win of NBA title

Heat rally from 17 down to 104-98 victory, within one win of NBA title

June 20, 2012|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel
MIAMI — One more victory. One more victory for validation.

Perhaps Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena in Game 5 of these NBA Finals, when the celebration would be at its most robust, 20,000 believers along for the ride.
Or perhaps in one of this best-of-seven series' final two games, at Chesapeake Energy Arena, if needed.

But the Miami Heat are on the verge of turning those July 2010 promises of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh into reality.


With Tuesday night's 104-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat moved to a 3-1 series lead, on a night James fell one rebound shy of his eighth career triple-double, with 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds -- and one nearly costly late-game cramp.

"This," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "is competition at its fiercest."

Every one of James' numbers were needed, as were the 25 points from Wade and a 25-point reemergence from Heat point guard Mario Chalmers, which tied his career playoff high.

"That's a total group effort," Wade said. "That's the reason we all came here together. Big plays, big moments, that's what this team is built on."

On this night, it was the Thunder who had the singular scoring sensation.

And, no, it wasn't 2011-12 scoring champion Kevin Durant, who did his part with 28 points, but rather all-or-nothing Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, who closed with 43.

"He was trying to will his team to a win," Spoelstra said, ignoring the part of a question that asked about Westbrook taking 13 more shots than Durant. "You have to respect that fierceness. He brought it tonight."

So did James, until his body said no triple-double, not on this night.

"LeBron had cramps in his leg," Spoelstra confirmed. "We talked about it before the game, you had to play with an intensity that you had nothing left. He didn't. He was playing at an incredible pace."

And still had enough left after a fourth-quarter exit to reemerge to hit a huge 3-pointer.

The Thunder entered, and exited, well aware of the stakes. Since the 2-3-2 Finals format was instituted in 1985, 13 teams had trailed 3-1 in the series, with none of those 13 teams going on to win the series, or even forced a Game 7.

"I can guarantee you this, we have fight in us," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We're playing a great basketball team and some."

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Durant said fight remained.

"We're going to keep fighting," Durant said. "It's frustrating to lose like that."

For now, the Heat mantra is same as it ever was.

"We've always said, I'm sure Spo has said it 10,000 times, 'Stay in the moment,' " said Bosh, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Oh, it wasn't easy for the Heat, and got scary for a few minutes, when James had to be helped off the court with 5:15 remaining midway through the fourth quarter with his cramp.

"It's basically like your legs shut down, your body shuts down, there's nothing you can do about it," said James, who said he was feeling much better after the game. "Hopefully I can stay hydrated where it doesn't happen again."

But despite being carried off the court, James still had work to do, returning to convert a 3-pointer with 2:51 to that put the Heat up for good 97-94.

"I was just trying to make a play," James said. "If I was out on the floor, I just wanted to try to make a play with the limited mobility I had."

He made a huge one.

"LeBron," Brooks said, "hit an amazing shot."

From there, Wade scored on a scoop shot for a five-point lead, but Bosh was off with a point-blank inside attempt.

Westbrook scored on the other end to draw the Thunder within 99-96 with 1:43 to play. James then was off with a jumper, but so was Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha from beyond the 3-point line on the other end.

That's when Chalmers, who had scored 17 points in the series' first three games, shooting 2 of 15 in the previous two, cashed in with a driving layup with 44.6 seconds to play for a 101-96 Heat lead.

"That kid's not afraid of any moment," Spoelstra said of Chalmers. "He's a gamer. He's got guts. You can't quantify that."

Still, more was needed.

A Westbrook layup drew the Thunder within 101-98, with a jump ball then called with 17.3 seconds to play, the Heat controlling the tip off a hustle effort from Shane Battier.

Chalmers then was fouled with 13.8 seconds to play. Having attempted only one free throw the entire series to that point, making it in the second period, he hit the first for a 102-88 lead and the second to put the Heat up 103-98.

The Heat held on from there, completing the largest comeback in franchise playoff history, from 17 down early.

"Whatever it takes at this point," Spoelstra said. "Guys are stepping up and giving us whatever they have."

The Heat led 79-75 at the end of the third quarter. The 33 points they scored in the period were their high for any period in these Finals, playing the third without a turnover.

The third quarter ended with James one rebound shy of his triple-double, never to get it.

June 20, 2012|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel
It was a wild first half, filled with thrills, chills and even one spill of concern.

The spill came when Wade fell hard on his back after a second-quarter blocked shot by Thunder forward Serge Ibaka. Wade remained in the game after a Heat timeout.
The Thunder, who had not led by more than 11 points at any stage over the first three games, this time pushed their lead to 17 in the first quarter and took a 33-19 lead into the second period.

As a matter of perspective, the Thunder had led a grand total of 36 seconds in the first halves of the series first three games.

The Heat's 14-point deficit at the end of the first quarter was their largest going into a second period this season, regular season or playoffs. Until Tuesday, only the Celtics in 2008 and 1957 had overcome such deficits at the end of a first quarter to win a Finals game.

As dynamic as the Thunder were early, the Heat were even more impressive with a 13-0 run to start the second period.

The rally, which was 16-0 when counting a Norris Cole 3-pointer to end the first period, included a 3-point play by Chalmers.

The Thunder changed up their defensive assignments at the outset, with Durant, who had spent the previous two games in foul trouble, switching away from the defensive assignment on James and instead opening defensively on Chalmers. That put Thunder shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha on James.

Durant this time closed with three fouls. But without a victory.

Now the chase for the next victory comes with the ultimate stakes.

"We have to finish," Bosh said, "the job that we started."