Security was in place for a postgame trophy presentation when Ray Allen hit this game-tying three. (Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images)

MIAMI — For 53 minutes on Tuesday, the Heat and Spurs engaged in an all-time great basketball game, one that saw star performance after star performance and required an overtime period to settle. Despite ticket prices in the hundreds or thousands of dollars and the fact that it was Game 6 of the Finals, many fans in attendance at American Airlines Arena didn’t bother to stick around until the game’s dramatic conclusion.

A significant portion of the home crowd streamed for the exits as San Antonio held a five-point lead in the closing minutes of regulation. When LeBron James and Ray Allen hit back-to-back three-pointers to force overtime, where the Heat ultimately prevailed 103-100 to force a Game 7, a number of the fans unsuccessfully attempted to reenter the arena, according to reports.

The early exit from the fans wasn’t the only late-game off-court point of contention. Many Heat players saw that preparations were being made for a trophy presentation to the Spurs, as security staff surrounded the court to create a celebration zone.

“I noticed it,” James said, following what he called the “best game” he’s been a part of during his 10-year career. “We saw the championship board already out there, the yellow tape. That’s why you play the game to the final buzzer.”

Dwyane Wade added: “That’s why we love this game. It’s unpredictable. Only thing you can do when everything looks dim and dark, you just have to keep going. When they brought that yellow rope and you know you’re not the one that’s going to celebrate, we kept fighting and believing. We played to the last minute, the last second.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said that the crowd’s early exit and the post-game security preparations didn’t distract his team’s focus during a tense endgame.

“Come on, at that time I don’t think anybody noticed,” Spoelstra said. “That’s probably the best way to live in life is in the moment, and that will guarantee you’re in the moment.”

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LeBron James was all smiles after Miami’s Game 6 victory. (Bruce Yeung/Getty Images)

MIAMI — LeBron James has the basketball equivalent of a photographic memory, as he is able to recall sequences with remarkable accuracy following a game and can remember results of games years after they took place.

Tuesday’s Game 6 between the Heat and Spurs marked the 902nd game (regular season and playoffs) of James’ career, and the man that never forgets a shot or outcome declared afterward that none of those other 901 games can compare to the drama offered during Miami’s 103-100 overtime victory.

“It was by far the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” James said, after tallying his second triple-double of the 2013 Finals. “The ups and downs, the roller coaster, the emotions, good and bad throughout the game. To be a part of something like this is something you would never be able to recreate once you’re done playing the game. I’m blessed to be a part of something like this.”

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Manu Ginobili committed eight turnovers in Game 6. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

MIAMI — Just 5.2 seconds separated the Spurs from winning Game 6 and clinching the fifth championship of the Gregg Popovich era. So, so close — virtually as close as a team can come to winning a title — but a game-tying three-pointer from Ray Allen in the closing seconds of regulation snatched the ring off San Antonio’s collective finger. The Heat prevailed in overtime 103-100, forcing a Game 7 on Thursday and leaving the Spurs to wonder if they had squandered their best shot at the title.

In the moments immediately following the game, San Antonio’s key players all looked to be wearing varying shades of disappointment, but no one was as shaken as Manu Ginobili, who finished with nine points (on 2-for-5 shooting), three assists and a career-high eight turnovers.

“I have no clue how we’re going to be reenergized,” Ginobili responded, when reminded that San Antonio must pull itself together for Game 7 on Thursday night in Miami. “I’m devastated. But we have to. There’s no Game 8 afterwards.”

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Chris Bosh was not whistled for a foul on this potential game-tying attempt from Danny Green with less than a second remaining. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Almost every competitive NBA game features blown calls and costly no-calls, errors which are only magnified in games of greater import. It should go without saying, then, that a hotly contested Game 6 in the NBA Finals that came down to an overtime period and a string of clutch plays would have its officiating warts. Joey Crawford, Mike Callahan and Ken Mauer made some mistakes on Tuesday night, and two no-calls in particular — both of which would have resulted in crucial free throws for San Antonio — have drawn attention in both the waning moments of Game 6 and its analytical wake.

The first such play came with just a few seconds remaining in overtime, shortly after the Spurs had collected a rebound and pushed the ball upcourt to contest the Heat’s one-point lead. With Tony Parker subbed out of the game, Manu Ginobili took control of the possession and looked to create off the dribble. After gathering the ball near the three-point line, Ginobili attempted to push past Ray Allen to the rim, but lost control after Allen appeared to make contact with Ginobili’s right arm:

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MIAMI — LeBron James looked like a different man down the stretch of Miami’s dramatic 103-100 overtime defeat of San Antonio in Game 6, and it started with his bare forehead.

After being unable to buy a bucket all night, James had his trademark headband knocked off early in the fourth quarter. Rather than locate it and put it back on, the 2013 MVP continued playing without it. Wouldn’t you know it? James just so happened to kick his game into another gear without the headwear, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a key three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining in regulation.

“I guess the headband was the least of my worries at that point,”  James said, referencing San Antonio’s double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

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