Basketball On The Internet.

WHEN NBA fans talk about the "Big Three" the conversation usually is about Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at Miami Heat.

A couple of years ago, it was all about Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen at Boston Celtics.

Both those famous trifectas (so far) have won one NBA championship apiece together.

Yet the trio few speak about - Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili at San Antonio Spurs - already have three championships together and are now just three wins from a fourth after Parker today stroked a stunning banker jumpshot with 5.2 seconds left to clinch Game 1 of the NBA Finals 92-88.

The Spurs' troika entered Game 1 against Miami at AmericanAirlines Arena with 98 playoff wins as a collective, second most by a trio in NBA history behind Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Michael Cooper, who won 110 together with the Los Angeles Lakers.

It's 99 now and counting after Parker hit 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Danny Green stuck a big three and Duncan nailed clutch free throws.

Dribbling around on the Spurs' last offence, Parker fumbled the ball, fell down, gathered himself, turned and launched a five-metre bank shot a millisecond before the shotclock expired.

Officials looked at the video from various angles and determined the ball left his fingertips just before the lights started flashing.

That was when the lights went out for Miami.

"I was trying to stay composed and get a shot off," Parker said.

He succeeded. Somehow.

Duncan (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Parker (who added six assists and had no turnovers) had help from Kawhi Leonard, who had a 10-point, 10-rebound double while playing tough defence on James.

The league MVP still produced a triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists but it was never enough, the 5.2 seconds left after Parker's shot giving the Heat no chance to break the Spurs' streak of 5-0 in Championship Finals Game 1s.

Duncan, A.K.A the Big Fundamental, joined A.C. Green and John Salley as the only players in NBA history to make Finals appearances in three separate decades.

His early foul woes threatened to be an issue but he didn't earn the nickname for nothing.

Duncan scored 12 points in the second quarter, including a jumper just before the halftime buzzer, that left the Spurs down 52-49.

Game 2 is Monday morning Australian time, the ball now in the court of the Heat's "Big Three" to maintain their postseason record of never losing twice in succession.

PS

Duncan won his first NBA Championship in 1999 before Parker and Ginobili joined the Spurs. That was in his original "Big Three" of Duncan, David Robinson and Andrew Gaze...