed their way back to an eventual two-point lead on a Dwyane Wade lay-in. LeBron James, meanwhile, began to dominate on his own — taking advantage of step-slow San Antonio defense in the recovery zones, making up for a 3-12 start to the game from the field to finish with 32 points on 11-26 shooting, with 11 assists and 10 turnovers.A quick mini-run from San Antonio, predicated on defense and opportunistic offense of its own (including the aforementioned desperation three-pointer by Parker over tough defense by James) gave the team a five point edge heading into the game’s final minute, and after Dwyane Wade clanged a turnaround jumper it seemed like the title was all San Antonio’s.The champs weren’t done, though.After Manu Ginobili split a pair of free throws with 28 seconds to go, LeBron James missed a 26-foot heave in an attempt to cut the lead to two. Mike Miller secured the offensive rebound and immediately dished back out to James, who hit on his second three-point attempt. After Kawhi Leonard was intentionally fouled, the second-year swingman’s first free throw spun in and out. He made the second, but the Heat were down to a one-possession deficit. With Tim Duncan watching from the sideline, James again missed a three-pointer, but Chris Bosh sent his offensive rebound toward Ray Allen, who hit a game-tying three-pointer with just five seconds

With the hiring of Jason Kidd as coach, new dates get put on our calendar and others take on more significance. Kidd will be at PNY Center again Wednesday and Thursday for more Draft workouts, his first real assignment. He'll also head to Yankee Stadium Wednesday for another milestone. June 19 - Kidd continues his round-the-clock promotion tour, throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. An All-State center fielder at St. Joseph's High School in Oakland, CA, Kidd will need no instructions. June 20 - Court hearing in Southhampton, NY. on Kidd's July 15 DWI. Kidd is expected to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. June 27 -- NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Nets have their own first round pick, but no second round pick. Last year, the Nets used $2.75 million of their $3 million cash limit to buy second round picks used to acquire Tyshawn Taylor and Shengelia. If they don't use the $3 million on Draft Night, they lose it three days later. Tickets available here. The Nets are moving their Draft War Room to Barclays as well. Expect Kidd to be in place -- and on the air -- at the Draft.June 30 -- C.J. Watson will likely make it official and opt out of his 2013-14 deal ... a $1.1 million vets' minimum plus 20 percent ... and become an unrestricted free agent. Also, contracts for basketball operations staff expire ... as does the Nets $3 million cash limit for 2012-13.July 1 -- Andray Blatche, Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Bogans become unrestricted free agents. Free agents can begin talking with teams, but cannot officially sign until July 11. Rumors of signings begin hours after the midnight opening bell. New $3 million cash limit is put in place for the 2013-14 season.July 7-12 - Orlando Summer League, which includes the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. Expect Taylor, Shengelia, Kris Joseph and the Nets pick(s) to participate along with some returning Springfield Armor players. What about Dominique Jones who the Armor signed after he was cut by Dallas? He and Kidd were teammates on Mavs' 2011 championship team. Will Bojan Bogdanovic play? He won't be signed but the Nets have played unsigned international draft picks before ... like last year with Shengelia.July 8 - European teams will hold first familiarization practices in their home nations as they begin preparations for FIBA Eurobasket.July 11 - First day free agents can sign contracts. Will Nets sign Bogdanovic? Nets are restricted to the mini-MLE of $3.2 million per over three years and the vets minimums, unless they can work a deal that gets them a trade exception. They can sign their own free agents and trade them but can't accept a player in a sign-and-trade.Also, beginning of one-week amnesty period during which the 14 teams that can still drop players will decide what to do. Possible amnesty candidates include: Tyrus Thomas of the Charlotte Bobcats, Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons, Linas Kleiza of the Toronto Raptors and Drew Gooden of the Milwaukee Bucks. Because they are over the cap, the Nets cannot participate in the blind auction that takes place after a player is put on waivers. They can sign a player if no other team bids on him, as they did with Blatche and Childress.July 27 - European national teams gather for full practices and "friendly" games prior to start of FIBA Eurobasket. In some cases, the national teams will play up to nine "friendly" games prior to the start of Eurobasket.August 1 - First guarantee in Kris Joseph contract comes due. If he is still under contract, he gets a $100,000 guarantee. He gets a second guarantee of another $100,000 on October 29, roster cutdown day. His contract remains partially guaranteed through the first week of January when all contracts are guaranteed.August 30 - September 11 - FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Caracas, Venezuela. Will

Finished watching the game. Coudn't count how many missed calls there were. Most importantly I will list the Manu Ginobili layup where he was hacked on the arm countless times. Throw in the Danny Green 3 that was "blocked" by Chris Bosh, and you have a typical heat arena game. It is true that I am rooting for the Spurs, but this is ridiculous. If I was Coach Pop, I would take the 25k fine to complain about the jack @ss refs. I am sure he will not, being the person he is. I hold you high on my respect totem pole based on your guys' classiness, smarts, and dominance. I am now going to basically throw a fit if you guys don't win the finals. With this game now stuck in my head, I am throwing my heart and soul into making not the Spurs win, but just making the Heat lose (I know I can't do anything). The announcers were even saying those should be fouls. Again, I hold you guys with the utmost respect. The heat are a team I have zero respect for. I don't care who the heat are playing as long as they lose. I wanted the Mavs to beat them and they happily did. I wanted the Thunder (rivals) to win and sadly they lost. I want the Spurs (also rivals) to win and hopefully they will. I try not to blame refs, but this gets rid of any doubt I had about people basically setting it up for the Heat. It's not just since the overrated. I got extremely frustrated during the 2006 finals (and so did Mark Cuban). I wish you all luck in game 7 and I am really hoping you guys win. Good luck and whip their asses. Finished watching the game. Coudn't count how many missed calls there were. Most importantly I will list the Manu Ginobili layup where he was hacked on the arm countless times. Throw in the Danny Green 3 that was "blocked" by Chris Bosh, and you have a typical heat arena game. It is true that I am rooting for the Spurs, but this is ridiculous. If I was Coach Pop, I would take the 25k fine to complain about the jack @ss refs. I am sure he will not, being the person he is. I hold you high on my respect totem pole based on your guys' classiness, smarts, and dominance. I am now going to basically throw a fit if you guys don't win the finals. With this game now stuck in my head, I am throwing my heart and soul into making not the Spurs win, but just making the Heat lose (I know I can't do anything). The announcers were even saying those should be fouls. Again, I hold you guys with the utmost respect. The heat are a team I have zero respect for. I don't care who the heat are playing as long as they lose. I wanted the Mavs to beat them and they happily did. I wanted the Thunder (rivals) to win and sadly they lost. I want the Spurs (also rivals) to win and hopefully they will. I try not to blame refs, but this gets rid of any doubt I had about people basically setting it up for the Heat. It's not just since the overrated. I got extremely frustrated during the 2006 finals (and so did Mark Cuban). I wish you all luck in game 7 and I am really hoping you guys win. Good luck and whip their asses. Poll Were you guys cheated? Yes Yep Yeah Uh-Huh Definitely Indeed Of Course 0 votes | Results

The Heat printed up over 20,000 shirts for tonight's game reminding everyone that it takes 16 victories to win an NBA championship. Before the playoffs, the Heat's marketing firm decorated the front of the arena with 16 basketball goals and has placed a goal around town after each victory. The Heat trails the Spurs 3-2 in The Finals.