By LINDA ROBERTSON — The Miami Herald

MIAMI — The contrasting styles of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs could be seen in splendid microcosm by watching LeBron James churn and Tim Duncan pirouette in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

There was James devouring air and stuffing the ball into the basket's maw.

There was Duncan wheeling around Chris Bosh for the lefty hook, his feet in perfect position, his arm arched with protractor precision.

On Thursday, Duncan's steady march through four quarters set the stage for Tony Parker's concluding burst and a 92-88 victory that at least temporarily snatched home-court advantage from the Heat.

It was The Big Fundamental versus King James.

It was Duncan, leading the multi-champ Big 3 versus the aspiring multi-champ Big 3.

In the first game of a best-of-7 series, San Antonio proved the calmer and tougher team in crunch time. The Heat took a 72-69 lead into the fourth quarter, but Parker's daring lane forays and off-balance jumpers amounted to 10 points that made all the difference.

James was defending Parker when the slippery point guard sank the winning, defining shot of the game after dribbling through and around the Heat like a Harlem Globetrotter. In theory, it was an advantageous matchup for Miami, but Parker feinted, then eluded James' outstretched hand.

In the middle, Duncan kept the Heat at bay, an imperturbable sentry. As the Spurs reeled in the Heat, Duncan was always in the right place at the right time, with a rebound and tip-in for a four-point edge, another rebound that enabled Danny Green to make a three-pointer for a seven-point edge, then drawing a foul on Chris Bosh and sinking two free throws with a minute left.

Duncan finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

James' six fourth-quarter points weren't enough. He was everywhere in the scramble, but unlike Duncan not quite in the opportune spots. He had the faster start, but Duncan had the better finish. James' triple double included 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.

Duncan is a man of quiet success. The same can be said for his underappreciated team, simply the most dependable in sports over the past decade and a half.

He has a way of widening his eyes as if he has just stepped on a rattlesnake. But that's as animated as he gets.

He is always described as bland, as if that is a character flaw.

"We're here to win," he said. "It doesn't matter how we're categorized. We did what we had to do to win."

Duncan, 37, does not get the attention he deserves as a four-time champ, and he's grateful for that. This is a guy who shuns the red carpet like a hermit.

James, 28, has been The Chosen One since birth. A child star, a teen phenom, a boy king, an international sensation.

Nike constructs ad campaigns centered on James even when he's despised, as when he mocked "The Decision."

How many TV commercials have you seen Duncan featured in?

James' entourage would be Duncan's idea of a party.

James, who took his talents to South Beach, is a perfect match for the celeb glitz of Miami, where inquiring minds want to know how Flo Rida had his steak cooked or what color Tory Burch's Beyoncï¿½(c) was wearing.

Duncan cares not to see or be seen. He has been content to spend his entire pro career in the nation's 36th largest TV market and his spare time in his native Virgin Islands.

During Duncan's career, the Spurs have made 16 playoff appearances with a .622 winning percentage and advanced to five Finals.

James is playing in his fourth Finals and has won one crown.

Duncan's touch was definitely off early on jump shots, and he could not get some easy bank shots to fall. He went 0 for 5 in the first quarter. When he missed, his expression didn't change but he would slam the ball into his palm. From then on, he was 8 for 14.

Duncan picked up two quick fouls, the first a wrong call for a block of Dwyane Wade, which replays showed was a charge. Duncan worked stoically, setting screens that sprung Parker and Manu Ginobili.

They'll represent two opposite franchises again in Game 2 on Sunday.

"That's what this series is all about," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It's going to come down to the last tenth of a second."

Copyright 2013 The_Miami_Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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