Who Cares, It's All the Same

The game ultimately turned into a record-breaking exhibition by the Grizzlies. Worse still, nearly twenty thousand Heat fans inside American Airlines Center had to sit there and watch the Grizzlies they hated so much put on a show on their home court.

In the first quarter alone, the Grizzlies scored 42 points in 23 possessions, an astonishing 1.82 points per possession. It was the most efficient single quarter the Memphis Grizzlies had played since the franchise was founded. On top of that, the Grizzlies went 4-for-4 from three in the quarter, attempted 13 free throws—nine more than their opponents—and made 11 of them.

Those 42 first-quarter points also set the NBA Finals record for points in an opening quarter since 1967. Naturally, the Grizzlies also tied the record for most points in any single quarter of an NBA Finals game. The last team to score 42 points in a Finals quarter had been the 2008 Celtics.

In Game 6 of the 2008 Finals, the Celtics humiliated the Lakers with 42 fourth-quarter points. Today, the Grizzlies had put the Heat away in the very first quarter.

In the end, the Grizzlies finished the first quarter leading 42-25. But everyone knew the nightmare was far from over!

In the second quarter, the Grizzlies maintained their magical shooting touch from the first. They made their first six shots of the period and were 19-for-21 overall, shooting over 90 percent—a jaw-dropping number!

Although the Heat gradually found their offensive rhythm afterward and started knocking down three-pointers in succession, the gap between the two sides was already far too great. The Heat's sudden burst was like a pebble tossed into a vast ocean, unable to stir even the slightest wave.

The Heat mounted a spirited resistance in the second quarter, but the halftime score was