SAN ANTONIO -- "Beat the Heat!" had a whole new meaning in a sweltering start to the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs handled the conditions, and the team, and it sure helped when a suffering LeBron James couldnt make it to the finish. Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Spurs beat the Heat 110-95 on Thursday night in Game 1 at steamy AT&T Center. With an air conditioning failure making it feel like a sauna and causing James to battle cramps that knocked him out of the decisive stretch, the Spurs pulled away to win the opener of the first finals rematch since 1998. "After I came out of the game, they kind of took off," James said. "And it was frustrating sitting out and not be able to help our team." Manu Ginobili had 16 points and 11 assists, Tony Parker added 19 points and eight assists and the Spurs -- 6 for 6 in NBA Finals Game 1s -- shot 59 per cent. "Just very proud of my team," Parker said. "We kept believing, kept pushing. We know its not easy." They host Game 2 on Sunday -- likely in cooler conditions. James finished with 25 points but played only 33 minutes, and Miami was outscored 36-17 in the fourth quarter. "It sucks not being out there for your team, especially at this point in the season," James said. Dwyane Wade had 19 points and Chris Bosh added 18, but the Heat wilted in temperatures that soared to 90 degrees in the second half. "It was tough on both teams," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They were pretty dead. We tried to get guys in and out. ... It was really hot out there." James, who had cramping issues two years ago in the finals, had to ask for a break in the fourth quarter and was getting treatment during a 15-4 Spurs run that turned around the game. James came back in and made a basket that cut it to two points with about 4 minutes left, but couldnt even run back on defence, promptly putting his hand up and lingering at the baseline until help arrived to take him off for good. "I think it felt like a punch in the gut when you see your leader limping like that back to the bench," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Danny Green followed with 3-pointer to trigger what became a 16-3 run to end the game. "You could see the heat was getting to a lot of guys. If I played as many minutes as he did, Id probably be cramping up, too," said Green, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the final quarter. The crowd chanted "Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!" late in the game, which was just what the fans themselves were trying to do. The Spurs said an electrical failure for the power that runs the air conditioning system had occurred. They apologized for the inconvenience but also seemed to poke fun of it, playing songs with "hot" in the lyrics over the sound system. Fans were trying to cool themselves on the hot night, a reminder of what it was like in the old Boston Garden when the Celtics and Lakers got together. The Heat are the first team since those Celtics of 1984-87 to get to four straight finals. They are well-rested after a relatively easy roll through the Eastern Conference playoffs, a key to keeping Wade healthy entering the finals. James was the MVP of the series last year when the Heat rallied from five points down in the final half-minute of regulation to win Game 6 in overtime, then won a Game 7 that was close the whole way for their second straight championship. A rematch was widely anticipated and was close almost throughout. The Heat led 86-79 after Boshs four-point play with 9:38 remaining in the game, but it was all San Antonio from there, and Wade said there were problems even beyond James absence. "Obviously, tonight we wouldve loved to have him in there to finish the game, but weve got to finish the game better," Wade said. The Spurs ended up extending their NBA-record streak to eight straight home playoff wins by 15 or more points. Their roster is filled with international players, such as Parker and Ginobili, who both said they were used to playing without air conditioning overseas. Bosh, scoreless in Game 7 last year, scored Miamis first five points in the Heats 7-2 start. But Ginobili came off the bench firing, making consecutive 3-pointers for an 18-13 lead. Wade and James combined for six straight points before Ginobili made another 3, and Patty Mills added one to close the first-quarter scoring and give the Spurs a 26-20 advantage. The Spurs committed nine turnovers while managing only 20 points in the third quarter, and Miami led 78-74 heading to the fourth. Notes: James joined Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players with 4,000 points and 1,000 assists in the post-season. ... Ray Allen moved past Bryant and Derek Fisher into second place on the career list with 49 3-pointers in the NBA Finals. Robert Horry, a former Spurs forward, is the leader with 56. Buy Shoes Black Friday . 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Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders defence had Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Zach Collaros under siege for much of the night. The Riders sacked the first-year Hamilton starter 10 times and limited the Tiger-Cats to less than 200 yards total offence in a convincing 31-10 victory on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium. "Our defence played lights out," said Riders quarterback Darian Durant, who tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the game. "Give them the lead and they can really tee off on the opposing team." Ricky Foley led the Riders defence with six tackles and three sacks. John Chick and Derek Walker each had two sacks, and the defending Grey Cup champions looked dominant in front of 19,285 spectators that braved wet and windy weather. "It seemed like a lot of things we working for us," Chick said. "You see the chemistry of the guys today. A bunch of us have a full season under our belts working together and the new guys are coming along. To see everyone working together was great." The poor weather didnt slow the Riders offence. Saskatchewan scored on three of its first four possessions and enjoyed a 24-1 lead at halftime. The Riders racked up 196 yards of offence in the first half compared to just 96 yards from Hamilton. First-year Riders running back Anthony Allen rushed for 158 yards and scored two touchdowns in his first CFL start. Durant connected with eight different receivers on the day and threw touchdown strikes to Allen and fellow newcomer Brett Swain. "We live out here," Durant said when asked how well the offence moved the ball despite the lousy weather. "IIt has been raining for a month and weve been practising in it day in and day out.dddddddddddd We prepared ourselves for this and we did a great job of not letting (the weather) be a factor." Tiger-Cats head coach Kent Austin didnt use the weather as an excuse for his teams poor debut, although it didnt help in its bid for a come-from-behind victory on the road. "I saw not a very good football team today," Austin said. "We have to make a great improvement in a lot of areas right now. I have to get our guys more discipline. Our penalty situation is ridiculous right now. "It was a monsoon out there, and the wind a Im not making excuses for (Collaros). It was tough conditions to play in. Their pressure just compounded things." Saskatchewan had Collaros on the run early. Walkers first sack snuffed Hamiltons opening offensive drive, and on their second possession, it was a sack by linebacker Sam Hurl that led to punter Justin Medlock conceding a safety. A Collaros fumble and a snap that sailed over Medlocks head on a punt attempt just added to Hamiltons woes in the first half. Luke Tasker scored Hamiltons lone touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Collaros. "Im not angry at the team," said Austin, whose club was penalized 17 times for 148 yards. "Its about getting better. This game means something only if we learn to get better from it. Other than that, it has no meaning. We have to limit our mistakes and learn how to get better." Saskatchewan will visit the Toronto Argonauts (1-0) in Week 2. Hamilton, meanwhile will travel to Edmonton to take on the Eskimos (1-0). ' ' '
