[7] The San Antonio Spurs won the opening game on the road and eventually took a 3–2 series lead before the Miami Heat won the remaining two games at home to win their second consecutive NBA title, handing the Spurs their only Finals loss in franchise history.
Four former NBA Finals MVPs played in the series (the Spurs' Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, and the Heat's Dwyane Wade and LeBron James), the most since 1987.
For the November 29 game at Miami which was nationally televised, Popovich sat out starters Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, and Danny Green, at the end of a long road trip in order to ensure they had enough rest for the playoffs, as the Spurs had some of the oldest players in the league.
NBA commissioner David Stern was outraged when he learned of this and fined the Spurs $250,000 for not informing the Heat, the league or the media in a suitable time-frame that the four players were not making the trip to Miami.
[13][16] The Heat responded somewhat in kind for their trip to San Antonio, as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Mario Chalmers sat out with minor injuries, though those moves were understandable in light of Miami's dominant position for clinching the home-court advantage for the playoffs as well as the end two games earlier of the Heat's record 27-game winning streak.
Miami ended up winning anyway thanks to a last-second 3-pointer from the top player they left active for the game, Chris Bosh.
The Heat held a 52–49 halftime lead, and LeBron James recorded a triple-double in the game with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists.
During that run, James made a highlight-reel block on a dunk attempt by Tiago Splitter early in the fourth quarter.
The Heat also made 10 out of 19 three-point shots, and five players had double-digit scoring games: James (17), Mario Chalmers (19), Ray Allen (13), Bosh (12) and Wade (10).
[25] Fans and media outlets alike have begun dubbing it "The Headband Game" in reference to the signature accessory James lost on a dunk with just under nine minutes left in the 4th quarter and did not wear the rest of the way.
On the next possession, James lost the ball in the post; this eventually led to a pair of Ginóbili free throws after an intentional foul (by Allen) on the other end, pushing the score to 93–89.
With 28.2 remaining, the Spurs were up 94–89, and league officials began bringing out the yellow tape to cordon off the floor for the Larry O'Brien Trophy presentation.
[30] After failing to steal the inbound pass, the Heat immediately fouled Kawhi Leonard, who also missed one of two free throws, keeping it a one-possession game at 95–92.
Bosh was able to collect a key offensive rebound before passing to Allen, who stepped backward and made a three-point basket from the right corner with 5.2 left to tie the game.
Parker was able to drive the length of the court, but airballed a short series-winning off-balance jumper over James, as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime.
That score would hold all the way down to final moments, where Wade missed a jumper trying to extend the lead, and San Antonio getting the rebound with 12 seconds left.
They had a chance to tie the game, but Duncan, guarded by Shane Battier, missed a shot under the basket and a follow-up tip-in attempt.
Roster Last transaction: March 2, 2013 Roster Last transaction: May 16, 2013 In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC (including the respective Miami and San Antonio affiliates WPLG and KSAT-TV) and Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy served as commentators.
[37] For the first time, ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of Álvaro Martín, Carlos Morales, and Alejandro Montecchia.