Led by their Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat made their fourth straight appearance in the NBA Finals, following two back-to-back wins in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs.

Their offense relied on ball movement, being called "one of the most beautiful-to-watch teams in the NBA" by USA Today.

The game featured the AT&T Center's malfunctioning air-conditioning system, which caused temperatures in the arena to exceed 90 °F (32 °C) in the second half.

The conditions caused Miami's LeBron James to dehydrate and experience cramps, limiting him to just five minutes of playing time in the fourth quarter.

[16][17][18] With James on the bench, San Antonio went on a 16–3 run in the game's final four minutes, and outscored the Heat 36–17 in the fourth quarter.

Bosh made the go-ahead three-point field goal on a pass from James with 1:18 remaining in the game, as the Heat won their 13th straight following a postseason loss.

[19] After enduring criticism for not finishing the previous game, James started slowly in the first quarter, shooting 1-for-4 with three turnovers.

The Spurs held a two-point lead with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Miami's Mario Chalmers elbowed Parker in the midsection for a flagrant foul.

Parker passed Michael Jordan for eighth place on the NBA's all-time playoff assist list.

[19] The Spurs took a 2–1 lead in the series after a career-high 29 points from Leonard and a Finals-record 75.8% shooting effort from the team during the first half.

[22] The 21-point margin was the largest halftime lead in the Finals by a road team since Game 3 in 1996 by the Chicago Bulls against the Seattle SuperSonics.

[22] San Antonio's insertion of Boris Diaw into the starting lineup created more ball movement, as the Spurs achieved the first 70-point first half in the Finals since the Los Angeles Lakers' 75 from Game 2 in 1987 against the Boston Celtics.

[24] Leonard had 20 points and 14 rebounds in another rout of the Heat, as the Spurs won 107–86 to take a 3–1 lead in the series; no team had ever come back from a 3–1 deficit in the Finals until two years later.

[25] The Heat struggled to defend the Spurs' crisp ball movement, orchestrated by Diaw and his game-high nine assists.

[6] Roster Last transaction: April 13, 2014 Roster Last transaction: March 23, 2014 In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC (including for the second straight year local stations KSAT-TV in San Antonio and WPLG in Miami) with Mike Breen (play-by-play) and Jeff Van Gundy (analyst) as commentators.

Also beginning this Finals, and for the first time since 2011, Mark Jackson returned as analyst after being fired by the Golden State Warriors early in the season.