2014 NBA Finals: 5 Things We Learned In Game 1

5. It takes a little luck to win a championship

We start with this one for three reasons: 1) LeBron James leaving the game because of cramps was obviously the biggest story of Game 1, 2) People have been overreacting to that story line on both sides and 3) It’s an inherent truth in the NBA every single season. As someone who’s played basketball since the age of four, I can say this with absolute confidence: when your legs cramp up, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. So for anyone comparing LeBron not being able to return from cramps to Michael Jordan playing through the flu, Isiah Thomas playing on a bum ankle or Kobe Bryant shooting two free throws with a torn Achilles…STOP.

No one should question LeBron’s heart as a competitor. We’re talking about a guy who has won two championships, is obsessed with his legacy and has broken his nose before attacking the basket and still finished the damn dunk. After LeBron left the game, San Antonio outscored Miami 26-9 to secure the win. It’s almost like the Heat aren’t as good a team without the league’s best player on the floor! But we also shouldn’t take anything away from the Spurs, who did what they had to do to rally and take Game 1.

As easy as it’d be to scream “Conspiracy!” on the air conditioner conking out in the AT&T Center leading to LeBron’s dehydration and subsequent cramping, EVERYONE had to play under the same conditions. Injury luck swings titles almost every year, and Heat fans can only complain so much when they’ve had remarkable luck in that area the last four years. Plus, the Spurs were already on a run and down by just four when LeBron first started cramping. Losing Game 1 hurts, but the Spurs won Game 1 last year too and as long as King James is able to stay on the floor, Miami is still very much alive. Especially when you remember they lost Game 1 of the 2006, 2012 AND 2013 NBA Finals as well.