Rod Thorn, the president of basketball operations in the NBA, told ESPN that the 90+ degree heat engulfed game one of the finals, after a malfunction with the air conditioning system; was not enough to stop the game.
Thorn backed the NBA’s decision to continue on with the game, even though players were clearly affected. But all and still, both teams were affected equally (even though the Heat lost LeBron to cramps in crunch time).
The sweltering temperatures brought back memories of the 1984 finals game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The air conditioning in the Boston Garden was broken, and temperatures during that game reached into the upper 90s.
And now, some throwback highlights of that sweat-box game for your viewing pleasure: