Spurs shutting down James, lead Game 1 at half

James, who has averaged 25.8 points in the postseason, was held to four in the first half, all on free throws. He’s missed his first seven shots from the field.

This marks the fourth Finals appearance in the last nine seasons for the Spurs, who are 3-0 in previous series. It’s also the first ever appearance for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland beat the Spurs in both meetings during the regular season, but neither team reached the 90-point mark. That low-scoring trend has continued through the first half of Thursday’s game.

James had two points in the first quarter as the Cavs trailed, 20-15 going into the second, but Cleveland started the next period with a 10-2 spurt. Larry Hughes capped the flurry with a short jumper midway through the stanza.

Parker then engineered the Spurs into the lead, factoring in an ensuing 11-1 run. He made a driving layup and then missed a free throw, but got his own rebound and made a short shot. Parker then fed Francisco Elson with a bounce pass, which turned into a dunk and three-point play. Duncan jammed before Parker hit a layup for a 33-26 advantage.

Daniel Gibson’s layup had the Cavs within 37-35, but Manu Ginobili nailed a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in the half.

Duncan has 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks at the half.

While the Spurs boast plenty of championship experience, the Cavaliers have just one player who’s been to the NBA Finals - Eric Snow with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.

On the other side is Robert Horry, who has won six NBA titles. Horry drew a charge from Donyell Marshall with 38.5 seconds left in the opening quarter. The solid defense continued, as Ginobili drew an offensive foul on James with 3.7 seconds remaining, as LeBron ran over the Spurs guard.

San Antonio led by as many as six in the opening quarter, as Duncan’s two free throws moved the advantage to 16-10 at the midway point.