Wade helps Heat take halftime lead over Spurs

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade had 13 points and LeBron James added 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help the Miami Heat take a 52-49 halftime lead over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Wade scored 10 of his points in the second quarter and the Heat shot 50 percent in the first half to nudge ahead of the Spurs as they look for their second straight championship.

Tim Duncan shook off an 0-for-5 start to get 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and Tony Parker added nine points and four assists for the Spurs, who are in the Finals for the first time since winning their fourth title in 2007.

Game 2 is Sunday night in Miami.

Everyone expected James to take charge right away in this series, just as he has for the last two years. But all eyes were on Wade, the former Finals MVP whose game has been slowed by a balky knee for much of these playoffs.

After a quiet start, Wade asserted himself in the second quarter, showing plenty of spring in his step while barreling toward the rim like the Wade of old. He scored six straight points midway through the second quarter when James went to the bench, giving the Heat a 44-38 lead.

But Duncan hit a 20-foot jumper just before the first half buzzer sounded to keep the game every bit as tight as this entire series is expected to be.

James bulled to the bucket in transition to score on a layup, then fed Norris Cole for Miami's sixth 3-pointer of the first half for a 38-29 lead before hitting the bench for the first time.

Chris Bosh scored five points in the first quarter, but picked up his third foul in the second as Duncan started to assert himself in a beautiful first half of basketball for both teams. The Heat and Spurs combined for just four turnovers.

The Spurs swept Memphis in the Western Conference finals to give banged up veterans Manu Ginobili, Parker and Duncan some much-needed recovery time while the Heat suffered through a rugged seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers.

The Spurs showed little rust in the early going, jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the first 2 minutes when Danny Green hit a corner 3-pointer to force a timeout from Miami.

But Bosh, who struggled mightily in the Eastern Conference finals, hit a couple of mid-range jumpers to get the Heat going and James' layup midway through the first quarter gave Miami the lead at 13-11.

One of the biggest keys for Miami in the series is going to be finding a way to contain Parker, the jitterbug point guard who has been at the top of his game in these playoffs. He got off to a fast start on Thursday night, even though the Heat through almost everything they had at him.

All five Heat starters, including James, found themselves squared up on Parker at some point in the first period.

Even in a city that has occasionally been accused of being less than passionate toward its sports teams, including the wildly successful, LeBron-led Heat, there was a palpable buzz in the arena long before tipoff. The notoriously late-arriving crowd arrived a little earlier, intent on soaking up the atmosphere of a matchup that Commissioner David Stern called "probably the most anticipated Finals in, who knows, 30 years."

Stern may have been exaggerating, but the energy seemed to match the hype of two teams that have been on a collision course arguably since Russell Westbrook's injury essentially took the Oklahoma City Thunder out of contention last month.

These two proud franchises are so similar, yet so different.

The defending champion Heat hail from South Beach, with outsized stars who fit right into the glitzy, glamorous lifestyle that comes with it. They were bought and meticulously tailored like one of President Pat Riley's designer suits, with James, Wade and Bosh joining forces to chase titles. They picked up their first last year against the Thunder, but face an arguably greater challenge going for the repeat against the veteran Spurs, who aren't cowed by a white-clad crowd or a four-time MVP.

The Spurs, the only show in town back home in San Antonio, were built the old fashioned way — through drafting and development. Parker, Duncan and Ginobili might be the most understated stars in the league and play for a blue-collar coach who shuns the spotlight.

The differences in personality are matched by their similarities in playing style. Both value ball movement above all else, have a trio of stars that are supported by a group of role players selected specifically to enhance their stars' games and would prefer to get up and down the court rather than slug it out in the paint.

The last time the Spurs were here, they won their fourth title by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers and a young LeBron James in 2007. Now Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are on one last ride, one final push. And again, James stands in their way.

In the end, it had to be this way.

"These are two of the best teams in the league," Bosh said. "Whoever wins, they're going to have to play the best basketball because it's going to be the hardest they've ever done."

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